Saturday, March 31, 2012

Day - 90 Soft Light

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Day - 90 Soft Light


ISO 250 300mm f/22 1/200s. 1 SB-800 above at 1/8th power triggered with on camera flash. Some what boring shot, this was mostly an exercise to find a way to create a boom using my 2 flash stands and my camera bag for a counter weight.


Don't forget to vote for my photos in the North Alabama Photographers Guild (NAPG) March Photo Contest

#10
Day 73 - Night Out with Ginger
and
#13
Ginger Wide Angle - March Photo Contest Entry 2

setup
Day - 89 Soft Light Setup

Friday, March 30, 2012

Day - 89 Born Free…..

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Day - 89 Born Free…..

ISO 100 f/4.0 1/200s with a 2 Stop ND filter.
SB-800 camera left through umbrella @ 35mm 1/8th power triggered with Nikon CLS.

This is Pico. For years we tried to keep this cat confined to the boundaries of our home, with the occasional venture to the screened porch. After several ripped screens and a destroyed cat hutch; we finally gave up the fight and let this cat be free. When my daughter was born he went on hiatis for two weeks. He now acts like a moody teenager with a driver's license, staying out all night and coming home to raid the fridge and sleep all day. I can't blame him, I was young once too!

until tommorow,
enjoy

Day - 88 Good Morning

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Day - 88 Good Morning

ISO 200 f/5.6 1/100s with 2 stop ND filter. 1 SB-800 @ 24 mm 1/8th power camera right at 90 degrees 4 feet from bush with a tough green gel triggered with on-camera pop-up set to 1/128th.

I managed to get a few shots in this morning right as the sun was rising over the neighborhood above mine. For this shot, I used a tough green gel to balance my flash for cool fluorescent lighting and adjusted the white balance in my camera accordingly. I am not sure what this bush is in my yard, but it puts out orange berries in the fall that the dogs love to eat.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day 86 - Kryptonite

ISO 100 f/2 1/200s 1 SB-800 @ 24mm 1/32 power.

This simple shot took more work setting up than I expected. It was diffictult to frame since I could not look through the viewfinder to frame this shot, and focusing was also a concern when shooting at a large aperture. I managed to take this shot by strapping my Kryptonite bike lock to a spare flash stand, which I used to frame my shot and focus. I then moved the stand out of the shot, and clicked my shutter with my left had which was on tripod. Many shots resulted the lock being partially framed, or I had move my lock forward or backward; causing and out of focus shot. Sorry, no set up shot tonight.

Until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day 85 - TTL vs. Manual Flash

Day 85 - TTL vs. Manual Flash

ISO 400 f/20 1/200s 1 SB-800 Handheld camera left @ 24mm 1/64th power and TTL triggered with NIkon CLS.

I wanted to test TTL flash to drive home the point to any one who has ever taken a bad photo while in TTL flash mode. I metered f/20 on this shot; when comparing the two my instinct is to say my shot is over exposed, but I know better. This dogwood has white flowers. What about texture, this also led my eyes to believe that my photo might be overexposed; agiain it's not, the flash was at a 45 degree angle from the camera and there really isn't much texture to those leaves. I would say the TTL shot is 1 stop underexposed. Notice how the white goes grey. All camera meters are calibrated to middle grey, this has been a problem since reflective meters first appeared in cameras, and even though nikon and cannon claim to have made improvements on TTL they call i-TTL and E-TTL. A white subject will trick your camera anyday of the week, no matter how smart you think it is.

until tommorow,
enjoy

Day - 84 Bad Luck

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Day - 84 Bad Luck

ISO 100 f/1.4 1/200s 1 SB-26 @ 24mm 1/32nd power shot through an umbrella on the ground 18 inches from subject triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs.

While racking my brain for a shot today; I saw this horseshoe on my mantle that we found several years ago. I instantly knew what I wanted my shot to be; and I only needed to figure out how to take it, without cutting and pasting the horseshoe into a blank background of bokeh using photoshop. I gathered my only two flash stands and a piece of aluminum pipe from the garage and suspended the horseshoe using picture hanging wire.

Here is the set up here
Day - 84 Good Luck-2

I had fun setting the shot up, and cloning out the picture wire in photoshop was much easier than I expected. The biggest challenge was focusing and framing my shot. I literally had to lean my left arm onto the umbrella itself to compose and shot my photo. I also really enjoy doing the setup shots, and I am glad to see that many of you appreciate them. I hope to include more setup shots with all of my off camera flash shots.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

DAY 83 - Hollywood

Nothing Like a Schwinn Hollywood on a friday night.

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DAY 83 - Hollywood

Lighting info:
ISO 100 f/1.4 1/200s. 1 SB-800 Camera left @ 35mm 1/64th power shoot through umbrella triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs, and 1 SB-26 very far camera left as rim @ 85mm 1/16th power.

Setup here shot here
DAY 83-3

I initially was going to shoot the dogwood tree in my yard, but I decided I needed to leave the house for a photo tonight. This bike pictured, is my late 50s early 60s Chicago Schwinn Hollywood; complete with a ridiculously large basket that fit all of my equipment I needed for tonights shot. I can't believe this bike has sat so long without being ridden. When I came up with this shot in my head I thought I might have to get down on the ground to get the point-of-view that I needed, but I discovered a ditch next to the side walk that I could set my umbrella up in and take my shot. The traffic was rather light tonight, so I didn't get the amount of bokeh I hoped for from the breaks lights; and I keep going back and forth about wether I like this shot better with the rim light, or not. I chose to post the shot with the rim, because I really wanted to do a 2 light setup for tonight.

Here is another setup shot from the street to see what the passing cars saw
DAY 83-2

On both setup shots, I adjusted the ISO to 640 to compensate for the shift in aperture from f/1.4 to f/3.5; meaning the exposures should be equal in both the setup shot and the actual shot. This shot didn't come out quite the way I planned, and I can't decide what it is that I don't like. As usual, any comments, criticisms, or advice is always welcome.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Friday, March 23, 2012

DAY 82 - A Touch of Orange

I thought it was a weed until I saw these orange flowers.DAY 82 - A Touch of Orange

Lighting Info:

Nikon D90 @ 300mm 1 SB-26 snooted 16 inches above @ 85mm 1/4th power triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs.

I almost pulled this thing last week thinking it must be a weed, and look what a little patients brings. I believe it is some type of "Poppy", please correct me if I am wrong. I did not plan to shoot this shot today, but when I came home on my lunch break and discovered these little gems I had to run in and get my camera.

very simple setup here
DAY 82 - Setup

I really need to make a snoot out something other than construction paper; but hey, it does the job.

Until tomorrow
enjoy

Day - 81 Open for Spring

Day - 81 Open for Spring
ISO 200 f/22 1/200s 1 snooted SB-26 @ 85mm 1/16th power 16 inches above the flower triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs

View On Black

I managed to shoot my flowers before sunset while they were still open. There was some afternoon ambient light metering at ISO 200 f/22 1/2s, so no chance of the ambient affecting my flash exposure. I really enjoy the Tulips; but I am looking forward to the other flowers that are now coming up in my yard, and the yards in my neighborhood.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day - 80 Pista

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
― Albert Einstein

View On Black
Day - 80 Pista
Lighting Info:
ISO 100 1/200s f/1.4 1 SB-26 @ 24mm 1/32nd + 2/3s power directly above my head aimed at the wheel. (see setup shot for complete notes)

DSC_0258

Until after dinner, I had no idea what I was going to shoot . I wanted to use the setup from Day 73 - Night out with Ginger. I entertained the idea of a self portrait, but I look better behind the camera. I then decided to shoot my bike, the only problem was how to light the wheel without lighting the ground? I feared the ground would distract from the subject and I knew it would be illuminated in the shot. When starter walking up I saw the rail and thought I would stick part of my wheel through, but then decided to hang the bike using a ball bungie instead. Setup was quick and painless I hung the bike, setup and metered my flash, and started shooting. This photo was my favorite; I really love the color of this wheel in combination with the pink tire.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Day 77 - Two Lips of Spring

Lighting Info:
ISO 800 f/18 1/200s. 1 SB-26 @85mm 1/32nd power snooted on a wescott light stand directly above the subject at its lowest position possible (probably 16 inches above).
Day 77 - Two Lips of Spring

This another little gem from my front yard. I am really getting excited about spring photography now; so much so, that I went out at midnight to set this shot up. I chose to use my Sigma 70-300 since it gives me a maximum reproduction 1:2 vs. the 1:5 my 18-105mm lens gives me. The biggest problem I have with using this lens is the inability to hand hold my flash since my minimum focus distance is .95 meters with this lens, and for shots low to the ground my flash stand can't get my flash close enough. After thinking about this shot, I am going to try putting the camera on a tripod with my flash in hand and trigger my camera with the remote instead.

Here is this shot from a different angle @ 70 mm.
Day 77 - setup

When I realized I couldn't get the flash stand to show up in the exposure at even 1s, I almost got a second stand and flash from the house to light my scene for my setup shot; but when I saw the shot, I really like the flower lit against a dark background with no sign of the stand (I assure you I didn't mask out the stand in post). The flower was not very sharp in the setup photo, and I plan to do similar shots by filling my frame with the ground and flower and adding additional background in post.

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If you like this photo please: Leave a comment, add as a favorite, share it on Facebook or Twitter, or add me as a contact.

If you love it! Do all of the above! Photos were meant to be shared!


until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day - 76 Spring Morning

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Lighting Info:

ISO 100 f/32 1/200s 1 SB-800 @ 35mm 1/32nd power camera left and behind subject triggered with on camera flash.Day - 76 Spring Morning

I got my shot in early this morning before the last nights rain had dried. We are expecting more storms this evening and I don't believe that I will be able to go out and shoot tonight, but we will see. I am really starting to miss my friends macro lens and wish I had my own. Even thought I wouldn't want to be any closer to this flower for this shot. The Tamron lens had better optical performance when stopped down to f/32, which is as low as I can set this lens before I get serious color fringes.

Until tomorrow,
enjoy

Friday, March 16, 2012

Day 75 - After the Storm.

ISO 100 f/22 1/200s 1 SB-26 @ 35mm 1/32nd power handheld a few inches camera left triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs.Day 75 - After the Storm.

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We experienced some serious storms this evening, and I was afraid I would not get a shot in. After brainstorming all day long on what to shoot, I had finally settled on a shot that would require me leaving the house after dark. The rain and heavy wind started before I could pack a camera bag. I had seen this tulip in the my yard earlier this afternoon, but I refused to shoot it in the middle of the day and compete with the hard direct sunlight. After the weather settled down to a a moderate rain I went directly to my garage looking for my shot, then I remembered this guy in the yard. Normally I would set my flash to slave and trigger the off-camera flash with the pop-up, but I wanted to be quick and avoid misfires given the rainy conditions. So I strapped a pocket wizard to the side of the flash and a small LED flashlight to the flash head for an autofocus assist lamp.

Here is my setup taken a few minutes later.
Day 75

The flashlight is a life saver when trying to autofocus at night. Lighting Info for this shot. The SB-26 was @ 85mm 1/4th power ISO 100 f/29 1/200s fired into a mirror a few inches from the flash to light itself, and the flash was obviously triggered with the attached pocket wizard.

And just for fun! A setup shot of my flash rig using only ambient light
Day 75-2

Info for this shot was ISO 1600 1/20s f/4 handheld. In both shots I had my garage lights on, this is an example how you can control ambient light with shutter speed. I could have very easily killed this light at a much slower shutter speed than 1/200s, but I wanted to stick to my maximum sync speed.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Thursday, March 15, 2012

DAY - 74 Bokeh Test: AF-S 50mm vs. Ai-S 50mm

Lighting info:
1 SB 26 @ 24mm 1/4 power snooted with shoot through umbrella. All shots at ISO 100 1/80s triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs

DAY - 74 Bokeh Test: AF-S 50mm vs. Ai-S 50mm
View On Black

For close inspection see the Original

Yesterday I had several people ask me if my Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G was really worth the price and how did it compare to the relatively cheaper AF-S 50mm f/1.8 G Lens. Here is what I can say about the 50s I have used.

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G: Body is plastic but feels very solid, fastest, most accurate auto focus of any lens I have every used, This is my do everything lens, and the bokeh is great.

Nikon Ai-S 50mm f/1.2: Beautiful! This lens is absolutely awesome. I love to use it, and it has the smoothest focusing ring of any manual or autofocus camera I have ever used. Bokeh is to die for and I am proud to own this lens.

Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8: This is older nikon 50 1.8 without a focus motor. It is plastic, feels cheap, won't autofocus on entry level nikons. The images from this lens are very good and it at the price of around $100 used you should own this lens if don't already own a faster Nikon 50mm. I don't own one myself, but I have used one on my nikon D90 and I was impressed with the results.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4 D: I have not used this lens yet. I considered buying this lens so I could use it on my manual focus 35mm camera, but I already owned a Ai-S 1.2. This is why I decided to go with the AF-S for my D90 regardless of price difference, I knew the AF-S would focus faster.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G: I have also not used this lens, but I expect that it is quite good and will focus nearly as fast as 1.4 and why most people aren't going to pay the price for and additional 2/3s of a stop I would say this lens is probably great. Being the newest Nikon 50mm, good luck finding a used lens at a discount price.

And for the cannon shooters, I have used the $110 canon EF-II 50mm f/1.8 lens and what I can say is that it is better than its Nikon equivalent. While I always go for Nikon glass, this canon lens is so good I insisted on buying one for my mother canon rebel. The pictures are great and the focus is good, but a little noisy. If you are a canon shooter get one today.

One of my questions yesterday was in regard to the fact that there was only a .4 difference between the 1.4 and 1.8 lens. I responded to the question that the difference was 2/3s of a stop, and it is significant. Difference between f/16 and f/15.6(which is not actually a stop) is not the same at the difference between f/1.4 and f/1.8. Let me explain aperture a little more clearly.

As some of you may know aperture is based on the square root of 2. Ok, but why and what does it really mean. To start with exposure values, or EV are not linear i.e. 1,2,3,4....like the counting numbers we are used to. EV is based on 2; meaning that with each full EV stop the light energy doubles, or is halved if you decrease by one stop. Consider a fixed aperture (we don't care what) with an exposure of 1s; if we need to get twice the light, we would increase the exposure to 2s. This is very intuitive and easy to understand, like wise we would reduce the exposure to 1/2s if we need 1/2 the light. I recently had to correct a sales person at a camera store when another customer asked about the odd numbers for aperture; the clerk answered, “It is just the nomenclature that they use." This answer is wrong! Let's do some simple math figure out what is going on.

The Aperture is roughly a circle, and f-number = focal length/aperture diameter. Ok, the area for a circle is Area=PI*radius^2(squared). With a fixed shutter speed, we need to double the Area to double our light energy; therefore 2*A = 2*PI*radius ^2. Pi is constant, and each time we double our area with double the radius squared; which is confusing. Let's re-write our equation. 2*A=pi*(sqrt(2)*r)^2. When we bring the 2 inside the parentheses with the radius, which is squared, 2 becomes square root of 2 to keep our equation equal. Sqrt(2)=1.41......, which is approximately 1.4, a number we recognize; 1.4^2=1.96 approximately 2. This is why the whole f-stops are: 1.0,1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8.0, 11, 16, etc. Notice the pattern that every other number is doubling.

One of the biggest differences in the bokeh of these two lenses is that the aperture blade of the Ai-S lens form a octagon, you can see this when stopped down to f/2.0. The AF-S lens keeps an aperture, as close to a circle as you can get through out the aperture range, and the bokeh shape does not change much between stops.

Bottom line. I think both lenses are great! The AF-S is super fast to focus and it is a sharp looking lens. The Ai-S is a work of beauty. It looks way classier than the AF-S lens. Which is better? You decide which takes a better picture. I can say that the Ai-S will not meter with any entry-level Nikon and not even with my middle level D90. This really bothered me at first, but I quickly learned my exposures for ambient light with out the aid of a meter. Being digital, you get instant feedback when you check the LCD. The AF-S will work flawlessly on any digital Nikon body; from the entry level D3000, to the new flagship D4. Was the AF-S lens worth the price? Yes it was, and I have never regretted it. Was the Ai-S lens worth it? Yes it was; I can't seem to part with it, I considered selling it to fund a macro lens but I can't part with this beautiful piece of glass. Am I insane for owning both of these lenses? Most certainly, I am not a professional photographer and I have yet to make the first dollar with my photography. I am a passionate amateur photographer who is completely obsessed, I spend most of my day thinking about my photos and often spend days, weeks, or even months thinking about and composing a photograph in my head before I ever click the shutter.

Until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day 73 - Night Out with Ginger

Lighting Info:
ISO 320 f/1.4 1/100s 1 SB-26 @ 35mm 1/32nd power with a white shoot through umbrella camera left 5 feet from Ginger triggered with pocket wizard plus IIs.
Day 73 - Night Out with Ginger

View On Black

I planned this shot yesterday and wanted to take it this morning before sunrise, but I didn't get the opportunity to shoot any photos before going to work. This photo was taken with my beloved Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G lens. The only lens I like better is my manual focus 50mm f/1.2 Ai-S, but this lens was better suited for this shot with its amazingly fast, quiet ,and accurate autofocus. It is no surprise that all my other lenses sat in the bag for months when I first got this amazing lens. I believe I may use this photo as one of two entries for a March dog photo contest and I would love some feedback from anyone reading this post. While I love this lens for shooting indoors in low light conditions, this lens was truly meant to be taken out on the town at night.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Monday, March 12, 2012

Day 72 - Stealing the Show

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ISO 100 f/9 1/200s 1 SB-26 @ 50mm full power with 1/2CTO ( I think the batteries must be low, I should have got more power out the flash, but this what I got) 7 feet camera right triggered with Pocket Wizard Plus IIs.
Day 72 - Stealing the Show

I wanted to get a series of dog photos with Ginger for a few dog photo contest I am planning to enter this month. Rona, however; had other plans. Rona is the Alpha dog of our home, forcing Ginger into the corners and crannies, while she sprawls lazily on piles of satin pillows - not really, but you get the picture. She'll take the big dog bed and leave Ginger to endlessly circle around Rona's tiny dog pillow, trying in vain to find the perfect position to squeeze into one square foot. So, this photo is pretty typical...you call Rona for her walk and she won't come, but give Ginger a little attention and lo and behold, she's all yours. Just try to plan a Rona photo; it's impossible - but this method works too...

Until tomorrow,
Enjoy

Day 71 - High Speed Photography

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ISO 640 f/16 1s @ 240mm 1 SB-800 @ 105mm 1/32nd power triggered with home made sound triggered and 1 SB-26 @ 85mm 1/64th power triggered by the SB-800.
Day 71 - High Speed Photography

This was my first attempt at high-speed photography after building this sound trigger on a breadboard almost a year ago. It was my interest in high-speed photography that led to my discovery of off-camera flash, which has since become my passion. When setting this shot up I didn't think about he fact that the flashes could be triggered twice during the same exposure resulting in the above photograph. I was a little disappointed at first, but this has now motivated me to reengineer my sound trigger and add a digital delay.

Here is the setup, shot at 18mm from the tripod. Click on the photo and hover the mouse over the photo to see my notes.
Day 71 Setup

I used some spare wood from my garage as flags to prevent the flash from spilling and illuminating a greater area.

Here is a test shot triggered with pocket wizards to test my exposure.
Day 71 Setup

And here is another testing the sound trigger.
Day 71 Setup

And one last photo of the trigger itself.
Day 71 Setup

The little black rectangle on the right side of the circuit it is a 555 timer for a digital delay that I neglected to wire up. Lesson learned! Completing my circuit could have prevented this double exposure. I had fun with this shot and seeing everything fire as the coffee cup struck the ground. I can't wait to break something else.

Until tomorrow,
Enjoy

Day - 70 Eye of Pico

ISO 400 f/9 @300mm 1 SB-800 @ 50mm 1/32nd power very high camera right 6 feet from Pico.
Day - 70 Eye of Pico


Running behind and had a very busy day today. This photo is cropped within inches of its life, and I wish the cat had let me get this photo when I had my friend’s macro lens. The macro mode on this old Sigma 70-300 gives me a maximum reproduction of 1:2 at 300 mm at its minimum focus distance of .95 meters. I guess trying to do this with a 90mm macro lens at 12 inches freaked Pico out. Oh well! I still had fun taking this shot and I am rediscovering my 70-300 lens, which I always found soft in the center. I now think this lens is pretty sharp, and my real problem was hand holding this lens in available light at 300mm. The great thing about using this lens with off camera flash and killing the ambient with my shutter speed, is that my effective exposure is on the order of 1/20,000th of a second at this flash power, and camera shake becomes irrelevant.

Until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day - 69 Mechanical Fish

Lighting Info:
ISO 100 f/22 1/200s @ 300mm 1 SB-26 very high left 18 inches from subject @ 50mm 1/6th power triggered with Pocket Wizard Plus IIs.
Day - 69 Mechanical Fish

I wanted to revisit this mechanical fish located in downtown Huntsville, AL; this piece of artwork is one of several pieces currently being leased by the city. I have actually photographed this fish 3 times now, but I never thought to use anything less than the entire sculpture as my subject. I also find it odd that both of my other photos were taken on film, and this is the first time I have taken a digital photo of this piece.

Here is a shot taken with a Yashica TLR from an estate sale that cost me less than the price of a roll of 120 film
Mechanical Fish

And another on my first roll of 35mm since I started shooting digital
Mechanical Fish

Both of these photos are plagued with a distracting background, even the photo shot on 35mm film that I shot with a 50mm lens at f/2. The medium format version is fun to explore at its original resolution, which scanned to 23 Megapixels. I honestly don't know why I never thought to get any closer to this subject until today. Perhaps it is the fact I have had ultra wide-angle photography on the brain. This shot was complicated by wind immediately after arriving at the location. My flash stand almost blew over as I was extending and aiming the flash down at the subject; I used my camera bag and spare lens to weigh down on of the legs. I had initially planned to include a set up shot to better show the sculpture and flash position; but I only managed to get 3 shots in before the wind blew over my stand knocking my flash out of the cold shoe, spilling my batteries and contents of my camera bag onto the ground. This photo was the first one I took, and after gathering everything off the ground it was time to call it a day.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Friday, March 9, 2012

Day - 68 Coffee & Cream

Day - 68 Coffee & Cream

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Lighting Info:
ISO 400 f/5.6 1/200s @ 105mm
1 SB-26 @ 70mm 1/32nd power behind high camera left aimed at background.
1 SB-800 @ 50mm 1/64th power shoot through umbrella camera left with white foam board camera right for fill.

After the fun I had yesterday taking a picture of the candle, I wanted to step it up a bit after seeing my ugly countertop in the photo. For this shot, I used a baby blanket for the background and rummaged through Leela's sewing cabinet for a nice piece of fabric to cover the table. Having no background or reflector stands I resorted to using my dinning room chairs instead. The reflector camera right is clamped to a chair, and the blanket used as background is suspended between two chairs using clothes pins. This adorable cat creamer was found at my local coffee roster The Kaffeeklatsch.

Setup shot from the front
Day - 68 Setup Front

Setup shot from behind
Day - 68 Setup Behind

I didn't have my tablet with me to handwrite the notes into the photos but, I added all of the flash setting notes into the photos. Post Processing included only saturation adjustment and I desaturated the pink reflection on the cat. With the weather getting warmer I should really go shoot outside, but I really wanted to take a second shot at a still life photo and I am happy with the results I got this time.

Until tomorrow,
Enjoy

Day - 67 The Switch House

Day - 67 The Switch House
Lighting Info:

ISO 400 1/200s f/22 1 SB-800 1/128th Power @ 24mm 8 inches high left triggered by on-camera flash at 1/128th PowerThis is my 1st upload in 3 Days! I have really slacked off the past few day and I really need to get back on track. This photo is of a candle from The Switch House, a local Gift Shop here in Huntsville. The Switch House offers a great variety of hand made gifts by talented artists located in a beautifully renovated lumber yard near the Huntsville Depot. If you live in the North Alabama area please visit this beautiful shop; if not, check out The Switch House on Etsy.

Until tomorrow,
Enjoy

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Day - 64 Eye on Spring

Day - 64 Eye on Spring
Lighting Info:
1 SB-26 1 meter camera Right @35mm 1/8th power bare triggered with Pocket Wizard Plus IIs

View On Black

ISO 400 f/14 1/200s @ 300mm.

Can't decide if I over did it with Photoshop on this photo. The first shot is simple profile shot of Ginger looking into the flash, and the second is a zoom drag shot of my jessamine. I had the ideal to use the jessamine as a background a few mornings ago. Which inspired the shot from The Thursday Night Ride. I actually got the zoom drag idea from a Bryan Petterson tutorial. I really like how Bryan Petterson can take the simplest ideas and turn them into great photographs. I would love some feedback on the use of the background for this shot. Is it to much?

Until tomorrow,
Enjoy

Friday, March 2, 2012

Day − 62 Thursday Night Ride

Lighting Info:
1 SB-26 @35mm 1/4 power In front of subject 7feet and 1 SB-26 @35mm 1/8th power 7 feet behind Subject

Day − 62 Thursday Night Ride

This by far, was the most challenging off-camera flash setup I have done.

View the set here

Please give me any comments, criticisms, suggestions or ideas on how to improve the shots in this set. I look forward to trying this again when the days get longer and I can mix ambient light into these shots.

For the past 6 months I have been trying to figure out how to take off camera flash shots from a moving bicycle; I wanted to take photos of our weekly thursday night ride. Each week a group of friends ride single speed bikes on a fun fast pace ride around town that finishes up the night with mexican food and margaritas.

Basic setup shot here.
setup

I only have 2 radio triggers so the front flash had the trigger and the back flash set to slave, which did not fire every time. The other major short coming of this shoot was the lack of time I had to prep my assistants Justin and Tommy about keeping a consistent distance from the subject. I tried to explain how the flash exposure would be a function of distance but, I was rushed and most likely didn't explain it clearly. Hopefully these shots will get my friends excited enough about off-camera flash that I can take the time to teach them a few things and we can better coordinate our shots.

I attempted to get some flash drags in my shoots by setting the shutter to bulb but, the light streaks were washed out by the flash. I decided to take a few long exposure at the stop lights and them blend them into the background to fill the void space. Autofocus was also nearly impossible especially in the sequence of shoots on this road where there were no street lights. I set my focus while riding through well light areas and switched my camera to manual focus and depended on zone focusing to maintain sharp images.

until tomorrow,
enjoy

Day - 61 March is Here

Lighting Info:
ISO 200 35mm f/22 1/125s. SB-800 handheld camera left 1/8th power triggered with Nikon CLS.

Day - 61 March is Here
View On Black

I find the light a little hard on this shot and wish I had used an umbrella to diffuse the flash. I did not plan this shot however, I was out in the yard with Ginger looking for something to photograph when I saw the sun rising over the houses in the neighborhood above mine. I normally don’t like lens flare and avoid shooting with sun in the frame backlighting the subject but I really liked the look of this shot when I looked through the viewfinder.

Until tomorrow,
Enjoy