So. Story time once again, and this time it's not a happy one. Last night, January 31st, I was hired on by three bands to shoot their set. Awesome. Cool beans. It was a hometown show for me so I discounted the shit out of it (no driving, no cost to me, big discount, right?). We get to the venue, enjoy a drink, meet the bands (who were all incredibly wicked), then get to work. The usual. About ten minutes into the first set, I notice something is off with my ever so loved Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART- It isn't focusing well. Let me tell you a thing- if you're shooting concerts not on auto-focus, you're a god. I often switch between auto and manual, but for the most part I'm on auto.
SEE ALSO: The Magic Lens That Saved My Life
ANYWAY. This bloody lens just isn't focusing, and I can't see anything to manually focus. Thankfully, I brought an external flash to try out (I hate flash) for this set, experiment a little. The flash saved the photos, honestly. I'll never shit-talk external flash users ever again (only on-board flashes...awful). Doing some more research on the lens, I figure I may just buy the Sigma Dock for the lens to update firmware and what not. It should help? Sigma users, let me know? I spent the night swapping between my little Canon 24mm pancake and the Sigma 50mm and by the end I was happy with the results.
SEE ALSO: The Magic Lens That Saved My Life
ANYWAY. This bloody lens just isn't focusing, and I can't see anything to manually focus. Thankfully, I brought an external flash to try out (I hate flash) for this set, experiment a little. The flash saved the photos, honestly. I'll never shit-talk external flash users ever again (only on-board flashes...awful). Doing some more research on the lens, I figure I may just buy the Sigma Dock for the lens to update firmware and what not. It should help? Sigma users, let me know? I spent the night swapping between my little Canon 24mm pancake and the Sigma 50mm and by the end I was happy with the results.
THE HORROR
This is where things turn ugly. Photographers, grab your loved ones for comfort, sit down, maybe think twice before reading....
You've been warned....
Still here?
Okay....
The entire night, all three sets, 300 photos....were not shot in RAW
You've been warned....
Still here?
Okay....
The entire night, all three sets, 300 photos....were not shot in RAW
I know...
And that's not the worst part
And that's not the worst part
Not only were the photos shot in JPEG instead of RAW, they were shot in 720p!!! WHAT!!@@#@!!!
During import, what should have easily taken 3+gb, took a small 17mb. ONE SINGLE GODDAMN RAW FILE SHOULD BE 17MB, NOT 300 PHOTOS!
Needless to say, I'm mad. Furious. Best guess? I accidentally scrolled the shooting format instead of shutter speed and not noticed. I haven't had the chance to really look at the photos yet, I've been working all day and have another shoot tonight (which WILL be shot in RAW), but I'm confident they're salvageable. Noisy, but salvageable.
IF ANY OF THE BANDS ARE READING THIS- I PROMISE YOUR PHOTOS ARE FINE lol
I'm lucky though...
This was just a small show. A discounted small show. Had this been a wedding, or a multi-thousand dollar client, I would have been screwed. Royally screwed. Not only would thousands of dollars and hours of several peoples time been wasted, my reputation and career would have been at stake.
During import, what should have easily taken 3+gb, took a small 17mb. ONE SINGLE GODDAMN RAW FILE SHOULD BE 17MB, NOT 300 PHOTOS!
Needless to say, I'm mad. Furious. Best guess? I accidentally scrolled the shooting format instead of shutter speed and not noticed. I haven't had the chance to really look at the photos yet, I've been working all day and have another shoot tonight (which WILL be shot in RAW), but I'm confident they're salvageable. Noisy, but salvageable.
IF ANY OF THE BANDS ARE READING THIS- I PROMISE YOUR PHOTOS ARE FINE lol
I'm lucky though...
This was just a small show. A discounted small show. Had this been a wedding, or a multi-thousand dollar client, I would have been screwed. Royally screwed. Not only would thousands of dollars and hours of several peoples time been wasted, my reputation and career would have been at stake.
THE LESSON
Honestly, if you take yourself serious as a photographer, shoot in RAW. If it's just a hobby and there's no money involved, or the need for stellar high quality photos, then whatever. But for you who do this for a living...always always always triple check the format you're shooting on. Doesn't matter if you put it on RAW and then never touch it- always make sure each time you turn on the camera. I was lucky this time. It didn't cost me my wage for the night. You may not be so lucky. That might have been a $3000 wedding you just lost...
WANT A HAPPY STORY?: My First Show of 2019
Want to know what I shoot with? Help me make a living- check the links below!
CAMERA: https://amzn.to/2VCGiMZ
LENS: https://amzn.to/2RJMPpI or https://amzn.to/2SjK3YJ
THE FLASH THAT SAVED THE SHOW: https://amzn.to/2WAy20s
LENS: https://amzn.to/2RJMPpI or https://amzn.to/2SjK3YJ
THE FLASH THAT SAVED THE SHOW: https://amzn.to/2WAy20s