I wish there was an "Understanding Flash" book.

 

btw I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but you can do a fake off-camera look by using a white card to bounce the light - it gives the impression that the light is coming from higher up than it really is - these 2 shots are with the 580EX's pop-up white card, no diffuser. The effect is even more interesting with a mirror - you can make it look like the light is coming slightly from the sides.

http://www.delobbo.com/gallery2/d/64385-1/IMG_2372.jpg
http://www.delobbo.com/gallery2/d/64403-2/IMG_2720.jpg

 

LOl i agree i picked up the digital field guide on nikon creative lighting system.

I still feel like a newb, it helps with some techniques and pointers, but still

 

i think probably the best book you can get for flash would be something related to studio/glamour photography.

 

You should really pick up "Light: Science and Magic": http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-...2222799&sr=1-1

It's a fantastic book that will really show you light in a new way. It's completely brand-agnostic so you don't have to worry about it being skewed to Canon or Nikon. In fact, I'm not even sure if they talk about specific models at all, it's just not important.


Another great source is the Strobist Lighting 101 series: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

 

And if you want something that's 85% an enjoyable read with 15% knowledge thrown in for good measure, than Joe McNally's "The Moment it Clicks" is pretty good.

 

Off to the bookstore...

 

While saving up for the RadioPoppers/Elinchrome Skyports, I picked up an el-cheapo Cactus V2 set from eBay.

When connected, it fires the flash continuously... As soon as it recharges....BAM, flash fires...

You get what you pay for.

 

I just ordered this book from Amazon. Looking forward to diving into this one.

 

I got a set - 1 transmitter and 2 receivers. I've only tested them, but they worked pretty well. On one of the receivers, I had to stuff something in the battery compartment to make sure they make proper contact, but they fire pretty reliably.

And it sounds like cybersyncs have been making a pretty good name for themselves. No TTL, IIRC, but reasonably priced and dependable.

 

this is an interesting way of shooting and seems extremely versatile..only downside i see is low battery life and not alot of power...but could be perfect in some situations..


anyone?

im concidering buying myself 2 580EX's...

1 for sure for everyday use anyway

 

What exactly is "speedlight photo"?

 

I'm not sure what you're talking about either. Got a link?

 

speedlight photography...its when u use off camera flashes,including shoot thru umbrelas or sticking them thru a small soft box... u can have one on the cam,and another off cam,or both off cam and another on cam...i seen a video where a guy remotely used 7 off flashes all together in a desert shoot where he needed the mobility and wanted to try something new

 

its also called strobist :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-b6JKll054
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKAD7leNOVY

 

Delta, check out http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/

And

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=138907

Prepare to be amazed.

 

I use off-camera strobes a lot. It doesn't need to be that complicated. You just need a strobe and some way of triggering it. Light modifiers all have different purposes, but a basic shoot-through umbrella and stand is a good place to start.

 

^what u tryin to say stoge? lol

 

there are a TON of different ways to use flash. I suck at them all, but check out the stuff on Strobist and there are some really creative lighting setups that, like Dan said, don't have to be super complicated.

Now, where is that video of the dude with the 12' boom arm off the pack frame and a strobe on the end of it?

 

Youtube to the rescue:


<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pea5e2Z5gyE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pea5e2Z5gyE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>

 

I suck too i'm learning thru a friend right now some creative ways like holding a flash behind your head for like a light bulb look.

stuff like that.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moiht/page3/

 

i figured,i havnt seen a thread on strobist or anything so i figured id start one up so we could discuss...the whole idea to me is awesome. ive seen some really nice pics come out of it.

i call it speedlight cause i saw that it was another name used other than strobist

 

that video is very cool stogie...its def a cool idea (rediculous looking like they said lol)

but it works! the pics look good too,.

 

i know im a noob...but what is this contraption?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moiht/2...n/photostream/

 

yea its a medium format camera.

 

its actually very easy. with practice, you'll love shooting that way.





its funny Ive never heard of "speedlight photography"

 

there are at least a few threads on it. I created one last year when I tried off camera lighting for the first time






I don't see what low battery life has anything to do with this? The speedlight flashes are self powered.

I would recommend the zach arias one light DVD, very great vid

 

I was just about to ask if everyone forgot that we already have a fairly extensive off-camera flash thread.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=392245

 

i think what he means by low battery is that the power doesnt last very long, so you might end up with shots where the flash is still recycling. And it kind of ruins the flow of the session to have to stop and change the batteries.

 

ahh, i see. Doesn't the 580ex come with a battery pack?

 

you can get a Canon battery pack for it (Canon CP-E3)

 

yes you can get a battery pack for it, but you can still run into the problem, although less likely

and its the CP-E4

 

Why would using the flash off camera make any difference to battery life or recycle time compared to using it in the hot shoe? You obviously may have to bump the power a a stop or two if you're shooting through an umbrella or softbox but I think that's relatively insignificant for today's flashes.

BTW, while researching this very subject over the weekend I came to the complete realization that you lose ETTL when working off camera with most light modifiers such as an umbrella or softbox.

 

not really a big deal though since you'd most likely be working in full manual and want the light source to be as consistent as possible

 

Has anyone seen any definitive statement as to whether or not a 430EX II can be used as a slave to a 580EX (first gen.) master? I would assume so but my feeble attempts at searching for this info came up bust.

 

yes it will work.

 

+1

I have tried it and it worked. That being said, I never use it that way since I use Skyports for the triggering.

 

:googlesskyports:

 

Elinchrom Skyport: http://www.elinchrom.com/

 

Skyports are already on the shopping list.

I don't foresee myself wanting or needing two light sources anytime soon. Not to mention I don't think the master/slave setup would even work with an umbrella or softbox. I just wanted to make certain of the EX master, EX II slave thing ahead of time so I could know up front if that was going to be another eventual expense.

What I'm trying to find now is the hardware for holding a reflector when using a single light source. Alas, I have no assistant.