Make Light Real

Neil February 17th, 2009

Strobist: PocketWizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1: Full Review

PocketWizard had been noticeably quiet recently while the flash remote landscape continued to evolve with new technology. But today they re-set the bar in announcing their new flagship models, the Flex and Mini. Slide-n-Shoot Simplicity – PocketWizard Goes Beyond TTL
Professional photographers have depended on PocketWizard radio slaves for reliable triggering of their manual flashes for years.  But, with the onslaught of digital technology, photographers have been seeking a simpler solution for off-camera TTL flash.  The available products and solutions have been good, but not without limitations or complexity.  PocketWizard has made it possible with the Slide-n-Shoot simplicity of the new ControlTL™ system, featuring the MiniTT1™ Transmitter and FlexTT5™ Transceiver for Canon.  These new E-TTL II capable radio slaves make taking off-camera flash photos as effortless as slide-in, turn-on and shoot.  

So that’s the big news for now!

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• Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Shoe Flash Technique , Technical

Neil November 16th, 2008

Soft lighting – it’s not an easy ideal to achieve

Head to toe – full sized window – incandescent lamp – all included in the frame!

Is this a lighting problem that would make your head spin, or cringe away and avoid another approach because you feel you don’t have the gear? Read on, you may be stopping before you start!

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• Exposure , Hear the Shadows , How To: , Motivation , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Tutorials

Neil November 12th, 2008

his post is in the Thinking Big series combined with a couple other techniques:

• Thinking Big: outside the music hall
• Lighting a HUGE space – for anything that may happen
• + Light Control: turn the sky from white to blue
• + Balancing the Sun with flash – Crosslighting

Equals how to cross light a mountain!

One of the repetitive questions I get from people are – why such a big flash – and why take it all over with you?

Quite frankly – this is EXACTLY why!

In my lighting case that I loaded onto the plane in Rochester New York was:

• 1 Alien Bee 800 Monoblock flash unit
• 1 Paul C. Buff Vagabond portable power unit and power cord
• 1 Black Impact Air Cusioned light stand height 230cm (model #SLS-LS8A)
• 1 Pocketwizard reciever
• Paul C Buff 11 inch parabolic reflector

Here’s one of the resulting peak moment shots that I try to reach for in my wedding photojournalism. The lighting case was loaded in the helicopter’s coffin gear carrier for the trip up the mountain and across the island. But a large mono-light wasn’t all I had in my arsenal…

Of course I want to cover the whole event with variety as well as style so get past the jump and let’s talk details…

• Comments(14)
• Creativity , Exposure , Gear , How To: , Motivation , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Tutorials

Neil September 28th, 2008

Before flash:
 

After Flash:

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• Exposure , Hear the Shadows , Inspiration , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Photoshop Retouching , Real-light Overlays , learning

Neil September 21st, 2008

Expounding on last weeks ‘big space’ tutorial…

When I speak on achieving higher creativity, I talk about light being the entryway for more possibility.

Above is one of my shots lit with an Alien Bee 800 with 11 inch reflector with a Roscoe 3442 gel for 1/2 CTO conversion. Below is a shot within seconds of the above, without the off camera lighting.

I shot that basic image with a couple different focal lengths:

I hope that these shots inspire you to look at the big things around you and consider how your creativity would lead you to interpret them with lighting. However, don’t just assume that your off camera light must light the whole building, I prefer to think of lighting a scene:

Since my strobe lighting my photographs is 40 meters away, I don’t have difficulty choosing an exposure when my subjects move because the whole scene gets even light.

So when I have my exposure, I begin to explore the space photographically just as I would with natural light. Sometimes I look to my LCD for review, but otherwise I just work off the concept of the light that I felt and saw as I was setting up and testing. If you’ve never seen any available light photographs from me, take a look at this Bahamas Destination beach wedding photographer’s dramatic, atmospheric, cloud, sunset, portrait slideshow.

For an exercise, setup your light at dusk and get far enough away that your exposure is consistant. Get comfortable and explore the light, hear the shadows with me.

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• Exposure , Hear the Shadows , Inspiration , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Self Assignment

Neil September 19th, 2008

Off Camera Flash by JVS » 2 Day Lighting & Portrait Workshop with JVS & Anne – October 7th & 8th

Ok so you ask who is JVS – that’s ok, I know you may not have heard about him, since he’s been living the happy life in Dallas ever since getting married and retiring to oh, 20-30 weddings a year.  Regrettably, the industry doesn’t reward true visionaries – it rewards self-promoters.  He’s the former…

Joseph Victor Stephanchek was there at the beginning.

The beginning of the cultural revolution of wedding photography, like circa 2000-2003.  And he did a good bit of the Sisyphean task of getting the wedding imagery market out of the doldrums.  

I know, you probably weren’t in the industry yet – but he’s not an old timer, he’s an innovator.  He’s a visionary – there’s nothing like the work he produces and shows. Pick a gallery from his documentary weddings portfolio and see if you’ve ever seen such an intense vision?

And lighting is not about technique.

It’s about vision!

Technique follows the vision, and so I recommend that you take a chance with your time and money, have a trip to Dallas and meet the man (and his woman).  Dallas really rocks the photography world, making NY jealous!  So all you New Yorkers better hop a plane and get some lessons to get yourselves back in the game!

2 Day Lighting & Portrait Workshop with JVS & Anne – October 7th & 8th

Now a little more about JVS:

The man can balance a handheld flash, with ambient like nobody’s business.  Which is just a statement that words don’t do justice to the creativity he can pull off with a 24mm lens and a shoe flash.  Proving the point lighting comes from vision – all the way up to the big guns, he can stun you with a powerpack as well!  So go to the workshop and get some info on anything from a Vivitar to a Profoto Pack.

Did I mention I wish I could go?  Tough thing is with my schedule, it’s hard to get an opening less than three months out.  This workshop is just three weeks out!  jump on it, 

And tell him Neil sent ya!

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• Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Shoe Flash Technique , Workshop

Neil September 17th, 2008

Let me just show you a big, bold wedding ceremony entrance:

Read more to think outside the box in lighting large spaces for maximum creative impact…

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• Inspiration , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , learning

Neil September 11th, 2008

Front and Back fashion bridal portrait

Lighting is simply about contrast.

Contrast defines shapes.

Clearly seen either one will help you make a good picture.

If you’re a beginner, don’t be tricked by f-stops or ratios; remember to see what you’re interested in – and then get enough light on it to make a picture.  Don’t loose your muse, before you start.  Gaining complex lighting does not help you  gain a better picture.

Here I used an Alien Bee 800 set to minimum power with 30 degree grid spot on the standard 7 inch reflector. Roughly 6 feet from the model. You can see the falloff starting at about the hips.

Canon 1d – 50mm lens – f2.8

• Comments(2)
• Exposure , Hear the Shadows , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting

Neil July 10th, 2008

Here’s the program description:

Lighting for Creativity – click here to register!

Part1: Listen to Neil’s personal journey. And share his understanding the creative power light has brought to his image making process.  Make the visual connection between creativity and light on many planes as we discuss the implications for our spirits, our businesses, and our cameras.  You will be personally challenged to break through your own personal psychological limits before moving on to part two – in the field.

Part2: Light with Neil in the field.  Neil will approach a location he has never been before, with a subject he’s never shot before and attempt to share with you the running dialog in his head as he ‘lights for creativity’ in bringing out the qualities of the location, subject and mood.  His challenge will be to transform the location with creative and expressive power.

Part3: Finish with flair. Neil will download and photoshop his raw captures live while taking questions from the audience as he goes.  If you think there’s some kind of dark magic locked up inside your computer, come check inside Neil’s as he accentuates the visual phenomenon in his photographs using Photoshop. 

Sponsored by:
Central Portrait Branch – Professional Photographers of Ontario
Professional Photographers of Ontario

Click here to register. We welcome all skill levels, you’ll get something out of it! 

• Comments(0)
• Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Workshop

Neil June 27th, 2008

Continuing my explanations from the gear I use - today again the small softbox:

So I was out on an engagement shoot and had done all the normal stuff and wanted a little something extra…

But the simple daylight angle was not very flattering and the busy environment of the playground rope piece made for a very messy image – cool – but a little too messy – what could I do quickly to improve the impact of my couple in the space…

Here I am climbing around searching for the right perspective….

Read on to see the final shot and read about my camera settings making it….

• Comments(5)
• Exposure , Hear the Shadows , Photographic Flash , Photography Lighting , Shoe Flash Technique , learning