From: Larry Colen
I was experimenting with the flash at a friend's gig tonight, mostly
with a snoot, but with the flash off camera on a cable. The
technique has definite promise, but it takes so much attention to aim
the flash with one hand, while doing everything on the camera with
the other, that it'll take a lot of work before I've got it solid.
I think that what the technique really needs is a snooted flash aimed
by an assistant, several feet off camera, with an on camera flash a
couple stops underexposed, acting as an on axis fill.
This shot, however, was done by bouncing my flash off a mirror, a few
feet to the left of the stage. Since Gypsyjack was on the left end of
the stage, I was able to side light him with the flash like this.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ellarsee/5452691805/in/set-72157625947632715/
A little DIY magic with gaffers tape and you could mount a small LED
flashlight to the strobe for a modeling light that would help in aiming
the strobe.
This sounds like our first assignment in small format class:
Photograph 36 strangers "up close & personal"
... 3 - 5 ft (with a "normal" lens, closer if you use a wide angle lens)
... off camera flash (at arm's length)
... 3 images of each person, different angles (108 total images minimum)
... 3 - 36 exposure rolls of 35mm C-41 FILM (so you can't chimp).
... record aperture & shutter speed for each exposure
... record Name; Age; Where the person is from AND an *interesting fact*
about each person.
Make an 8x10 print mounted on an 11x14 mat board of the best images of 5
persons. Turn in contact sheets and the personal data about the persons
(personal data went into the shredder at the end of the semester).
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
The instructor's recommendation for technique was to tape the lens to
fix the focus and use your body to bring the person into focus in the
viewfinder (worked for me).
I shot 5 - 24 exposure rolls (too many is better than not enough) and
"cheated" a little bit by carrying a lightweight light stand for the
strobe along with me so that I didn't end up with all my images lit from
photographer's left.
Mount the strobe so it's at your eye level & just plop the stand down at
arms length so you can use both hands for the camera. This is where the
LED flashlight "modeling light" would come in handy.
I had taken the class before in 2006. I knew that the light stand was
the next lesson & the instructor didn't object to me using it on the
first assignment.
I had to repeat the first year summer semester because back in 2006 my
National Guard Annual Training interfered & I ended up withdrawing from
school right at the end of the semester so I didn't get credit for the
classes first time around.
I used a Vivitar 285HV w/cheap Chinese radio slave; set the strobe to
"yellow" which automatically lights the subject to f/4. Shot everything
at f/4 - f/5.6 & X-sync and counted on the color print film's latitude
to give me acceptable exposures.
The only thing I'd do differently now is set the 285HV to "blue" and
shoot everything at f/8.
Bouncing the strobe off a mirror is a good idea. I don't think there was
any opportunity to use it during the assignment, but I'll try to keep it
in mind if I ever run into a situation where it will work in the future.
Oh, and that assistant thing ... it's what we call a VALS - Voice
Activated Light Stand.
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3448 - Release Date: 02/16/11
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
[email protected]
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
