These are our lights this year. I just grabbed my camera, went outside, and started shooting. Wish I had remembered about the Strobist guide to shooting holiday lights from 3 years ago. But I found the link, and you can benefit from it’s great tips. Strobist: How To Photograph Christmas Lights.
On 12.09.09, In Commentary, Do It Yourself, By Chester
On 05.29.09, In Commentary, By Chester
I have been following the work of David Tejada for what seems like an eternity (well over a year?). I have met him in person and had a chance to hear him speak. He was even gracious enough to address the photography class at my daughter’s high school. I cannot say enough good things about him. I fully plan to attend his next Denver event and you should too. $50 for 4 hours of learning Strobist style stuff with this guy is a steal. Really. And I am paying the same $50 you are, so don’t think I am just doing some marketing for him. I believe in him and what he has to teach. Want a sample? Check out David’s blog and decide for yourself.
On 02.09.09, In Do It Yourself, By Chester
I decided last week that it is time for me to make a backdrop holder. I had a shoot recently where I wasn’t terribly happy with the results, so I knew I needed a proper backdrop holder. As luck would have it, I found some good tutorials on how to make quality light and backdrop stands. Also found a nifty tutorial on making your own muslin backdrops. I have some headshots to do tomorrow, so I will definitely be building some of this today. Check back next week to see which one(s) I build, and how well I think they work.
- Kimeldorf system which uses PVC and a light stand. I like it, but may not build it since I will need both of my light stands tomorrow. There is also a followup article that has some improvements to the original design. Very portable.
- Jeff Geerling design, which would be good at home, but not sure about portability.
- Brian Zimmerman’s design which seems designed for portability (longest length of pipe is 5′), but also has modifications for lighting. Also shows how he made a backdrop. Certainly the most complete system of the ones I am linking to. Might also take the longest to build, depending on the mods you use. VERY cool though, and I plan to build this one at some point, just not in time for tomorrow.
- Plunger head version that uses telescoping paint poles, plunger heads, and misc clamps. Not quite suitable for my needs, but possibly workable for you. Worth looking at anyway.
- David Thurman’s design is for people who already have poles and just need to build a base to put the poles in (kind of like the base for an umbrella on a patio table or something). Not at all applicable to my situation, but still useful for some people.
- Create your own muslin backdrop – I really like this tutorial and will use it at some point. Already have something I plan to use tomorrow though.
I also want to mention that I attended a Colorado Strobist meetup last night, and the guest speaker was none other than David Tejada. I have been following his work for quite some time now, and was very pleased to be able to meet him in person. His work is definitely an inspiration to me, and it was great to hear how he setup certain shots. He also agreed to speak at my daughters high school photography class. I am sure the kids will be excited about this. If you haven’t heard of him, check out his work – it will help you think creatively on your next shoot.
On 01.20.09, In Commentary, By Chester
David Tejada is a local photographer whose work I have been admiring for quite some time now. In fact, I think his work is what inspired me to do this for a job. He creates stunning visuals, and I have wondered for some time if he would be doing any local workshops. As it turns out, he has agreed to spend an evening with the Colorado Strobist group. As soon as I saw this, I had to jump in. This guy has likely forgotten more than I will ever know, and hearing from him first hand is the kind of chance I don’t want to miss out on. His blog is great, but I can’t wait to see his presentation and hear the dynamic conversation that will follow.
On 01.05.09, In Gear, By Chester
I don’t recall where I first saw mention of the PRESSLite VerteX bounce card system, but I remember being intrigued. I think it was about 2 weeks ago, and I was so intrigued, I ordered one immediately. Two days later I had a box in my mailbox, the VerteX had arrived.
The box contained 10 pieces total, 4 of which are reflective cards (2 white, 2 mirrored). Putting it together was very easy, and I didn’t need the included instruction sheet. When putting it together, I did leave the protective film on one side of the mirrored cards so that they would be all good if I ever needed to flip over and use them. I’d say it took me a total of maybe 5 minutes to put this item together.
Then I had to figure out what to shoot. I wanted a simple scenario where I could show the effects of angling the cards, the card holder bracket, and also a control for what it looks like without any bounce. I settled on a small table in a corner, shooting downward with the flash on top of my camera. The photo at left is my control case. Throughout this series of test shots, please feel free to click on a thumbnail to see the larger photo.
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On 12.29.08, In Do It Yourself, Gear, By Chester
My article on Do It Yourself Light Modifiers has proved to be quite popular. Bouncing light around large spaces is all well and good, but what about when you need to light one item really well. Say, for a product shot or something? Enter the Strobist DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio. That’s just a fancy way to say light tent. The photo above is one I created this past weekend. Once I had all the materials, it took me all of about 30 minutes to complete. I am not going to recreate the directions (printing the Strobist article is perfect), but I did want to explain what I did differently.
They recommend using a minimum of a 12x12x12 box, and leaving the top flaps on to control the light more. My box was something like 18x12x12 or something (I didn’t take measurements). I wanted it to be deeper though, so I taped all of the “flaps” together to extend the depth of the box (a little Duct will do ya). I then left one inch or so remaining to frame the 3 “windows”. Instead of tissue paper, quite by mistake I bought craft mylar (I think this might be really similar to the mylar drafting film I couldn’t find for my softbox project). It cuts really easily, and seems to be more durable than tissue paper would be. And it diffuses the light REALLY well. I used white duct tape to increase reflectivity inside the box. It definitely looks homemade, but the results it produces are just as good as the light tent I used in a previous job that cost 15x as much as this one (I already had the tape and box, so my out of pocket total was $4 for two sheets of poster board and the mylar film).
This photo (click for larger version), of one of our Air Hogs Havoc helicopters and our Revell Fire Strike, was shot in the light tent at my house in Lakewood, Colorado. I used my Olympus FL-36 flash, fired remotely with a Cactus trigger, at 8mm and 3GN. The results are quite pleasing and work well enough for my needs. My next test will be to use it with static light instead of a strobe, and taking a photo of something on the black background instead of the white. For $5, you sure can’t beat this. In fact, I am already thinking of making a MUCH larger one, maybe out of a refrigerator box, to use for larger items, like tires and wheels. Hmm…
Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to all. I have been seeing great pictures of holiday lights this season, and finally decided to try and take one of my own. The photo above is an HDR Exposure Blend (using Photomatix) of 7 exposures I took one morning. I also took some photos just using the ambient light and not doing the HDR thing. After reviewing these shots on the computer, I decided the white lights just aren’t very interesting. Normally we decorate the two large fir trees in front of our house with colored strings, but we opted not to this year. Rest assured, we will next year. That will give it some “life” I think. So instead, I will go out in search of other homes in our neighborhood to take pics of. I had better hurry, only a week to go before most people take their lights down.
Oh, and I should point out that the inspiration for this, besides the photos I linked to above, was a Strobist article about holiday light pictures. As is the norm with Strobist help, this article was wonderful for a rookie like me.
On 12.15.08, In Do It Yourself, Gear, By Chester
This weekend I decided it was time to build the homemade softbox featured in my article of Do It Yourself Light Modifiers. With shopping list in hand, Natalie and I went to Michael’s to get everything we needed (and a craft for her to do at the same time).
Once we were at Michael’s, I had to make some substitutions. They want $35 for a piece of mat board, so I opted instead for a 3 pack of white poster board pieces. Also, the staff there had never heard of mylar drafting film. Wasn’t totally sure what to do, but as I was walking down the drafting/ needlepoint supply aisle, I spotted something called “plastic canvas”. I grabbed a couple sheets of varying sizes and hole densities and figured that would work.
Than I got into the construction phase. Cutting the foam was pretty straightforward (the authors tip about using a thin sheet of plywood for a cutting board was perfect). Then I started cutting the posterboard. In the authors revised directions, he indicates you should leave extra around the edges (on the trapezoidal pieces). I did this, but I am not sure what function that serves. As I was finalizing construction, These oversized pieces were difficult to work with and I still don’t see the point. Somehow I managed to get it all together though.
Cactus remote trigger, I had to fiddle with the flash settings a few times. The photo at left is still overexposed, but a quick treatment in Lightroom makes it suitable, as you can see in the photo at right.
In the time since I made my original post, I think the author of the instructions for this softbox has made some revisions. I’d love to see more detail on why the trapezoids should be oversized, since it caused me problems. But overall, I am happy with the output from this box. I am actually going to be playing with it later today when I do “class photos” for my daughter’s small preschool class here in Lakewood. I’ll post up another time about how that shoot goes.
On 11.12.08, In Gear, Uncategorized, By Chester
Within the photography world, as with the rest of the world, there are people driving Ferrari’s and people driving Geo Metro’s. With respect to off camera flash equipment, the Ferrari’s would be Pocket Wizards and the Geo Metro would be the Cactus Radio Triggers – also known as eBay triggers. In fact, there seem to be some different versions of the eBay triggers that all work together. For the purposes of this review, I’ll just deal with the Cactus V2s.
I purchased these in July in anticipation of doing Real Estate Photography here in Lakewood and also for whatever portrait work I might start.
My best test for these was when I was shooting the Ferringway condo we stayed in recently in Durango. The layout of the unit was such that there was an open loft over the main living room. I wanted everything there to be lit well, so I got out the Cactus remote and attached my flash. I put the whole contraption on the included stand and took it upstairs. I bounced the light off the ceiling, so it diffused a little, but you can still see that shadows were cast in the final product.
For the one transmitter and one receiver, I paid roughly $40. I should have gone ahead and ordered a second receiver at the time, and have since acquired another. I have yet to test the full range, but I am suitable impressed with what I have seen so far. If you have been thinking about getting a pair, go for it. At this price point, you can use them for a few years to get comfortable before you invest in the Pocket Wizards.
Using a softbox
In the past I have done a lot of do-it-yourself photography projects. And yes, that included a DIY Softbox. The results were acceptable enough, but after a short time the softbox looked like it had been taken out one too many times. As I continue to do more professional photos, I want to also have a more professional look when on location. Also, I like the better spread of a bigger box. That said, I picked up an inexpensive 16″ softbox from Cowboy Studio
(they sell on Amazon).
It is priced quite reasonably, $35 at last check, and as you can see from the photo above, it delivers. I mounted my Vivitar 285 on the L-bracket and did a quick test session with my daughter. Once you get your flash dialed in (I think I need to get a light meter to make this faster), the results are great. I took a few pictures of my daughter with it, and am now quite comfortable using it. Next step will be to add a hairlight or background light (easy enough with my Cactus triggers and my other flash). In fact, thanks to a session I attended with David Tejada, I learned a couple of ways to position the box relative to the subject and also a bit about background lighting. Total sidenote, but I would recommend David’s blog and workshops to anyone.
In short, while making my own softbox was fun and interesting, it is hard to beat the 16″ Cowboy Studio 16″ softbox, especially given the price.