Hi Guys
Well, set myself up for a fall again. I mentioned a while ago that one of the
things my company does is to organise corporate events. Well the Events
manager's just asked me to give a quote for being the official photographer at
a forthcoming event. None of that "well, it's a shame that one didn't come out
but it's not important" this time!
A few months ago I took a couple of days holiday from work and did a freebie
for them at one event. This was an event for the top 200 "performers" of a
national bank, a day and night in a golfing hotel in Wales.
Started at 11:30, but as I live 200 miles away on the wrong side of London I
left home at 6:00 am and got there with only 30 mins to spare.
First couple of shots were people getting off the coach (easy), then booking
in, and this is where the 1st problem occurred. The rooms in the hotel were
HUGE and I was shooting with my zoom at it's 210 end and my T32 ran out of
power... not much I could do about that.
Then they moved onto the activities. They were taken out to a field and let
loose in Landrovers; quad bikes; clay-pigeon shooting; archery and all that
stuff. Loads of opportunity to get some really good shots here. In fact in my
opinion some of these are the best pictures I've done.
Then stage 2.... aromatherapy/ cocktail mixing / tai chi.... how the hell do
you do an interesting photograph of people sitting in rows listening to a
lecture?
A looong gap where I had a sleep in the car, then onto drinks, meal and dance.
The drink bit was the boring cocktail party shots (I hate doing them), and
didn't bother with people eating, but saved a couple of shots for the band. The
room and lighting were done really excellently so once again a couple of good
shots of dancing and the band, even accounting for the weakness of the T32
again....
Got a free meal out of it, then left at 11:30 and got home at 02:00 am the next
day, absolutely exhausted.
.... And then the really bad news. My quote " favourite" lab screwed up.
Hopelessly underexposed about 700f the shots and did something with the negs...
not sure what but they've got marks on and a couple of hot-spots. Dam dam dam
dam!! Because of the time I couldn't get them reprinted, but managed to salvage
about 30 usable prints, which is actually just about the right number to give a
good feel of the event without being boring.
As I've said the Flash was a problem, possible due to me using a smaller
aperture (eyesight going, so I don't have faith in my quick focusing any more),
but sorry to say I've now bought (using the petrol money expenses) a Metz 45
which I'll use from now on with these big places and keep the T32 for more
modest does.
So, all in all a really good and thoroughly enjoyable day for me. The Events
Manager was, I think very impressed with the outdoor shots, but less so with
the indoor "people-standing-around-drinking" ones, which I have to admit are a
bit flat.
But the downside is the next one is for real.... Help
Sam
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