Santanta - absolutely. But if it looks like a piece of tire in your camera it'll probably look like that in a still or on a television screen. So... no one would know.

Santanta... you make excellent points. As a television photographer I was told "there is no reason why a dead body should appear on our air". I always respected that and I agree with you. We all, print and television always try to respect a person's rights and their privacy that's why we try only to show the damaged vehicles when shooting such accidents and fires.

Flytyer57, you really sparked a lot of talk here, all of it good because we're sharing information that generally doesn't reach the public on what we try and try not to do.

Thanks

That's correct. No the DOF is something different you're correct. Sorry for no explanation about that. It's just like a golf club and the "sweet spot"... at center.

And the note about the glass is also correct - good point.

3 or more images is normal. But basically the same effect is doable in software from a single image... not it's not the same but it does work to a point.

Have fun!

How cool and interesting. You never know. Good story.

I couldn't agree more Rick. Rubber neck road blocks and crap like that are always a problem.

Here I'm only trying to offer suggestions with what I've been through regarding situations like this. As a rule my crew and I always stayed out the guys way when they were trying to get to or work an accident.

I'm sure as an EMT you had plenty of bad experiences, so did I trying to get the shots I needed or air... the nature of the beast I suppose but it doesn't make it any easier.

Jim

I agree, safety is always the first concern in such a situation and when I was doing TV I was asked to move several times. All I could do was search for another spot to get the shots I needed. Excellent point.

Ambulance chaser - yes that's what small town media are.
Always looking for that story that will entice the viewer to stay with them... I know, I did it for a few years.

As a TV photographer though I had my work called into court a couple of times but never sold any to anyone local because it was part of my job.

That's true about selling though. Hey freelancers all over the country do it every day and why not hey.

Jim

First Thanks and Merry Christmas.

What I did there was use a tripod, set the camera (t1i) to
f/10 and let the camera decide the exposure = 2.5 seconds.

I also used my cameras 10-second timer, as I always do for time exposures because even the press of the shutter release will cause blur. The camera has to be completely still for time exposure... but perhaps you already knew that.

Here's another done the same way with a different camera,
a Rebel XS.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsphotostuff/3781881942/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Only in this case I set the shutter to 4-seconds and let the camera make the f/stop decision. I used the 10-second timer on a tripod.

Have fun!

Perhaps I'm not understanding your question. Do you mean if you've been involved in an accident and you want photos of it? That's the only reason I can see for actually asking for photos.

If that's your question, and you're wanting to pursue legal action then I'd think they would furnish them too you. If not to you then certainly to your attorney.

I write this only as a guide line to what I experienced time and time again while in my broadcasting career. Please don't take anything I say as legal advice, certainly laws differ from state to state.

Jim

I agree, I like the second shot best - nice work.

Here's an example of what I've done with some HDR stuff.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsphotostuff/5208900240/sizes/l/in/photostream/

This doesn't really address you exact question but it may help just a bit to understand another part of f/stop.

The smaller the aperture (larger f/stop) the more of the center (sweet spot) of the lens you are using. Many of the photos posted on the site that Don B posted were shot with a small aperture (large f/stop). The sweet spot then allows you to keep subjects distant and close all in focus. Conversely the larger the aperture (small f/stop) give a short depth of field. Perhaps you knew all this but it's interesting anyway.

Also, shots like this one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsphotostuff/6434114929/sizes/l/in/photostream/
are best done at f/10 or above. Using the sweet spot helps sharpen the lights and freshens up the shot as opposed to a large aperture (small f/stop). Hope this helped a bit.

I did a career in television news / sports photography. Many times I was approached by a police officer who asked me not to shoot at the family's request. I'd always reply that I'm standing on public property. The officer always smiled and said something to the effect of "yes you are and legally I can't stop you... just that the family..."

So there you go. If you're standing on a sidewalk or on a street there are no legal restrictions just personal issues.

You don't have to be a member of the media just be sure you're standing on public property. That's my experience.

You don't need to. All this is done by the software when you tell it to burn. The last thing a burner does is add the code that give another DVD player what it needs to see the data on the disc.

I've had no problems with it... no formatting necessary with this program.

The really nice thing about the Video Pad software is it does all that in one package.

What I do is make my final edit... burn it, play it on my
DVD to check it then make that my master. I can then copy through Nero from one burner to another and the copies look exactly like the original - it works very well.

Good Luck