Morten Andersen
Posts: 56
Location: Roskilde, Denmark
Registered: 12 Jun 2006
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still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 8:34 GMT
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Hello everybody.
A new client just told me that they most likely also want still images when I do a tour of their hotel.
But..... can I do it my self?
The only photography experience I have is doing panoramas shooting bracketed images with my fish eye. I have no idea what it takes to shoot "normal" still images.
Sure I can buy a canon 17-40mm for my canon 5D, mount it on my tripod and shoot a couple of images. But I know nothing about the composition, and I have no idea how to handle the lightning.
What do you guys think? Should I say no, or should it be a possible for me to produce an acceptable result? And if so.... how do I go about it?
Best regards
Morten
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mediavets
Posts: 286
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 9:58 GMT
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What would these still images be used for? Print? Web display?
If just to be additional images on a web site you could perhaps crop the stills from your panos?
Can you do it?
Yes, I think so. Practice at home with the 17-40 to learn how to handle mixed lighting - but you know how to do that anyway from your bracketing for panos. With a 5D I'm sure you can get acceptable results.
What's the worst that can happen - they don't like your stills? They won't be assessing your stills as a pro-photographer might - this isn't ART we are talking about it's 'snaps' in a hotel.
Andrew
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gus
Posts: 373
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: 19 Jun 2007
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 10:09 GMT
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Yip, google for some tips on architectural photography, and for composition ideas.
And remember it's digital - so take 100's of photos. The law of averages will be on your side 
Impress them with a panoramic image (not 360°) of the front of the hotel consisting of 3 or 4 images sticthed in Photoshop or PTgui.
Look for unusual shapes, reflections, colours and patterns to take unique shots.
Some links :
www.goldprints.com/architectural.html
photo.net/learn/architectural/exteriorhttp://www.picturecorrect.com/photographytips/architecture_photography_tips.htm
www.northlight-images.co.uk/hotel_photography.html
Good luck, and come back to share your work
gus
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Morten Andersen
Posts: 56
Location: Roskilde, Denmark
Registered: 12 Jun 2006
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 11:14 GMT
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Hi Andrew and Gus
Thanks for your replies.
I have already suggested that we use the panoramas as a source image and take screen prints of this. But they have tried this approach with an other panorama photographer in the past and the result was not satisfying, so at the moment they prefer traditional stills.
They say that they want to keep them in an archive so they can use them in the future for both print and web purposes.
The worst thing that can happen? Well.. I guess it would be that I loose the money spent on a 17-40mm, and I have to let the client know I couldn't do it (that will not be funny)
About the workflow. I will of course take serveral images, but should I always take bracketed images, og do you think it would be good enough to just shoow raw?
Regards
Morten
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mediavets
Posts: 286
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 12:09 GMT
updated: 17 Apr 2008 at 12:32 GMT
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Morten Andersen said: Hi Andrew and Gus
Thanks for your replies.
I have already suggested that we use the panoramas as a source image and take screen prints of this. But they have tried this approach with an other panorama photographer in the past and the result was not satisfying, so at the moment they prefer traditional stills.
I meant take crops of/from the equirectangular stitched image (not screen prints) - if shooting/stitching sphericals - generated by your stitcher. Autopano Pro for example allows you to make a visual crop in the Panorama Editor prior to rendering, but could crop after rendering. With a Canon 5D you should still have quite enough resolution for both Web and most brochure type print purposes.
If they have previously used another panographer but are now looking elsewhere I would wish to know why? Perhaps this is the 'client from Hell' who can never be satisfied and will be forever reluctant to pay? It is conventional to charge much more for images to be used in several ways/media.
Morten Andersen said: They say that they want to keep them in an archive so they can use them in the future for both print and web purposes.
The worst thing that can happen? Well.. I guess it would be that I loose the money spent on a 17-40mm, and I have to let the client know I couldn't do it (that will not be funny)
I would have envisaged that you would more than cover the cost of the lens on this one job? Don't sell youirself too cheaply.
Morten Andersen said: About the workflow. I will of course take serveral images, but should I always take bracketed images, og do you think it would be good enough to just shoow raw?
Given the very large differences of brightness typically seen between daylight through windows and interior artificial lighting I would doubt that shooting raw would be sufficient and the automatic bracketing range of many DSLRs is also often too restricted as well.
But there are others far more experienced than me in shooting such scenes who I'm sure can offer more precise advice.
Andrew
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gus
Posts: 373
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: 19 Jun 2007
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 13:23 GMT
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Morten,
You dont have to use the images from the pano. Just shoot 3 or 4 (handheld will do, if light allows)and stitch them. They could be 4 horizontally to capture a wide scene,(like this: )
or 3 vertically, (like this tinyurl.com/42o4uw) to capture a "tall" scene.
Make sure there's enough overlap.
Unless you hide the lens away and never use it, it will never be a waste
gus
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mediavets
Posts: 286
Location: Isleham, Cambs., United Kingdom
Registered: 8 Feb 2008
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 14:04 GMT
updated: 17 Apr 2008 at 14:05 GMT
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gus said: Morten,
You dont have to use the images from the pano. Just shoot 3 or 4 (handheld will do, if light allows)and stitch them. ..
gus
Quite so - the only reason I suggested cropping from a pano shot - or for that matter creating a regular still from a subset of a spherical images set was to save time and money - if stills are to be of/from same scenes as sphericals.
And you may be able to get away with not buying another lens if you don't want to.
Which fisheye lens do you have?
Andrew
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Doug Aurand
Posts: 484
Location: Albuquerque, NM, United States
Registered: 2 Jan 2008
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 17 Apr 2008 at 19:21 GMT
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Morton
You're on the right track with the 17-40mm.
I use a Canon 10-22mm on my 400D and get really wide shots for my Real Estate Still Photos.
I'm going to be doing the same type of shoot for hotels. Its not that different, so wide, un-curved images are perfect.
What you need to know is if the hotel is looking for what I call those "artisticly cropped" detail shots or wide-angle photos that can show almost a whole hotel room.
What you can do for research is visit sites like Marriott.com and look a the Photo Tours of their hotels and see what shots appeal to you and which don't.
Since the facilities at various hotels are actually pretty similar, good shoot ideas from one hotel will work on another
Doug Aurand
Albuquerque, NM
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Morten Andersen
Posts: 56
Location: Roskilde, Denmark
Registered: 12 Jun 2006
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Re: still images - can I do it?
Posted: 20 Apr 2008 at 13:14 GMT
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Hi Guys
Thank you so much for your qualified answers. It warms me that you respond so well and fast to a simple inquiry like this.
I apologize for the late reply, but the last few days I haven't been in front of a computer.
@ Andrew
Thanks for the advice. I am not selling my self too cheap. I actually plan to charge the client extra for the stills. I guess it would be fair to charge them what ever the lense cost me. That way I "only" loose my time, and I'll consider that as time spent educating my self.
I do know why they want my panoramas. The old ones are crap, and I offer a full screen solution in collaboration with the official danish tourist site www.visitdenmark.dk With my offer they will also be exposed on a lot of tourist sites.
I use a sigma 8mm (f3.5) with my canon 5d body, but don't want to crop images anymore. I did that a few time when I started with a nikon 8700 and fc e9, but I was never comfortable with the technique, and it was redicously time consuming (perhaps because I don't really know how to do it right......)
@ gus.
What a great example. I keep beeing amazed with all the possibilities there are these days. How did you stitch it.? Did you "just" shoot 3-4 images hand held and stitched as usual with PTgui?
I absolutely love how it is possible to get such a wide angle just using an other technique.
@ Doug
Thaks for reassuring me about my lense choice.
And thanks for mentioning the whole artistic approach. I don't want to go in to those artistic like shots wher you catch the top of a wine bottle or something like that. At least not just right now. I have to remember asking them beforehand.
So I definately have to do some research and start practising, but I now feel confident that I can pull it off. Boy it's incredible how much I have had to learn the last couple of years since I started shooting panoramas and building tours. It's a huge challenge, but it's also the most amazing feeling when I learn something new that results in a better product for my clients.
Best regards
Morten
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