Let's talk Canon digital SLRs... Part 2

[phanophish]

Zenith,

Really nice stuff.  I miss London.  I love the shot across the Thames looking back at Canary Wharf.  Had a friend that lived on Isle of Dogs so spent lots of time down in that area when I lived in England.   Did you use flash to expose the barge in the foreground? 

[stirinthesauce]

some from this past weekend with my 5d and sigma ex dg f2.8

Ya'll know how I like my waterfalls.

[eric.B]

some from this past weekend with my 5d and sigma ex dg f2.8

Ya'll know how I like my waterfalls.

as you can see, I too have a fondness for waterfalls that goes back to my youth..       hehehheehhhhehehehe..

[stirinthesauce]

nice backdrop 

[stirinthesauce]

bumping this

yesterday late afternoon.  Processing quick and dirty.

[eric.B]

bumping this

yesterday late afternoon.  Processing quick and dirty.

nice!

[stirinthesauce]

Thank you 

The place I went is one of the premier wildflower spots in the state.  It also just happens to be 5min from my house.  Several other falls at this place.  I will be doing lots of forages here in the next 2-3 months as the season changes and progresses.

[phanophish]

bumping this

yesterday late afternoon.  Processing quick and dirty.

Love Image #1.  I'd be shooting that stuff everyday if it was nearby. 

Did some playing with my studio strobes.  Got a few nice ones of our new daughter...



Nikon D300
Nikkor 17-55/2.8 @ about 5.6
Calumet Genesis 200 Monolight
Bowens 60" Octabox
Alien Bee CyberSync CSRB/CST Remote Flash Trigger

[Jimna]

very nice!

[stevetoney]

This is an awesome shot...really makes me want to get a second flash unit so that I can have both a 580 and 430 slave and master pair.  Course doubt even then I could get the nice soft lighting you've obtained in this shot without some nice diffusion...

I have to chuckle a bit at this actually because I had a flashback to my own days as a kid when Dad would pose us and then fiddle around with his camera for soooo long...we'd just be like...Daaaaaddd woodja just take the picture!  Course, now that I've got a bunch of gear, I guess now I'm just like dear ole Daaaaaddd!

[phanophish]

This is an awesome shot...really makes me want to get a second flash unit so that I can have both a 580 and 430 slave and master pair.  Course doubt even then I could get the nice soft lighting you've obtained in this shot without some nice diffusion...

I have to chuckle a bit at this actually because I had a flashback to my own days as a kid when Dad would pose us and then fiddle around with his camera for soooo long...we'd just be like...Daaaaaddd woodja just take the picture!  Course, now that I've got a bunch of gear, I guess now I'm just like dear ole Daaaaaddd!

Funny how we become our parents!  Luckily right now she can't complain so eloquently, she just starts crying after about 15 minutes.

It's a single light shot, so no reason you couldn't do it with a regular strobe either manual or TTL. I was shooting a 200 Watt Second monolight on the lowest power setting as ISO 100 so I certainly didn;t need all the power I had.   Just pick up an inexpensive soft box on Ebay.  I use a Brolly Box with my SB-800 and it works great.

Something like this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-40-White-Black-Umbrella-Photo-Studio-Brolly-Box_W0QQitemZ170288662559QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLight_Controls_Modifiers?hash=item170288662559&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

Then you just need a clamp to hold the strobe and I can actually use my Mic stand as a light stand .

http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/MF6829/

[bluntforcetrauma]

is there any tutorials on lighting, I like the portrait shots and really dont understand light box or the things that are suggested.

[Jimna]

i also need a tutorial on flash photog when in manual mode.  im doing well with only shooting in manual, but have yet figure out using a flash unless i go to auto pilot.

TIA

[stevetoney]

is there any tutorials on lighting, I like the portrait shots and really dont understand light box or the things that are suggested.

I don't want to sound like a flippant, but wouldn't just diving in with a flash unit, a cord to allow you to move the flash off camera, and some misc. materials around the house to bounce the light off be enough to at least get started.  Seems to me that the best way to learn, especially in digital photography where there's nothing lost with taking tons of sample shots, would be to just do it.  Other than that, I think there are plenty of books out there with chapters on basic and creative lighting techniques.  But even then, I think there's a bottom line in that the effective shots are gonna come from the elbow grease that results from trial...adjust...trial...adjust again and keep doing it until you have something that you're satisfied with...and then with practice you'll start to develop a better eye for how the lighting ought to be and with minimum extra effort you'll be able to get that lighting.

[bluntforcetrauma]

is there any tutorials on lighting, I like the portrait shots and really dont understand light box or the things that are suggested.

I don't want to sound like a flippant, but wouldn't just diving in with a flash unit, a cord to allow you to move the flash off camera, and some misc. materials around the house to bounce the light off be enough to at least get started.  Seems to me that the best way to learn, especially in digital photography where there's nothing lost with taking tons of sample shots, would be to just do it.  Other than that, I think there are plenty of books out there with chapters on basic and creative lighting techniques.  But even then, I think there's a bottom line in that the effective shots are gonna come from the elbow grease that results from trial...adjust...trial...adjust again and keep doing it until you have something that you're satisfied with...and then with practice you'll start to develop a better eye for how the lighting ought to be and with minimum extra effort you'll be able to get that lighting.

that is exactly what i have been doing, experimenting with lots of shots say 5,000 photos so i have taken a lot of photos every week.  I have many different lighting arrays.  I have some flood lights some work lights from home depot, i mount them in 5-6 different locations depending on where i am shooting in the house.  When i asked for a tutorial i did not necessarily meant from a book, maybe just form others experience.  I have built a mouse trap, but maybe someone out there built a better one.  So again after taking thousands of pics a week and not getting some better results that i am looking for i just simply asked what works for other people.  I would be hard pressed to see anyone put in more elbow grease than me, especially working with the subjects i work with.  ( i  should not end with a preposition) so yes i do take offense to your comments.  thanks for the help.