Getting Down and Dirty With Off-Camera Flash: Part I

I can still remember my first run-in with flash photography... It was 2002 and I just picked up my first set of studio strobes. A good friend of mine gave me a crash course in how to use them and light modifiers and whatnot and then I threw myself to the wolves and booked my first sports portraits. It was for a karate school that I taught at and I basically took those in and out portraits of the little kids for mom and dad to get a bunch of wallets of them and send off to their relatives.

Granted, I wasn't doing any Rembrandt or butterfly lighting here... It was more like lighting for a Passport photo than anything.

Long story short, I was hooked! I ran out and picked up an SB-800 speedlight the day it came out (which was in mid-2003 I believe) That was when I had my trusty Nikon D100 with me. Man I loved that camera... I might even pick another one up just because I miss it so much. Tangent. Sorry about that. So back to the lesson... Nikon has an amazing CLS system. Even back then! Their D-TTL stuff was magical and it caused me to work my butt off freelancing so I could pick up a second one! The CLS system came even further down the road and they introduced more bells and whistles which is what you see today.

With two, I was able to do all sorts of awesome flash photography. I could essentially, take my studio on-location with portability and easy set-up/take-down to get my job done better and faster... Cool.


So, I worked on it and studied lighting more and just kept experimenting. The internet was a huge help along with various DVDs and seminars that I attended. I definitely encourage learning so soak up as much information as you can so you can be all that you can be.

On that note, I hope that these next couple flash articles will help you and get you to use your flash off the camera more.

My workshops and seminars cover all the basics so for this article, I am just going to assume that you at least know the fundamentals, camera settings and lingo that I will use.

First things first, you need to think about what you are going to use as your flash settings. The two obvious choices that I can think of is whether you will want to use the camera and flash's TTL system or if you simply want to use the flash in manual mode. There are pros and cons to using either one so let's go over what they are:

TTL FLASH: (TTL stands for "Thru The Lens" BTW)High speed sync (or FP sync for Canon shooters)... This is some awesome stuff that is worth it's weight in gold! (More that high speed sync stuff later) TTL is also very easy to use. Nikon shooters do have a little more luxury in this department and have the ability to easily tweak their flash output on all slave units from their camera. Canon users don't have such a luxury and have to purchase a ST-E2 and use light ratios to get the same effect. TTL frees us up from the old days where it seemed like every photographer also needed a quantum mechanics degree as well...






Seriously with that? Well the TTL system takes care of that and calculates the proper flash output because it knows all the variables in those equations. The result it that you have your own little math geek in your flash now!
The technology does have its limitations however. For example, you will get flaky and inconsistent results if the ambient light is too bright or when commander unit is not in sight of the slave units and stuff like that. Distance from commander to slave can also be an issue. There are products out there like the RadioPoppers and PocketWizards newest product (The TT1 and TT5) that do fix these limitations. Another issue is that this stuff is proprietary so you can only have Nikon flashes with your Nikon cameras or Canon flashes with your Canon cameras... You can see that this can get expensive at $300+ a pop for their latest flashes.

Check out this video on the Mini TT1 and Flex TT5...



MANUAL MODE: Good ol' fashioned manual mode. A lot of photographers use manual mode and I do too. However, photographers such David Hobby and Zack Arias are 110% manual mode flash... Why do that if TTL is as awesome as I say it is??? Well first off, price... The only real big purchase you would make is for at least a pair of PocketWizard's or more if you want to use more flashes. There are things known as "eBay triggers" out there which may not be the industry standard, but are 50 times cheaper than a pair of $400 PWs. Not bad! You could even get away with a long PC Sync cable and run it from your camera to your flash tethered to save some cash... Also, you aren't limited to your specific camera brand's flashes. You can pick up ANY flash that has a PC Sync input and hook it up to your wireless transmitter and you are good to go! If the flash doesn't have a PC Sync input then you can always buy a hot shoe mount that has one and daisy chain it that way to work. (PC sync cable to hot shoe mount then flash mounted on hot shoe)

So you can get away with dropping a lot less for a manual flash setup... Why else does it rock? Well, TTL does all that fancy pants trigonometry stuff to do all the busy work for you with each and every shot. That means the flash output will be or can be different with each shot or composition change that you make. This could be an issue and give you inconsistent results from one to another... It's sort of the Matrix metering system but for flashes you know? Therefore you have to ride the flash exposure compensation.

Here are a couple example images that were shot with Manual Flash:










We were in a tight space in this alley and I couldn't rely on my lighting system to work in TTL mode. Also, it was dark enough where I didn't need a fast shutter speed to dial down the ambient light so I hooked up my PocketWizard Plus II receivers and shot in manual mode. All I needed to do was set my flashes up once and I could spend more time shooting and less time fidgeting with my settings.

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With manual flash however, you set it and forget it... Position subject at X put light stand and flash about arms length away from them at Y, dial in your settings and every shot will have the same flash output... DONE! Unfortunately, there are bad things about this setup. The most annoying issue is your camera's stupid sync speed. The way SLRs work is that the mirror flaps up and the shutter opens for x seconds and closes and then the mirror flaps down... Many cameras have a standard sync speed of 1/200", 1/250" or even a 1/500" (like on the Nikon D70s) but check your camera manual to see what yours is... It is the maximum shutter speed that you can use when shooting with a flash. Plain and simple. If you shoot at that shutter speed or slower then you are all set... Shoot faster than the sync speed and welcome to 'blacklinesinmyphotosville'. What that nice long line is at the bottom of your picture (or left or right side if shooting portrait) is that your exposure was so fast that it didn't give the image enough time to get the full effect of the flash because it closed up too quick.

All in all, as mentioned before, I use both methods. There is a time and place for both of them. I use TTL and high speed sync when I want to shoot portraits and want overpower the sun... That means I can dial down the ambient light and get really cool portraits that are just top notch... If I were to do that in manual mode then I would need a lot more flash power (enter studio strobes and power packs which cost $$$$) to get my shutter speed slow enough so that it falls into the sync speed of the camera....

So that gives you the rundown on what your options are as far as flash modes are concerned. The next part will discuss how to go about quickly set your gear up and dialing in your settings so you can spend more time shooting and less time fidgeting with your it all. Not a bad deal right?

*Sample images coming soon

Be sure to comment on this post and let me know how you use your flash. I know there is a lot more information on the subject. This is meant to be a nice general overview of things to get people started.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike

Backup Your Images

Nothing is more important than backing up your data. Unfortunately, this is something that gets pushed to the wayside so we can get a new camera or lens gets. What good is all that camera equipment if we lose all the images taken with it???

It all boils down to storage... Here are some helpful suggestions on how you can preserve your images for years to come:
1.) Do not format your memory cards until you have backed them up. It is important to have yourself "at least" two copies before formatting your memory card!

2.) Invest in quality not quantity. It is easy to see a hard drive for $80 and want to pick it up. However, be sure to do your research and make sure that these hard drives are reliable. We wouldn't want to get into a car that wasn't reliable and take it for a drive across country now would we? Same goes for your hard drives.

3.) Go for speed. Look for hard drives in the 7200rpm or faster range. Also ensure that your external hard drives have various input jack options. These 250 gb rugged external hard drives by LaCie are portable and can withstand a good beating. Trust me, I have tried and they are still kicking!



4.) Things are always better in pairs! Do your research on data redundancy and set yourself up a nice RAID system. The basic nuts and bolts of RAID is that you can have your hard drive mirrored meaning that one could crap out and you will have an exact replica to takes its place. Furthermore, you can put a new hard drive in the old one's place and have the RAID mirroring kick right back in. LaCie also makes amazing products for redundancy. This particular model is the LaCie 5 Big Network NAS file server and it can expand to offer you up to 7.5 Terabytes of data!!!


Front:


Back:



5.) Upgrade your CDs and DVDs from the Walmart brand to archival grade. The cheap DVDs have an average shelf life of like 5 years. Go with the more expensive, but more reliable, archival disks. These last well over 90 years and are more scratch resistant.

6.) Keep a backup off-site. Take one of your hard drives or keep a running record of DVDs and send them over to your mother-in-laws house. Just keep them somewhere safe and away from where you keep your other hard drives. This goes with the saying about having all your eggs in one basket. Heaven forbid you had a fire or a natural disaster hit your house... Having an off site backup ensures that you have one copy somewhere else that is hopefully going to be out of harms way.

One can get pretty overboard with backups so be sure to do your research and follow a backup regiment that will suit your needs and fit in with your already existing workflow.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike

To Pose Or Not To Pose...

To pose, or not to pose: That is the question. A question all modern day wedding photographers have to face. Today’s bride is all about “photo journalism.” It’s getting to the point where they turn their head anytime someone mentions the word “pose”. However, do they really know what this term means or did they just see that buzz word in a bridal magazine?





Photojournalism, documentary, and lifestyle photography are all synonyms. They all mean that the photographer will be unobtrusive and capture those special, candid moments as they unfold. But what does a photographer do when these special moments are few and far in-between? What do you do when the story unfolding in front of you is the bride’s father not approving of his future son-in-law, or when the groom is having second thoughts or when the couple is getting married for all the wrong reasons? This may seem far-fetched but I can guarantee that it’s happened before.





A true “photo journalistic” photographer should be capturing these fights and lack of love in each other’s eyes the same way true photo journalists do when in the heart of war zones. However, do you think the bride will be happy to see these moments in her wedding album? Me either. So what do we do as photo journalistic wedding photographers? We’re damned if we do and we’re damned if we don’t.





If we don’t hang that shingle out there saying we shoot in a photo journalistic style then we won’t get many bookings. Brides want what the magazines tell them because posed photos are old fashioned and dated. However, if they see their true wedding then they may not like what they see. No one wants a wedding album with a spread of the groom sweating bullets and getting ready to flee to Mexico minutes before the ceremony or the couple just going through the movements without any love in either of their eyes.

My solution is to create a happy medium between the two.





First, I think it is absolutely essential to educate the couple when you meet with them. All of this can be very new to them and most of their information comes from recently married friends of theirs or from magazines. I’ve seen brides asking for photo journalism one minute, yet taking out their plan book and showing me a handful of images that are nothing of the sort. The photos she takes out have been posed shots brides on gondolas in Venice or on a secluded beach in Hawaii. Yes they look amazing but they were most likely taken by a fashion photographer and are very farfetched from the norm. This just goes to show you how no matter what, every bride wants to look like a princess and they want their day to be like it was out of a fairy tale. Educating the bride will let them know how weddings typically run and to let them know that powerful images like the one’s she is showing require a large amount of pre-planning. It probably isn’t in their budget to fly everyone down to Venice or Hawaii but amazing photos can be taken really quite anywhere. It just takes a lot of grunt work, scouting and planning to find a place that is elegant and unique.

Secondly, I tell them how I photograph a wedding. This is where I mention how I “coach” the couples to create these memorable photos. I tell the couple how I offer them tips and pointers throughout the day to make the best images possible. This could mean telling them to sit by a tree together and just talk and be cuddly or even to just tell them to keep doing what they are doing, just a couple steps over so they can be in better light.
Lastly, I strongly recommend that they book my engagement portrait session. Here, I explain that it is a learning experience for both of us. I am seeing what works and what doesn’t and I get to know the best ways to photograph the two of them. On the same token, they get a chance to warm up in front of the camera and to get comfortable with it so that it will all be second nature on their big day.





When it comes to the shoot, I do exactly the things I mentioned to them and really try to keep them engaged and involved in the whole process. I treat things more like an experience than anything. I want them to feel just like they left an amusement park when I am done with them.

This coaching technique can lead one to “machine gun shooting” if you aren’t careful. Over time however, you begin to hone in on your technique and you begin to anticipate the moment that is essentially just how a photojournalist would… The only difference is that our photos will be taken in better light.

Thanks for stopping by,
Mike

inLIGHTin Workshop @ IPrintFromHome.com HQ

I wanted to go over my recent inLIGHTin Workshop for today's Friday Night Lights segment.

I gave an inLIGHTin Workshop to about a dozen photographers over at the iPrintFromHome.com Headquarters over on Niagara Falls Blvd. For those local to Buffalo... did you know that we have an awesome photo lab right in our backyard?

So we started at 6pm and went a little over three hours! This workshop was all about lighting. We talked about everything from free and available light, to continuous light, speedlights (on and off camera) and ended up on studio strobes... There was A LOT of content and could have easily spent an entire day talking about things...

I had a great time and wanted to thank everyone for attending. I hope to see you at other workshops of mine and as always, call or email whenever if you have any questions guys!

Here are some pics from the workshop that my assistant, Martha, shot during the workshop:

Thanks to the George and Sarah over at the iPrintFromHome.com family for letting us use their space.

Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR Review

What better time to review the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR when a new one has been announced right?

Basically, I just wanted to let you know that this lens is still going to be used by myself and I do not have immediate plans to upgrade to the new 70-200mm with VRII...


Here are the differences real quick between the old model and the new one:
1.) Price! I paid around $1,800 last year from my 70-200mm while the new one appears that it will be going for around $2,400.
2.)VR vs. VR II: You basically get an extra stop of light with this newer version VR. The old one states that you can handhold the lens and get an additional three stops out of it while the new one is rated for four stops.
3.) Lens Coating & Design: The new VRII lens has the nano-crystal coating and sports a new design to boot.
4.) Minimum focusing distance has been dropped from 5 feet to 4.5 feet or so.
5.) The VRII lens is about a quarter inch shorter than its predecessor. However, it is approx. 2.5 oz. heavier.
6.) Sharpness: The new VRII is supposed to have better edge to edge sharpness on the new VRII lens.
7.) AF: Faster focusing with the A/M, M/A and M options.

So if you think that the extra $600 will help out your photography then put an order in for one of the new VRII versions... Otherwise, wait it out and continue to rock it's predecessor.

I personally love my current lens. The important things are that it is fast to acquire focus, it is sharp (even at f/2.8) and it is comfortable in the hands. Need I say more? This lens has some amazing bokeh (that is the term given to the aesthetic quality of the blurred out background in your image when using a shallow depth of field)

I chose to do this review actually because I have been using this lens for more and more of my work as the days go on. My full frame D700 rocks with this lens. I did find that DX crop cameras give me a little too much zoom (approx. 105-300mm focal lengths after considering the crop factor) for my wedding and portrait needs. This lens coupled with a 2x teleconverter on my D300 DX camera gives me an effective 600mm f/5.6 (you lose a stop of light with each x in the teleconverter so my f/2.8 bumps up to f/5.6) Not too shabby! So all in all, I can use this lens with either a DX or FX body and for various photography assignments.

The image quality of this lens really excels when shooting wide open. Here are some sample pics from a job that I just did where the 70-200mm was used at f/2.8:













This lens is a staple for Nikon shooters. There are a couple other "necessary" lenses in Nikon's lineup that you should have with you. The 24-70mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4 would have to be the other two that I can come up with. Enjoy and check back tomorrow for some awesome workflow techniques!

Thanks for stopping by.
Mike

Top 10 Tips for Better Landscape Photography

Top 10 Tips for Better Landscape Photos:

1.) Use a tripod. I think that one is self-explanatory. Tripods stabilize your camera and ensure that your shots will be sharp. A lot of photography techniques, such as blurring waterfalls, requires a steady camera and a long shutter speed so we need that camera to be steady. I also should point out that you should look into also using a remote shutter release to also prevent any unnecessary camera movement. If you wanted the benefit of this on the cheap or if you forgot to bring your shutter release with you then you could always use the timer feature of your camera. Set it to 2 or 5 second delay and that will ensure that the camera isn't affected by you pressing the shutter.



Using a tripod allowed me to take this 16.5 minute star trail in Joshua Tree National Park. Good luck hand holding your camera that long!


2.)Use Mirror Up Mode. I am not sure if every camera has this feature but it further prevents any camera movement at time of capture. With this setting enabled, you press the shutter once to snap the mirror up and then the second photo simply takes the exposure without any internal mirror snapping. Anything to reduce movement on the camera.

3.) Do your Research. If you are planning a trip somewhere or are ready to go out and shoot then be sure that you know when the sunup/sunset times are, what the weather is like (and dress appropriately) and where the best setup locations will be. "Chance favors the prepared mind" so the more prepared you are going into the shoot, the better your images will be. A GPS is also your friend and is a great tool for landscape photographers.

4.) Invest in Filters. Certain filters are essential to taking amazing images in camera. Sure we could take multiple shots and HDR them but I am talking about technique here. Many have the "I'll fix it in Photoshop" approach to photography which I am trying to break one person at a time here. If you are just starting out then HDR your heart out until you can save up for decent filters. Call me old fashioned but I want to see an amazing image on the back of my camera in order for me to feel good about an image. Many times, this requires the use of filters. I would recommend circular polarizer filters (reduce glare and gives images more of a color pop in-camera.), ND filters (Come in various levels of intensity. These darken the overall exposure and allow you to shoot at slower shutter speeds), graduated ND filters (these are gradients that go from dark to clear. Their purpose is to darken the sky and even out the overall exposure of a landscape) and filter holders (such as the Cokin Z-Pro).

5.) Be Unique. There is only so many ways someone can take a photograph. If you are visiting a popular location frequented by photographers year round then chances are you will be taking a photo that looks just like theirs. Be unique and come up with different ideas. Maybe shoot details around the area, use tighter crops, try panoramas or use obscure things in the foreground. Just be different.

6.) The Early Bird Gets the Worm. Be willing to venture out early enough to catch sunsets. This means waking up well ahead of time, getting a good breakfast and get out to your location wit your camera ready to go just before sunset. Remember "chance favors the prepared mind." If you are a late riser then there is always sunsets to look forward to. The reason for this is that the sun isn't at an extreme such as high noon and the light is essentially fanning across the landscape. The colors in the sky are also the most impressive during these times.

7.) Composition is Key. Remember the basics such as the Rule of Thirds, the Golden Ratio, triangles, figure eights, leading lines and other compositional rules. Always strive for a foreground, mid and background to give a sense of depth and dimension. If you want to portray size then try to always have something in the photograph to serve as a reference. This could be a person hiking while you capture a majestic mountain. As always, rules are meant to be broken so if it looks good to you then chances are you have yourself a winner. "There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." - Ansel Adams





8.) Bracket Your Shots. I've had it happen to me where you get so caught up in the moment or things are a rush so you may forget to check your settings or your exposures on the back of your camera. By bracketing your shots, you can ensure that you will at least have a couple usable images from the set. On that note, always run through your camera settings to ensure they are set to what you want. For landscapes, I recommend using the largest RAW file in Adobe RGB. This will give you larger files but they will have more data and contain the most color. Film was expensive but memory card real estate is cheap so use up those memory cards. It only will cost you more time behind the computer when going through them all.

9.) Travel. Life is short. Go out and see the world. Unless Yosemite or Yellowstone is in your backyard then chances are you will have to travel some to get great images. Sure you can look for some gems in your backyard and search for local getaways but the real magic comes when you do a little traveling. I know I get burned out living in the same spot with the same things to photograph... Traveling to a new location is an eye opener and serves as a much needed revitalization. I find a whole new level of inspiration when in a new state or county. Take the wife and kids or go on a photo safari by yourself. Exotic animals and unique landscapes will not be ringing your doorbell so you have to go out and search for them. Just be safe and take a guide with you if you are unsure of your surroundings or what you will be getting into.



Not everyone has one of these in their backyard! Photo taken in Chichen-Itza, Mexico.


10) Get To Know the Area. Camp out and become a part of what you are photographing. The moods and feeling you get should be the fuel for your photographs. When you understand what you are photographing then you will be able to truly capture it's essence.



This photo tells a story to me. I shot this image after proposing to my wife in Allegheny State Park. Don't tell me that it didn't have an effect on my feelings. I find this image to be very calming, mysterious and pleasing to the eyes. I could go on for hours about this one since I think it is my favorite image to date.


Ansel Adams said the following quotes that should really hit home:
"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed. "

“Simply look with perceptive eyes at the world about you, and trust to your own reactions and convictions. Ask yourself: "Does this subject move me to feel, think and dream? Can I visualize a print - my own personal statement of what I feel and want to convey - from the subject before me?”

“You don't take a photograph, you make it.”

I hope this helps in your quest for better photographs.

Enjoy!
Mike

Doing Your Time - Wait And Be Rewarded

I was pretty lucky that the stars aligned fairly well for while in California. I came back with a lot of great images that I obviously couldn't have gotten here in Buffalo. Not too many cacti or mountains around here ;P

I am still going through images from the trip and it inspired me to write this little article here.

So many people focus on camera equipment and computer software but forget that great images simply require you to do your time.
What I mean by this is that the stars essentially have to align with you being there right smack dab in the middle of it all. Sometimes, you being there is fate. There is no easy way to call it anything else. It is just you and the shot right there at the right time. I have seen many powerful images through my various workshops and speaking engagements. These images were taken by self-proclaimed "amateur" photographers. They were at the right place at the right time and snap, they captured it beautifully. However, these powerful images in their portfolio were few and far in-between. It is my goal in this article for you to capture more of those powerful photographs time after time.

I think that Louis Pasteur nailed it best when he said: "Chance favors the prepared mind."
I have been hanging on this quote ever since I heard Ansel Adams say it. He was no slouch when it came to inspiration quotes either. Here are some of my favorites:

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter"

"A photograph is not an accident- It is a concept."

"The ‘machine-gun’ approach to photography – by which many negatives are made with the hope that one will be good – is fatal to serious results."

"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop"

All of these quotes hold great value to me. How many times do we find ourselves guilty of "machine gun" shooting? I know I am an offender at times. How many times do we put together our portfolio together with quantity in mind and not quality? A portfolio is only as strong as its weakest print. Remember that.

So back to the topic at hand, doing time. For me, taking the time out to research and study what I am about to photograph. If I will be photographing some place local, I will go to the site and scout out the area. This comes in handy but what if you happen to be at the right place at the right time? You better be on your game to make the shot. Here is an example of just being at the right place at the right time.





The next shot wouldn't have been anything special if I didn't get up at the crack of dawn. If I waited any longer then the fog would have rolled out and the sky would have lost all that overcast:





This next photograph happened to be me being there at the right moment. My camera gear was out and equipped and I waited patiently until this turtle decided to swim by and make his appearance. My camera settings were right and all I had to do was press the shutter...





It isn't always easy for the amateur photographer to dedicate this much time to their hobby. Sure they have a nice camera but the 9-5 job, family and other factors can easily make it so one cannot always get out to take pictures. This means that the few times they actually can get out to shoot might not be the 'right' day. The light may be horrible, their may be no cloud cover, the seasons may not be right or it could be a slew of other reasons.

So just remember "Chance favors the prepared mind" so just sit down and do your research then you will have much more eventful shoots.


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If you are an IPhone or IPod Touch user then I would suggest adding the following Applications to help you be ready:

1.) PhotoCalc ($2.99)
2.) Darkness - Sun, Moon, Clock + More ($1.99)
3.) more to be updated as I find them or as they become available...