Pow wow

I was having fun getting shot at the Pow wow last week, Boy it is hard to get the pop when you so often have very difficult back grounds... IE lots of colors and people everywhere...

These were done with a 100-400 at 400 mm so it was hard to get a good crop with the camera... C/C

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Any imput is welcome...

I like these shots. I've always wanted to attend a Pow-Wow...Half of my family is from Oklahoma and we have some Native American in our blood, if only a little...
I think shooting a Pow-Wow would be fun, but also challenging, like you said. You can probably only get so close to the participants, and then there's so much color, movement and people that it's difficult.

IMO, these look a little too bright. On the first one, I'd like to see some feather detail in the white feather on the left and a little more headband detail in the white area, but then you have to worry about losing detail in his black war paint.

Looks like use adjusted curves on a selected part of the second one, on the top left background where it was blown out...I'd like to see more detail in the boy's boot fur.

But I'm picking nits here. I like the photos overall. Good shots, especially at 400mm!

On second thought, I wonder if a 580EX zoomed would have any effect at 400mm? These could use some fill...

Really like the second shot, just enough blur in his costume to show some motion. Tough shot at 400 mm in full sun.

I was a guest at a Pow Wow this summer. If you go to one, make sure it's OK to take pictures of certain events. Some dances are considered religious ceremonies and photography is discouraged. Nice shots here.

Nice photos like the colors.

I am 1/2 native and been to pow wow's before its a cool thing to see. I just get nauseous when they burn sage. lol

In both shots I were over 100 feet away so I don't think a flash would carry but I was certainly wishing I could get more light in there... The full Resolution image might have a slight amount more detail in the white areas. I did try and get more detail in the pp but I just couldn't pull it out. Thanks for the comments.

I like the photos a lot. I'm not sure, but did you add a little saturation to these or was it the combo of vibrant colors and a sharp lens? They look good.

I shot a pow-wow last spring and it was actually probably the most fun I've had shooting in a while. And good advice from one of the previous posters about taking pictures in a American-Indian gathering. Most are ok with it, but some feel it steals their soul. Most of the pow-wows that the public sees are inter-tribal, like the one I went to (there were some 30 tribes), so you'll get a mixture of view points according to the tribe and age of the person you may photograph. So just ask--they are wonderful, beautiful people especially in light of what they've endured over the last couple hundred years. --Joe