Author: Richard

Posted on

Flowers using Flash

I was thinking that I would have my next flower photo shoot in the studio, but then I thought it would be good to show you what could be achieved with just two flash guns outside on a sunny day.

The setup is relatively easy.  Camera on tripod with hot shoe flash and a moderately short telephoto lens in my case a D200 with a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8.

To my right I mounted a Nikon SB-800 hotshoe flash.  This was mounted onto a small light stand and was firing into a small brolly.

The camera mounted flash was set up as a trigger and was not contributing to the overall exposure.

Behind the flowers I had a black cloth. This was supported by the usefully provided double ended clip that comes with the Nikon Macro Flash kit.

The actual exposure was very simple I switched the camera to manual and set the flash to FP Hi speed sync.

I picked a shutter speed in conjunction with an aperture to give me sufficient depth of field and but would underexpose the picture.  The flower exposure would be handled by TTL flash.

After a couple of test shots, the photos looked a little dim, so I dialed in +2/3’s of a stop and they looked good.

Posted on

Photographers iPad Tools

While I do not have an iPad yet, I like many other photographers can see the use they can be put through.

While some consider it useless, and label it a toy, unable to be used for real work, a joke for professionals, many people think its great for when you cannot take the trouble to carry a laptop.

To be honest when travelling I sometimes take Medium Format Camera equipment, 35mm equipment, lighting equipment and heavy tripods and light stands.  Sometimes the last thing I want to add is a laptop.

Yesterday I spotted a posting from Adobe about a beta Photoshop App (see Chris Bennett’s Blog Post).

Photoshop is not one of the key apps that would make me buy an iPad but if someone released the Library Module of Adobe Lightroom then I would be buying an iPad like a shot.

http://blog.photosmithapp.com/

Well that day may well be nearly here.  Check out the Photosmith Blog.  This seems to offer what I want.

For heavy image work then a laptop in the field in not really the tool.  Heavy image work is a job for back in the office/home with a powerful computer and controlled lighting conditions in the room, and a calibrated monitor.  No, in the field its evaluating your work, making picks, keywording, metadata and quick adjusts to help you evaluate the shots.

When this gets released, together with some of the tethering apps that are coming out; Elinchrom’s and Hasselblad’s remote control apps then the iPad will be coming with me, out in the field and in the studio.

Posted on

Lee Filter System

If you are after a filter system you cannot get better then the Lee Filter System, but if  you are after a particular filter get your order in now.  The popularity of the Lee Filter System has exploded and there is a very long waiting list now.

I have now been waiting four months for a new set of Glass Grey Graduated filters, hope they arrive soon, I have a foreign trip planned and was hoping to use them.

Posted on

Happy Birthday Mac OS X

OS X - Ten Years Ols

I just found out that its the Mac OS X Operating System’s 10th Birthday today.

Its certainly come a long way.  While at work I use Windows, Solaris, Redhat and AIX, at home I stopped using Windows as my primary operating system not long after Windows XP was released.

Working my way through various versions of Linux before finally settling happily on Fedora Linux.

Well that changed when I decided to buy Caroline a Wedding Present of an Apple Powerbook.  OS X was just so easy to use, never getting in the way and just letting you get on with the work at hand.

While Apple users may like to claim Mac’s never crash this is not true but they certainly do not crash often, certainly an improvement on Windows, NT4, 2000, XP and 2003.

Through what little I have used Windows 7 it to looks very good now but I think i’ll stick with OS X for a few more years.

Posted on

HDR – Love & Hate

Many photographers have a Love & Hate relationship with HDR, I like it when its used with a degree of subtlety but even I have sometimes gone over the top when I feel the image suits it.

Interestingly the general public tend to like HDR more then photographers.

This is about as over the top as I go, but felt the image suited it.

If your interested in HDR check out the website stuckincustoms.com, some very dramatic examples and tutorials.

Posted on

Macro – Early Spring Flowers

Well last week I did say I was going to photograph the Daffodils. Well the blooms were not yet open but this weekend they were so, with the trusty Nikon D200, 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and the macro flash gear I spent some time trying to get some good shots.

Near the back door next to our poor dead bay leaf trees that have been killed by the hard winter were a likely bunch of Daffodils.

Setting up the tripod, nearly as low as it would go, I composed on the open flower.  I wanted a black background so I laid a black cloth behind.

The cloth together with a fairly high shutter speed to under-expose the background, this made the background a nice black.

 

With only one Daffodil in bloom, I then switched over to the bush that had lots of yellow flowers.

Once again I employed the black cloth and a high shutter speed to underexpose the background.

My attention was then next drawn to the bush next door which seemed to have an inordinate number of lady birds on it.

 

 

 

With so few flowers to chose from my last flower to photograph was the crocuses, a rather pretty purple.

A pleasant afternoon shooting.  Nothing to dramatic but good practice.

The lighting was nothing special just front lit via the macro flash.  Later in the month when we have more blooms to choose from I will definitely try something a little more challenging.

A few cut flowers, cut glass crystal vase and some studio lighting is in order

Posted on

Elinchrom IOS App

During my recent research into studio flash equipment, I came across an announcement by Elinchrom.  They are planning to release an app to control your Elinchrom Flash heads.

No real details yet but another posible reason for a photographer to have an iPad around.

Oh and don’t forget, iPad2 released today; at least in America. Oh well just have to wait.  Still tempted.

Decisions, decisions:

iPad2 or GF1; We will just have to see.

Posted on

Micro Four Thirds – another look

Well today I had another look at the Micro Four Thirds range.

I am still looking for that perfect travel camera, small pocketable and with high quality large sensor and interchangable lens.

I had a close look again at the Panasonic GF-1.  Not the GF-2 as I don’t feel thats as good ergonomically.

I am still very tempted but the lack of decent wide angles, still puts me off.  Its the x2 crop factor, I feel wide angle does not really start until you get to 24mm, and on micro four thirds thats 12mm.

There is currently not much to choose from in that range and what there is is very expensive.

Still I going to have to decided soon or if I do want a GF-1, it may have to be a second hand model as they are going fast.