don't turn your back

So I offered to use my camera for a quick shoot today at work and I was hooked to the strobe with a sync cable. I set my camera down for a SECOND turned around and then turned around just fast enough to see my 40D(gripped) with my tamron 17-50 crash to the metal floor and tumble a few feet. The women I was working with pulled it down by the cord. I snapped a few shots and it seems to have totally survived the fall. She was freaking out about how she'll replace anything broken and jokingly asked if it all was like $5,000?! I told her not to worry and that I'll do some test and if anything the worst thing will be to send it in to be calibrated. I have a pretty big shoot coming up on the 3rd of Dec though and I definitely wouldn't get the body and lens back by then. I guess we'll see.

Don't trust anyone especially with cables around! and this is another lesson learned on why wireless is the way to go! I was thinking of taking my cybersyncs out too! Damn...

Damn I should have cried and got a 5D Mark II & 24-70...

I am terified of dropping my 24-70.

When you say you have shoots coming up - is that for a job or part of a course? I'm just interested to see if it's possible to actually make money from photography.. I guess some people do..

I'm shooting for a group of DJ's up north. I'm now their "official" photographer. So every time they all play together they want me to try my best to make it. I was going to a show a couple months back and one of the main guys saw I did photos so asked if I would shoot it and in return I could get in for free. I said why not and went up with some friends and shot it. They liked it so much that they asked me to shoot another show and if I could try to make it to as many as possible. SO now every show I want to go to I get VIP access, my gas paid for(2 hrs away), and we're discussing rates on top of it. This next show December 3rd should be fun since we're getting a backdrop made with their logo patterned all over it and going to setup like a portrait type thing in the back so any clubbers who want their photo taken can come find me and get it done or we might set up a specific time when it will be going on.

Here is the set from my first show http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbis...7622374487622/

Also might have a senior portrait shoot coming up which is very easy money for the work that is needed.

I'm still just starting out and no idea how to charge for these things. Pricing your photography has to be the hardest thing to do. And I still have no clue. I just go by each job right now.

Pricing photos?
I would say there is no rule how to charge...if we take photos in our studio for a catalogue and minor pp afterwards we charge by the hour.
If we have to drive around in the country side for taking photos of buildings we charge by the hour...driving time included.
If we do portraits we charge for each photo.
If we go outside to take photos of a group like 20 people we charge by the photo but much less than for a single portrait.
So prices vary a lot depending on the job we have to do.

Exactly. It varies from place to place and job to job and also the way the economy is going. Just gotta keep up with it all.

Definitely not an easy topic. But as long as both u n client are happy, then all's good.

So you traded your profession for a backstage pass, n since you're happy with that, then it's a win win situation. And you mention they're discussing rates, then that's a boon!

I dropped my sony last week :( from about 2 feet, but only scuffed it.

a while ago I was taking pics of the full moon on top of my building, and my "ASSisstant" wanted to make sure the tripod mount was secured, WITH THE CAMERA ON IT, a 40D with a Battery Grip, a 70-300 and a Tele 2x converter is a Workout to carry, specially when it's targeting the sky in a VERY awkward Angle, needless to say I experienced a moment of psychosomatic pains when the camera tumbled twice and I caught it, I swear my heart did the same thing, two flips and a squeeze ten inches before the cement ground :eek:

^ I could feel it all the way here too. Ouch!

Dude, I ran my 20D over with a car and it still worked just fine. Still does, as a matter of fact.

http://board.flashkit.com/board/show...&highlight=car <-- Original post.

haha I remember that. The cameras are built like tanks. It was more of the plastic and glass tamron lens rolling across the floor that got me.