For anything you might need for still life photography...fake ice cubes, smoke, spills etc...go to the Set Shop on 20th Street in Manhattan.
http://setshop.com/index.php?cPath=50&osCsid=d4ec09043487ef0da8f0160dc5e81088
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Fake Ice and other Goodies
For anything you might need for still life photography...fake ice cubes, smoke, spills etc...go to the Set Shop on 20th Street in Manhattan.
http://setshop.com/index.php?cPath=50&osCsid=d4ec09043487ef0da8f0160dc5e81088
Monday, May 5, 2008
Long Island Museum: Call for Entries
click to enlarge:
Call for entries!Submit your work and win prizes! $30 entry fee. For more info visit: http://www.longislandmuseum.org/
Call for entries!Submit your work and win prizes! $30 entry fee. For more info visit: http://www.longislandmuseum.org/
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Homework Due next week, May 1
Reminder:
You need to finish all shooting for your final book projects by next week MAY 1. Next week in class we will be uploading and ordering the books.
Our LAST CLASS is May 15...only 3 more weeks!!
To order books, go to:
iPhoto (on the computers at school)
Ofoto www.kodakgallery.com
blurb.com (download booksmart)
You need to finish all shooting for your final book projects by next week MAY 1. Next week in class we will be uploading and ordering the books.
Our LAST CLASS is May 15...only 3 more weeks!!
To order books, go to:
iPhoto (on the computers at school)
Ofoto www.kodakgallery.com
blurb.com (download booksmart)
Fill Flash Demo Outside
Using Fill Flash
When shooting in a mixed light situation (ambient light + strobe), you will notice that the shutter speed is almost irrelevant. You will get almost the same reading whether the meter is set at 1/500 second or 1/60 second.The meter reads only the output of the strobe (which is approximately 1/3000 of a second). You will only start to see a difference in readings when when the shutter speed on the light meter is set to a much slower speed. At slower shutter speeds, the meter reads both the strobe and the ambient light.
Subjects are in shade, background is sunny. Camera is set to correctly expose background.
Fill flash is added so that Fstop reading meters same on subject as background
Fstop reading meters one stop brighter on subject than background
In the following 2 images, the sun is directly behind the subject's head to create a ring type hair light. The camera is set to properly expose the sky. Fill flash is added to fill in the face. In the top image, fill flash meters the same Fstop as the sky. In the 2nd image, the shutrter speed remains the same, but the flash is powered up so that it meters 1 stop brighter than the sky to make the subject "pop".
Fill Flash is also GREAT for outdoor group portraiture, especially at events like weddings. Set your camera to the meter reading you've taken on the background. Set the power output on the strobe to meter one Fstop brighter than the meter reading on the sky and shoot!
An Exercise to try on your own:
** Remember, the strobe doesn’t care what shutter speed you shoot at
The following is an exercise adapted from Photographic Lighting by Don Marr
Say you want to take a picture of your friend in a doorway. Your friend is slightly shaded, but the room behind your friend is brighter. You want a good exposure of both your friend and the room behind. The meter says you’d need to shoot the room at 1/15 second at F5.6 to get a correct exposure. If you were to take the picture at this setting, your friend would look dark, but the room would look correctly exposed. So you need to add fill flash. Remember, strobe doesn’t care what shutter speed you shoot at, the meter only reads the flash’s output (Fstop).
Indoors, the light meter will most likely get the same fstop reading from the strobe at 1/250 as it will at 1/30. That’s because at these shutter speeds, the meter is only reading the instantaneous pop of the strobe. You would need to turn the light to a much lower shutter speed to begin to see the influence from the ambient light of the room on your subject.
Set up your strobe so that the output meters F5.6. Start by shooting at 1/250 of a second, and then bracket shutter speeds down to 1/30 (keeping the camera at F5.6). Notice the subject remains relatively the same and the background gets brighter.
When shooting in a mixed light situation (ambient light + strobe), you will notice that the shutter speed is almost irrelevant. You will get almost the same reading whether the meter is set at 1/500 second or 1/60 second.The meter reads only the output of the strobe (which is approximately 1/3000 of a second). You will only start to see a difference in readings when when the shutter speed on the light meter is set to a much slower speed. At slower shutter speeds, the meter reads both the strobe and the ambient light.
Subjects are in shade, background is sunny. Camera is set to correctly expose background.
Fill flash is added so that Fstop reading meters same on subject as background
Fstop reading meters one stop brighter on subject than background
In the following 2 images, the sun is directly behind the subject's head to create a ring type hair light. The camera is set to properly expose the sky. Fill flash is added to fill in the face. In the top image, fill flash meters the same Fstop as the sky. In the 2nd image, the shutrter speed remains the same, but the flash is powered up so that it meters 1 stop brighter than the sky to make the subject "pop".
Fill Flash is also GREAT for outdoor group portraiture, especially at events like weddings. Set your camera to the meter reading you've taken on the background. Set the power output on the strobe to meter one Fstop brighter than the meter reading on the sky and shoot!
An Exercise to try on your own:
** Remember, the strobe doesn’t care what shutter speed you shoot at
The following is an exercise adapted from Photographic Lighting by Don Marr
Say you want to take a picture of your friend in a doorway. Your friend is slightly shaded, but the room behind your friend is brighter. You want a good exposure of both your friend and the room behind. The meter says you’d need to shoot the room at 1/15 second at F5.6 to get a correct exposure. If you were to take the picture at this setting, your friend would look dark, but the room would look correctly exposed. So you need to add fill flash. Remember, strobe doesn’t care what shutter speed you shoot at, the meter only reads the flash’s output (Fstop).
Indoors, the light meter will most likely get the same fstop reading from the strobe at 1/250 as it will at 1/30. That’s because at these shutter speeds, the meter is only reading the instantaneous pop of the strobe. You would need to turn the light to a much lower shutter speed to begin to see the influence from the ambient light of the room on your subject.
Set up your strobe so that the output meters F5.6. Start by shooting at 1/250 of a second, and then bracket shutter speeds down to 1/30 (keeping the camera at F5.6). Notice the subject remains relatively the same and the background gets brighter.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Grids!
A Grid is something that looks like a honeycomb or screen that is attached to your flash or strobe head. It diffuses the light and makes it weaker. Grids are used to control the light, limit spillage, direct light into a small area (like a snoot or spotlight), and create a greater rate of fall-off (decreases the light hitting the background).
Grids are essential accessories for any lighting system. A grid alters the shape and intensity of the light output from your softbox when it is mounted on a light head. Consider a grid as a painter would a brush, or a sculptor would a knife, or chisel.
Honeycomb grids and "egg crates" are rigid, or semi-rigid. Fabric grids are hand-stitched, and collapse easily for storage or transport. Use of a fabric grid, honeycomb grid, or "egg crate" will result in a narrower spread of light. The spread of light will be determined by the density of the honeycomb mesh, and the distance of the subject from the light.
Here are some online tutorials that I think are great.
DIY cardboard grids for your flash: click here
Examples:
No Grid on Flash:
Using a cardboard Grid on the flash (notice how it looks like a spot light):
Soft Lighting & Grids for Portraiture: click here
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Homework Due next Thursday 4/17
Everyone should please bring 10 images that they hope will fit into their final photo book project. More is fine, but at least 10. They can all be from the same shoot. All the shooting needs to be done for you final project in the next 3-4 weeks, so really get going on this! And have fun.
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