Portable Studio?

Nope, just a flash, a soft box and some photoshop :)  I wanted to capture my daffodils but was having a hard time outside with this horrid wind we've been having.  Not complaining as it's basic spring weather, just makes photography tough outside.  So I came inside and used a simple cloth backdrop and my flashes.   The photoshop comes in post production and turns the color information B&W, adds contrast and balances the lights and darks.  I try to only do in photoshop what you would be able to do in the darkroom.  The 1st & 2nd photos are with the 550 EX Speedlight on a Canon 5d Mark II, ISO was 400, F/5.6, and shutter 200. My camera is always set to manual for the most control :). 

I have two Speedlights, both Canon,  a 270 EX and an older 550 EX.  They vary in size from smallest available to biggest, well what was the biggest when I purchased it.  I would invest in the 450 EX (the middle) but am currently tapped out money wise.  The biggest hurdle when starting a business is to be money wise not money stupid.  So that asks the question do I 'need' a 450 EX and the answer is no, I can work with my 2.  I am instead adding to my flash accessory stash.  I will review and post when I receive them.

The 550 Ex was much higher sitting on the camera and gave a much more shadowed effect than I wanted.  To correct this I would need a portable slave (the term used for a flash trigger) mounted on my camera while I posed the Speedlight on a base.  See more portable studio effects :)  What I am loving about these works is that you can get the studio feel even though this was in my kitchen.  I see soft shadows, many tones of both color or grey.  I believe I bounce flashed the 2nd photo.  The 3rd photo was with the 270 EX and has a much more direct lighting effect as the flash is smaller and closer to the lens.  This 3rd photo was taken with a Canon 5D Mark II as well but the 270 EX Speedlight at a ISO of 400, F/5.6, shutter 200.

Flash Photo- thoughts and tips

I find getting a really well lit, not burned out flash photography really tough.  It's super easy to use the built in flashes on most cameras, but you tend to get the 'you used a flash look' and I want something more natural, softer shadows, better highlights, less burn.  I have so much that I toss when I use a flash as it's too harsh.  I am trying to catch my kids indoors and find even then the flash can be too much.  The picture to the left is my daughter, S, just after she lost her first tooth.  Well lit sure, over lit and no natural shadows yes that too.  See the harsh shadow under her chin?  That's not what I want.  A flash is meant to simulate the sun, and when the sun is bright out you get harsh lighting like this but when it's over cast you can get more true color, and a much more flattering light.  So after doing some reading on the net (just like you're doing now) I started to see that straight flash was the issue and that tools were needed.   Tools that photographers use in the studio to diffuse the string strobe lights are also made small for on board flash.  Studio lighting is best as you have more than one light source allowing for compelling shadows and textures but well I can't afford fancy lights right now so I until I can get some used, on board flash is my tool. 

That begs the question what tools and how to use them.  I started out with a small soft box, and man it helps.  A small $10 item (soft box) and some happy results for me.  There is also the availability of a bounce flash, which as you can see below works fabulously- in horizontal.  Unless you happen to have a really cool Speedlight (external flash) that rotates (580 EX Speedlight) but those are expensive and super powerful.  I used a Canon 270 EX Speedlight here.

Look at the wall and the shadow the crucifix casts.  The head on flash is harsh and stark.  Very noticeable so much so the shadow becomes part of the photograph.  Now look at the soft box or the bounce flash, the shadows provide soft texture to the subject without themselves becoming a subject themselves like in the head on flash.

Each flash requires practice to use it properly.  You need to adjust your shutter and F-stop to control the amount of light coming into the camera.  If your flash has ETTL you can also control the amount of power supplied to the flash.  That is trickier for me personally and am currently working on that.  There is always room for improvement and learning in photography.  Those that say there isn't aren't pro's and don't know squat ;-).  So how did the soft box work for people or still life?  Check these out...

  My spouse and the fat cat.  Well lit and soft shadows.  It's the direction I want to head into.  I have much more work to do tho.

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Tips & Tricks

I started a tips section on my website but thought it might be of interest to some of you as well.  So I will be posting them here as well. 

It's not the camera, it's you.

I am dead serious.  A great photographer can use any camera and churn out gorgeous works.  Any camera can give you an amazing picture conversely, any camera can give you an awful picture.  Does a great camera help?  Absolutely, but it isn't the secret to success.  There are tons of 'photographers' out there that use crap cameras and shoot crap work, some even have the same camera I do and they still shoot crap.  Is that a bit harsh maybe, but the truth remains.

The photograph to the left was shot with a 6 megapixel D-SLR.  It is an old D-SLR, in fact it is the predecessor to almost every D-SLR Canon makes today.  I shot exclusively with this antique of the digital era until two months ago.  The photo can not be made any bigger that 8x12 due the size of the brain in the camera, the megapixels.  Wanna know the secret to this shot?  It required the help of another photographer to stimulate the butterfly to open his wings.  Photoshop was used to remove the device that stimulated the butterfly but none was used on the butterfly itself. 

Ok back to the topic at hand.  If you want better pictures, practice.  Simple as that.  It is a skill that is used and requires use to get better.  Use that Rebel or which ever Nikon you have.  Heck- grab that point and shoot and go for it.  I read a blog post at B&H Photo Video about many pro's waiting to buy the Canon 5D Mark II because the Mark III is due out eventually.  They recommended buying the currently available products and shooting and practicing as a newer camera isn't going to promise a better shot, it's just going to promise a bigger file.  The truth with technology today is that sooner rather than later it is becoming out-dated.  Heck the iPad only lasted 1 yr before the newer version out-dated the first one.   When I picked up my camera again for more than my kids snapshots, my work was rusty and I had a rather bad success ratio.  I still have bad days, days where you shoot and get nothing, but I practiced and honed a bit so the day wasn't a loss.  Last week I could have shot with any camera and it wasn't going to work, it was an off day.  I am just happy I wasn't shooting film and would have lost a great deal of money on a bad day.

This leads us to my first bit of advice- go out, practice.  If you get something awesome great, if not you learned more of what doesn't work.