1/320 sec @ f/13, ISO 400, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II) Today was a snap and run kind of day. I did not get to put much thought into the photograph. However, I did want to celebrate the Virginia Tech Hokie’s huge win over Nebraska. I had pretty much given up on the game and went into the other room when I heard the stadium and announcers going wild on TV.
I originally tried to shoot this picture using two speed lights. One was on camera left and the other on camera right at about forty-five degree angles. However, in the end I had to switch to only using one light. The reason was that I only had one “large” light modifier (shoot-through umbrella). Trying to use a bare strobe up close much like I use a shoot-through umbrella created specular highlights which were too intense. Until I get another umbrella or a Westcott Apollo softbox, I will use my second light as a far away fill or rim light.
1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 18 mm (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS) I found myself at Landsdowne Resort and Spa today once again. This time, I had my mom and fiancée in tow. After walking around the lobby for a bit we stepped outside to check out the view. A wedding ceremony had just wrapped up on the back patio. Luckily, I had brought my camera with me. This is one of those pictures that I knew I would get exactly what I was looking for before I even hit the shutter release.
I quickly recognized that the scene had a high dynamic range, meaning a lot of contrasts. If I exposed for the sky, the chairs and trees would be too dark. If I exposed for the chairs and the trees, then the sky would be blown out to white with no details in it at all. In a situation like this, I switch to “HDR mode”. Typically, when shooting in my “HDR mode”, I will slightly underexposure the frame to protect the highlights. It is much easier to recover details out of a picture which is too dark, then it is to recover details out of a picture which has been over exposed, or “blown out”, to white. In post-processing, I use a single frame of the shot to create an HDR image.
However, since I had a strong feeling that these shots might be worth a bit more work, I decided to take three-exposure HDR images. To do this, I set my XSi to “rapid fire” mode and turned on exposure bracketing for -2, +2 stops. Then, for each composition that I dialed in, I held the shutter button down until three exposures were taken.
Once I got the photographs into Lightroom at home, I chose my favorite image. I then used Photomatix by HDRsoft to turn the three shots set into a composite. I tried two different methods in Photomatix to combine them. The first was the exposure blending method. The second was the tone mapping method. I liked the tone mapping method results a bit better than the exposure blending method.
The last step to creating this photo was to apply an exposure gradient filter to the ground and chairs. I wanted to do this in order to bring up their exposure without affecting the exposure of the sky or trees.
1/1000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 200, 70 mm (EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM) Today I broke down and bought a second PocketWizard FlexTT5 a few days earlier than planned. I wanted to put it to good use tonight by taking my first two-light portrait. Since my lovely fiancée is “out of commission” for a few days, I opted for a self-portrait.
I am really pleased with the way this photograph came out. I tried using a new focusing technique for self-portraits that I saw somewhere on the web the other day. To get the focus close, I marked my spot on the floor and then placed a light stand right over the spot. I then used my XSi’s auto focus to focus on the flash which was approximately the same relative height and distance from the camera that I would be when taking the picture. This technique seems to have worked quite well.
I also really like the the separation of the background and the left side of my face in the photograph. This was created using the second flash. In order to control the light and not have it spill and contaminate the rest of the scene, I used my DIY snoot on this flash. I am not sure if this is considered a fill light or a rim/back/hair light, but either way, I think it looks good.
4.0 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100, 53 mm (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS) This is one of my favorite photographs from the last couple of weeks of my Photo365 project. I have been waiting to try this technique for a while now. I originally thought that I would need at least two remote strobes to achieve this effect. However, I was able to pull it off with one strobe and two LED flashlights.
The effect I was after is the background. This photograph was taken in my dining room which has glossy, solid brown painted walls. I did not use a special backdrop to achieve this look. Instead, I made use of light refraction.
By shining an LED flashlight through an empty vase at camera left, I projected the pattern on the wall behind my subject. In the past, I thought I would need to use a second off-camera strobe (which I own) controlled by a second PocketWizard FlexTT5 (which I do not own yet) in order achieve the effect. However, by increasing the exposure time for the picture, I was able to have the less intense light of the LED flashlight appear as if it was much brighter.
There are a couple things I would change about the picture if I were to craft it again. First, I would figure out a better way to support the boots. I find the little bit of black at the bottom of the frame, especially with its glare, a bit distracting.
Second, I would make sure all my light sources were color balanced. As I mentioned earlier, I used three light sources: 1 strobe and 2 LED flashlights. The LED flashlights have a cold blue color quality to their light. The light from the strobe is pure white. If you look at the boot laying on its side, you may be able to see a slight blue color cast in and around the opening. This happened when I painted the inside of the boot with about 1 second of light during the exposure. To prevent this from happening next time, I will be sure to gel any strobes which I use in the same frame as the LED flashlights with 1/2 or 1/4 blue gels. This approach will allow me to then color-correct the image and not have anything look out of place.
1/160 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 400, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II) I was pressed tonight to find a subject for today’s photograph. Luckily, there were still some nik naks in the house which have gone “undocumented” yet.
There are no special photography or post-processing techniques to share today. Just a reminder to make sure to move when shooting. Using a prime lens like the 50mm I have been using lately, will get you into the habit of “dancing” around your subject and trying multiple compositions. Do not just settle on your first framing, try several.
1/200 sec @ f/9.0, ISO 100, 116 mm (EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM) The goal for today’s photography was to do a self portrait with an interesting background. As you can see, I failed. While trying to make the photograph that I had originally conceived in my head, I struggled to light the background to the brightness needed, so I decided that I had to go with a black background instead. I believe I really need two off camera strobes in order to make the picture as intended; one to light me and one to throw some light onto the background. Unfortunately, I am not able to do this just yet. I need to add another piece of equipment to my arsenal in order to have two off camera flashes. There are a few options in what I could buy.
One option is to buy an optical slave. With an optical slave attached to a flash, another flash in the same room will trigger the flash attached to the optical slave. A major hurdle that must be overcome with newer flash units today and using optical slave components with them is pre-flashes. Some modern flashes communicate with each other using extremely short pulses of light before the actual exposure is taken by the camera. A “dumb” optical slave will not know that these are pre-flashes so it will inadvertently fire the flash attached to the optical slave. Supposedly, this issue has been solved by some manufacturers of optical slaves, but for an increased cost I am sure.
The second option is to buy another PocketWizard FlexTT5. This solution is the gold standard in the photography community. What makes this solution even more desirable is the upcoming AC9 ZoneController. The AC9 unit will allow me to control the power levels of three groups of remote flashes. What this means is that I will be able to assign the main light(s) to group A, and the background light(s) to group B or C. Then I will be able to adjust the power levels of group A, B, and C independently at the camera instead of having to walk over to each flash and change its settings.
I will be taking the plundge, hopefully within the next week, into buying another PocketWizard FlexTT5 and flash stand. I really look forward to the new lighting schemes this will open up for me. Stay tuned.
1/2500 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 100, 173 mm (EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM) A new coworker tipped me off to a site called Cubeecraft today. I could not wait to check out the site at night and see what kind of ideas would come from it. After a short perusing of the site, I settled on a particular figure to construct first: Stewie Griffin. Being that it was already 10:45 at night, I had to rush to print and then cut out the intricate shapes. As you may be able to tell, the workmanship of Stewie is not the best it could be. I had to make sure I had enough time to do the photo shoot.
As for the photography aspect, today was the first shoot that I used multiple lens to capture the same scene in “studio.” In the past, I would choose one lens and shoot a bunch of pictures with only that lens. Once I was certain I had a few good frames to consider during post processing, I would stop shooting. Tonight was different.
I started out with the 50mm f/1.8 lens on the XSi. After taking a several pictures and figuring out the lighting setup and exposure settings, I realized that I wanted to be able to eliminate the distractions in the background a bit more. With a 50mm lens, the texture and window in the background were still apparent and distracting to the eye. I decided to switch to the 70-200mm f/4.0 lens. Using the longer focal length, I was able to compress the elements in the background more so that they were not as prominent. Here is a link to a great article with sample pictures demonstrating this concept.
1/200sec @ f/5.0, ISO 100, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II) It was another one of those nights. One of those where I know that I still need to take a picture, but continue to put it off in favor of watching TV. I really do need to get over this habit. I am sure my pictures would be a lot more creative and interesting if I devoted more time to them instead of the last 30 minutes of my night before bed.
Anyways, I was rummaging through the pantry for anything interesting to take a picture of today. For some reason, we have an abundance of Pepperidge Farms fish crackers. There must be at least three or four different packages in there, each a different flavor. I chose one of the two open boxes to help me out tonight. The flavor: Flavor-blasted Cheddar.
I shot the picture using the reflective umbrella. It was positioned behind the table and was pointed down onto the scene at a forty-five degree angle. If you look close enough, you will probably see a slight shadow from the light stand in the middle of the scene. I did not take notice to this until I downloaded the pictures onto the iMac the next morning. I now understand why the method I used to light the scene is unconventional. I doubt I will use this one light lighting arrangement again.
1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II) I was on a mission today. The details are still on a need-to-know basis. I will certainly share when the timing is right. Unfortunately, my mission was only a slight success. The weather was not cooperating much, among other things. However, I was able to capture today’s picture while out and about. I could have sworn that I moved the branch poking out in front of the sign before taking the picture. I guess it must have popped back in front at the last moment.
Post production consisted of a small crop to straighten some of the lines and a few spot removals to get rid of what might have been bird droppings on the sign. I must admit, the quality of today’s picture symbolizes the mood I was in when I captured it…..”BLAH”.
1/6 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 200, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II) The nights have gotten a bit more crisp here in Northern Virginia, so tonight I hooked up our outdoor tabletop heater to the propane tank and gave her a test spin. She fired up without a problem and was breathing heat within a couple of minutes. The colors of the screen on the heater have always interested me. I thought that a long exposure photograph might look really cool. I went inside and grabbed the camera.
The first several shots looked okay on the LCD before zooming into them. But I knew that once I zoomed in or viewed them on the computer I would see a lot of camera shake. This concept has become very clear to me after shooint every day for several months. When shooting slower than 1/60 second, especially without flash or without lens image stabilization, I need to use a tripod.
With tripod in hand, I worked my way around the table. First I used the deck to support the tripod so that I could get more of the heater in the shot (I was using my fixed 50mm lens the entire time). Later, I shrank the tripod so I could sit it on the table top and shoot close ups.
I really would have liked to get portrait-oriented pictures since the heater is a tall object. Unfortunately, the tripod that I am currently using does not allow me to turn the camera for this type of shot. I am using a video tripod which was given to my dad many years ago (circa 1990). Perhaps the tripod and head items on my wish list need to be bumped up to a higher priority.
A self-proclaimed tech-geek, I enjoy anything powered by batteries or electricity. I'm not happy until I understand the full potential of any new gadget I get my hands on....
