Archive for the 'Shoe Flash Technique' Category

Strobist: PocketWizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1: Full Review

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!

Contest: Going Wireless with Strobist and PocketWizard

Neil September 21st, 2008

Contest: Going Wireless with Strobist and PocketWizard « Pocketwizard Blog

Creativity with wireless triggering is key to this contest. Show us your best, most creative use of going wireless with radio triggering. And detail, detail, detail! Explain your setup well so everyone can understand what it took to make your vision come alive.

All videos must be tagged “pocketwizardstrobist” to qualify. The judging panel will be David Hobby of Strobist and Phil Bradon from PocketWizard.

In addition, photos may also uploaded to Flickr tagged “pocketwizardstrobist” with link to the YouTube video in the description.

The contest runs mid-July through end of November. Winners will be announced on the 15th of each month, beginning in August.

2 Day Lighting & Portrait Workshop with JVS & Anne

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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iDC Photo Store – Specialty gear for the photographer

Neil September 16th, 2008

iDC Photo Store – Specialty gear for the photographer

$99 Introductory price on their two disk’s chock full of great tips and training materials.

View their DVD trailer here!

Special Introductory Price $99. (Regularly $149) 
DVD with over 3 hours of jam packed content from Bruce and Maura.

Includes:

  1. Lighting and Speedlite Techniques : aka Bruce’s AVAILABLE MAGIC Tricks!
  2. Cinematic Composition for Capture
  3. Artistic Application of Textures in PSD
  4. Speedy Album Production Tips and Elegant Book Design Concepts
  5. Painter X Demo for Portrait Photographers
  6. Slideshow of iDC Portraiture and Wedding Imagery
  7. Slideshow of Maura’s final 30 minute paintings from the tour

Buy your copy today

Small softbox on location

Neil June 27th, 2008

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

Using a small softbox: neil setup

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

Using a small softbox: setup testing

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…

Using a small softbox: Neil Shooting

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….

…illuminate your understanding with more…

Using a small softbox in close proximity

Neil May 26th, 2008

If you can swallow this yucky corporate video there’s probably a nugget there for you.

I use the extra small softbox, as you can see in my bag, but I always use it hand held because the principle:

the larger your light source, the softer your light

Only applies if you are computing your exposure solely on the quantity of light that is coming from that source.

Your light source is relative to the subject.

A 18″ softbox is a small light source compare to a 70 inch man – so what is it good for?

Working close

Bride with Flowers

I often use the ST-E2 transmitter and keep the flash on TTL allowing me to control the contrast using Exposure compensation on the camera. In this way, you can see how I’ve blended the daylight balance in the room – the tunsten source in the background – and finally the softbox providing the ‘key’ or main illumination shaping the subject.

There aren’t any shadows though, because my baseline exposure is the light in the room. I’ve used the soft box to create a shaping highlight. So there’s a bright shaped area, and a darker flatter area.

Smiling bridal portrait

In this shot an assistant was holding the light (as I can only shoot hand held – light to my left). Here again you can see how I have blended the ambient and bumped it up with the softbox. Using your light to see shapes is really the psychological core of ‘making light real’. Light gives you that power to sculpt and form.

To achieve this exposure with your camera in TTL auto flash as well as Aperture, Shutter Speed, or Program exposure mode.  Adjust your main exposure compensation value to -1EV.  That’s it – the flash exposure will correct for everything else – easy eh?

Portrait with flowers

Upcoming later, I have a video clip titled the 3 minute portrait, that will show how I’m using the mini softbox.  So the question of size must come up at some point….and you have to know the right answer when you’ve found the right question.

 

The bride and the girls

Is the 18 inch softbox big enough?

NO – so (moments later) I switched to using the ceiling as my soft-box.

Size is relative to proximity (distance from the subject) and you want to always have a softbox as big as or larger than your subject.

how to use photographic soft box

Neil opens his camera bag for you to see

Neil January 21st, 2008

Here’s a video of me emptying my camera bag of it’s contents, just for you to see what I take with me everywhere. The real fun one is the lighting case, but that’s part of the workshop – so I’ll save it for when you attend.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Gear List:

  1. Canon 1D MarkII
  2. Canon 1Ds MarkII
  3. Canon 50mm f1.4
  4. Sigma 24mm f1.8
  5. Canon 90mm TSE f2.8
  6. Canon 135mm f2.8
  7. Sigma 70mm f2.8 Macro
  8. Sigma 15mm f2.8 Fisheye
  9. Mamiya 55mm f2.8 (grown up lensbaby)
  10. Canon 550EX Shoe Flash
  11. Canon 550EX Shoe Flash

Lighting / Accessories

  1. Digital Camera Battery High Voltage Pack
  2. Canon CP-E2
  3. Canon ST-E2
  4. Manfrotto 3350 Baby kit stand
  5. Photoflex XTS Softbox
  6. Photoflex 18″ umbrella
  7. Photoflex Shoe Mount Multi Clamp
  8. Pocketwizard (2)
  9. Sunpack Readylight
  10. LumiQuest Snoot

Q-Flash Questions Answered

Neil October 29th, 2007

I’ve been curiously interested in the Q-Flash system made by Quantum – but the online information is terrible….there’s SO many configuration options that it’s just plain impossible to figure out. SO I never bought one!

Well today I got an e-mail from Shoot Smarter, a sort of infomercial site that actually has some great information. They seem to be the only good information on the Q-Flash system on the net! Too bad Quantum can’t find a good information design for their own site….

Some of them are way to slow, but I do suggest you listen to lesson one for information on all the ‘pieces’ you need to make the Q-Flash system work. Then, check out lesson 8 to get a peak at Wireless TTL with FreeXwire. That’s their radio trigger system that does TTL over the radio signal. I have yet to test it – and would like to – but if it works as advertised that would sell me on the Quantum gear.

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