| Author | Thread |
|
|
02/22/2010 09:42:56 PM · #126 |
I know it's been a while since I posted anything here but I thought someone might want to know how I did this shot...
Entry: 
Setup: 
|
|
|
|
02/23/2010 08:48:52 AM · #127 |
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I know it's been a while since I posted anything here but I thought someone might want to know how I did this shot... |
Great shot and thanks for the setup info!
 hopper, what do catchlights look like with the softlighter? With a typical umbrella (shoot-through), you can always see the spidery, tell-tale umbrella lines. Maybe you could post a headshot? |
|
|
|
02/23/2010 09:09:22 AM · #128 |
I will shortly ... I haven't even used it once, yet :)
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I know it's been a while since I posted anything here but I thought someone might want to know how I did this shot... |
Great shot and thanks for the setup info!
hopper, what do catchlights look like with the softlighter? With a typical umbrella (shoot-through), you can always see the spidery, tell-tale umbrella lines. Maybe you could post a headshot? |
|
|
|
|
02/24/2010 06:10:24 PM · #129 |
OK. This stuff looks like too much fun, but you may be sick of me by the time I'm up to speed.
My situation is that the only flash I own that could be used off camera is an old Focal Auto Thyristor, which puts out some good light, but has no way to control power on it.
So, today I took my first step and got a used Nikon SB-20 for ~30 bucks and, if all goes well, will have something to start learning on.
My question is which step to take next. If I had some deep pockets, it wouldn't be an issue, but I'll only be adding a piece at a time for now.
Anyway, should I be looking for an umbrella kit or some wireless ebay triggers?
I don't have any lighting stands at all, but on the other hand, now I'm going to have an adjustable power flash unit with no way to trigger it. (No PC cord either)
Anyway, you can see I'm not very experienced with this at all, but really want to learn.
Been to the strobist site and have been looking at the Lighting 101 and 102 archives, but seems until I get a strobe/trigger/umbrella setup, I won't be able to do any of the exercises.
Any suggestions??
Thanks |
|
|
|
02/24/2010 07:05:25 PM · #130 |
Scott,
You don't need to get wireless triggers at this point. Radio slaves can get expensive for well made and reliable ones and even the Chinese variety made with 2.4ghz technology you can buy on Ebay will run about $99 for a transmitter and couple of receivers. However, your new SB-20 flash has a PC synch terminal and so does your Oly camera. This means, that for about $15 with shipping charges, you can get a synch cord to connect the two which will reliably trigger the flash. Get a cord at least 16 feet in length. If you purchase another flash, you can then get an optical slave trigger for about the same price and have yourself a two light setup.
An umbrella is a good idea as it's cheap and portable and don't forget to get a bracket to hold both the flash and umbrella. I've seen light stands as cheap as $35 at B&H so for under 100 bucks you can be ready to go.
Originally posted by e10icus:
OK. This stuff looks like too much fun, but you may be sick of me by the time I'm up to speed.
My situation is that the only flash I own that could be used off camera is an old Focal Auto Thyristor, which puts out some good light, but has no way to control power on it.
So, today I took my first step and got a used Nikon SB-20 for ~30 bucks and, if all goes well, will have something to start learning on.
My question is which step to take next. If I had some deep pockets, it wouldn't be an issue, but I'll only be adding a piece at a time for now.
Anyway, should I be looking for an umbrella kit or some wireless ebay triggers?
I don't have any lighting stands at all, but on the other hand, now I'm going to have an adjustable power flash unit with no way to trigger it. (No PC cord either)
Anyway, you can see I'm not very experienced with this at all, but really want to learn.
Been to the strobist site and have been looking at the Lighting 101 and 102 archives, but seems until I get a strobe/trigger/umbrella setup, I won't be able to do any of the exercises.
Any suggestions??
Thanks |
|
|
|
|
02/24/2010 09:27:52 PM · #131 |
You don't necessarily need to soften that light up with an umbrella. There are lots and lots of DIY modifiers that can be made for very cheap as well. Check out DIY Photography for some ideas. Cruising around Flickr will also give you lots of DIY light modifiers. Now, I'll openly admit that a homemade product isn't necessarily going to work as well as a purpose built expensive one, but it will help you get started understanding how to use light and give you some versatility. Also don't forget that you don't ALWAYS want to soften the hell out of your light. If you just go and shoot with something that will make your light perfectly smooth, it will look like crap because it's flat and boring. You want shadow because it defines shape. The whole point is learning to control that consciously. For sync cords, use Flashzebra. They're cheap, ship very fast, and the owner seems really nice. He also has practically every odd option you can think of.
You might also consider using optical slave triggers. They come with their own set of difficulties (make sure there aren't other photographers around, and they may not work as well in bright midday sun), but they do work and are reasonably priced.
Message edited by author 2010-02-24 21:29:34. |
|
|
|
02/28/2010 09:25:50 PM · #132 |
I still haven't used the softlighter too much, but I did come up with a different setup for it (pictured below), and I added a shot of the wife just to show what the catch lights look like (as requested).
  |
|
|
|
03/01/2010 04:18:34 PM · #133 |
Originally posted by hopper:
I still haven't used the softlighter too much, but I did come up with a different setup for it (pictured below), and I added a shot of the wife just to show what the catch lights look like (as requested).
|
Awesome, thanks for the shots and details!
Interesting - so the flash and the stand are both in front of the diffuser. I guess I didn't see that from your earlier picture. A bit nicer than a shoot-through umbrella, though if you look closely you can see them in the catch lights.
Thanks for posting! |
|
|
|
03/02/2010 03:52:52 PM · #134 |
Thanks for the input, y'all. Got a couple more questions for you. (surprise, surprise)
First, I have found 16' PC sync cords on FlashZebra, but I'm not sure about "gender" of the ends. I'm thinking I need male to male, but if somebody out there knows for sure, that would help. I'm hooking up an SB-20 to an Olympus E-10.
Also, looking a little further down the road, I saw the "peanuts" and slave triggers on FlashZebra that I'd like to use to hook up a non-dedicated thyristor flash unit with. I figured I could probably use that unit for background exposure, at least. (saw some mods to put a variable resistor in the thyristor sensor hole to manually control flash power) Anyway, this particular unit (a Focal M500T zoom) has some kind of alien spacecraft connector from hell, so I'm wondering if this will work.
Thanks again for all your help and suggestions. |
|
|
|
03/02/2010 04:56:18 PM · #135 |
Originally posted by hopper:
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
The bigger challenge was working out an umbrella mount that would keep the umbrella shaft close to the flash head. I can send you a photo of what I came up with if you're interested. I'm not pushing the soft lighter, but am glad to help if you are interested. |
David, let me see ... i think you forgot about me :)
also ... do you think the 60" softlighter would be a better option even though i'm using the 580exII, or would i need a strobe with more power? |
Hey Kris.... I promised you this update a long time ago, hopefully it will still be useful.
Here is a photo of my DIY umbrella mount. As you've probably discovered, a number of modifiers want an umbrella like shaft to be very close to the flash. The standard strobist setup doesn't work, so I created my own DIY setup using parts from Menards. There is some more info in the photo description and I would be glad to give more detail if you would like.
I see you picked up a softlighter. That modifier still surprises me because it doesn't seem like much more than a traditional umbrella, but the results are much better.
Sorry for the delay, but I think I'm though my software project and can turn my attention back to photography.
|
|
|
|
03/02/2010 10:47:35 PM · #136 |
Originally posted by e10icus:
First, I have found 16' PC sync cords on FlashZebra, but I'm not sure about "gender" of the ends. I'm thinking I need male to male, but if somebody out there knows for sure, that would help. I'm hooking up an SB-20 to an Olympus E-10.
Anyway, this particular unit (a Focal M500T zoom) has some kind of alien spacecraft connector from hell, so I'm wondering if this will work.
|
Yes, male to male should work for your setup.
I'm not sure on your second question, however. I would assume it would work, but I'm not really sure why that hotshoe trigger would NOT work, and the description specifically says that it will not work with some flashes. I would recommend you e-mail FlashZebra and ask why it doesn't work with some flashes and if he knows compatibility with your model. Return should just be the shipping cost, which can't be much since I think mine was USPS'd, in the event that it doesn't work. |
|
|
|
03/03/2010 10:39:02 AM · #137 |
Thanks David. I've actually gone thru several different ideas, none of which are perfect, but they all seem to work. I like your setup ... it seems to solve the problem of the umbrella shaft being too narrow which makes it loose in the bracket (the bracket won't tighten tight enough to squeeze the shaft). For those reading along, the softlighter umbrella shaft is designed to be unscrewed at the midpoint, shortening the shaft considerably, but the bottom part of the shaft is thinner than the top part, which is giving me problems.
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
Originally posted by hopper:
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
The bigger challenge was working out an umbrella mount that would keep the umbrella shaft close to the flash head. I can send you a photo of what I came up with if you're interested. I'm not pushing the soft lighter, but am glad to help if you are interested. |
David, let me see ... i think you forgot about me :)
also ... do you think the 60" softlighter would be a better option even though i'm using the 580exII, or would i need a strobe with more power? |
Hey Kris.... I promised you this update a long time ago, hopefully it will still be useful.
Here is a photo of my DIY umbrella mount. As you've probably discovered, a number of modifiers want an umbrella like shaft to be very close to the flash. The standard strobist setup doesn't work, so I created my own DIY setup using parts from Menards. There is some more info in the photo description and I would be glad to give more detail if you would like.
I see you picked up a softlighter. That modifier still surprises me because it doesn't seem like much more than a traditional umbrella, but the results are much better.
Sorry for the delay, but I think I'm though my software project and can turn my attention back to photography. |
|
|
|
|
03/06/2010 04:16:28 PM · #138 |
Man, those guys from FlashZebra are quick! I ordered on Thursday and the package showed up in the mail today. Very impressive.
Anywhoo, now I can finally get that flash off the camera. I'm going ghetto for a while, but should be enough that I can start learning with. I'm going to use my sb-20 on a stand attached to my tripod, and hand-hold the camera. Hope that works 'til I can rig something else up.
Can't wait to play around with this stuff. (Might try making my entries for this week with this setup).
Thanks for all of your input. It's helped me out tremendously.
Let the games begin! |
|
|
|
03/10/2010 10:00:18 AM · #139 |
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
|
|
|
03/10/2010 10:48:19 AM · #140 |
Originally posted by hopper:
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
I really need to use it more as I keep forgetting about it but I have this one that cost a few pence :)
 |
|
|
|
03/10/2010 10:55:50 AM · #141 |
thanks robert
The cost doesn't bother me too much. I know anything I make myself will look (and last) like i made it myself :)
The website isn't very specific about the angle of light shining thru, so that's my biggest concern (light spread at say 6 feet)
Originally posted by bobonacus:
Originally posted by hopper:
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
I really need to use it more as I keep forgetting about it but I have this one that cost a few pence :)
|
|
|
|
|
03/10/2010 11:05:51 AM · #142 |
| I ran into these the other day. Looks pretty good, and there is options for stacking to get the exact diameter of light that you need. |
|
|
|
03/10/2010 11:17:03 AM · #143 |
nice ... they show examples of each angle at 7 feet ... thanks
Originally posted by e10icus:
I ran into these the other day. Looks pretty good, and there is options for stacking to get the exact diameter of light that you need. |
|
|
|
|
03/10/2010 04:46:11 PM · #144 |
Originally posted by hopper:
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
I have two of the grids from Honl and could do a simple text againt a backdrop to show the spread and pattern from each. It might be tomorrow evening I'm traveling at the moment. ( aren't iPhones great )
Message edited by author 2010-03-13 10:22:28.
|
|
|
|
03/10/2010 06:17:16 PM · #145 |
Hey guys and Ladies, I am just starting to play around with lighting and bought a cheap set of strobes with a silver and white umbrella. I got them very, very cheap so I figured it would give me a glimpse of strobe lighting without a big cost. This is all just to let you know what I am using, I also have a speedlite and a reflector I use. For the following two shots I had the silver umbrella to the camera left around 45 degrees to my daughter. The white umbrella was opposite and behind her angled down on her hair. The reflector was on her left and the speedlite was behind her pointed at her back.
I am unable to adjust any settings on the strobes with the umbrellas so I can only make adjustments by moving them closer or further or adjusting camera settings. I used my 50mm f1.8 with the following settings:
f14
iso 100
shutter 1/200
So what is your thoughts on these shots? Be as critical as you can please.
 
eta the only editing was a crop, resize and sfw.
Message edited by author 2010-03-10 18:17:57. |
|
|
|
03/10/2010 08:06:04 PM · #146 |
holy cow, david ... is there any equipment you don't have?!
:)
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
Originally posted by hopper:
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
I have two of the grids from Honl and could a simple text againt a backdrop to show the spread and pattern from each. It might be tomorrow evening I'm traveling at the moment. ( aren't iPhones great ) |
|
|
|
|
03/11/2010 01:51:38 AM · #147 |
Originally posted by hopper:
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
I have one but i've barely used it...lack of time i think! I used it for a spot of light on my still life entry from a few months ago. It is the 1/8" version.
Thanks everyone for continuing to contribute to the thread. I started a new job last month(hooray!) after being off for almost 4 months. It's keeping me rather busy at the moment... Carry on! :) |
|
|
|
03/11/2010 09:11:54 AM · #148 |
You know.... I was a little worried that somebody would start to think I was mister gadget after showing up on this thread with another piece of equipment. But, I think you just happen to approaching this exactly the same way I am so we've ended up looking at exactly the same type of equipment. I don't mind investing in equipment, but I don't want to collect it. I'm usually looking for the most value I can get, flexibility and durability, for my money. The Honl equipment isn't expensive, it's very flexible and it's very durable. The softlighter was a similar investment, great light and 1/2 - 1/10th the cost of a softbox.
Back at home now, so I'll do a couple of captures with the grids later tonight.
Originally posted by hopper:
holy cow, david ... is there any equipment you don't have?!
:)
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
Originally posted by hopper:
Does anyone have any experience with a grid for a speedlight?
//www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-22/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-4-Speed-Grid/Detail
I'm thinking it would work great for a hair light. I know the obvious answer is a piece of cardboard for a snoot rather than spending the money, but this product looks pretty good to me. Any thoughts? |
I have two of the grids from Honl and could a simple text againt a backdrop to show the spread and pattern from each. It might be tomorrow evening I'm traveling at the moment. ( aren't iPhones great ) |
|
Message edited by author 2010-03-12 11:07:18.
|
|
|
|
03/11/2010 09:57:09 PM · #149 |
Originally posted by jminso:
Hey guys and Ladies, I am just starting to play around with lighting and bought a cheap set of strobes with a silver and white umbrella. I got them very, very cheap so I figured it would give me a glimpse of strobe lighting without a big cost.
|
Joshua,
I'm with you so far (and in the same boat), and wondering what equipment/method you're using to fire both strobes off at once. |
|
|
|
03/11/2010 10:06:30 PM · #150 |
Originally posted by e10icus:
Originally posted by jminso:
Hey guys and Ladies, I am just starting to play around with lighting and bought a cheap set of strobes with a silver and white umbrella. I got them very, very cheap so I figured it would give me a glimpse of strobe lighting without a big cost.
|
Joshua,
I'm with you so far (and in the same boat), and wondering what equipment/method you're using to fire both strobes off at once. |
I bought a set of Cowboy Studios strobes (I know horrible right, but got a great deal I couldn't pass up to try out) and I also have a speedlite that I have had for awhile. I also bought a cheap wireless trigger that fires the speedlite and the 2 strobes are fired from the flash. It is definitely rigged but for less then $100, not including the speedlite, I have a makeshift lighting setup to play around with. It would be nice to be able to control the power of the 2 strobes but for the money it works for just learning.
|
|
