One Light

Been on vacation the past week and this week, so not much to post. Well...lots of pics but I will wait until I get back home to pick some out for the gallery.

I was able to get a few shoots in with Trish while in SJ. Here's one with a simple $20 Sunpak w/DIY snoot and grid. The snoot is made from a Foamie craft sheet, while the grid is made with a bunch of cut up straws. The Sunpak from ebay, used. You can do this for about $25 easily. Trish's sister hand held the flash.



This was just before sunset. It was cloudy and if you look carefully, it started to rain. I wanted to blend the back ground light into the shot, but obviously, if I exposed for the back ground ambient, then the subject's face would be a bit too dark. Plus the subject's face would be a bit flat since there were no real directional light. Remember the clouds are like a giant softbox. It softens the light every where. This is why I used a simple flash+snoot+grid.

The snoot limits the lights splash and the grid helps soften the edge of the light. This allows for a slight glow of light on Trish's face and upper body only. The light drops off pretty quickly so the tree behind her is not overly bright either. Since the flash is hand held, you can easily fine tune the light intensity be having the flash move a bit closer or further.

I shot this with my D700, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR @ 200mm f/2.8 1/100s ISO 640. If we had more time (due to the rain), I would have taken another shot at f/3.5 or f/4 to see what I like better in the end. The DOF is nice on this one, but I would have liked to see a bit more behind Trish.

Anyway, just another example of something you can do with inexpensive, used flash, if you wanted to give off camera flash is try.

backdrop color

Something to keep in mind. There are times when you want a specific backdrop color, but depending on what you want out of it, you don't always have to change the actual backdrop.

Gels - in one of my previous post, gels are cheap to get. With a basic white backdrop, you can throw a gelled flash to change the color of the back ground color.

Here's one with a green gel


Here's a blue gel.


You don't even have to use a gel to change the backdrop color shade. Often, you will see off white/gray backdrop. With a white sheet/backdrop, you can manage the light fall off, which will create a shade of gray. Here's one with a plain white bed sheet.


Placing the key light, shooting through the umbrella, close to the subject, you can lower the power of the strobe. This means less light will reach the white sheet and reflect back to the camera. In the example above, I also added an accent light, a Sunpak 422D on the ground, pointing up at the sheet to give the area around Ashley's head a bit of a glow behind it.

inexpensive macro

I had this reversing ring for a while now. I'm personally not really into macro shots, but it's fun at times. This past week, I had an idea about some macro shots and dug out my reversing ring. Couple of quick shots from yesterday:

I started out with an idea about a broccoli macro, but I did not like what I got.


Then I got the idea to shoot the TrackPoint from an IBM laptop.


The above shots were pretty simple. The reversing ring is about $15. On one end, it has the lens mount which you mount onto your camera. On the other end, it's just a filter thread. The most common is the 52mm which is what is on the 50mm lens. You screw the ring onto the 50mm lens like a filter. Now you have the 50mm lens mounted backwards on your camera. Be careful now, since the inside glass is now exposed, so don't hit anything with it.

Since the ring is just a "ring", it will not meter and auto focus with your lens. It's not hard though. Just move the camera closer or away to focus and take a test shot to see the exposure and then adjust...until you find the correct exposure (see my exposure triangle post if you need more info on what affects exposure)

On the two shots above, I used a Sunpak 422D manual flash with a DIY snoot to help light the object.

Light budget - revisit

So, the question came up recently and I thought it would be a good time to do a quick revisit about all the lights I have. If you are on a tight budget, or if you are not, but just don't want to spend a lot of money on strobes for studio/portrait use, then you don't have to! Basically, everything you see in the picture cost about the same as ONE new SB-900!

Here's my studio lights


Lights: from left to right
285HV new $90 (used is even cheaper, I didn't know better at the time :) )
Sunpak used $20
Sunpak used $25
no name auto: free
Flashpoint 320A Mono new: $99
Total: $234

Accessories:
Light Stand x 4 @ $30 = $120
301 RF trigger x 4 = $60
Umbrella holder x 2 = $35
Umbrella x 2 (not shown) = $35
Total accessories: $250

Total Studio lights and accessories = $484. Of course, you can find some of the stuff used and drop the cost even more.

And, no, I still bought a SB-900, but it's because of the event type stuff I'm shooting and I need the iTTL and the SB-900 is great for that. But, for studio type stuff, I still use my budget lights exclusively. Why not. They work great as well.

SB-900 and iTTL

Speaking of the SB-900 (see previous post), I shot the kids dance studio performance this past Saturday. I used the SB-900, on camera, with iTTL. This is the primary reason I bought the SB-900. Over 400 shots and the SB-900 never let me down.

At 120mm and f/5.6


or 78mm, up close and wide open at f/2.8


Didn't have to touch a thing, just keep shooting.

Some tips. With any hot shoe flash, the more power you push, the longer it will take to charge up before the next shot. In situations where you may need a few rapid shots, you can't afford to shoot at 3/4 or full power because couple of seconds is like a life time in a fast pace shoot. To help reduce the amount of power you need from the flash, shoot at ISO 400. With the D700 (I love this camera), ISO 400 is a no brainer. Heck, you can push it up to ISO 800 and still get awesome low noise, high quality shots.

You can also open the lens up. The difference between f/2.8 and f/4 is one stop. It is basically the difference between ISO 200 and ISO 400. Just be aware of how much ambient light you want in on your shot. Don't forget the Triangle!

Shooting at the sun w/SB-900

Been super busy, so will keep this a bit short. In the previous post, you can see I took the kids out to the park. It was a beautiful day. I've read some issues about the SB-900, or, really more about the Nikon Advance Wireless Lighting (AWL) which can use the pop up flash in my D700 as the commander to trigger the SB-900 off camera.

Two issues I've seen.

One is the line of sight for the flash. Since it is not based on radio frequency, the light signal from the pop up flash will not bend or go through walls to reach the SB-900.

The other is too much light. This is the case I may have ran into. I did not set out to test either of the above. And, if you want more technical info, there are plenty out there. Just sharing my personal experience here.

In the photo below, you can see I was shooting into the sun. It was a bright day as well. The SB-900 was camera right, under direct sun light, as well as my D700. I took a few and the SB-900 would not trigger.


I move the SB-900 to camera left. Be sure to rotate the flash head 180 degree so the AWL sensor is now facing the D700 on the right now. With the SB-900 on the left side of the camera, now it is in the shade and triggered without any issues.


The SB-900 is still a great flash to have around. I have no regrets at all in getting it, even though it cost more than all the equipment you see here:


But none of the equipment above is going to let me shoot iTTL and high speed sync like the 2nd photo above, which was shot at 1/8000s!

Swings

Last Friday was awesome. Mid 70's. Took the kids out to the park for some relaxation and snapped a few.

SB-900 camera right, held by Kylie's auntie.


Chloe day dreaming. SB-900 camera left.


Flash not required. You don't always have to light up the faces :)

Thanksgiving

Some of the family came into town for a visit. Just some photos to share.

putting my budget flash to task

This past Friday, I did a portrait shoot at my kids dance studio. In fact, it was 5 separate sessions with 9 different subjects in a two hour span.

I packed my portable studio, comprising...
- backdrop setup
- three light stands
- my two budget Sunpak manual flashes
- my Flashpoint mono light

Everything easily fits in the trunk of my car. Off we went and it took about 15 min. to set every thing up once we got to the dance studio. This was great. It was an on the spot shoot, mostly with kids and a limited amount of time before the next session.

In the end, I was very pleased with the outcome, especially considering the ad hoc type of situation working with young kids in a short period of time. The one thing that really stood out in the end, is how my flash setup worked. Sure, I brought the Flashpoint, but it would have been just as fine if I had another budget Sunpak. If you follow my blog, then you know both of my Sunpak cost me a total of $55 used from ebay. I see them for $25 all the time. As you can see below, they work. You don't need to have $1500 worth of lighting equipment to get good shots. Sure, I can put the $1500 worth of lighting to good use if I had it, but the point is, you can do a lot with tight budget as well.

Some samples from the shoot:

Eneloop

A shot post today. One thing that I have taken for granted is my Eneloops. The rechargeable batteries that I use all the time in my flashes. In fact, since I went to the Eneloops, I have not used any other batteries in my flashes since.

They simply work and they hold their charge. This means I don't have to worry about them sitting in a flash for a month. I have a total of 20 AAs now, 16 of them in 4 flashes and 4 spare ones. If I go on location, I always have 4 freshly charged spares. If I remember and have the time, I will charge up the ones in the flash as well...if I remember and have the time :)

I am going to get another 8 more so I can use them in my grip for the D700. I have only tested them in the grip, but not actually used them in real world shooting. I want to see how long they last and with the AA in the grip, it also allows me to shoot at 8fps as well.

Primes and Zooms

I constantly see people debating about primes and zooms, so today, I thought I would share some of my personal views on this. Before we begin, just in case, primes are single focal length lenses, like a 35mm or 50mm...etc., while zooms are...zooms :) Like my 24-70mm or 70-200mm.

For me, photography is about you and what you want to do with it. There are some obvious differences between a prime and zoom. Understand what they do and how they impact your photography.

Primes are generally smaller, lighter, and faster. This can be a HUGE plus to someone, not to mention, in general, they cost less for the quality of image you get from a prime. I really do like primes, and there are some great deals on the Nikon end for used, older manual focus primes.

Zooms have one major advantage, but can impact a few things, which is, it ZOOMS! :) With a zoom, you can get in close or expand wide, in an instant. No lens changing (risk missing a shot). I love my zooms as well.

In the end, it's what you do and what is important to you (sorry, I know I keep repeating this, but I constantly see people get caught up with what other people say is important with out context). Again, the key is understanding how each type of lens will affect your photography. There are many reasons to favor one than the other, but there is one very very important thing to remember. There may be physical limitations that will affect your photography.

If you are shooting in a studio or outdoors...etc., where you can move around freely, you can generally do fine with a prime since you can zoom in and out by moving in closer or further back from the subject.

Example: This was taken with a 85mm f/1.8D. I just got close for a close up shot.


But, on the other hand, I shot a dance event and my movement was very limited. I was at the front of the dance floor, there are people all around me, so I can't just move when I need to, so a prime will not be very effective here.


shooting from the same spot with my 24-70, I just zoom back and now I can get this shot.


another point to remember is, perspective. I don't have any good comparison photos right now to illustrate this side by side, but depending on the lens you are using, it's not just about moving in closer or backing away. Here's a close up of Kylie with a 35mm:


If I took this exact same picture with a 200mm lens, the perspective and feel of Kylie's face will be different. I will do a side by side comparison one day soon. For now, I just wanted to get you thinking about what you shoot and what works for you, not worry about what works for someone else.

Dance Performance

No photography talk today, just a few pictures to share from the kids dance performance from this past Saturday.

High speed sync

Although I am able to shoot the D40 with my remote triggers at 1/640s, I can only shoot at 1/250s with my D200 and D700 with these CTR-301 RF triggers. I'm not going to get into the technical details why the entry level D40 can and the semi-pro D700 can't. That's another story for another day. But, wait! The D700 CAN shoot at a much higher flash sync speed, just not with the CTR-301 and the manual flash that I have.

This is where the SB-900 comes in. The SB-600 and SB-800 as well. With these SB-xxx strobes, you can shoot at 1/8000s with the D700. Why do you need this? If you shoot in low light or controlled lighting conditions, like a studio, you don't. But if you shoot in a location that has a very bright background light source, then you need to bump up the shutter speed or stop down the aperture to not over expose the back ground. Of course, when you do this, you will under expose the subject.

Here's an example of a natural light where I needed to expose the face, but because the background light is so bright, to proper expose the face, it over exposes the background.


D200 70-200mm f/2.8 @ f4 1/125s ISO 100

For this shot, I wanted to shoot a bit open to thin out the DOF, so I shot at f/4. Then to expose the face, I had to shoot down to 1/125s. Now, if wanted to expose the background, like the sky line, correctly, I probably would need to go up to 1/640s or maybe even 1/1000s. Of course, Chloe's face would be too dark.

This is where flash comes in to help put light on her face to balance the exposure. Well, in this case, if I had to shoot at 1/1000s, I can't use the manual flash I have which only syncs at 1/250s.

With the SB-900, not only can I shoot at 1/1000s and as I noted above, up to 1/8000s, it will also shoot iTTL. TTL, meaning Through The Lens. iTTL is just Nikons new acronym for intelligent TTL. We'll talk more about TTL at a later time...back to high speed sync. Below is a shot I took with the SB-900.


D700 70-200 f/2.8 @ f/3.5 1/1600s ISO 200

The camera was set to matrix metering and aperture priority mode. This means the D700 will balance the exposure based on the overall picture, which includes the background light. This is why the camera picked the shutter speed of 1/1600s. So, without the flash, Ashley's face would be way under exposed. With the SB-900, using iTTL, which will talk to the D700 and try to even out the light as well (flash power). Because of this, I had to tell the SB-900 to increase the power by +1EV. This will help put more light on Ashley's face since I need to over compensate for the bright background over weighting the average exposure value.

This is why it's nice to have a flash that will work with the camera at any shutter speed.

Mixing ambient light

Here's something quick I did last week. Just a basic setup, combining the ambient light to provide a warm background, but still emphasizing the coffee cup and steam with a couple of strobes.

This is not hard to do. Here's a basic setup shot so you can see where everything is. Notice, that Ashley is the actual photographer :) I'm just the assistant setting it all up :)


Here's the final shot, which is straight out of the camera (SOOC) with a crop only. No post processing adjustment to the image.


Here's how I did it.

Once the camera is set, distance, focus...etc. Take a few test shots with just the ambient light. Find the setting that provides the best background light (exposure) you like. Once this is set, then adjust your strobe settings to highlight the cup. I added a second strobe to highlight the steam, which is behind the cup to the left.

That's basically it. Don't hesitate to snap away and test until you get the best combo of light you like, and then boil up the coffee in a pot and pour it in the cup. The steam will rise and start snapping...it is digital, so no worries...you will get different steam patterns, so the more you snap the more to select from later.

Have fun!

High Key

Just did some high key stuff. Very simple. White bed sheet as the back drop, point a flash at it, and then another flash for the subject.

D700 Grip

I wasn't sure I wanted a spend $250 for the MB-D10 Nikon grip, not knowing how much I would be using it. On top of that, I would then need to get another battery as well. I did think about getting another battery though. I searched around and found the linkdlight website and they had a grip for the D700 with a battery for $90, shipped.



Not too bad for $90, so I gave it a try. I actually used it quite a bit. It's been on the D700 for over 90% of the time since I got it two months ago, and almost 1800 shots later, it's been fine. Obviously this is not the same as a Nikon MB-D10. The housing is plastic and it feels plastic, but it works the same. It comes with a standard EN-EL3e battery holder, a AA battery holder and a BL3 cap. I tested the AA holder with 8 Eneloops. It shoots at 8fps, no issues. The 3rd party EN-EL3e battery that came with it is not the same as the Nikon. Not a big deal. I swapped it with the D200 Nikon EN-EL3e. I don't use the D200 as much, so not too concerned about the battery life in the D200.


Oh yea, the actual box says Meike on it, so I assume it is made by Meike and just sold by linkdlight. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it for $90. My only concern is the plastic housing. Since I use a Rapid Strap RS4 that attaches at the tripod mount, I'm a bit concerned when I have a big lens on it, like a 70-200mm VR f/2.8, that the bottom part of the housing does not pull apart and the rest of the camera just drops! Hey, that's what insurance is for, right? :)

A snoot and a....

For specifics about what a snoot is, like a definition, then google it :) Basically a snoot is something to focus the light. It can be done DIY style for pocket change. Run to your local arts and craft store and pick up a few pieces of foam paper. I like the 3mm more than the 2mm. I picked up a few "foamies" for $1.50 each.


You can use gaffer's tape or in my case, some Velcro. You can make long ones and short ones. With the Velcro, you can do it so that you can narrow the front opening to control the light beam. There are different ways you can get there, so be creative.


Now have some fun with it :)

Gel sample pack update

ok, I just looked over the sample roscolux swatch book. It is much more color oriented. It still contains the basic color correction stuff like CTO, CTS...etc., but it does not have the light reducing stuff from the cinegel sample pack. The cinegel packs have grid and ND stuff that will reduce light. I like this more. Although it does not have as many color gels, but it still has plenty to play with. So, based on samples of both, I would recommend the cinegel pack over the roscolux pack. B&H Photo has both in stock, so get it from them on your next order.

Fundamentally, both packs have the color temperature correcting gels you "need", so, if you have one flash, get at least one of the sample packs, if you have two, then get two, one of each if you want.

Budget Strobist

I come across people asking what flashes to get all the time for off camera use. In some cases, the person have a good idea what they need and are just looking for some input, while many others are just starting out and not really sure what they need. Of course, the advice for equipment ranges from expensive SB-900/800 (~$400 - $450)to less expensive HK flashes (~$50), and everything in between.

Here's the deal. If you are just starting out and want to learn, any decent flash with manual settings from 1/1 to 1/16 is enough to get you started. If you want to spend $1000, then by all means, go for it. If you are on a tight budget, then there are lots of alternatives. Even a SB-600 at $200 or so is questionable for a beginner. Remember, there are different specific features between flashes and if you know what you want, then you prob. don't need to read this or even ask. This is about basic off camera flash on a tight budget. It will provide you enough to learn about off camera lighting and when you grow into something more specific, you can still use what you have today.

Here's a set of used flashes you can get from ebay at around $25 each, shipped. So, two would run you about $50. Lots of people have had very good luck with the Sunpaks. They have manual settings from 1/1 to 1/16. They have decent power...sure, not as powerful as a SB-900, but more than enough to get you started for a while. Oh yea, did I mention they can be had for around $25? :)

The cheapo looking flash in the center of the pic is a no name Auto flash I picked up, basically a free toss in on a camera+lens deal. No manual control, but even so, it's still usable. So, don't turn away that $2 flash :) And, of course, don't forget to get a couple of Rosco Sample Gel packs. I got mine from Adorama. I had them throw a couple in my last order so that I don't have to pay shipping on them since they are already shipping something to me.


Lets not forget the RF remote trigger system. These are CTR-301/P. Today, you can get a set of CTR-301P w/3 receivers and 1 transmitter for about $60. If you want to spend a bit more, there are newer 2.4Ghz systems (RF-602) for about $80. If I was staring out today, I would get the RF-602s. Now, you are set. Even if you don't have the cheapo no name flash, you have a complete wireless off camera lighting setup with two flashes. Total cost: about $120. No way you can even get a used SB-600 for that price.

With the money you save, now you can add a few more other very essential pieces to your lighting system...umbrella, holder and stand. I recommend getting the adorama 40" white w/removable silver/black cover at $16 each, universal holder at $16.25 each, and 10' stand at $40 each. You don't have to have the 10' if the budget is really tight, you can look for cheap used tripods. I see them for about $10 all the time. But, most cheap tripods only goes up about 5', so that may not be tall enough.

To close this post off, here's what you can do, even with a cheapo Auto Flash. Note the picture above and the shadows from the key flash shooting though the umbrella. Get a grid from the rosco pack or use one of the ND gels from the pack (there are different density gels to fine tune your light output) and stick it on the auto flash to fine tune the light. I stuck the flash on a 25 year old cheap tripod, put it on a chair behind the flashes to wash out the shadows.


These are just quick shots, not much fine tuning, just to illustrate how you can always use what you have, even the cheapo free flash. Here's the setup shot. Very simple.


Another shot to show the simple grid from the Rosco sample gel pack.


Another simple idea for reflectors. Just this past weekend, Michaels had them on sale, 4 for $5. You can paint them, gold, silver, black, and leave the other one as is, white. The back of the picture is a simple sun shade for your car from costco. About $7. Silver and black. For times when you need a bigger reflector.


No more excuses! :) For about $150, you can easily build a wireless, off camera, two light system to start having fun.

DOF example

Here's a quick one today...an example of how DOF can make or break a picture. In the picture below, it is a portrait. When shooting a single head shot, you can get very creative with DOF, but when you are doing more than one person, especially a small group, DOF can easily make or break your shot, especially if you want to be more creative with DOF use.

Details: D700 (full frame) at 200mm focal length, f/2.8. I didn't measure exactly how far I was away from the subject, but I estimate about 8 to 9 feet.


See how DOF (area of focus between the front plane and rear plane) is razor thin? In this case, Ashley is easily outside of that area of focus. How thin is the focus area anyway? How do you calculate this? Simple, just use a DOF calculator. In the above example, the DOF is about 1" to 1.5". Pretty thin for a two person portrait...too thin. But, do able, if you understand what is going on and ensure both person's eyes are on the same plane.

There are a bunch on the web and I personally like this one:
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

I also have a cheat sheet for situation where I want to be more precise. Different shots require different level of precision. If I was shooting wider at a shorter focal length, the difference between, say, f/8 and f/11 may not matter much.

Here's another example. Taken with a D700 at 63mm f/5.6 and about 8 feet. In this case, it prob. would be fine at f/4 with some care, and at f/8 you would not notice any difference compared to f/5.6. Why? Look at the DOF calculations for each aperture below. There's plenty of room in the area of focus.

f/4 = 1.16' about 14". Pretty thick, but with three kids, you want to pay a bit more attention.
f/5.6 = 1.64' about 20". Plenty thick
f/8 = 2.35' about 28". Prob. overkill, but there are no foreground objects and the background is just a white sheet, so it really does not matter. (what will matter is how much light f/8 will reduce and change your exposure quite a bit)