Layers

OK, this post has a little something for beginners and intermediate shooters alike. :) 

Tip: consider using a cheap mini-tripod with a ballhead like the one pictured above to position your off-camera flash.  You won't get much difference in terms of height but what you do get is a little more flexibility in positioning the flash head, especially being able to tilt the flash downward more than 7 degrees.

That's it folks - enjoy your weekend...  Just kidding.  Hit the jump.

The shot above is pretty simple and I thought I'd be done in a minute and work on my taxes.  Instead, it took me a little more than an hour to do, with about 50 test shots.  I suppose experienced strobists might not even flex their photographic muscles in the slightest with that shot.  But, you know, this is Better Family Photos: Techniques, Tools and Resources for Family and Candid Photography.  I take mostly people photos and not a lot of product photos or setup shots.

Anyway, the first shot looked like this:

It was really simple.  On-camera flash (SB-800) bounced to a wall and ceiling high camera left to create kind of a short light effect.  Flash exposure was TTL, 0 FEC if I recall correctly.  I thought it looked mediocre but somewhat passable by my it's-Saturday-night-and-I'm-kinda-sleepy standards.

Then I thought the shadow side of the flash looked a little too flat.  I thought it would look nicer if the corners on the side of the flash had a specular highlight, analogous to a rim light.  From that point, things snowballed until I got the final shot which was pretty close to what I had envisioned:

• The flash has prominent highlights on the corners.  I initially placed a flash on camera right which did produce highlights but they illuminated the side a bit too much, diminishing the impact of the highlight.  Instead I got a reflector, then aimed it for maximum highlight.  I blasted the reflector with an SB-600.  I also put a 5 degree grid on the SB-600 to minimize spill on the background and on the flash itself.  A bright continuous light source would have made things much easier.
• I wanted the flash to look like it was firing but I was concerned it would be too bright or would cause flare.  Instead, to make the flash look like it fired, I aimed an SB-800 at the floor.  The light would reflect back at the flash head and into the lens, making the flash head look like it fired.  In addition, the light from the floor would look like light from the YN560.
• I was wearing a red shirt that was reflecting into the flash head.  To disguise my reflection, and to create more contrast in the flash head, I draped a black cloth over me.

It seems like a lot of effort for just minimal results.  However, I benefited from practicing problem-solving for setup shots.  I plan on getting some more practice and honing my setup skills.

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Dealing with GWCs

I learned a new word the other day: GWC (guy-with-camera).  It's a word used derisively by some pro photographers, pretty much synonymous with Uncle Bob.  (Ladies, you're not off the hook -- there are also MWCs moms-with-cameras.)  I suppose I would be deemed a GWC, and thought about suggesting a solution for pros.

 

Pro Perspective

I'm not a pro but from what I understand, some pros who shoot events don't like guests who are so enthusiastic in taking pictures that they crowd out the pro and get in the way of good shots, making the pro's job much more difficult.  I can certainly empathize.  During our wedding a few years ago, my well-meaning brother and uncle were getting in the way of the photographer we hired.  I had to remind them to move out of the photographer's way.

 

Another reason some pros don't like GWCs is because some GWCs are mediocre or unskilled photographers, but they offer their services as a photographer to the host/bride/groom, who end up with pictures that don't do justice to the wedding or event.  Meanwhile, the pro photographer, who could have given better quality photos, loses a sale.  A losing proposition for the host and the pro.

 

A GWC's Perspective

When I go to a party or wedding, I like to take photos.  Both to improve my skills and hopefully come up with some images the hosts will like.  In deciding whether to take photos, I try to observe the context.  If the hosts have hired a pro, then I'm going to assume the pro will serve their needs and I will take only photos for myself (e.g. taking a photo of our toddler, etc.).  Such was the case, for example, at this pool party. 

 

If the hosts look like they could use a photographer but they don't have one, then I will tend to shoot a little more, but I still make sure to respect boundaries and stay reasonably discreet - I won't do anything a guest shouldn't be doing.  Hence my low key (ha!) approach at this egg hunt party.  (Alternatively I might ask the hosts beforehand if they'd like me to help them take photos.)

 

A Suggestion

If you're a pro and there are GWCs around, here's a suggestion for dealing with them: consider using them as free labor.  (Definitely ask your client/host if it's ok first of course.)  But my point is that GWCs are usually just trying to be helpful, so why not ask them for help?  

• Maybe they can be a VAL for one or more shots, or they can hold a reflector, etc.  From the GWC's perspective, they would probably be happy to participate in the making of a photo.  I know I would :)
• Ask them to help you herd guests or keep other guests out of the shots.
• Maybe you can even ask them to take photos from particular perspectives, or photograph particular subjects you didn't have time to shoot.

Of course you wouldn't actually rely on GWCs (i.e. ask them to do anything mission-critical), but at least by redirecting their enthusiasm, you can reduce distractions to you and maybe as a bonus get some help in the process.

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Coco Ring Flash - First Impressions

A few weeks ago, after much deliberation, I finally decided to get a ring flash adapter.  My purpose was to use it as on-axis fill, much like how David Hobby often uses a ring flash adapter.  Here are my impressions from having used it briefly.

OPTIONS
David uses the Ray Flash and the Orbis, both of which are around $200 each (see his comparison here).  I unfortunately don't have the budget for that.  Instead I got what seems to be a knockoff of the Ray Flash, the Coco Ring Flash.  There are other cheap ring flash adapters such as the Cowboystudio Ring Flash and the Saturn Ring Flash.  What made me pick the Coco was that I was skeptical of the light quality from the horseshoe-shaped CowboyStudio Ring Flash.  Between the Coco and Saturn, they looked pretty similar and the Coco was significantly cheaper, so that's what I got.

BUILD QUALITY / DROP TEST:
I had really low expectations for build quality based on the Amazon reviews.  However, it wasn't as bad as I feared.  It's probably not very sturdy but it's not as fragile as an egg or ready to fall apart.  In fact, I dropped mine by accident from a height of about 3 feet (it got knocked off) onto a hardwood floor and it survived with only a tiny crack on one corner.  It still works ok.

The construction would not be mistaken for DIY.  However, the build isn't very polished.  It looks like it was hastily assembled, because of extra glue around some bits.  However, from a functional point of view, I don't have any complaints about it, and I think it's not overpriced.

FIT ON SB-800 AND SB-600:
There actually isn't a Coco flash available for the SB-800 and SB-600.  They only have units for the SB-900, the Canon 580EXII, and the Sony HVL-F58AM.  (On the other hand, there is a Ray Flash specifically for the SB-800).

Not surprisingly, this SB-900-sized Coco adapter was much too large for an SB-800 or SB-600.  However, the packaging came with a very thick and dense rubber foam to prevent the Coco from moving around during shipment, and the thickness of the foam was just right to fill the gap between the adapter and the SB-800's head.  It also fits on the SB-600, albeit with a slightly less snug fit.  I cut up the foam to about the size of the top of the SB-800's head.  There's also a knob on top that pushes a plate down but it doesn't have enough thickness to substitute for the rubber foam.

To further secure the adapter to my flash units, I taped some velcro on the inside of the adapter:

When I use the adapter, I first mount the flash on camera, insert the adapter over the flash head (each of my flashes have velcro around them), then I insert the rubber foam to hold the adapter securely:

The process is a bit cumbersome, but once inserted this way, the ring flash won't move unless you really try.

BTW, the shot at the top of this post is with the Coco mounted on an SB-600 and a D300.  It's a little off-center.  With the Coco mounted on an SB-800 and the D300, the Coco is close to centered.

LIGHT LOSS:
I don't have a flash meter, so I can only estimate the light loss. I fired bare flash and then fired the flash with the ring flash inserted, then compared the apertures that yielded similar histograms.  Using this protocol, it seems that the ring flash eats up about 3 1/3 or 3 2/3 stops of light compared to bare flash.

PERFORMANCE - PORTRAIT
My main purpose for this ring flash is for photos of people.  Here are some test shots showing the effect of this ring flash adapter on portrait-type shots.  These were just quick tests, so the flashes here are all on TTL.  These are also straight-out-of-camera with no adjustments, to give you a hopefully more accurate idea of what to expect in terms of diminished TTL accuracy.

SB-800 with Ring Flash only

Key light only (bare SB-600). No ring flash.

Bare SB-600 as key, SB-800 with Coco Ring Flash as fill/commander

PERFORMANCE - REAL WORLD
What I was most interested in was whether this ring flash would work as a good fill light option for real world shots.

In all of these photos, it isn't obvious to me that flash was used -- which is ideal, especially for fill light. 

PERFORMANCE - MACRO
By special request, I took macro shots with the Coco.  I'm not a macro shooter, and I don't know what macro shooters look for in terms of lighting.  I don't have a real macro lens but I do have a Nikon 28-105 which goes up to 1:2.  Anyway I took these test shots - again, SOOC with no editing whatsoever.  Please click on them to get higher resolution 1600px versions (remember to click on the "+" to zoom in if necessary).

This plant was swaying in the breeze, so it was hard to focus especially with no AF Assist.

Another plant/weed

 

Crop from the shot above.  Hopefully the spider web and tiny spider gives a clue as to the scale.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Advantages:

• Does provide near-shadowless on-axis fill.
• Can be used to create a shadowy "aura" around the subject (in front of a wall).
• TTL still works - somewhat.
• Keeps both hands free.

Disadvantages:

• Blocks the AF Assist Lamp
• Uses up a lot of light.
• Inconvenient to carry around.
• Inconvenient to install on and remove from SB-800 and SB-600.
• Not spouse-friendly.  My wife hates it more than she does the handheld umbrella, because to non-photographers, it looks like a sci-fi b-movie prop.

I plan to use this ring flash for those occasions when I want fill light, I don't need to keep my camera in the bag, and plan to use only one camera.  Meanwhile, I did test another modifier for on-axis fill that is even less expensive than this ring flash adapter - the Fotodiox 8x12 softbox.  Will post that review soon.

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Troubleshooting the Meike MK-RC7

My Meike MC-RC7 radio camera/flash trigger encountered an issue over the weekend that I was fortunately able to resolve. I'm not sure how it got fixed but I'm sharing what I did in case in helps anyone else with the same issue.
My parents were in town and my mom wanted a simple family portrait. I setup the camera on the tripod and connected the MC-RC7 as we got ready for the shot. I did a couple of test shots and noticed that the trigger was strangely unresponsive, although it did fire a couple of times. I didn't have time to look into the issue and I was forced to resort to the camera's self-timer, which isn't as effective as using a remote and caused quite a few missed shots (like the one above).
Afterward, I inspected the MC-RC7 receiver (RX) and the transmitter (TX) and found that the batteries were leaking and part of the battery on the TX had rust. I removed the batteries, cleaned both of them, then inserted new batteries.
With the new batteries inserted, I would be able to get the camera to focus, but it couldn't trigger the shutter. I could see that the LED on both the TX and RX were changing (red then green when triggered) but somehow it wasn't causing the shutter to release.
I tried it several times to no avail. I then tried to press the RX trigger by itself, which did trigger the camera. Then I tried to move the TX unit close to the RX before triggering it, and to my surprise, it triggered the camera successfully. I moved it further and further away, successfully each time, until it seemed to work from normal distances.
Info on the shot above:
- Mix of ambient and flash.
- Ambient was from a patio door camera right and behind. Ambient was underexposed by 0.7 to 1 stop. Ambient was assisted by...
- an SB-800 was on TTL mode, on-camera, bouncing to a wall/ceiling camera left and above. It was also a CLS AWL commander for...
- a gridded SB-600, also on TTL mode, to add hair/rim light.
- D300 + Tamron 17-50 VC
- Also used Targus TG-P60T with Opteka TS-1 ballhead

I think out of several attempts the one I like the best we managed was this (and on this one the SB-600 didn't fire because I didn't notice it was on the wrong CLS channel):

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First Impressions: Canon 60D + 35mm f/2 in Malaysia

Bar in a Thai Restaurant, Malaysia - 1/30s, f/2.2, ISO 1600 - Click to see a 1600px version

In a follow up to my previous post where I mentioned that I will be getting a Canon 60D to replace my trusty 550D, here's a quick first impressions post on how I found the 60D to be like. Hit the jump for more.

Having been using the 550D for 8 months now, my first reaction when I took hold of the 60D for the first time was "Woah, that viewfinder is large!". The 60D has pentaprism viewfinder as opposed to the pentamirror viewfinder in the 550D, and while the coverage is not really different (96% vs 95%), the 60D's viewfinder is noticeably larger and brighter.

The 60D is HEAVY compared to the 550D, and with the EF-S 15-85 lens it becomes much more heavier, but it is steady and well balanced. I will be doing a hands-on review on the 60D when I have used it for a while more.

I went today to a fancy Thai restaurant in Malaysia armed with the 60D and the 35mm f/2 lens only, I became quite familiar with this combo that I can effectively shoot the unstabilized 35mm f/2 hand held at speeds down to 1/10 sec. The lighting inside the restaurant was very dim (ISO 3200, 1/10s, f/2 dim), I took lots of pictures at ISO 3200 which is a first for me since I usually avoid getting above ISO 1600 but I was surprised at how good the pictures came out, please have a look at the pictures below, you can also click on any picture to see a 1600px version of it.

All the pictures were shoot in RAW and processed in ACR, the first two pictures below are shot at ISO 3200 and have ZERO sharpening and ZERO noise reduction applied, I intentionally did this so you can see how good the results straight from the RAW file are.

Chap - 1/10s, f/2, ISO 3200 - Click to see a 1600px version

Twin Chairs - 1/15s, f/2, ISO 3200 - Click to see a 1600px version

Candles - 1/250s, f/2.2, ISO 1600 - Click to see a 1600px version

Mats - 1/25s, f/2.8, ISO 1600 - Click to see a 1600px version

I really wish I could show you more, but it's 3:25 am here now and I have to rise early for work tomorrow. Here's a list of the items that I'm planning to review or post about in the coming weeks:

• Canon 60D
• Canon EF 35mm f/2
• Lowepro Toploader 45AW and 55AW
• Lumiquest Softbox III
• Canon Speedlite 580EX II vs 580 EX vs 430EX
• Using side focus points instead of focus and recompose (top bar picture taken using this method)

I promise you will enjoy these articles, keep an eye for updates and have a good night everyone (or is it night here only?).

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Easter Egghunt Birthday Photos

Our friend's daughter had a birthday party / Easter egg hunt last weekend.  We had a great time!

I took some photos, all with existing light (no flash).  I still paid attention to the lighting by making sure I didn't shoot from the same direction as the sun which would have resulted in boring frontal light.  To maintain a low profile, I just used one lens, the Tamron 17-50 VC.



I sorted through about 800 shots (not on continuous burst mode) and cut it down to about 130 in about 3 hours.  That's got to be a personal record :)

Anyway, here are a few that weren't the best shots of the day but had our kids in them.

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News and Previews

Here are some of the things that went on last week, and another preview of some future posts (even though I'm not even caught up yet with posts from the last preview)!

• Coco Ring Flash - took some "real world" shots.  It performed better than I expected..
• Went to a birthday party / Easter egg hunt, took some photos with existing light only.
• Put together a smaller DIY version of the $800 Sun Swatter.  Haven't used for real shots yet but looks promising.
• Meike MC-RC7 scare: my MC-RC7 stopped working properly while I was taking our family portrait (Murphy's Law of Cheap Radio Triggers).  Fortunately, it seems I was able to fix it.
• Did you notice the Twitter feed?  I'm sort of getting the hang of using Twitter.  Besides broadcasting the latest posts, I'll use it to post bits of useful info, including useful, interesting or funny retweets.  Check out that $39 Photoshop Elements 9 for example.
• Corel Paint It Now for iOS.  Funny I was thinking it would be nice if there were such an app just a couple of weeks ago.  Then I found it -- for free!

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