dA Crazies Group Shots From 2012

I was looking through some of the photographs I've taken over the past 2 years with dA Crazies and thought I'd share some of my favorite shots...the group shots of dA Crazies! From the very first group shot to most recent ones...it's interesting to see the change in the quality of the images as I've gotten better at shooting with available light, shooting with on-camera flash and then off-camera flash, and as my post processing has improved (something that I've always struggled with).

This is the very first group shot of dA Crazies...it was taken at Lanikai Beach on August 4, 2012. This was the first time I ever used the timer on my 5D and I was leaning over to see if the indicator light was blinking...it was...haha...this was shot with available light. I really like this picture because it was the start of a something that I hope to continue for a long time.

The next group shot was taken at Eternity Beach near the Halona Blow Hole on September 8, 2012. I don't remember why a whole month passed before I took another one, but it did. Since the group was dubbed dA Crazies I thought it would be good if one of us lived up to the name, hence my Captain Honolulu salute...haha...this was another available light shot and I was quickly learning that these group shots could be challenging...getting the exposure just right wasn't easy.

The next group shot was taken at Kualoa Regional Park on September 22, 2012. Another available light shot, although I think I did start to bring my flash with me by this meet...not sure why I didn't use it...probably was chicken. For this silly pose I was trying to imitate PSY from his Gangnam Style music video...haha...

The next group shot was taken at Makapuu Beach on September 29, 2012 and this one was definitely shot with on-camera flash. This one was shot using manual settings and as you can see I really struggled getting the flash and ambient balanced correctly. But I was losing my fear of flash and learning something useful in the process. For this silly pose I was trying to look like a zombie. I didn't know my friends were giving me rabbit ears behind my back...haha...

The next group shot was taken at Sandy Beach on October 6, 2012 and I used on-camera flash again. I may have shot this one with the flash set to E-TTL as I was trying to learn how to use that function properly, but I really don't remember. I do know that I was getting more comfortable about using flash and getting better at balancing the ambient and flash as this photo shows. I don't think I need to explain what I was doing in this shot (okay, I was picking a winner...haha...).

The next group shot was taken at Sandy Beach on October 7, 2012...yep, I actually went out to shoot the sunrise the next day with dA Crazies. I don't remember why we went out again the next day...I also didn't remember to bring my hat, hence the odd pose in this shot. I know I used on-camera flash this time but don't remember if the flash was on E-TTL or manual, but I was real happy with the way this shot turned out.

The next group shot was taken at Waihole Beach Park on October 13, 2012 and I learned something this morning...working with soft overcast light can be a challenge. I think I used too much flash in this shot...or maybe not enough...the image just doesn't seem right. I was still shooting the group shots with the flash on-camera and was seriously thinking about bringing some of my strobist gear to get a different look. I don't remember why I posed like that...I think I couldn't come up with a funny pose at the time.

The next group shot was taken at Laenani Neighborhood Park on November 10, 2012. Flash was on-camera but I don't remember if it was set to manual or E-TTL. Really need to pay attention to the location of the sun...if I had the guys move over to the left a bit more, or turned the group a bit I think I wouldn't have had the blown out sky on the right. Oh well, live and learn. The pose? Well, I was becoming known for my "butt shots"...taking pictures of the guys from behind when they were bent over. This was to show them I was an equal opportunity butt shooter.

The last group shot of 2012 was taken at Makapuu Beach Park on November 17, 2012 and the idea was to make it look like more than 4 of us were there that morning. Obviously I suck at this kind of Photoshop wizardry and at the time I really didn't understand masks and selections so I just did the best I could (which wasn't very good). Maybe we'll try this again in the future, but I hope not. Shot with on-camera flash (and I didn't adjust the flash power like I should have) and you can see the coverage didn't match the lens focal length very well. Balance between ambient and flash wasn't too good either, but I was rushing because we wanted to go to breakfast. I look strange because I had the idea to be expressionless for the shots. I thought it would be funny, but I just look bored.

And that was all of dA Crazies group shots that I took in 2012. I enjoy doing the group shots as it shows what a fun bunch dA Crazies are. I began to lose my fear of using on-camera flash and was slowly learning how to set exposure and flash power to balance flash with ambient correctly, but I am still a long ways off from being good at it. And I'm still not really happy with my post processing and I'm constantly looking at ways to improve it. I think there is some improvement in my group shots that I took in 2013, which I show in my next blog post. Stay tuned...