Two weeks Vacation period

It seems that after 3 years without getting any we finally manage to get some tan.

I will be adding to Croatia tomorrow for some sun and rest, passing through Munich to pay a visit to some friends there.

Here in Luxembourg the weather is still not so good. It's been raining since Friday and it does not seems that will improve.

We also plan on paying, again, a visit to France and go walking around those nice places.
"Vive La France!!" :)

I will try to keep you posted on Flickr.

Thank you all for the support,

Rui

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Lighting Mods opens on Flickr

Just to let you know that I've created a discussion group on Flickr based on the blog.

Feel free to register and join us with your DIY, Q&A or your own makings.

Cheers,

Rui

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Light Painting

Hey I was sleepless tonight so I decided to put my gear up and make a long time assignment a real thing.

I always wanted to try the Light Painting but never had any time to do it, there is always something that comes up, and once again this stays behind.

After seeing a lot of new videos and it's setup on the Strobist, about this issue, I decided to try my Homemade one.

This is a simple way to make that you really wanna try it out and maybe later on make some more complicated ones like seen here.

What I've used:

- Canon Flash 580Ex
- Black Straws Snoot (Get one yourself Part1 and Part2)
- Book Light Science and Magic UK (or other of your choice)
- MagLite flashlight
- Camera and Lens
- Monopod and Tripod for the Flash
- Gadget Infinity Triggers (Flash and Camera)
- Remote camera release button



First of all the setup shot.

Canon 580Ex with Black Straws Snoot to the left pointing a little down to the book (105mm,1/128). Camera ISO 100, Tv 200, Av 22, sorry if the book came out burned but the room was too dark to be illuminated besides my wife was a sleep.



A closer look at the Black Straws Snoot Grid pointing at the book to get the light effect on the book and in the table.



I started to paint with the flash light around the book and in front of it also, do not point the light directly into the lens or you could blow a couple of shots :)

The flames are made with a small MagLite flashlight covered with my thumb and index fingers that gave it a reddish tone, then moving along the book to create the effect.

Nothing special just use your head and create some amazing stuff with this simple setup.

Enjoy,

Rui

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Apparent Light Size (étude)

It looks like I was getting a little behind on the Lighting 102: Unit 2.1 - Apparent Light Size.

But I manage to get a little bit of time, this afternoon, to post some of my images along with the setup shots and good info to help you out on your quest.

I did a lot of thinking after seeing a lot of good pictures about this exercise on the Flickr dedicated page so I decided to be a little bit more specific on what this is all about.

My starting point was ISO 100, Tv 200 and Av 9.0 this was then made through all the images in order for them to be consistent. The position of the light was to camera right and a couple of meters from the subject (Apple, not the computer) also not very far since the room was small but the distance enough to mount the umbrella.

The apple was standing still in a small kitchen chair, did I mentioned that since we moved to Luxembourg furniture is not abundant around the house, and I try to choose a good position so you can see the background effect as well as shadows around the subject.

So with this in mind my only concern was to get the flash with enough intensity to get a good exposure... I know I could have done it with exposure but at least this way you can see some easy to see results just by looking at the pictures, so blame me on this ;)

Since this étude has nothing to do with getting the best possible light for the apple or even trying to get too many lights to get it right. This time I only used one strobe (Canon 580EX) triggered by the Gadget Infinity and some reflective and translucent stuff to get an idea how BIG can a small light become.

Enough of talking and let's get to business...



I set the 580Ex to 105mm and 1/16 for the power.
You can notice the harsh shadow cast on the left side of the apple produce by the small strobe pointing right at it. Also you can see part of the apple illuminated by the lighter part of the chair and also some light on the background the spill from the strobe onto the white wall behind the apple.



Here the setup was the same 580Ex was set to 105mm and 1/16 but I used a StoFen on the flash head to create more of a candle light pointing right at the apple.
As you can see now we have a more "soft" light on all of the scene and a not so pronounced background and shadow.



Now I changed the 580Ex light size and set it to 24mm and 1/8 power and used it through the umbrella to get bigger soft light.
You can now notice that the shadow is almost gone and all the scene as a more pleasing look.



Here the 580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/2 but use it into the umbrella for reflective purposes.
It looks like the light is coming from everywhere. Look how soft everything is turn to. The shadows and the highlights.



Next I decided to try with the same settings but with a silver umbrella, the 580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/4. Not much different from last one but if you look closer you can still see some at the background and also had to use less power.



580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/1 but used up against the white ceiling and background wall to create a large reflective area.
This image shows how good can a large reflective area become when you use your small strobe against it. Very soft shadows and all around the apple you can see this soft light.



580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/1 but used up against the white ceiling and background wall to create a large reflective area, now added the StoFen to the flash.
Have you noticed that even thou it was the same settings just by adding the StoFen it created a shadow cast on the apple and it's pole?
The background didn't look so pronounced either and the front light on the apple is now a little more visible.



580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/8 but used through the umbrella and used a reflector to the left side to catch some light that could spill from the umbrella.
Here I posted 2 pictures of the same thing but the second one I changed the reflector to gold so you can notice were that little light is getting at the left side of the umbrella... can you see it?



580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/8 but used through the umbrella and used a silver reflector to the left side catch some more light from the umbrella.
The changing was only on the reflector's color but that made some difference



580Ex was set to 24mm and 1/4 used through a big white reflector.
I was trying to create a big softbox with the reflector or simulate a window on the right side.
It looks like I accomplish that since the light was coming through a BIG white reflector it also came out soft and diffused enough.



To finish up I got to sheets of paper (so you don't start saying that you cannot make this étude because you do not have a big reflector or an umbrella and don't come up with any other excuse) and put one near, almost glued, the apple and the other one behind it so I could, almost, recreate
the last setup with 2 sheets of white paper.

The 580Ex was set to 105mm and 1/1, for full power since the paper is a little more thicker than the reflector, used through a white sheet of paper and also put a white sheet of paper on the left to catch some light on the other side of the apple.

Some of the light that went around the paper also gave a little ambiance to the background and illuminated the back part of the apple and the paper on the right gave it a little more fill in. NICE!!!

Hope you have enjoyed this nice étude and prepare yourself for the next one.

Please visit Lighting 102: Unit 2.1 - Apparent Light Size, make yourself a favor and make this one.

Enjoy.

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Vacation Traveling Light Kit

After completing the last article I started to wonder what stuff could I take with me during summer or short vacation periods without having to carry too much stuff around and also because airline companies are not too much photographer's friendly.

I decided it was time to gather a setup that all of you could already have and with just a couple of simple items you can get those great summer photos improved and with great of camera lighting.

First goes the setup shot of all the gear.



Since all of this shots were made with my small Canon Powershot G6 the settings were ISO 100, Tv 160 and Av 8.0. For light I used the Canon 220Ex and the stand was the Quick Lok microphone stand. Used the flash against a white wall of one of my rooms to create a BIG diffuse light like a huge softbox.


I assembled a good traveling kit and I think this would be my next week's kit to Croatia.

I usually travel a lot of my Manfrotto's tripod and sometimes the monopod so that's why they both are showed on the kit, you choose what you have.



Westcott (2001) 43" Collapsible White Satin umbrella, the ultra light Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod (details here) or the Manfrotto 681B monopod, Manfrotto 486RC2 compact ball head, Manfrotto superclamp (035), Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026), Manfrotto Adapter (015) 1/4 TO 3/8, Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (119) 1/4 & 3/8. Universal short 16 mm spigot with double female thread 1/4” and 3/8, 2 Manfrotto Adapters Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8”, a Climbers hook (I think this is the name for it), I got mine at a Chinese store very cheap since it's aluminum stuff not for climbing and not very strong and... don't forget your Camera, Lenses, Pocket Wizards or Gadget Infinity Triggers and Velcro adjustable ties (not in the picture).



Take a closer look at the adapter parts:

Manfrotto Adapter (015) 1/4 TO 3/8, Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (119) 1/4 & 3/8. Universal short 16 mm spigot with double female thread 1/4” and 3/8, 2 Manfrotto Adapters Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8” and a Climbers hook.

We will take a look at this later on in detail.



This is the Manfrotto 486RC2 compact ball head with camera adapter, the usual :)



This is were the camera adapter fits in.



And the Manfrotto 486RC2 compact ball head attaches to the Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod or the Manfrotto 681B monopod like this.



Let's begin like if you do not have, yet, the ball head. Just grab the Manfrotto Adapter (015) 1/4 TO 3/8 and screw it it to the Tripod or Monopod (My monopod has also a 3/8 spigot so it won't need this adapter, check yours first before you buy this).



Now you can attach your Hot Shoe adapter to it so you can use your Pocket Wizards ;)



Or you can attach your Gadget Infinity triggers.



This is what it will look like, on the tripod and monopod, after mounting the flash onto the Gadget Infinities.



Here are the same pictures but now on full size so you can get an idea of what they will look like.



If you are using the Pocket Wizards here are the mounts of them using the Velcro adjustable ties.



Do you remember that I mentioned them earlier but did not show any pictures? - So that's what they will be handy for.



Mounted on the tripod with detail and a full version. The tripod is not full extended so it could be more visible the setup but it will get a good height.

Notice that on the full sized I attached the ball head to the tripod and the flash to the camera adapter.



On this next 2 photos you can see why and where I use the Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8” this piece will be the support for holding the Hot Shoe or Gadget Infinity.



Here you can see what I mean the adapter will go inside the hole in the Manfrotto superclamp (035). This way you can use it with your flash.



Take a look at this baby... you can use it for macro shots of plants, objects, girls or to get that special light you cannot hold while taking the shot or when you do not have your personal assistant to do it for you (your wife, do not tell her that!!).



I included this on this kit not as something you must really have but it's kind of a good tip for the monopod when you need to carry it around too much and you do not have hands for it.
You attach this to the monopod bracelet and now you can use this to attach it to the backpack, to your waist belt well I think you know what I mean... it's a hands free tip.



Now lets see the last item so you can use the umbrella if you need it for that cool portrait of the cook chef or the cleaning maid that wants to be photographed.



Here it is assembled to the tripod. I used the ball head so it could get a little higher.



And here is the final look of it.

With this small kit you can travel light and can make your assignments look much more enjoyable than that on camera thing you are usually used to make.



Normally I would take my tripod or monopod, umbrella Manfrotto superclamp (035) and Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026) on the bilge luggage but the rest comes with me without any problem. I.E. Camera, Lens, Filters, Cleaning cloth and small accessories.

I also carry one Orange CTO and one Green filter to put on my flash since they have the Velcro on them and they are so portable but you can always carry the all pack of Lee filters with the adapter that could also fit into your bag without taking too much space and some more small stuff (see the picture above).

Hope this article could help you through summer since it's getting hotter and hotter each day and carrying a lot of gear would make your back and your head hurt.

Drink a lot of water and get those great pictures coming.

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My Gear - What you wanted to know but were afraid to ask (Part 2)

As the title shows this will be a very informative article with a lot of photos on how... and what is that for...

Many of you will know this back and forward and maybe with your eyes shut but others don't so this article is for you.

We all looked at great photographers and wondered "how the hell did this guys do that?" or "what kind of technique he used?" without getting any answers for those questions, except in some cases, and having this in mind I decided to pull out the cape and make this picture tutorial for the gear I use, some examples (based on links to Strobist) on what you can accomplish with that setup or gear and also some DIY tips on some of the items.

First of all you need is a camera, a lens and, or, maybe a flash depending on what you are going to photograph or if you have a camera with all of this built in that will also do.

Starting out by mention the basic and first thing that, almost all of us photographers do when we get our flashes, that's putting some Velcro on the tip of it so you can attach some gobos or some filters.

Take a look at Lighting 101: Cereal Box Snoots and GoBo's and Lighting 101: Using Gels to Correct Light for more detail information concerning this issues.



Here is a photo of My 580Ex with Velcro taped all around so I can put a gobo in it either up, down, left or right. Do put the Velcro to near the head's end if you want to use a StoFen. You can see it in the picture the space between the Velcro and the end of the flash head.



On this two pictures you can see the small gel filter with the Velcro tape each one represents one side so they can glue to each other.



Now in a detail view of what I meant.



An here is how you can use them (Green and Orange CTO) it on your flash head.



And this is my latest DIY project that have replaced the other method. You can build one yourself follow the link to DIY: Lee Filters Flash Adapter and you can make one yourself.

This one is very useful since you can carry all the Lee filters color gels with you and do not need to worry about getting them with Velcro.



And while we are in the Filter section here goes another free tip for you.



The Lee filters come with a plastic thing to hold them together and if you break it you no longer can hold all of those tiny pieces of sheets together so...



After you cut it and remove it from the hole they will fall apart... no, no, no.



What I want you to do is to grab two ear plug boxes (I normally use these for my concert photography) .



And remove the iron thing that comes with it. I think you can also find this kind of stuff sold by meter on some hardware stores, this stuff is used on bathroom Basin or in the kitchen Sink and it normally holds between the Taps and the hole. You'll see it when you get there... don't tell your wife I told you to steel one from there ;)



Here is a detail of the two binding together.



After binding you just pass them through the hole.



And that's it. You can now close it. Let's see how it works in the filed...



Let's think that you will need a blue filter from the middle of the pack. You just have to choose it and then slide the opening to it and as you can see in the above picture open it where you need it. Cool yeah?

Well let's move on...



For people using the Pocket Wizard system a lot of question have been raised for the hot shoe connections between them and the strobes. Here is a photo of the hot shoe (with cable) system I use from Kaiser, on the photo you can see the top and back part.

I've chosen this system since it's not all metallic (so it won't fry you strobe) and because it has a PC sync cable so I can use with my 580Ex that does not have this connection... if you are lucky enough to have the 580ExII then maybe you won't need one with the cord.

They are not difficult to find just Google around for them.



Before I find them I had one made, for my 580EX, from Michael Bass (This guy is very good in transformations and new ideas to your gear so at least take a look at the stuff he as maybe there is something you could need) but they turn out to be very expensive with postage to Europe. Above is the photo of the custom made.



A little more about hot shoes. Why do you need them and what are they for.

Hot Shoe: The hot shoe is an accessory shoe built into the top of most professional cameras incorporating electrical contacts which allow you to usually add flash guns designed by the camera manufacturer.

Now that you know what they are let's see some illustrations on how to use them.



Here you have the hot shoe attached to the flash and the plugged in to the Pocket Wizard so you can trigger the 580Ex wireless.
More on this at Lighting 101: PC Cords and Pocket Wizards.



I also have these small stand from Hama (very cheap and very handy) you can attach the Hot Shoe to the flash and then used it on the tripod, simply screw them to the tripod and voila you got yourself a small portable stand for your flash to be triggered wireless from anywhere.



Make your Westcott umbrella stiff with my DIY: Westcott Umbrella Reinforcement.

Moving on to another subject that's also very interesting is the stands.



DIY tip
to make your stands moreas portable, just drill one hole on each of the sides of the Manfrotto tripod (like showed on the pictures above).



Then grab that hold strap from a pouch or travel bag you don't use any more.



Just put it through the holes.



Look how portable it has become... now you can put it around your neck like Robin Wood :)



This is another great piece of gear... small, light, portable and very useful.



This is one example on what you can use it in. These are great since they are very inexpensive and small and you can find them almost in any hardware store and with different colors.




Here is the setup shot to the main image. Light coming from 280Ex pointed at white wall on the right to produce soft reflective light, ISO 100, Tv 125 and Av 8.0.



Remember I told you about the Velcro adjustable ties (Part 1) well here they are. I've just joined two together so you can see the effect and how long they can be.



Above are some examples on what you can use them for. If you lucky enough to get your hands on Ball Bungees take a look at Lighting 101 - Ball Bungees.



You can tie your umbrella to the Robin Wood's stick (Manfrotto stand) and carry it along without any effort.



Manfrotto Super Clamps (035) and Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8”. You cannot leave home without one and next you will see why...




When you put the Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8” on the Manfrotto Super Clamps (035) you now be able to attach a Hot Shoe adapter to connect your Pocket Wizards or your Gadget Infinity.



This is what it looks like with the Gadget Infinity attached.



You can attach it to Vertical or Horizontal objects. Here, on the example, it's on a movable chair.



But you can use it on a door handle or on the door side. Imagine how cool this can be since you can attach it to almost anything in anyplace where you can not fit a stand on.



Here is the setup shot for the door pictures.

You can get more on this at Lighting 101 - Super Clamps.

And last but not least,



The Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026) and Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8”.



This is the way to put it on the Manfrotto stand.



The umbrella goes on this hole. Notice that I'm pointing out to a mark I made on the adapter , this is because one side of the adpater makes the umbrella off center with the flash. Take a careful look when you assemble yours to know what is the correct side.



A closer look after mounting the umbrella.



Here is the assembly with Gadget Infinty on top of the Manfrotto umbrella adapter.



This is what it should look like after opening the umbrella and ready to shoot.
More of this umbrella adapter at Lighting 101: Umbrella Adapters.



You can use it also with the Manfrotto super clamp and I'll show you how.

Here is all the stuff you need:
Manfrotto Adapter (015) 1/4” To 3/8”, Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8”, Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (119) 1/4” & 3/8” Universal short 16 mm spigot with double female thread 1/4” and 3/8”, Manfrotto superclamp (035), and Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026).



Screw the Manfrotto Adapter (015) 1/4 To 3/8 with Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (119) 1/4 & 3/8 Universal short 16 mm spigot with double female thread 1/4” and 3/8.



Insert it on the Manfrotto superclamp (035).



Insert the Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8” into the Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026).



Now mount them together like in the above shot.



Here it is completely assembled and transformers alike ;)



Now you just need to put you Gadget Infinity or Pocket Wizard there and you're ready to rock!!

Finally here are some photos of what you can do with this Transformer. It's kind of BIG but, as you can see, with the umbrella put on you will have a lot of flexibility.



As odd as it seem all of the photos were taken with the below gear.



Canon Powershot G6, Pack of 8 AA batteries, Gadget Infinity Transmitter and Receiver, Canon flash 220EX with no manual control and Quick Lok microphone stand.

As you can see you can get photos with the gear you already have. You simply need to put your head to work.

Hope you enjoy this My Gear 2 part tutorials and stay tuned for more good stuff.

Rui

My Gear - What's in the Bags? (Part 1)

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Tip: Ways to condom your images

While I'm preparing the part 2 of My Gear article and because today is Friday the 13th it's never too much to talk about this issue.

I was inquired by several emails on how the hell do I protect my web images, if I had any "special way" to make it or I just leave them there to be stolen.

Photographer David Riecks have an extensive way to make it on his web page.

Just take a look around some of the methods and chose what suits you.

I add watermark on the bottom right side of my photos and use right click java script to condom them.

Remember to always wear protection ;)

Don't let it happen to you what have happen to others as Paul Indigo talks about in his Beyond the Obvious blog about some stolen images entering and winning in a Fujifilm competition.

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My Gear - What's in the Bags? (Part 1)

It looks like David has read my mind on this issue.

Yesterday I was preparing the article and gladly noticed on Strobist that David has mentioned the subject again.

He had already mentioned it in 2006 as part of the Lighting 101 - Traveling Light, if you have not read the article yet, what are you waiting for?

This will be a 2 Part article. I will approach on this one about detail view and photos of my gear and try to give you some European links where you can buy, at least, some of the stuff.

On part 2 it's more like a "What you wanted to know but you were afraid to ask" this will reply to what some of you have asked me in some of the mails received. I think this will be a great feature since I haven't seen it, yet, in any place.

This will be a follow through with LOTS of pictures and in the end you can see how easy it was to compile all the pictures since the setup gear was not too complicated.

As I'm used to make some Setup shot I will put them, also here, so you can get an idea of how a simple setup can get you some great pictures.

Starting with the picture of all the gear.



This usually is not all the gear I carry with me when doing a small portrait session but I tend to use it more often than I would like.

All my photo gear is packed on the green bag which is an Orion AW and the lighting and accessories stuff goes into the big one Photo Treker AW. I also use for my photojournalism stuff a vest called Now Bomb from a Brazilian guy called Jorge Araujo and it simply rocks. I did not took any pictures of it but you can see and order it at his website (only in Portuguese, unfortunately).



Here is the shot of all the gear out of the bags. If you click on the photo you will be redirect to my flickr page and there you can see each one of the items tagged with it's name.

For now I just leave you with a list of what's in each bag.

On the Orion AW I carry:

- Canon 1D MarkIIN, 16-35 USM L, 24-70 USM L; 70-200 USM IS L, 580EX, Stofen, Giotto Rocket Air Blower, Extra Camera Battery, Small wallet with CF and SD cards, 2 Rodenstock Polarizer filters, Whibal cards, Pen, Some white paper to write, Some business cards, 2 packs of extra AA batteries, Cleaning cloth, 2 flash gobos, Canon remote switch RS-80n3, 1 Rosco Cinegel Roscosun CTO and 1 Rosco Cinegel Tough PlusGreen gels, 1 Gadget Infinity Trigger and 1 Remote.

On the Photo Trekker AW (now Lowepro have a better one its version II that I linked):

- 1 Westcott 43" collapsible optical white satin umbrella (Style 2001), 1 Westcott 43" collapsible optical Soft Silver umbrella (Style 2002), 2 Manfrotto 001B stands, 2 Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026), 2 Manfrotto superclamp (035), 2 Pocket wizards II and one Transmitter, 1 Gadget Infinity transmitter and 3 Receivers, 2 Kaiser Hot-Shoe adapters and 1 PW-MHSF1 miniphone to Hot-Shoe female (for my canon since it does not have PC-Sync socket), 2 small Hama tripods, 2 Rosco Cinegel Roscosun CTO and 2 Rosco Cinegel Tough PlusGreen gels, 4 gobos, 1 Meglite flashlight, 1 AA battery checker, 4 snoots of different sizes (15cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40cm), 1 Plier, 4 Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8”, 1 Swiss Army knife, 2 Nikon SB-26, 2 Black Straws Grid Snoots (5cm, 8cm), a lot of AA batteries (as much as I can carry), 1 pack of Lee filters gels, 2 DIY filters adapters, 2 Nikon SD-8 battery packs, 1 Canon CP-E3 battery pack, 1 Uniross sprint quick battery charger with car adapter, 12 small clamps, 5 Velcro adjustable ties, 1 Canon battery charger NC-E2, 1 Lowepro 1N small pouch (to put all the Gadget Infinity inside and carry it all around on waist belt later) and 1 ultrafast 80Gb CompactDrive PD70X (to storage all media, if necessary).

UFF!!! I think it's all the stuff in here... maybe there are a couple of small things that I forgot to put on the photo, like the Meglight flash light and the AA battery checker, but as you know, there's always something at last minute that you ad to the stuff and afterwards you don't even need it. :) and if I travel by plane some of the stuff must rest at home because it could not be carried into the plane as you all know.

Now let's look at the items in detail and I will try to get you some place to start looking for them.



Here is the setup shot I did for all the following shots.

Strobist info Tv 160, flash is 220Ex does not have manual control so it has to be the shutter who controls the amount of light Av may vary on each situation but will go from 6.3 to the maximum of 8.0 and on part 2 you will see why. The flash was on an old microphone stand and sent into a white wall to reflect on the objects that I will put on a wooden chair ;)... hey I didn't even remove the vacuum cleaner from there!!




First I will start with camera and lenses and flashes. I think those would not need any presentation since almost anyone has one or at least a camera and a lens and a flash.

In order are Canon 1D MarkIIn, 16-35 USM L, 24-70 USM L; 70-200 USM IS L, 580EX and 2 Nikon SB-26 (for these you can start looking on ebay).



Here you can see the 2 Nikon SD-8 battery packs and on top the Canon CP-E3 battery pack. They are almost identical and they will store 6 AA batteries on the Nikon and the Canon 8 AA Batteries.



I carry with me the Pocket Wizard as backup units since they are much more reliable than the Gadget Infinities and you'll never know when you're gonna need them. I have only :( one transmitter and 2 PW II (Transmitter/Receiver).



To keep this with juice I carry a lot of batteries AA now I'm using the GP 2700 they are good and can perform with a continuous shooting for some time.



This is my main kit for now. It's easy to setup and would not request too much cables around. You just simply attach them to the flash and camera and start shooting. A couple of misfiring but nothing we can't live with, also they are a little fragile (so that's why I keep with me the PW). I got a small pouch (Lowepro 1N) to put them all inside and can also put it on my waist belt if needed.



This are the hot-shoe mounts, 2 Kaiser Hot-Shoe adapters and 1 PW-MHSF1 miniphone to Hot-Shoe female (for my canon since it does not have PC-Sync socket) when I need to use the Pocket Wizards (more of these on part 2).



Since I received the Lee filters sample pack and made the DIY adapter for them they are now my companion since I can use all the colors I need for an assignment and not to worry about gluing them or Velcro them out as in my first diagram.



Here they are my first build upon Strobist Lighting 101, Rosco Cinegel Roscosun CTO and Rosco Cinegel Tough PlusGreen gels I bought a roll of Rosco paper from each color at the time, no Lee to save me then ;)



Next moving into the stands... this is the Manfrotto umbrella stand adapter w/hot-shoe mount (026) and Manfrotto Adapter Spigot (013) Universal 16 mm spigot with double male thread 1/4” and 3/8”. This is what you will use to support the flash and the umbrella to the stand.



This is the setup shot for the shooting on the floor :)



The umbrellas 1 Westcott 43'' collapsible optical white satin umbrella (Style 2001), 1 Westcott 43'' collapsible optical Soft Silver umbrella (Style 2002). I wish I had 2 white one's but it seems they are hard to get here in Europe... I guess I'll have to keep on searching.



This are the 2 Manfrotto 001B stands very light weigh and easy and fast mount, you will love them.



Next I made a couple of Snoots from different sizes ( L to R 40cm, 30cm, 20cm, 15cm). These one's are made of hard card box from an IKEA box but they are difficult to carry. I wrapped them with trans lucid tape and they are good. Next time I will keep my Corn Flakes box and make the same one's but from that box. David has one's from those and you can check them here.



These are my favorites. Made them with straws, you can make one's too check here how to, one has 5cm and the other 8cm.



My gear would not be complete without a good and fast 80gb storage. I use this brand 4 years now and they are very good and reliable. You can buy only the shell and put in, yourself, up to 100gb of IDE drive. Reads CF and SD cards, USB 2.0 and the best part is that it uses 4 AA cells that you can find almost anywhere. If you socket into your PC or Mac you will also have a storage removable drive since you can put all your files there. Check the CompactDrive website for more info.



If needed to charge batteries I take the charges as a precaution, you'll never know when your batteries will "die" on you. Canon battery charger NC-E2 and Uniross sprint quick battery charger with car adapter.



Hey suddenly you have some problems with unscrewing something or you need to cut a line or the models nails and hair ;) I always carry, when possible, with me the Pliers and the Swiss Army knife.



2 Roddenstock Polarizer filters just in case...



Never leave home without them. The pocket cards and the LARGE Giotto Rocket Air blower in case you get some dust on lenses or sensor. I try to clean my cameras prior to the assignment but not always is possible so this will be a life saver. They got them on Amazon.



Cleaning cloth that I got free from an eye glasses shop here in Luxembourg, My Stofen just in case and my Whibal cards because the light, sometimes, could play some tricks on you. I never really use this since I make all shots on raw but since I have them why not carry the small package ;)



These are very nice and cheap. I recall a cheap photo magazine offering them in Portugal a couple of months ago. They are from Hama and you can also get them on Amazon in case you could not find it near you.



Small clamps. These can be very helpful (more on this on part 2). I bought mine on AKI store for about 0,50 cents each try a hardware store near you.



For a long time I'm trying to find the Ball Bungees here in Europe. A lot of guys told me that Spannfix would do the trick but to order them is not so simple. First they are not so expensive, so you have to buy a lot of them, and the shipping costs more than the product itself you cna look them here.

So one of these days I went into another of my tours around the nearest hardware store (my wife keeps telling me that I should work there!!) and saw a new product from Velcro called Velcro adjustable ties and decided to try them. Amazing (more of this on part 2).



The last thing on the bag is the Manfrotto superclamp (035). You can put this thing on almost anyplace and I will give some more details on the part 2.




Leave you with an example of where you can put and use it.

Also this is the setup shot of the top photos of this article.



So let's close the bag for know since there's another assignment coming up...



Come back next week for the part 2 of the article.

We will continue with a more detail information on what you can do with some of the stuff and even how can you assemble the parts together.

All of the photos were done with just one very small light and a little bit of patience :)


Next: My Gear - What you wanted to know but were afraid to ask (Part 2)

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Nikon & Canon flashes, know all about them

Today I decided to write you about flashes, Nikon and Canon were the target.

I do not want to bother you with that old song that model A is better that Model B or that the C now is better because it looks like a coffee machine but unfortunately does not make it.

So instead of that BLA, BLA, BLA stuff I decided to get on to something you can look around for your self and decide what would be the best flash for you to use and abuse while you are doing your Strobist lighting or your assignments.

Just keep in mind that sometimes you buy a flash for 500,00 euros, or more, and you really do not need all the features in it but I know... to impress friends and neighbors at least you got the state of the art. You never even read the manual or know how all the functions work, oh well at least you got the latest model !!

So what I have done today was compile a couple of few good links for you to explore and read about all Nikon and Canon series that I grab here and there.

Hope you enjoy them and choose what's best for you.

Remember that sometimes on Ebay you can get some good prices for those old models and they can do more that you could think of when it comes to lighting a subject or object.

Tom Hogan's website is a great place to start when it comes to Nikon products.

You can view his review chart for the recent flash models models from the SB-28DX to the new one SB-800, check it out.

And some other good links to review each of the old classics (some of them have the link to the instructions manual) are the one's I mention above:

SB-24, SB-25, SB-26, SB-28, SB-80DX, SB-600 and SB-800.

Find at the bottom of each flash page some more useful information about Nikon products and other flash models.

Photographer Ken Rockwell made a detail review for some of the Nikon flash series as well.

PhotoZonde.de made also a side by side chart with Nikon flashes, in English.

And to not become a link supplier for the Nikon flash here is the last one.

NikonLinks with this one you can find almost anything for your Nikon Flashes.



On the Canon side you can see a lot of detail information on the Canon website.


I also found a comparative chart, here, between all of them.

That's it for today.

Hope you enjoy all the links and review which one of them will fit better to you.

Almost all Nikon series have a PC-Sync socket so you can use Pocket Wizard as Canon only the new 580EXII have the socket. On the Canon side you must have a hot-shoe adapter with a PC- sync socket on it, some come with a cable already attached like above.











What you will decide will be the best choice... analyze what you are going to do with the flashes and what will they be good for and above all if you really need that fancy XPTO model if you are only doing on flash photography.

Stay tuned for more good stuff.

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DIY: Lee Filters Flash Adapter

Last night I was inspired and decided to put together an idea that been bugging me since the day I received my 4 Lee Filter sample packs from Musikhaus Thomann.

I had already made a filter adapter for the Canon flashes but then when I received the Lee filters sample package I wonder how could I use the package on the field without having to put some Tape or Velcro on them prior to the assignment.

Since I always carry the all package containing the 287 small sample colored filters with me and sometimes only on the field I decide which one's to choose, or none, it started to be very difficult to have them all with tape and Velcro (like the CTO and Green one's I already have made).

In general I think this is one of the accessories, if you use the filters too much, that you cannot live without it in you bag or pocket or wallet.

Soon I realize that I needed something that I could call adapter and could be all time (or not) attached to the flash, it must be weightless and above all portable since I carry already too much weight and gear to some assignments.

This is a simple thing you can do since all the material used costs almost nothing, as you will see, and it's a very small portable thing you can even put it together with the filter package.

If you follow the last example of the Black Straws Snoot then you are half way there ;)

As always, I start with the Setup shot so you can see how the all pictures in these series were made.



I use for this ISO 100, Tv 200, Av 8.0 and a silver umbrella to the left of the camera as you will notice on some of the shots.

Here is a picture of the stuff we are going to need to accomplish this project.



- Cereal or other card box package
- Scissors
- Ruler (this time I covered the ads on the ruler)
- Glue
- Lee filter sample pack
- Kitchen knife or snap-off blade knife
- Carving board (so you won't cut the table out)

After you gather all the things you are ready to start.

I unfolded the cereal card box and draw on one of it borders (the more straightened side) the measures of my Canon 580Ex.

For Canon 580Ex 1cm, 4cm, 7cm, 4cm, 7cm and 2cm tall is enough.
For Nikon SB26 1cm, 4,5cm, 7cm, 4,5cm, 7cm and 2cm tall.



Lets use the scissors to cut it out from the card box, this is a simple process and do not require master degree on engineering :)



Picture after cutting it out from the card box. But this is not all...



Next we use the ruler to help bend the parts we need. We really do not need the ruler since the card box is not so thick but I used it anyway since it will help get them straight.



After you have to choose the distance you want the filter to be from the edge of the box to the inside part. As you can see I'm pointing with my index finger to where you should make the draw. I made it 0,5cm from the edge and draw a line from one side to the other on the 4cm sizes. (I've done this since if you put it too much on the edge it will not be strong enough and resistant to hold the small gel).



You use the sharp knife to make a hole in there, be careful to not cut yourself and do not make a very large hole so the filter won't be loosen. Just cut it straight from one side to the other on the 4 cm parts.

Afterwards test it with one of the Lee filters to see if it passes through the hole on both sides without too much afford and before you glue the adapter together.



Now apply some glue on the 1cm part to glue the adapter box together.



After the glue dries (2 or 3 minutes depending on the glue) put one of the filters in. First you pass it through one hole and then enter on the next one... this is a simple procedure.



Here is the final shot after putting the gel through the both holes. NICE!!!



This is what it looks like when you mount it on the flash.

Remember that this is not intend to be a snoot... you need the filter to stay out of the box the maximum you can drill the hole (for me was the 0,5 cm)in the card box end because what we want is a filter adapter and not a snoot. Hey, this came into my mind right now!!! maybe you can use this, later on, to make a snoot with color ;)



I changed it to red so you can see the effect it produces. Here it is... Isn't this a COOL and NICE idea ?!!!



Follow me on this: "I do not believe pigs can fly unless I can see one", so that's why I put here a photo of the result.

Don't mind about the small hole on the small filter since, as you can see on this shot, it has no effect whatsoever on the final filter color. When you put the filter on try to minimize the hole by pushing it to the other side.



Now, another thing, I wanted the adapter to be was small and portable... Just look at this!!! you can fold it and put it in your pocket or near the rest of the gels. You can even drill a small hole in it and attach it to the rest of the pack.



Another shot to show you how small this adapter really is.

This is a good portable adapter since it takes only 5 minutes to assemble and if you loose one or smash it then you can make another one from another box in no time.

I did not make any tape finishing since it would make difficult for the filters to enter on the holes because of the tape's glue but you can always put some tape on the top and bottom or leave it like this... who will bug you by having this adapter on your flash??



I hope you enjoy another useful DIY for your daily work.

I also think this adapter could come up very handy since, as I said before, you can carry it around and change filters on the fly... you can even have two or 3 of them, with a hole drilled near the flash size attach, and carry them with your gels pack.

Imagine in 2 seconds you could change the flash color just by putting another adapter or changing the filter color on location.

Before I did this I use, like so many of you out there, the gels with Velcro on each of the tips. I have also a collection of them hanging on my bag and with different sizes because of flash size with this I only need to have 1 adapter for the 580EX and another for my 2 SB26.

I can carry now the complete Lee gels pack without loosing too much space on my bag and when, for some reason, I need the purple or exotic color I can easily get it without having to glue anything to it or turning the idea down just because I do not have it set.

Make one of these yourself and enjoy flash colors ;)

Until next time keep on making good photos.

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DIY: Westcott Umbrella Reinforcement

Another simple DIY (Do It Yourself).

David gave me this tip on the London Seminar but unfortunately I did not had any time, until today, to assemble it.

This tip is not mentioned on David's Strobist web site so consider it as a bonus.

This is intend to make the end of the metal support of the umbrella stronger, or as some would call it the Brolly. For me it's an umbrella so that's what I will call it now forward... but you can choose what's best for you since this will work on both ;)

Since this little tutorial is to illustrate the DIY I will do simple details and photos so you can follow them along and make yours, in case you have not made it yet.

I think this would be very helpful since your umbrella iron tip would be much stronger when used at the far end. This is intend to be used on the folding Westcott umbrellas. Other umbrella's I've seen have an iron tip at the end and they seem stronger by them selfs.

For Strobist I will start with the setup shot for the all photos.



I used a dual black/white/silver folding umbrella, camera left, 100cm (40") that I took from my Lastolite studio kit and since I have never used it before I decided to give it a try. This umbrella is shape shifted since you can remove the inside (white) and it will become a silvered one. The camera was Tv200, Av8.0 and ISO 100.

Above is an image of it and if you click the image you get the store in London where you can order it.













Here is what you need to get this done.



- Wescott double folding umbrella
(on this example is the white one)
- Something to cut the pencil (Knife)
- Hexagonal pencil
- Ruler
- Glue

After you gather everything let's start it.

Start by measuring between the end of the umbrella and the little thing out (I do not know how to call it) on the umbrella iron as illustrated on the image you should get 6,5 cm.



Grab the pencil and put it against the umbrella iron to see if the size is enough.



Insert the pencil into the umbrella iron until it bumps into something inside and you can no longer push it more. Mark it with your thumb so you know where to cut it. It should measure 6,5 cm.



Compare it with the umbrella iron to see if everything is ok. The size should be the same as the small tip on the iron until the edge. It should be 6,5 cm.



Next cut it 6 cm so it gives you some margin on the edge. This is good since it would not be out of the umbrella iron... but if you like you can leave it 6,5. It's up to you... Mine I cut it 6 cm so I will have 0,5cm inside and not be standing outside the iron just in case it get some rain ;)



Cut it with a sharp knife on 6 cm. A sharp knife will do the job if you have chosen a soft pencil, that's my case here. (By the way the pencils my wife get them at her job, so no cost with this DIY) :)



Use something beneath the pencil so you won't cut your table ;)
And make some cutting all around the pencil so it would be much easy to cut it.



Done cutting.




Next I tested it by inserting it inside the iron tube of the umbrella and it fit nicely but it was a little loose, not much but with some bangs maybe they could come out by them selfs.



Complete the insert with your fingertip.



Since after inserted I noticed that it was a little bit loose and maybe with some road bumps it could get lost. I decided to apply some glue so it won't get loose.



After you insert the pencil the glue should start to come out, this is normal but pay atention to not let anything fall on the table or on the floor.



I pushed the rest of the pencil inside the hole with the help of the tip of another pencil. Push it until you think it enough inside or until you like it.



Clean the glue that went out with a clean cloth.



And here it is your reinforced umbrella iron end. With this inside you now know that the metal tip at the end of the umbrella would not bend.



With this tip you now have a more steady umbrella at the end part of it.

Hope you enjoy this DIY and stay tuned for more.

By the way subscribe the blog using google reader or other and stay always at front when it comes to news.

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Beware with Sigma Lenses purchases

Today I bang with a notice from SIGMA house in London where a lot of gear was stolen from them.

I decided to post this news here since a lot of you out there are using their lenses and accessories and I would not want anything bad happen to you guys.

I'm not really into SIGMA lenses since I only uses CANON primes but this could be helpful to anyone who uses this lenses.

Above is a copy of the original message you can find it here in SIGMA web site.

Sigma Burglary

The offices and warehouse of Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd were broken into on the night of Friday 15th June.

The theft was captured on CCTV and police are currently investigating. The burglary is believed to have been carried out by a professional gang who stole a large quantity of Sigma products.

Sigma have a record of all the stolen products and their serial numbers, available here, and ask members of the public to be aware of any Sigma products being sold at lower than usual prices. Sigma’s supply chain was temporarily disrupted and we regret any disappointment or delay caused to our customers.

Sigma’s normal efficient service has been resumed and every effort is being made to replace the stolen goods. In addition to being vigilant, we would ask our customers to be patient and understanding of any temporary delays.

If you are suspicious of a Sigma product you have seen for sale, please telephone Sigma immediately on 01707 329 999.

If you have any friends who plan on buying a SIGMA lens advise them to check the pdf serials before buy it over the web .

Thanks for the time and spread the word.

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Light + Distance = Background variation

I will start my today posting inspired by the Strobist Lighting 102 1.2 Position | Distance.

I have already approached the Position of the light (here) so this would be another great feature to use on you next photos.

I read the Strobist article on Position|Distance 4 or 5 times before attempting this one and even then I could not figure out how come the background would change if I would move the light forward and backward from the subject position.

I decided that was time to make some setup shots of the process and explain it step by step. This way I will do the exercise and make it register for future reference. For sure there are a lot of you out there with the same issues.

I used, as reference, on this project:

- ISO 100
- Tv 200 (as sync speed for my flash)
- Gadget Infinity Remote triggers
- 580Ex as flash gun
- 24-70 L USM
- 1D MarkIIn
- Subject on a table and distance to background ~2m

I started first by putting the flash at middle position between the subject and the camera (more or less 3m and turn it in at 1/8 (just to evaluate what kind of aperture I can use).
After 2 or 3 quick shots I get the subject well exposed at Av 13.



Here is the setup shop with the flash at the ~3m distance from the subject.

And the result:



You can see that the background has some light, you can notice the shadow on the wall and table at the right side produced by the flash (this is not something that any client would love to see but this is for illustration purpose only ;) do not mind about the imperfections but take a look at the results).

Next I decided that, since the subject is well exposed at Av 13 at middle of the field, then what would happened if I moved the light way back to the corner in my living room?

So I moved the 580Ex back at ~5m and made this setup shot.



As you can see almost all the room was illuminated by the small light and look at the book, it also cached a broader area of light as you can see, a soft light hitting him as well as a harsh shadow on the wall.

After moving the light this far then my monkey scratch come into my head...

If I move the flash light far then I will have to get more power from it in order to reach it's destination (the book) as well as that I needed to open my aperture in order to maintain the subject properly exposed.

Here is the result:



What I did was move the 580Ex to ~5m, gave it more power dialing it up to 1/2 and opened up the Aperture to 6.3.
You can notice a big change on the background, just by opening the aperture on the camera I now have more light on the background and my subject stays well exposed.

You should try this because you'll never know when will you need (on your assignments) to change your background into a lighter or darker one.

Next comes the best part.

I moved the light a little closer to the subject at about ~1m from the it.

Here is the setup shot:



I changed the flash power to 1/64 and closed the Aperture to 22 (since the flash was too close to the subject) in order to get a well exposed photo.

Look at the result...



But this is not all.

I decided to move, again, the light REALLY CLOSE to the subject at ~0,50 m to see what could change dramatically in the picture. The setup photo of the close up.



And the final image is this one. It was made at 1/128 power flash and the Aperture 22 maintained. Since the flash was too close to subject it did not need to change the aperture but yes you need to turn down the power of the flash.



On these last two pictures even with the same aperture and just by moving the flash towards the subject you can see the difference on the background. The halo produced on the table is also much more pleasing.

I compiled on Photoshop the all sequence with the distances and Apertures in case you need some guides for your tries, but please do not use them as a fixed thing since you never have the exact measures of the light position unless you would like to carry with you, all the time, a ruller.

I realize by doing this simple and easy test shoot that if you keep your subject well exposed all the time the background will change by simply opening or closing the aperture on your camera.



If you need a bigger image click here.

The setup shots may not be well exposed since they were only to show you what was the position of the light and how it will affect the subject (I think I accomplish that).

Hope that you enjoyed this simple, but very useful, test and apply it to your situations and assignments.

As my friend David says:

"Here is what you need to know about the inverse square law:
The closer you are to the light source, the more powerful the light.
Get real close and it gets really powerful. Get far away, and it gets weaker.

And here's the other thing:
The closer you get to the light source, the quicker the lighting values change as you move in.
When you get farther away, small differences in distance (from the light) become meaningless."

So... Keep in mind:

1) Light Placed Closer = more powerful + control of the depth of the correct exposure.
2) Light Placed Further = less powerful + a broader zone of even light exposure.

Until then... keep shooting great images.

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DIY: Smoke made easy

Hello again.

Sorry guys, It's been a couple of days since I haven't written anything to the blog but I was out of Luxembourg and went into Spain and Portugal summoned by Rolling Stone to cover Monsters of Rock in Zaragoza and the opening show Metallica in SuperBock Super Rock in Lisboa.

You can check some of the shots I made on the above links:

Monsters of Rock - Zaragoza
SuperBock SuperRock - Lisboa

Today I decided talk about a simple project that you can do when the weather is bad or when you do not have anything better to do.

I plan on doing the "Smoke made easy" after seeing a lot of great images about Smoke.

I always wondered how people could accomplish those shots and is I could have made them with just two simple strobes and without having some heavy studio setup and light.

And as odd as you can imagine... it's possible.

Here goes the things you will be needing:

- a Table to put the things on (I used my wife's iron table :) )
- several Smoke sticks (you can buy them cheap at any Chinese store near you)
- a small plate to put under the Sticks (so it won't burn anything when the ashes are falling)
- black background ( You can use an old Ozzy black t-shirt turned inside out)
- camera with a 24-70mm, a 50mm or 85mm lens on manual focus
- one or two small strobes
(In this examples I used two Nikons SB26 but it can be made with only one)
- Snoots to avoid the light entering the lens and to direct the light more precisely
- Turn the all the lights off
- Patience, Patience, Patience and a lot of Patience...

The setup is very simple and the results are so cool that after you read this you will sure try to do it.



You can see that the strobes (Nikon SB26) are pointing towards the Smoke stick and you should put them as close as possible to the smoke without entering the frame. Leave some space on the photo frame because you never know what side will the smoke turn.

I use a long sheet of black paper (pay some attention on the type of paper in order not to be a brilliant one, choose mate instead or use the T-shirt I talked about. If you do not have the Ozzy one another one ;) ) that I bought for 50 cents on a supermarket and use it to cover the background from the bottom to top.

As you can see I put a small white plate under the burning stick because I did not want the ashes to burn anything.

Then I set the camera focus and the possible smoke catch, with the lights of the room on, and after everything is set turn the lights off.

Light up the Stick and wait a few seconds until the smoke start to arise, you can blow the smoke from different sides to create great effects.

Then shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot... don't mind if you do not know what are you shooting, but if you pay some attention while the flashes are on you can see some of the things generated.

I also find it helpful to have a small lantern light you can point to the smoke stick and try to get some results from it.

Pay attention to from one in a while to open some window or door since the too much smoke you inhale could make your vision to start blurring and you images start to become less sharpened.

Advice do 3 or 4 sticks and stop for 1/2 a hour, then restart the procedure ;)

The flashes were triggered with Pocket Wizards with a sync speed of 250 and use Av 9.0 but you can try with more... the more the better to keep all smoke in focus.

Here are 4 examples of my rainy afternoon:























Well but these are not the final art shots.

Afterwards you open them on Photoshop and crop and clean what you do not like on the shot.

Next do an Invert to the photo so that the background would come up white (Image/Adjustments/Invert or Ctrl+I).

Finally use the Hue/Saturation to change the colors you want on your final image (Image/Adjustments/HueSaturation or Ctrl+U)

And voilá... here are the final images after the Photoshop processing:





Aren't they incredible... so what are you waiting for?

Go make some yourself.

Thanks for reading and see you on the next one.

Rui

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