Alissa, photography is painting with light... from the shadows latent within it appears your key was high to camera left... lovely expression with the hands... which provide an excellent balance with this talent's facial features...

That said, her hair (assuming this is the signature of the narrative) lacks separation from background elements...
Have you consider the merit of using a kicker to halo the aforementioned? Without adequate separation of her gorgeous auburn tresses this falls considerably short of commercial quality...

As others have mentioned, lose the distracting blown out background elements which contrarily to your perception do little for the narrative... Simply crop tighter which would also improve compositional elements... the talent should dominate the image..

As for color balance? Might consider removing the orange/magenta color cast... SOP is to shoot a color card with each change of illumination... reliance on auto white balance is not germane for commercial work... And without shooting a color card you're only guessing in post... Once you enter into catalog fashion there is zero tolerance for color casts...

The luminosity levels are a tad low and not for good effect... please study this image's histogram and adjust accordingly...

Bottom Line here? Moving forward you will likely benefit from using a full team of hair, makeup, and wardrobe stylist... Without the aforementioned you'll not likely advance into the commercial realm...

Best Advice? Assist other commercial shooters in your market in as this is the traditional route into the industry... Those who would suggest otherwise do not speak with tenure...

Thank you for sharing...
All the best on your journey...

Best guess is your 24/85 2.8 would allow for the greatest adaptability to the venue's diverse illumination dynamic...
What are the deliverables? a.k.a. what does it take to meet/exceed expectations here...
If web resolution is all that's necessary it's a cake walk... Albeit as the needs predicate solutions should scale to accommodate...

What I typically use for interior events (shooting Nikon D3's and/or D7200) is a mid-range zoom...
Aperture priority, Auto ISO setting the minimum shutter speed to accommodate subject movement... 1/250 works well for mid-range zooms as long as the subjects are not moving too quickly... As for exposure? Matrix Metering and no worries, I use auto bracketing (set for 0.7 stop under; camera's pick and 0.7 over with Mode selector on CH) Thus I get a quick three exposure burst with each shutter press... Nikon's High ISO performance is so good on current bodies now that I rarely use speed-lights... However a SB910 is always in my kit and an option. Yes I shoot RAW so it is rare that I can't recover from a three frame set that still is over/under...

This works for me, however your experience may be different... There is no substitute for testing/fine tuning gear configurations... also scouting the venue before is SOP, otherwise you are gambling... never a good thing...
If I can't scout the venue prior to the event I simply won't except the job...

btw, I use to always shoot primes... but with 4 stop VR and high ISO performance so incredible now even an f/4 mid-range zoom is more than adequate... Unless the client has unrealistic expectations, for which I gracefully refer to other colleagues who enjoy such a challenge...

Hope this helps...
Or is at least food for thought...

Tim; Beautiful radiant smile in the first image... You obviously had established an effective working rapport with this talent... excellent synergy latent within... Kudos to the both of you...

What follows are (thoughtful) reflections on how these might have benefited albeit they in no way detract from the magic of the decisive moment you've captured here...

In the first image a 95mm focal length has caused perceived increase in the size of this talent's left hand allowing it to compete with her enchanting facial features which in my humble estimation would/should be the signature of the rendering... Bottom line, classically the face should be nearest to the lens unless you're using extreme telephoto which would have minimized the above with its visual compression of the image i.e. foreshortening effect... I realize you're limited by the 24-105mm thus in the future please consider longer glass for head-shots... and a wider aperture than f/11... At the commercial level as near as wide open as practical is the norm... also your off camera illumination is a tad stronger than necessary to work in harmony with ambient here... It is a wise photographer that matches ambient closely unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise... Nikon's Creative Lighting System is superb... Might consider decoupling Exposure Compensation for Flash (Custom Settings; Bracketing/Flash e4 Background Only) which makes effective use of CLS so much easier now... Typically -0.7 is a good starting point...

The compositional elements in the second image are superb... Amazing timing to capture the decisive moment with ball in mid-air! So how many iterations did that take... lol Joking aside... classic, enigmatic and elegant...

btw, portraiture with talent wearing a brim cap is a rather serious challenge (shadows critical eye area) and you'll risen to meet this rather effectively... without fill flash or reflector these would not have been at the same level of excellence... Besides the flash added a charismatic catch light to the iris... Wise choice indeed... That said the specular highlight on her nose and "hot" forehead might have been tamed with a shoot-through white umbrella modifier... diffusion is your friend here... enough said...

Thank you for sharing...

birdman I have the AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens and after extensive testing have determined it's optimum aperture is f/8... it's soft below that and by f/16 (the aperture your image was captured) diffraction is taking it's toll... best advice? Lock aperture at f/8 unless there are extremely compelling reason not to... bottom line with this lens... do not shoot wide open, experience is a brutal teacher...

Next issue... Avoid spot metering... it is a relic of days gone by when that was the only choice available... Matrix is generally the best option albeit test shots and verify with your histogram...

For work where it is imperative that I nail exposure I ALWAYS use auto bracketing... (provided the subject is stationary) as in this scenario... Three exposures at -0.7; 0.0; +0.7 with the mode dial set at CH (you need to test your D750 here to fine tune with exposure compensation to accommodate your particular sensor...

As for exposing for highlights? Learn to read your histograms... study and analyze carefully here... it takes literially hundreds and hundreds of test shots to become one with your camera's sensor... Auto Bracketing is a wonderful way to get your head around your sensor's dynamic range... However do not use auto bracketing for BIF... you need maximum frames per second for that scenario...

btw, using an exposure time of 1/125 second at a focal length of 300mm is pushing your luck... Yes Nikon's VR may accommodate this for static background elements albeit there is absolutely no guaranty the egret will... even the slightest movement of this bird will degrade it's acuity... And at f/8 you'll gain at least two stops of speed... thus 1/500 at f/8 is the same exposure and will likely accommodate the egret's movements...

Have you consider the merit of getting closer to your subject?
Just a thought...

Thank you for sharing...

Impressive nocturnal rendering... Superb compositional elements... and a wise move to position the lunar orb behind the pine... Albeit the legendary 14-24mm with it's Nano Crystal Coating deals quite effectively with ghosting and flare...

Kudos to set styling here... the attention to detail speaks to the level of authenticity denoted within...
Yes the dynamic range of Nikon's latest FX bodies is to be admired... even at 30 seconds want of noise is amazing...

As for the model? Necessity is the mother of invention... An agency would have billed double time for providing talent at 10:30pm... lol

Job well done... Looking forward to your next cover!

Wingpilot I have the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO lens (Nikon Mount) in the older version which requires the screwdriver type in camera motor. The Tokina Lens hood (tulip shaped) is the BH-778 and is specifically designed to work with this lens. BTW there is only one orientation in which the BH-778 can be attached, that being to work in harmony with the rectangular aspect of a DSLR.

Make no mistake, this lens is at the top of DxOMark's list for performance/value i.e. it is a superb optic (for what it is). In fact you actually can shoot this on an FX sensor body in full frame (not DX crop mode) at 16mm without pronounced vignetting, albeit edge acuity is not at the same level as with a DX sensor. The optic's image circle is that large and it is simply that good...

You have received much tenured wisdom on minimizing/avoiding flare... Yes below 24mm this becomes a serious challenge...
One bit of advice for knowing when you are possibly in harms way is the age old wisdom that has saved many a motorcyclist life or at least kept them out of harm's way... When piloting a bike and the sun is low in the heavens if you can see your shadow in front of you the oncoming motorist likely can't see you (remember the Royal Air Force phrase "Beware of the Hun in the sun.") This is one of the most famous phrases in aviation history i.e. A cunning fighter pilot will always try to use the sun to blind his opponent. Wingpilot the inverse holds true shooting extreme wide angle glass... Shoot where you can see your shadow directly in front of you... But wait you say, what if it's not happening? Well you are a two legged animal... MOVE to the optimum position to make the capture... Remember if it were easy any one could join the ranks of Ansel Easton Adams... who btw said "You don't take a photograph, you make it." The sooner you get your head around this pearl of wisdom the quicker your rise within the industry.

Next issue... Polarizing filters for wide angle optics are not germane... period! I assist quite a few commercial architectural photographers in my market and without exception they all use graduated filters to tame bright sky when capturing with wide angle optics... these are large thin sheets which fit into rotation filter holders and allow for the graduated filter to be shifted up/down to perfectly match the skyline... They also bracket the hell out of the scene since they use advanced HDR software to tame dynamic range...

If you are using polarizing filters on a wide angle lens you are not optimizing your results... especially since the darkening/deepening effect will be more pronounced in an angle of view less than the "wide" angle of view of your optic...

Bottom Line? I shoot the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO lens (Nikon Mount) on a D7200 and cherish it's stellar results... and at a fraction of the weight/cost of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Lens which Nikon wisely DID NOT provide filter threads... They got this right!!!

Agency bookers are keenly aware that the traditional "default" method of disposing human waste from trains is to deposit the waste onto the tracks using what is known as a hopper toilet. To this end they will not allow the talent on their boards to be involved in this type of narrative... Exposure to fecal residue is not consider germane to good sanitation protocols...

On the commercial side of the equation the health, safety and welfare of the talent trumps everything... Those who would think otherwise are those who tarnish the craft of photography...

As for narratives in close proximity to active jet aircraft (including turbo prop) these can/will subject talent to harmful decibel levels far beyond the noise limits consider safe by the medical community... In fact I have several colleagues (pilots and ramp service) who have permanently lost the upper registers of their hearing range and are becoming progressively deaf... As a musician I find this totally unacceptable... to this end I would not consider subjecting talent to this risk without acquitted ear protection...

Same holds for photographing in nightclub venues and rock concerts... I only shoot in these locations with proper ear protection... The saddest thing about hearing loss is it's cumulative... and it's victims are unaware of the irreversible damage until it is too late... Same holds true for firearms... exposure without ear protection is certain to cause hearing loss...

Good health and wellness is an extremely precious commodity not to be wasted or treated carelessly... Members of the medical community who deal constantly with those in harms way develop a deep and tenured understanding of the merit and worth of the aforementioned...

As for the posted image? The highlights are blown out... i.e. you've exceeded the dynamic range of the capture device's image sensor...

Enough said...

Mile, compositional elements of the first image are excellent... Body dynamics of these players at precise moment of capture conveys elegance of photojournalism reportage... Balance & tension latent within clearly portrays the kinetics of accelerated motion... Having the official in frame adds convincing credibility to narrative validating this is indeed the "real" thing...

Lovely colour harmonies... it's as though there was a tenured wardrobe stylist on your shoot :)

Thank you for sharing...

Jules, totally agree with others here... the third is absolutely spectacular... You've captured the very essence of this sport in a fraction of a second...
Amazing how you've locked focus on the lead player's eyes... and shallow DOF takes this image entirely to the next level... Compositional elements are in perfect balance... Colour harmonies work oh so well here... You are indeed a master of your craft...

Bottom Line? Commercial quality and seriously belongs in your book...

Looking forward to more of your tenured efforts...
Thank you for sharing...

Jules; direct overhead hard illumination is a major challenge... shadows the critical eye area...
A high level of post processing can be a viable solution... especially if you shoot 14bit RAW with lossless compression

That said in this scenario I deploy Photomatix Pro with three exposure iterations to open up plugged shadows... Yes it's time consuming, and yes there is a learning curve... Is it worth the aforementioned? Only you can determine this...

Here are a couple of examples with the same scenario you are faced with...

Only opportunity was with high noon day harsh sunlight...
Same capture device a.k.a. Nikon D7100...
As mentioned above with the AF-S 18-300mm DX VR f/3.5-5.6G ED.
Why not faster glass? Wishful thinking...
Only access was down seriously difficult rocky terrain... gear in backpack...
Fell twice... no fun... but only a lit' rock rash... lol

Mather Gorge - Great Falls, VA D7100 f/8 1/1250 sec

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Mather Gorge - Great Falls, VA D7100 f/8 1/2000 sec

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John; I concur with Cliff's inference here... "...the ball, the eyes, and the action..."
This trilogy typically isn't optional... and you elegantly delivered this "decisive moment"
Kudos on your prowess with the 150-600mm... and on D7000 with it's Expeed 2

Strong compositional elements...
totally love the colour harmonies latent within...

Looking forward to more of your soccer reportage...
Charismatic photojournalism indeed...

Thank you for sharing....

Tom; the second to last (709086-1td_2426.jpg) has rather compelling compositional elements and colour harmonies thus could have been a worthy addition to your book albeit the telephone pole cross tie growing out of the striker's head is a major distraction...

There are many very important reasons why commercial sports photographers become extremely adapt at post processing prowess... enough said...

Thank you for sharing your athletic artistry, it speaks well to your admiration for the sport... I wish you well in your endeavors...

"went out into the desert to try and capture some lightning strikes..." Bob please realize that you could be placing yourself at risk here... An average of 40-50 people die each year from lightening strikes (in the US)... Before major safety campaigns were instituted on the dangers of lightening there were two to three times as many deaths... The only safe place during a thunderstorm is in a building with four walls and a roof or in a car.

That said if you still feel compelled to walk on the wild side... Might start with this setup and settings... they work...
Solid Tripod
Wide Angle Lens
Manual Focus at the Hyperfocal distance for the aperture your using (or infinity if foreground is absent)
Base ISO typically 100
Auto White Balance
Exposure 30 seconds (fine tune via aperture and/or ND filters)
A remote release and mirror up
Start at f/5.6 and go either way (your histogram is you friend here)
If you are competent with Photoshop consider it's Photo-merge function for more drama
Note: 30 seconds is the default exposure max so if you want to go longer you'll need an additional timer...
It is imperative to use a solid tripod, mirror up and remote release if you hope to merge multiple captures together in post.

I managed a large outdoor swimming facility and we immediately cleared the pool if either thunder was heard or a lightening flash observed...
Even an indirect strike of lightening can be fatal by irreversibly damaging the sinoatrial (SA) node of the heart... resulting in ventricular fibrillation (fatal arrhythmia). If you are anywhere near the path of the electrical discharge you are at serious risk...

My question to you Bob does such a risk warrant the effort?

Please be safe, k?

Jules your superb compositional elements on the tennis imagery is excellent...
Especially having the ball within the composition! At 6 frames/sec that's quite a feat...

That said at f/6.3 and 1/650 of a second you're not even close to freezing the ball... consider 1/2000 for tennis (minimum) that would be at f3.2 at your ISO here... btw the D7100 will deliver at ISO 800 but you've wisely gated to ISO 400 where IQ remains strong... What matters is the ball should appear round not egg shaped... and yes it might be blurred owing to DOF... assuming you locked on the player's eyes (which is the most critical component in the mix)

Same issue with the tennis serve (blue) at 1/500... The angular velocity of the outer racket head is simply too blurred... a touch of blur is always nice for implied motion but the streaked specular highlights from the back lit strings are somewhat of a distraction...

"The main person would be clear but at 4 or 4.5 the other player is off..." Welcome to the challenge of razor thin DOF imagery... Pick up a copy (any copy) of Sports Illustrated... You'll quickly see the result of tenure... They shoot for isolation and wide open (unless it's a wide-angle composition which is meant to showcase the venue).

Food for thought... a blurred player in the background is acceptable... albeit not in the foreground... Yes it is a bear shooting wide open however you should be looking for absolutely stellar excellence not volume and/or percentages (unless you are shooting to simply document the entire team/game and not for your portfolio)...

In our industry the adage "You are only as good as the worst image in your book" rings loud and clear...
If it's not commercial quality it shouldn't see the light of day... Hope this makes sense...

Here's a piece of tenured wisdom... When shooting sports in strong sunlight unless you can see your shadow in front of the camera you are in the wrong place... move until you have the sunlight in the player's faces i.e. at your back (or quarter at minimum). Experience has been a brutal teacher for my work...

Here is an example of shooting wide open...
NIKON D3X; Lens 135.0 mm f/2.0; Aperture f/3.2; Shutter Speed 1/2000 / second...




Hope this helps...

Wardrobe: Ballet Pointe Shoes by Block

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Good Show BabyNurse!
Timing is everything day, especially since Matthew's eye has just crossed over the North Carolina line...
All my hopes and prayers are with those in harms way of Matthew's fury...