mechanically declined

I think I'm going to start each blog with, "What should I be doing?" So, without further ado...

What should I be doing? Sleeping! Damn, Sheena, it's 1:20 am! However, as the title of this blog has mentioned, I am mechanically declined.

Lauren is the yin to my yang in a lot of respects. He's a type A personality, I'm type B. He freaks out and is the fire to get things done, I am pretty calm and tend to procrastinate (aka this blog). He's anal about money and cleanliness, I'm more focused on living life and enjoying the time I have with the people I love. We've both rubbed off on each other a bit, probably for the better. We are especially complimentary when it comes to technology. He loves to tell his electronics people about how much I don't understand about digital photography. I turn on my trusty Nikon D70, flip the switch to auto, and fire away. Now, because of my studio set-up, I have had to learn how to go manual, bringing me back to my sophomoric days in photojournalism class (which I absolutely loved) and balancing the film speed/shutter speed/aperture. I'm not one to be able to pick up an instruction manual and understand it. That's Lauren's arena. He understands the mechanics, I see the pictures.

So, I'm shooting a wedding tomorrow, and the sanctuary is very dark. My little baby-steps flash isn't going to cut it. Usually, I'm outdoors and either don't need a fill flash, or if I do, I prefer ambient light and use reflectors. If I'm inside, I have my soft boxes and umbrella, which do the trick. Of course, tomorrow, neither will be available. So, here I am, looking at a 92-page pdf online for my flash that has been collecting dust in my camera bag for two years now. It's intimidating.

I have been reading this for about an hour, as well as playing with settings, and I'm very proud to say I've got it working. :) I have all the lights off in the house, and the flash is exposing just right (gotta love automatic digital!) and even calculates the focal length and takes that into consideration with the flash. Hello, flashing for idiots! (If I don't get some sleep, I will probably be flashing someone soon...which reminds me of my poor college roommates who had to live with me... that's another blog...)

I guess the bottom line is that I'm going to bed feeling a lot better about tomorrow, and I'm proud that I figured this out without Lauren.

The next hurdle I get to clear tomorrow is that the sanctuary is built out of lacquered wood, and every test shot I took tonight with a flash came back with a huge glare. Oy vay. I will do what I can - with my two soft boxes they may cancel each other out for the wedding party shots, but during the ceremony, I won't have the luxury. I guess some glare is better than underexposure, right?

OMG, are you still reading this? Haven't I put you to sleep yet?? Go find something better to do! Seriously!