Posts tagged Canon 70-200mm f/2.8

A couple of weeks ago I set out to shoot Santa at the local harbour…

Vis stort kort

In the city of Naestved where I live the story goes like this:

Santa comes to town each year sailing in to the local harbour on the good ship “Enoe”, where it makes berth.

From there Santa travels to town on his sleigh to the town square to turn on the lights on the Christmas tree in the middle of the square.

So the family and I set out to meet Santa as much for the kids sake, as for mine, ’cause I wanted to practice my night time shooting skills.

I had forgotten about the event so when I picked up the kids and wife, and she told me that we had to go the thing I dropped them of near the harbour, drove home as fast as I could, picked up my camera bag with the 70-200 f/2.8 and the 50 f/1.8 and my 430 EX II flash. Also had time to find my 680B Manfrotto monopod ’cause I had a plan in mind.

Okay so the plan was to do as “the image engineer” did it.
See, I figured that Santa could easily get dark shadows on his forehead and eyes because of the brim of his hat casting a shadow over his face so by placing the flash below the camera, the flash would light up under the brim casting light where needed on his face.
I mounted the whole thing with the 70-200 and I made an attempt of fixing the flash to the monopod by using sticky tape from my wife’s office.

Mistake #1:

I’ve never actually tried this setup before, this was the first time I ever tried using my flash with the off shoe flash cord.

Mistake #2:

I forgot to turn on the flash and set it to ETTL before I taped it to the monopod!

Mistake #3:

Wasting time trying to use the longer glass for too long when I should have changed the lens to the 50 mm way sooner. A 70-200 is way to long a glass for photo journalistic work when your’e that close. Staying a little back would have helped, but I wouldn’t have been able to shoot through the crowd.

Mistake #4:

Using a monopod in a crowded area, trying to navigate around with it without hitting everyone else in the back.

Mistake #5:

Bringing the kids to a photo op. Try balancing a rig like mine while keeping track of a kid, while Santa Claus is coming to town! That just wont work

Mistake #6:

Not reading up how autofocus works… I might have a great lens, but my camera simply sucks in lowlight situations… (7D here I come)

Still, I managed to get on good shot of the main man.

(click on the picture to see a bigger version)