Take a picture once a day, whether you need to or not

[Bunk]

Actually, the best option is partly cloudly - a nice bold blue sky mixed with big fluffy clouds.

[Sky]

I've got to dig up a few I took on Mt Batty in ME, sunset with some amazing cumulus that were the greatest peaches, pinks and purples. There were several professionals up there taking pictures with some sweeeet gear. That's actually when I decided to find my old tripod, I missed a few great shots later on due to shake. I've got a few folders of sky studies from a couple years back, too.

[Venkman]

That's a great shot. But I swear it looks like an upconverted section of Grizzly Hills in WoW  I'll see if I can find it tonight.

[Raging Turtle]

Took a walk about an hour ago. 

[Raging Turtle]

If anyone has thoughts on how I could have improved those pictures, please share - I'd ask in the digital photography thread but I'm pretty sure everyone is speaking a different language in there. 

Used the flash on the first one (which gave the background the nice golden glow, for reasons I don't understand), everything else was on the generic 'night' setting, with a Canon Powershot SX100IS.

[MrHat]

This thread constantly reminds me that there are better places to live than DC.

[Nebu]

This thread constantly reminds me that there are better places to live than DC.

Me too.  I'm starting to consider leaving my current position to choose where I live my life.  Damn thing about being overeducated... I've become such a specialist that I have to go where the jobs are rather than going where I want to live and finding a job.

Great pictures by the way.  You guys all have some serious talent!

[NiX]

Took a walk about an hour ago. 

What camera did you use for those shots?

[Raging Turtle]

Used the flash on the first one (which gave the background the nice golden glow, for reasons I don't understand), everything else was on the generic 'night' setting, with a Canon Powershot SX100IS.

[apocrypha]

They're nice shots :)  The flash is only *just* reaching the swans in that pic, so the background exposure is just due to the camera's automatic settings.

Took some pics of a friend today, one-light stuff, just messing about. Still very limited in what I can do before I start to ache a lot, stupid back :(

[Engels]

I thought they fixed your back! Also, hubba hubba.

[apocrypha]

They had a go at fixing it... it's loads better than it was but nowhere near 100% yet. Been mostly immobile for 5 months too.. kinda weak & feeble atm 

[Bunk]

If anyone has thoughts on how I could have improved those pictures, please share - I'd ask in the digital photography thread but I'm pretty sure everyone is speaking a different language in there. 

Used the flash on the first one (which gave the background the nice golden glow, for reasons I don't understand), everything else was on the generic 'night' setting, with a Canon Powershot SX100IS.

Well, if you were shooting in RAW, I'd have suggested you use an HDR technique like the bridge pictures above, to bring up the exposure on the swans. I am guessing that is not the case with that camera though.

I think you were right in using the flash in the first shot, as you have a nearby subject in the dark with the swans. I'm suprised it didn't brighten them up any more than it did actually.

[Ookii]

They're nice shots :)  The flash is only *just* reaching the swans in that pic, so the background exposure is just due to the camera's automatic settings.

Took some pics of a friend today, one-light stuff, just messing about. Still very limited in what I can do before I start to ache a lot, stupid back :(

<PICTURE OF AN ATTRACTIVE LASS>

So I assume you used an external flash?  Were you bouncing it off the ceiling or off of a bounce card?

[apocrypha]

Yeah, an SB800 on 1/4 power, into a white shoot-through umbrella on a low stand at my feet & pointing up, pocket wizard triggered. The room is very small with white ceilings and pale carpet so there's a lot of bounce from the surroundings too.

I would have liked to have got a bit more distance from the back wall and maybe put a separation/hair light behind too, but I was deliberately sticking to just one light :)

[Ookii]

So now I have to spend 168 on top of the hundred something for the SB-600?   

[apocrypha]

Nah bollocks, as you say I could have just pointed it at a bit of white card on the floor and triggered it with the built-in optical trigger. I just happen to have that other shit so I use it 

There's a whole art to shooting cheaply, especially with flash. One of my favourite light modifiers is a grid, which makes the broad, oval beam of the flash into a narrow, round beam with lovely soft falloff at the edges. And I made it out of black drinking straws and gaffer tape! I've got a couple of snoots (make tiny, tight beam of flash) made from cereal boxes and (again) gaffer tape. Before I bought clamps & light stands I used to gaffer tape a flash to doors, walls, etc.

Have a search on Flickr for specific camera models - Canon G6 is a good example. Cheap, pocket camera. There'll be 1000's of totally awesome pictures. Conversely you'll find millions of fucking rubbish pics taken with high end pro cameras like the 5DS and D3 etc.

Amateurs spend loads of money on camera gear cos they can and cos it's fun, pros spend loads on money on camera gear, er, mostly for the same reasons tbh but also cos it can make life a bit easier sometimes. End of the day the most important bit of any camera is 12" behind it 

[Ookii]

Oh I have a Nikon D40x and I've decided to actually take some pictures with it.  Diyphotography.net is amazing for this stuff and I know exactly what you're talking about with those straws.  It's a very nice effect.

Right now I'm set on getting a SB-600 and then building a cheap backdrop with some grey or white muslin and one of the pvc setups they have detailed.  The key in my mind (besides framing and whatnot) is definitely lighting, so I was specifically checking that out on DIY.  There are cheap ways to do the reflective umbrella and soft boxes so I'll probably go that route.  I definitely would like a softbox.

[JWIV]

Oh I have a Nikon D40x and I've decided to actually take some pictures with it.  Diyphotography.net is amazing for this stuff and I know exactly what you're talking about with those straws.  It's a very nice effect.

Right now I'm set on getting a SB-600 and then building a cheap backdrop with some grey or white muslin and one of the pvc setups they have detailed.  The key in my mind (besides framing and whatnot) is definitely lighting, so I was specifically checking that out on DIY.  There are cheap ways to do the reflective umbrella and soft boxes so I'll probably go that route.  I definitely would like a softbox.

Thank you for that link Ookie.  I think I have some new projects to look into now.

[apocrypha]

If you can get an SB800 or SB900 instead of the SB600. Main reason is the 800 and 900 have an "SU-4" mode which means you can set them to trigger in response to any other flash going off and it is fucking priceless. I know it sounds like such a little thing but the SU-4 mode is a total godsend so often. You can stick a cactus trigger or pw on the 800 *and* set it to SU4 mode and you just KNOW that it's going to go off if you've got any other lights in the area. It doubles your reliability, no joke.

I've got one SB600 and 3 SB800s (yeah, I have a problem...) and I the 600 is always the last light out of the bag. Unfortunately the 800s have gone up in price like £100 since the 900 was announced because they're not making the 800s any more which sucks a lot.

Another awesome link if you haven't seen it yet is Strobist. Off-camera lighting Mecca 

[Ookii]

I didn't know the 600s couldn't do that, I figured it was pretty standard in flashes nowadays.  I could just run a sync cord to the flashes right?

The SB 800 it a bit more expensive than the 600, but then again I can probably get by with one flash and a bounce card/board.

[Righ]

SB-600 doesn't have a commander mode to fire other flashes. It does have a wireless slave mode that can be triggered by either an SB-800, a commander unit or by compatible cameras such as the D70, D80, D90, D200, D300, D700 since these have commander modes built into the camera. So if you have one of these camera bodies, grab yourself a bunch of SB-600s if you want to go nuts with lots of lights. You probably won't miss much from the more expensive SB-800.

[Jimbo]

Been trying to organize...summer photo while playing around with the pentax optio, it's a great wet weather camera.



That was at Typhoon Lagoon in Disney World this summer, my son and I had a great time!

[apocrypha]

SB-600 doesn't have a commander mode to fire other flashes. It does have a wireless slave mode that can be triggered by either an SB-800, a commander unit or by compatible cameras such as the D70, D80, D90, D200, D300, D700 since these have commander modes built into the camera. So if you have one of these camera bodies, grab yourself a bunch of SB-600s if you want to go nuts with lots of lights. You probably won't miss much from the more expensive SB-800.

Thing is that the "dumb" (i.e. flash has to be on manual power) SU4 slave mode is *massively* more sensitive than the "smart" CLS mode. CLS just doesn't work in sunshine at distances of more then a few metres. I've resorted to wrapping large bits of foil round the flash as a "collector" for the CLS signal at times in frustration. SU4 mode is roughly 10 times more likely to actually trigger the flash.

Sure, you can't use TTL flash with it and you have to walk over and change the power by hand if you need to but for me the reliability far outweighs those things.

It totally depends what you want though - and yeah, sync cords are a good solution as are some of the cheap radio triggers (gadget infinity are pretty good by all accounts). You can make your own sync cords from CAT5 too if necessary :p

Oh and Jimbo, love the underwater pics! First one is awesome :D

[Righ]

Fair enough, though you could use a hotshoe optical slave? You can usually get them for around $30-50.

[apocrypha]

Yeah I've tried a few of them. They're shit    I dunno what it is about the built-in SB800 trigger that makes it so good, but it's just awesome :p  I'm sounding like a Nikon shill, sorry 

Anyway, following a link from the awesome pictures thread yesterday I downloaded a bunch of 1080p backgrounds that have made me want to go out and do some landscape photography, so I might actually be trying to shoot flash-free for a bit soon 

[Ookii]

I don't have enough money for the 800 so I actually just bought the 600.  Now I just have to build all sorts of shit to make a ghetto studio.

[Bunk]

If you have a bit of a budget to spend, these guys are great for affordable lighting: http://www.alienbees.com/ Mail order only, but they have a good reputation.

[apocrypha]

Fair do's Ookii, the 600 is defo a good flash :)  And Alienbees are cracking lights, but we're into the realm of studio & full strobe heads there, not hotshoes!

For making lighting mods.... black gaffer tape is your best friend ever! The proper stuff (not duct tape!) is well worth the extra cost! I also use ball bungees a LOT. Pack of 10 ball bungees will serve you well for naff all money 

[Cyrrex]

Guys, the thread where you talk all of this crazy photography lingo is that way.

/points that way

Please to be posting more of the pretty pictures kthx.  My brains are melting.

[Signe]

Yum.   

[Ookii]

SB-600 came in today!!!!

Now I just need to take some pictures.

[apocrypha]

Nice one Ookii :)  Just remember - control ambient exposure with shutter speed, flash exposure with aperture (hit Strobist if that makes no sense)

I would have been out taking pics today but my fucking car won't start. First time I feel safe to drive for 5 months and the battery's gone flat, who'dathunk it.

[JWIV]

Just a quick test shot of the wife last night with the new umbrella light system I built.   Definitely hightlights that I need to build the backdrop, as the background isn't as clean as it should be and the lighting angle is a bit off.  Overall though, I'm happy with this as a proof of concept and first attempt.  This is definitely leading down the path of madness though.   

[HAMMER FRENZY]

My New Masters of the Universe Classics Skeletor arrived. Very nice...


And this funny picture I took. What are the chances? (plates)