Getting into Photo, Part 3... The Light

Shot with a Paul C. Buff  Einstein 640 with a large softbox at about 1/4 power from the right side of the frame

 
The word Photography can be broken down into 2 parts; Photo, meaning light and graph meaning to write. So basically, Photography is the process of writing with light and that's exactly what you are doing. Your ability to see visible light, funnel it through a lens, and record an image to a medium is what photography is all about. In its most simplest form, all you need is a box with a small hole in it. That tiny hole will project the view in front of that box upside down on the opposite inner wall. If you place a light sensitive medium on that back wall, you can record that projection.

Most beginner photog will either refuse or misuse flash and thereby call themselves a "natural light" photog. What they really mean is that they don't have a flash, can't work monolights, and can only manage the pop-up flash on their cameras. So they stick to ambient light, which is sometimes call available or natural light. Ambient light is the light that is already present, no matter how strong or direct it is. This may be window light, interior light, or sunlight outdoors. Amateurs tend to believe that you don't need flash when you are outdoors and this is because they don't understand the nature of fill flash.

Shot using off-camera Canon 580EX II Speedlite very low power blended with
available sunlight just to add some fill in the face and to bring out color in dress 

So here's the thing. There is no way I can go into great detail about light in just a few paragraphs on this blog.  The intent is not to leave you with full on flash knowledge, but rather encourage you to not fear the light, to get you in the right gear, and send you  in the right direction to learn light. There are some masterful photogs out there who never use flash. You are not one of them. Get to know and master light. Start with ambient and introduce flash. I love available light and use it as my only light source quite often. Know when it works and know when to bring in some artificial light.

Client shoot, available light only

Now here is my pet peeve. I don't light paying a lot of money for light. Light is cheap and I can't understand why manufacturers want to charge me $500+ for their top of the line flash guns. I can understand underwater light costing a dime or two, but I don't like coming out of pocket for an on-camera blaster like that. $300...tops. That being said, I'm gonna say you can do more than just get by on the 2nd tier flash like the Canon 430EX II, or a Nikon SB-700 for under $300 each. I've had top of the line and can't say the extra power was every really warranted. I don't need to attach a battery pack. I'm never shooting from 100 feet away to warrant the full power of a SB-910, and I'm never shooting so friggin' fast that the less than a second recycle time is a great demand. I prefer the lighter, easier to carry, but powerful flashes of the SB-700 and Canon 430EX II. I've used both. They are great. I damn sure ain't dropping the $630 for a Canon 600-RT. That's monolight range. Which is my second point. If you need MORE POWER... get a set of monolights with battery packs that you can take anywhere. I love the Einstein 640 by Paul C. Buff. Paul C. Buff gear is phenomenal. I also rock with a White Lightning X3200 and use the large softbox and the strip soft box. I even use these on location outdoors by plugging them into my Vagabond battery packs.

Then you gotta check out radio triggers. What's the standard? PocketWizard. The Plus III is now the new boss of radio triggers at $150 per. You'll need at least 2, of course. Now ask me what I like. That would be the Yongnuo RF-603. You can get a set of 4 of these for under $70! And they work like nobody's business. I've never had one fail on me. These transeivers (transmitter & receiver in one) are each firing up to 200ft away. I tested them. The only downside is they only sync at 1/200th of a second vs. 1/250th, but I've been able to deal with that. You can too. Get a couple of flashes and a set of 4 of these radio triggers and you are set.

Using low level on-camera flash swiveld left to trigger White Lightning X3200
off to the left side filling in front side details

The thing is, you gotta learn manual mode on these things. But its easy as pie. A few tips to remember is that shutter speed controls ambient light. Aperture controls flash. So when you are balancing flash with ambient light, keep those considerations in mind. Understand the sync speed of your camera, which is usually going to be 1/250th of a second for pro-level and prosumer cameras. You can get by this by utilizing the high-speed sync function on your flash which fires a series of low-powered flashes over the span of a shutter speeds faster than 1/250th of a second instead of just one big flash. Ever get that black band at the bottom of an image when using flash? That's because the shutter is closing before the flash can illuminate the sensor. The black band is the rear curtain closing before the light hits the sensor.

Another thing to consider is modifiers. These are things that MODIFY how the light comes out and hits your subject. Diffusers, of some sort are the most popular type of modifiers. These scatter the light so your subject is hit more evenly instead of the way harsh direct light flattens out an image and creates ugly shadows, maybe under the eyes, nose, and chin. Reflectors are also popular. You can use the sun to just bounce light back into the subject, but this might be a problem if you're bouncing the light of the sun with a silver reflector back into your model's eyes. What do I like? As ugly as it is, I gotta say the Gary Fong Collapsible Lightsphere is the bomb. It may not look like its worth $60, but when it delivers the shot and you get paid, you rethink that notion. Softboxes on monolights are the only other thing that compares.

Nude hiking, available light only

Bounce the light. You can make the ceiling or a wall into a modifier. Try using filters (included w/Nikon flashes) to help balance flash with ambient (so light is the same color temperature). I like a little CTO on my flash when doing fill for sunset shoots. READ the friggin' manual. Learn the functions. Carry the flash everywhere. If you can swing it, get TWO and shoot Off-Camera using the radio triggers. Get creative. Use one for fill and the other as your key light. Have another one to backlight your subject. Search the internet for great tutorials on multi-light set-ups. If you want to go all out, check into the power of the Sun in your camera bag with the Quantum Lights. Maybe I've already said it before, but those things give you the power of the SUN in your camera bag. You can even get softboxes for flashes nowadays. There's no limit to the way you can alter and play with light. Manipulate it to capture the image that is in your head. I've never needed a 57 light setup like some people. 3...maybe 4 is the max I ever need. And then sometimes I flip the off switch on my flash and shoot natural light. There's nothing like natural light, but you should not be afraid to add a little when necessary. The idea is to master light and that means to know when to use it, how to manipulate it, and when to take it away.

Next...The Print.

Here are a few nice Go-To links to follow through on:

1. Strobist - Excellent source for lighting tutorials, articles, and DIY light building.
2. Adorama TV - Tutorial videos. I have this link specifically related to lighting
3. The Top 10 Photography Lighting Facts You Should Know
4. Painting with Light - Google image search
5. Guess the Lighting.com - Excellent blog that illustrates lighting techniques using diagrams
6. Sketching Light - Book by Joe McNally on working with flashes
7. High Speed Sync - Explanation of how it works
8. Mark Wallace on Rear Curtain Sync
9. Mark Wallace on Sync Speed, High Speed Sync, and Radio Triggers
10. Canon Professional Network - Getting the most from your Speedlites
11. Nikon Creative Lighting Systems - In my opinion, Nikon has the edge in lighting
12. Luminous-Landscape - Another top photography blog that talks a lot about lighting

Congrats to My Friend, FELIX GONZALEZ!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. 


It does not exist in nature. 


Life is either a grand adventure 


or nothing ...." -Helen Keller

Dilenia 

"First Capture"

This past Saturday, I got to attend a photography workshop by Mark Wallace, sponsored by PocketWizard. Getting to meet Mark and his wife/business partner, Diane was actually quite extraordinary. I haven't worked with PocketWizards that much with the exception of those that were supplied in a studio setting. I'd previously considered them to be simply an alternative means of firing off-camera strobes or flash. I use a Canon ST-e2 transmitter when I want to use my Canon Speedlites mounted on a stand (or by any means other than on top of the camera). Just as well, a Canon 580 exII can also be used as a master flash to fire any group of other slave flashes. I just figured the PocketWizards were maybe only more powerful, but the same thing. I haven't had the need to got big on lighting. I am mainly hand held or natural lighting. I'm too mobile in most cases, but there are times when I have to do a group setting in which I need to set up my stands. Mark even showed one configuration using my ST-e2 sitting on top of a PocketWizard Mini, which was mounted on my camera hot shoe. This configuration can be used to control the ratio of light coming from two groups of flash.

"Dilenia's Plight for Fame"

So in this workshop, I understood that I underestimated the power of the PocketWizards. I'm pretty sure that when I need to get an alternative transmitter, I'm not going cheap or generic. It will be a PocketWizard. Mark did a lecture on lighting and then loosed us on either of 4 stations where a model was awaiting us to come practice what we learned. Most of the lecture was on basic lighting. I had that part down. I did learn about rear curtain syncing which I plan on looking for an excuse to use now. Mark was entertaining as he spoke which kept our attention on the hard ass floor. That part sucked. Seating would have been pretty nice. Diane and Philip, one of the Pocket Wizard Ambassadors to the US...(Regional Manager), came around to our stations to work with us and see if we had probs or issues. I'm not naturally a studio guy. I like on-location gigs. That's my thing, but I still took advantage of the workshop. All of this went down at the Avrio Studios. Its the largest one I've ever seen. You can fit aircraft in this thing and its all green screen. Of the four models available, I only got to work with two of the four models, Dilenia and LaRonna and I am not disappointed in that fact. Both these two models were more than enough and I gotta get a rematch with both one on one. Dilenia brings that total package to the table while LaRonna gives you that distinct exotic appeal that lets you know you're about to do something really good. Kudos to both of them. Be sure to check out their links if you need a model in Vegas. I fully recommend them both.

LaRonna Kelly

"All Day Repose"

And lastly...hold on a sec. I'm trying to figure out how to say this without being so crass as to blurt out, "I TOLD YOU MUTHA-FUCKAS FELIX WAS THE SHIT!" That would simply be uncouth, undignified, and simply boorish. You might think me to be a simple-minded person of limited intellect, who's not entirely well-versed in the grammatical parameters of language. That being said, let me put aside the political correct speech and come to terms with the fact that there are indeed times that the most simple, albeit emotional expressions can still be most appropriate. Let me just prove my point here first. Almost a year ago, I told you all of his freakish talents on Univers d' Artistes. You may want to check out that post here. Go ahead. I'll wait. Well, now the whole world nows and its only going to get bigger for him in the next moments of time to come. I said moments because this will happen quickly. 

"An Artist's Feast"

On the Canon Professional Network, you will find that "Monica Allende, picture editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, has picked her shortlist of images from the photographs submitted to the fifth edition of Editor's Choice - an entry that highlighted the work of talented photojournalists from the USA, Australia, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and many other countries."

Felix is among her selections. His is the second one documented in an audio-visual presentation of each of her selections and WHY she chose them.

So mosey on over to the Canon Professional Network site and select the news tab. Scroll down a bit and click the Editor's Choice Results for Monica Allende. Then click the red "presentation" hyperlink in the second paragraph to start the presentation. Okay, fine... let me just give you the direct link. CPN: Editor's Choice - Monica Allende. We're talking over 80,000 submissions. She picks like 13 and Felix made the ranks among that .0162%.

Now say it with me....

CONGRATULATIONS, FELIX!!!!