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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Strobist lighting thread 2010
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Showing posts 51 - 75 of 286, (reverse)
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01/22/2010 06:26:34 PM · #51
Originally posted by mpeters:

Yakatme--- have you looked at McNally's book, The Hot Shoe Diaries? I believe he uses Nikon flash system. I hope to pick up a copy soon.

Yeah, he uses sub-standard gear, but he's still OK. :-P

I love that book. Translates to pretty much any off-camera flash gear you have. This one was much more informational that his previous "The Moment It Clicks".


01/22/2010 10:49:51 PM · #52
Originally posted by mpeters:

Yakatme--- have you looked at McNally's book, The Hot Shoe Diaries? I believe he uses Nikon flash system. I hope to pick up a copy soon.


No, I haven't. But just by coincidence we were 'friended' on Facebook a couple of days ago.

I will look into the book.
01/23/2010 04:12:02 AM · #53
I agree with the suggestion to read the Mcnally book. He breaks down a lot of shots for you, and it is organized by number of lights used and the various ways to put them to use. So even if you don't have 10 SB800's like Mcnally, you can learn a great deal. He is heavy on CLS, but as has been said, the premise of the lighting setup works regardless of your triggering method.

Message edited by author 2010-01-23 04:12:13.
01/23/2010 07:35:21 AM · #54
Originally posted by mpeters:

i see they are selling an alienbee speedring. Would this soft box also work with an AB?


yes, should work fine with the speedring
01/23/2010 08:00:13 AM · #55
I thought I would add these to the mix. These were all shot with one speedlight mounted on monopod. Used a Gary Fong that I taped with black electrical tape so the light wouldn't spill and I had my asst hold it high(pointing down) at 45 degrees to the subject



ETA Used (at that time) Cactus V2s triggers

Message edited by author 2010-01-23 08:01:28.
01/23/2010 08:30:23 AM · #56
these are excellent.

what time of day wee these taken? mid day or towards evening?

have those cactus v2's been reliable for you?

Originally posted by LVicari:

I thought I would add these to the mix. These were all shot with one speedlight mounted on monopod. Used a Gary Fong that I taped with black electrical tape so the light wouldn't spill and I had my asst hold it high(pointing down) at 45 degrees to the subject



ETA Used (at that time) Cactus V2s triggers
01/24/2010 08:05:36 AM · #57
Originally posted by hopper:

these are excellent.

what time of day wee these taken? mid day or towards evening?

have those cactus v2's been reliable for you?

Originally posted by LVicari:

I thought I would add these to the mix. These were all shot with one speedlight mounted on monopod. Used a Gary Fong that I taped with black electrical tape so the light wouldn't spill and I had my asst hold it high(pointing down) at 45 degrees to the subject



ETA Used (at that time) Cactus V2s triggers


These were taken around 2pm. \it was a rainy day. The cactus broke on me, I no longer have them. I use the Alien Bee Cybersync now.
The Cactus only had a sync speed of 1/160. frustrating in certain situations.

01/24/2010 02:06:12 PM · #58
Advice time...

I have a 580EXII and 430EX that can be triggered from the 7D. I am keen to learn to use them better so this thread is great. I know I need to buy a reflector but what would be a good size to get?

Also, would one of these softboxes (NZ$ BTW) be good or wouls something else be better for starting out with?
01/24/2010 03:13:44 PM · #59
Originally posted by Nuzzer:

I have a 580EXII and 430EX that can be triggered from the 7D. I am keen to learn to use them better so this thread is great. I know I need to buy a reflector but what would be a good size to get?

Also, would one of these softboxes (NZ$ BTW) be good or wouls something else be better for starting out with?

That's fairly close to the speedlight softbox I purchased (mentioned earlier in the thread). It diffuses the light beautifully. I've done DiY reflectors with a piece of cardboard and some Christmas wrapping paper to fill in shadow areas successfully.
01/24/2010 03:59:08 PM · #60
Most of my portraits use strobes. Sign me up.. :-)
01/25/2010 01:30:14 AM · #61
Originally posted by david_c:

Originally posted by Nuzzer:

I have a 580EXII and 430EX that can be triggered from the 7D. I am keen to learn to use them better so this thread is great. I know I need to buy a reflector but what would be a good size to get?

Also, would one of these softboxes (NZ$ BTW) be good or wouls something else be better for starting out with?

That's fairly close to the speedlight softbox I purchased (mentioned earlier in the thread). It diffuses the light beautifully. I've done DiY reflectors with a piece of cardboard and some Christmas wrapping paper to fill in shadow areas successfully.


I don't know if everyone would agree--but I recommend the largest reflector you can afford/handle... I use a 42" round often and sometimes wish I had something larger.
01/25/2010 01:35:40 AM · #62
Just another example of what an off camera flash can do... Sister-in-Law brides, the first one shot in May, and the second one shot in the same room this past November.

Window light from the front plus fired my camera mounted flash off the ceiling/wall to camera right. Had to clean the carpet and walls for the print version! :) 5D w/17-40

Window light with a 580 camera right(homemade diffuser, bare bulb style). Personally I prefer the second one. 5D w/85,1.8

I'll add the settings later...

Message edited by author 2010-01-25 14:56:52.
01/25/2010 03:05:30 PM · #63
Originally posted by LVicari:

[quote]...If anybody is interested, and my daughter is willing, I could set up a session to show the light produced by a small collection modifiers I have on hand. (Shoot-through umbrella, Bounce umbrella, Medium size Octabox w/grid, Beauty dish, Photek Softlighter and Westcott Halo) Maybe just a single light setup in the studio with a gray seamless backdrop.


I would be interested. Lets have a look see! [/quote]

Got my daughter to volunteer and make some time tonight. My current thought is to use just one light with no reflector for fill and a medium gray backdrop. The octabox and beauty dish will have to be used with an AB400, but the rest will use a 430EX II on a pocket wizard. I thought I would mention now in case anybody has any thoughts or suggestions before we get started.
01/25/2010 03:56:37 PM · #64
Originally posted by Nusbaum:

Originally posted by LVicari:

[quote]...If anybody is interested, and my daughter is willing, I could set up a session to show the light produced by a small collection modifiers I have on hand. (Shoot-through umbrella, Bounce umbrella, Medium size Octabox w/grid, Beauty dish, Photek Softlighter and Westcott Halo) Maybe just a single light setup in the studio with a gray seamless backdrop.


I would be interested. Lets have a look see!


Got my daughter to volunteer and make some time tonight. My current thought is to use just one light with no reflector for fill and a medium gray backdrop. The octabox and beauty dish will have to be used with an AB400, but the rest will use a 430EX II on a pocket wizard. I thought I would mention now in case anybody has any thoughts or suggestions before we get started. [/quote]

Great! I'd like to see a one light setup with a variety of light mods.
01/25/2010 06:44:09 PM · #65
One of these evenings when I get some extra time, I'm going to post some shots I've taken Strobist-style and some thoughts on the process. But in the meantime, I put this up on my blog today: How to practice lighting without models

It's main focus is on how to self-model when everyone else has bailed on you, but there is a lighting element to it as well that some of you may find interesting.
01/26/2010 01:10:48 PM · #66
The images in this series do NOT represent fully lit portraits. I wanted to illustrate the quality of light produced by a number of different modifiers. Each image was shot with the light in a traditional portrait position, just above the subject's head and about 45 degrees off of a line from the subject to the camera. I used a medium gray background about 6' behind the subject. There were no additional lights or reflectors used for fill, rim or background lighting. I processed the RAW files with Capture One and then applied exactly the same low contrast B&W style to each image. No other contrast, levels or curves adjustment were applied to any of the images so you can compare the affects of the modifiers vs the post processing.



It's worth noting that these images were shot with only one light source in a studio. You have to imagine this light added to your environment if you are shooting strobist style and enhancing existing light.

Message edited by author 2010-01-26 18:00:26.
01/26/2010 01:18:27 PM · #67
this is freakin' excellent ... i'm a bit busy at the moment, but i'll be back to study these a lot more soon

thank you david
01/26/2010 02:15:53 PM · #68
Originally posted by hopper:

this is freakin' excellent ... i'm a bit busy at the moment, but i'll be back to study these a lot more soon

Ditto... so much to learn.
01/26/2010 02:40:25 PM · #69
I'm a bit late to the party, but could you count me in too?

Message edited by author 2010-01-28 09:52:09.
01/26/2010 02:45:09 PM · #70
ok, a few thoughts:

an octobox (softbox) with grid looks best for properly lighting the subject without spilling onto the backdrop

a beauty dish with grid doesn't spread the light enough (for this application)

a bounce umbrella spills more than light than a shoot thru ... i wouldn't have guessed that, but it makes sense that the softer light would not travel as far

the softlighter does look like an excellent compromise between control and price

a beauty dish seems difficult to use as the light is pretty harsh

I really like the softlighter, but now need to figure out how to trigger my 580exII while it's inside the softlighter ... long cord (cheap) or wireless (pricey)

also, while not shown by David, the westcott apollo 28 softbox gets excellent reviews

Message edited by author 2010-01-26 14:48:45.
01/26/2010 02:51:16 PM · #71
can you just buy the black portion of this thing?

Message edited by author 2010-01-26 14:51:41.
01/26/2010 03:17:43 PM · #72
Originally posted by benee:

I'b a bit late to the party, but could you count me in too?
the more the merrier! :)
01/26/2010 03:47:39 PM · #73
Originally posted by hopper:


I really like the softlighter, but now need to figure out how to trigger my 580exII while it's inside the softlighter ... long cord (cheap) or wireless (pricey)

The back of the flash is outside the diffusion material, so even the standard canon wireless (optical) using a ST-E2 or 580EX as a trigger works without problem. 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.
01/26/2010 03:50:33 PM · #74
Originally posted by hopper:

can you just buy the black portion of this thing?

I forgot to include that modifier in my little test, but it is definitely all one piece. The results are similar to a shoot through, but there is no spill out the back and you can be bit more light out the front because of the reflective cover.
01/26/2010 04:00:07 PM · #75
yes please :)

i already have the st-e2, so i'd like to see what you came up with

Originally posted by Nusbaum:

Originally posted by hopper:


I really like the softlighter, but now need to figure out how to trigger my 580exII while it's inside the softlighter ... long cord (cheap) or wireless (pricey)

The back of the flash is outside the diffusion material, so even the standard canon wireless (optical) using a ST-E2 or 580EX as a trigger works without problem. 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.
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