Digital Camera & Photoshop tips

[stray]

DIY ringflash, made out of 2 bits of perspex, lined with aluminium foil, gaffer-taped together and stuck on top of an SB800 fired with the Nikon CLS:

Hey, you know I noticed that a lot of gonzo porn is filmed like this. 

[Ookii]

Getting pocket wizards for my birthday!  Now I just need to get a 60" umbrella (i got a small one before I knew what I was doing), and I'll be set on stuff for awhile.

[Ookii]

I now have the pocket wizards, but I can't get them to fucking work.  The 60 dollar hotshoe to pc adapter I bought isn't cutting it, or it's something else.

[apocrypha]

Hotshoe to PC adapters are notoriously shit actually. I've got 2 that don't work and an SB600 that I almost never use because it doesn't have a built-in sync port.

Do the wizards themselves work, i.e. if you press the test button on one does the little red light come on on another one? Check that all the wizards you have both send and receive OK and if there's no problem there then check the hotshoe adapter by plugging the other end straight into a camera and seeing if you can fire the strobe that way.

[Ookii]

I've got another one coming, I just feel bad I spent WAY too much money on one that didn't work.  At least now I can take any antiquated flash and stick it on my camera, it stops them all down to a safe voltage.

[Mosesandstick]

Enough nikon nuts here that I'll post this.

[Righ]

If you want to watch that sort of thing, keep an eye on this site which was the source.

Lots of new toys announced today, the most important of which (to Nikon) is the new budget D3000. The most wonderful is of course the new 70-200 2.8 VR II. If it really does have greatly superior corner sharpness on full frame sensors, I imagine lots of people will be looking to sell the old model which is perfect for DX. And that would do me nicely.

[Mosesandstick]

I'm thinking exactly the same thing Righ. I just bought a Tammy 17-50 f/2.8, and am looking to get a fast telephoto. Was thinking of getting a used 80 200 but with this might see if I can get my hands on a 70 200. Just wondering how long I'll have to wait.

[apocrypha]

Well I'm pissed cos I bought the 70-200 f2.8 VR a few months ago. Still an awesome lens though, but if I move to a full frame sensor, which is likely with the D700x, then I might be one of those people looking to trade up to the new VRII one. Depends just how much edge softness I see from the existing lens.

D4 looks interesting, especially the fact that they've not gone 20MP+ and instead are going for a low noise/high sensitivity route. I was thinking it might be an attempt to get out of the "megapixel wars", but then I noticed the D4x at 30MP 

[Mosesandstick]

Sell me yours Apoc? I'll even come up to Leeds 

[apocrypha]

Hehe, well I've just seen that the price for the new one is going to be £2k most likely and given that the old one cost me £1300 I don't think I'll be trading up after all 

[Ookii]

The new Nikon Coolpix S1000pj has a built in projector!



430 buckaroos.

[Righ]

So you can display your 12.1 megapixel photos in 640x480 resolution on a wall. Great idea, pointless execution.

[K9]

Subtle spam post is subtle

[Trippy]

They'd be easier to spot if you fuckers didn't keep replying to them.

[Ookii]

I booked a model shoot for this Sunday, I was going to do it inside and do some outside stuff while it was sunset.  Went to the place tonight and took some test shots, nothing came out well!  The place is too dark, ambient takes like half a sec with f/4 to shoot, not to mention if I have to bump it down when I use a strobe.

I rescheduled so I could have natural light come in, thank god I did the test shoots.  What a rookie mistake.  Now I'm just freaking out when it comes to what I want her to do, I find it hard to come up with ideas.  It also doesn't help she'll be naked, it's my first one of those too.

[schild]

The new Nikon Coolpix S1000pj has a built in projector!



430 buckaroos.

It also has the most amazing fucking redeye fix ever.


It can turn one picture into a COMPLETELY different one.

AMAZING.

Now I'm just freaking out when it comes to what I want her to do, I find it hard to come up with ideas.  It also doesn't help she'll be naked, it's my first one of those too.

I have some ideas, but I'd imagine you're still hung up on porn as art rather than porn as porn.

[stray]

Porn as art? What is that, some kind of Mapplethorpe thing?

[apocrypha]

It also has the most amazing fucking redeye fix ever.


It can turn one picture into a COMPLETELY different one.

AMAZING.

Haha superb 

[Ookii]

This thread is not for schildy.

[schild]

This thread is not for schildy.

Couldn't come up with anything snappy, could you?

[Ookii]

I've made the decision to start shooting WAY more so I put a TFCD proposal out on Craigslist and I've gotten a few emails already. This could go good or REALLY badly, but the less I'm a pussy the better it will turn out (and the better I'll get).

Ever do anything similar apoc or bunk?

[stray]

I believe you can use modelmayhem for that too.

edit: chances are, the girls will be cuter fyi

[Ookii]

I believe you can use modelmayhem for that too.

edit: chances are, the girls will be cuter fyi

I'm all up in that shit yo, but with CL people can't view my crappy port.

[schild]

TFCD proposal out on Craigslist

It is not in your interest to receive a copy of every photograph taken. The photographer should take the time to edit the photos and only give you a selection of the best. You do not have the expertise to select the right images from a large collection.

Models are stupid.

[Ookii]

TFCD proposal out on Craigslist

It is not in your interest to receive a copy of every photograph taken. The photographer should take the time to edit the photos and only give you a selection of the best. You do not have the expertise to select the right images from a large collection.

Models are stupid.

Photographers are assholes > Models are stupid

[apocrypha]

I've made the decision to start shooting WAY more so I put a TFCD proposal out on Craigslist and I've gotten a few emails already. This could go good or REALLY badly, but the less I'm a pussy the better it will turn out (and the better I'll get).

Ever do anything similar apoc or bunk?

I was actually trying to arrange something like this myself just before I did my back last year. Kinda got forgotten about in the pain & synthetic opioids that followed 

I do remember finding it difficult to sort out. Most of the potential models I found on various sites either never replied, were fronts for prostitution or said they weren't doing the modelling any more. It could be because I had no portfolio to speak of at the time or because I got unlucky or because I was looking in the wrong places. I was approaching the conclusion that it'd be simpler to just hire a real model and practice on friends & family.

[Ookii]

I did a Craigslist post, I lucked out with at least one (well she was the first one out of 5 or so I have lined up).  She was here for like 6 hours too.  What a trooper.

God knows when I'll have time to go through all the photos.

[apocrypha]

Nice one Ookii! Hope you get some good stuff out of it, let us see your faves when you do get round to pp'ing them 

[Ookii]

Okay, a couple quickies.




I also made a ringflash for 20 bucks!

[stray]

Is that first ringflash one the same session/ time of day (more or less) as the railroad tracks?

edit: err wait, obviously not, since she's got different clothes.

anyways, i was just wondering if the lighting was similar.. because the pic is more flattering for her, whatever you did

[Bunk]

I've made the decision to start shooting WAY more so I put a TFCD proposal out on Craigslist and I've gotten a few emails already. This could go good or REALLY badly, but the less I'm a pussy the better it will turn out (and the better I'll get).

Ever do anything similar apoc or bunk?

This is something I've wanted to start doing, so I'm interested to hear how it turns out for you. The models I've worked with have almost exclusively been through the courses I took.

[Sky]

You need to get a makeup artist, girlfriend.

[Ookii]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean Stray. The picture of her in the black jacket is sundown and the pic of her in the green jacket is complete darkness. It's not so fun using a ringflash in darkness when it obscures the autofocusing light.

So far it's working out Bunk, I have a couple more models lined up, though I've already have one not show up.

And yes, a MUA and a hair stylist would be great. I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[apocrypha]

Nice work Ookii. You got another flash you can remote trigger? A backlight in some of them would give some really nice separation from the background.

You've inspired me to have another go, just signed up on Model Mayhem :)