So Rick loves to teach you some of his stuff and show you how things are done, and many times its pretty easy and strait forward.It picked two lighting setups tutorials that I loved best (although you’ll probably find other tuts helpful too `-) )

1.Two lights setup while having some available light:

Rick brakes the setup to three (actually four) main steps:

1. Metering the correct exposure to bring some light from behind.He went here to ISO200, f/2 and 1/80.I like the wide aperture Rick choose here, Would need to take a wide Aperture to bring enough light in and get a shallow DOP.
2. Adding the main lights, a 580EX into a Westcott Apollo. Adjusting the flash power and softbox distance for the desired effect.
3. Adding fill light , a 430EX in an umbrella box.
4. Shooting as many images as possible.

1. This setup is great, you see some methods that a bit more interesting than the normal two lights setups (main left, fill right). I like the pose as well as the lighting setups. The model turned her face so the main light will light mainly her right side while letting the other side stay in the dark, this stuff is great for BW inages and its no surprise the image is a B&W one.
2. Second flash positioned behind the model to get the highlight from behind.
3. Camera dialed to ISO640, f2, 1/80th. The wide aperture helps keep both flashes on low power – 580EX main 1/8 power , 430 from behind 1/32 power. The main light flashed throught a Westcott Apollo and the 430 had a grid on.

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I must confes that back then (some 5-6-7 years ago) when you started to go online for some info about photography and flashes there weren’t to much info available , there was the Strobist who back then was really useful for strobists ,today its much more of a commercial magazine (I don’t blame David man has to make money and that’s fine with me I’d do so if I had the same opportunity ) and there was a site that I don’t remember its name something with 28 in the domain name and another site that had some lighting diagrams hand drawn on some yellow paper (I must see that site again so if you the site PLS post s comment bellow, I simply can’t find it).So back then there other site, really good and instructive site was Photoflex’s site. Besides of selling very popular lighting systems (modifiers and lights) they have a very good learning center. There are some lessons that comes for free, and most of the  lessons a for paid subscribers, so I must say that when I was young `-) and there was no YouTube and no other resources I did a year full access membership and enjoyed it a lot!!!

So first of all go and visit the new site if you don’t know it yet, and if you are into really good pro lessons from pro photographer, step by step stuff, that’s your place!

PLS enjoy!!!I’d be really happy if someone will remind me of the yellow site…

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Found this nice video about making your own beauty dish, this guy is actually funny and explains well how to put a beauty dish in some quick steps and a few bucks. Looks to be very easy, So PLS pay a visit to his tube chanel here and thank him for his work!!!

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So first of all some major specs comparison:

The Nikon D800 :

• 36.3 megapixel FX-format (full-frame) CMOS sensor
• ISO 100–6400
• 4 fps consecutive shooting in FX/5
• Multi-area D-Movie
• Multi-CAM3500FX 51-point AF system
• EXPEED 3
• 3.2 inch 921k-dot LCD monitor
• 3D Color Matrix Metering III
• 100% viewfinder coverage and three Crop Modes
• Quiet shooting mode
• Highly accurate and durable shutter unit
• Storage media
• Built-in i-TTL Speedlight
• Durable Magnesium alloy body
• Wireless LAN and Ethernet support

While the Canon EOS 5D Mark III :

• 22.3 Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• All new 61-Point High Density Reticular AF
• Up to 6fps High-Speed continuous shooting
• Native ISO 100-25,600 sensitivity
• 3.2 inch (1040k)TFT LCD Monitor
• Full HD video with manual control
• 14 bit DIGIC 5+ Image processor
• Enhanced Weather sealing
• HDR mode with presets

Lets put aside all the impruvments with the new 5DIII, the only thing that I can say realy “bothered” me, was the fact that it had a poor focusing system for a top level camera. This issue only came up when shooting without a flash (580EXII and so on) while using other than the middle point. It didn;t bothered me ,but I know there were some complains about it. With the new model, Canon decided to get rid of those whispering…

On the paper when looking throught the sepcs of those two, the Canon 5DIII has the advantage in any parameter, but the price (Canon for about 3.5K while the Nikon will be your for about 3K) and the pixel count, where the Nikon leads with a huge 37MP while the Canon comes with  only 22MP…

So here are some reviews videos I collcted for you guys to watch.

I’ll be happy if you share your thoughts about who is better, but PLS no Nikon-Canon fights!!!

and a funny one

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Until then, Enjoy this one!

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In this videos Fro is using some techniques for better available light photography, no flashes are involved and only camera+lens+model.

What you are going to learn from that video?

• Some about available light photography methods.
• Using a tripod or monopod, might help a lot.
• Talking to the model, when and how.

ENJOY!

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Some time ago, I wanted bad to shoot some film, yes you know I was practically born into the digital era (had a Pentax “digital camera” before my first Canon G3!!!). So I played a little with some films until my son decided that the film camera is his,and I had to get a “new” one. As I had all the digital stuff I wanted, I decided to get something else and bought a plastic  stupid simple camera (the one on the right side) “Holga”. As far as I know (and I’m no expert on this topic), Holga was a camera for 120 slides (square images), but some guy in China/HongKong decided its time to do a 35mm version.

What was fun about the original?

As there where no or very little quality control in the original Russian factory, and aiming for a budget and affordable camera, they went and produced a plastic lens for the camera, this plastic lens combined with some light licking into the camera and defused black corners , somehow became into a hit! There are still fans for that use that for fan and more (see flickr here). What I liked most with the my toy Holga was that sa of its plastic lens, lack of auto focus , it delivered some old looking images, the kind you have to Photoshop it if you want to get it out of your digital camera. I know I had some scans somewhere here.

So one day I get an Email from a friend that told me:

• Friend: Hi you remember that plastic holga you got?
• Me: Yep, I know?
• Friend:Well, you can get it for your digital, here is the link.
• Me: TNX!

After 10 days I got my toy plastic lens for my Canon 1000D and 30D (it won’t be good on the 5D…), and here are my thoughts about it:

• First of all, if you are afraid to attach the lens to your camera, don’t. Its simple just like your other lens.
• There are some differences between the original Holga and your digital Holga lens, as the film holga is about 49mm, the digital is 60mm.
• Some other difference is by the way you can learn how to use it. While on the digital camera, you can see through the “viewfinder” the distance your lens is focusing to, this is not available with the digital version, for every time you want to shoot, you’ll have to look at the lens and see that your focusing distance is fine.
• While with your film version you could be sure that the exposure will be correct – you have two modes sunny and cloudy (f/11 for sunny and f/8 for cloudy), its not the same with the digital, where I think it has about three stops under the film- if with the film you’ll use 100ISO with the digital you’d have to use 1600ISO for the same shutter speed. Lets say that the f/8 on the film version, isn’t exactly f/8 on the digital version, but that’s not a problem as ISO and digital camera pair together well and ISO 1600 isn’t much of a problem… `-)
• Generally it feels a little stiffer than the film version.
• The big advantage with the digital cameras is that you don’t need film for that and the fact that you can get the results for faster learning.
• Ahh and there is P mode.
• Ahh and there flash on your camera!!!
• Ahh and there is also video available.

How to use your Holga lens?

1. Pair it to the camera.
2. Dail your camera to Manual or P exposure metering mode .
3. Focus your lens to the desired distance. And of you go.

So lets see some examples:

Verdict:

I must say that I’m a little addict to this type of photography, not only for the effect of the images, but more for the concept of trying to do it the old fashion way. The lens produce some more vibrant color and the diffused look that you’d expect from the plastic lens. I think it worth the 17$-20$ if you treat it like a fun gadget. By the way, there are  more stuff to add to it, like colored filters and

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I don’t remember when and where I saw the for the first time (I had this post on draft for some time), you can read the full story at a discussion in this forum. At first glance I wondered if canon made some kind of a rare realise for probably their most popular lens the canon 50 f/1.8 ,thought it will make sense if they do so (I’m sure there will be many to buy the white one), but then when I took a closer look and read the rest of the discussionI realized that its a great original DIY project.

How nntenzo (thats his profile on the forum) did it? Its basicly simple:

• You have to get some colors to get the white-grey Canon L look (cost him about 3$) and some printer decal paper, thats are leaser printer paper that remuvable tatooes are made of, or “best daddy in the world” cups.
• He painted the lens with a brush, but you can use an air brush too, while covering the palces you don’t want to color with a duck tape.That will get you a bare white Canon 50mm 1.8.
• Print on the decal paper the logos you want to put, he downloaded them from the net using google images.
• Paste the logos in place on to your white lens.
• Of you go, you have your privet Canon 50 f/1.8 white version!

Here is another version for this great one:

Some Q:

I didn’t find those Canon logos on the net, PLS share here if you found it.

Share your versions if you did one!

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2 36" Brollys for 34$ at Amzon

As I might mention some posts before , my first try at more “normal” lighting diffusers, was some years back when a friend of mine (Chen, thank you!) got me a Photek Brolly from B&H, those where times where shipping wasn’t so easy to Israel and not so many alternatives for a softbox in the market…

So the brolly was a way to compromise and have a budget very big light diffuser. I think that it cost about 60$, but that was the cheapest gadget out there…

I use the brolly many times in my home studio and I must say that it lasted since (about 6 years ago). Today you can get at amazon 2 36″ for 34$, I don’t know about how good they are (my guess is that they are not bad)   but I always say to try everything, especially is this one is your first, spending 36$ isn’t to much.

The thing that bothered me most was how to attach the speedlight to the brolly. Until some time ago, I’d put the flash in the brolly, using another small flash holder (as seen on this page), but this way has two disadvantages:

1.  The flash is in the brolly, so all the manual guys are in trouble, cause as your set the flash power and closed the brolly, you’ld have to open it every time you want to change the power.
2. As the flash is inside the brolly, there is a small problem with the light spread in the brolly, cause your flash is to close to the umbrella, most of the light will be directed to the umbrella’s center.

So how to solve this “problem”? Two ways:

1.The Bungee Cord method – by attaching the speedlight to the brolly’s main rod, as the front of the flash is in the brolly and the rear of the flash out of the brolly, you get probably the cheapest diy way to get the speedlight into the brolly, while you still have all the control you need to manual control your speedlight.I used here two Bungge Cords, for extra caution, also one cord will do the job for indoors.You have extra safety as the open hole in the brolly’s front panel has a Velcro strip to get some more grip to the flash and the brolly’s holding rod.

2.Using an extra flash holder – this one is pretty easy, and “feel” more secure than the first tip. Get another flash holder, for this purpose you don’t must have a top of the line , I used the cheapest swivel head flash holder on the market, as it don’t need to hold to much weight, it only holds the flash to the main brolly holder.

Notice that in this setup, the flash isn’t pointing exactly to the center of the brolly, so if you can get a better angle you’ll have to get a shorter flash holder, but I think the over all this is a good compromise.

If you have another DIY trick of your own to attach the flash into the brolly, let us know!!!

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It all started with two probably (I say probably cause I didn’t used them yet) great and very popular gadgets, those are:

• Ray Flash Ringflash
• Orbis Ring Flash Kit

The only problem with those two , is that they cost about 200$, I Guess they both are of great building quality, but the price is abit to high for most strobist who will use the ring flash just a couple of times per year…

So a new player got into the ring `-) and as all the budget gadgets, it is from china, and one of the common is the small finishes, guys you did a very affordable product, go a dollar step ahead and make it much more better. Even thought, I must say that for the “normal” strobist, the piece will do its work and give great value for your bucks!

So, I’ll start with explaining about it minor flaws:

• It not as round as the two more expensive competitors.
• Due to some really going cheap in China, they left the logo carton, made of carton and not a reflective mateial, there for ,as many reviews on the net claim, it looses some light just for that …
• Light distribution isn’t 100% eqvivalent . You’ll see more light power at the top of the picture, and less at the bottom. I believe this is natural for those types of gadgets, but there are ways to make it better…

here are two images to showcase those “flaws”:

But there are some great sides for this gadget:

• Price – at about sixth of the price you’ll have to pay for the orbis/rayflash you’ll get a tool that anyone can afford.
• RingFlash –  yes you can get those flat light looking  images. I see in a lot behind the scenes videos, photographers using a ringflah and more over, I see lot of ringflashes used for video lighting.
• Construction – this is actually very good. If you see the other products on the market for the same price you’ll get the DIYPHOTOGRAPHY.net ringflash (http://www.diy-lighting-kits.com/ring-flash/), but its made of some paper and plastic sheets, while the O-Ring Flash is pretty sturdy for its price.

I do promise to write a post about the hack that solves removes the carton non reflective logo with the O-ring who will make it much better at minimising its light loose and light shape.

If you got it and photogrpahed with it, let as see!!!

Here is a quick one from this morning, Eitan My best model (well he is my sun, so he has to do what his told to!!!)

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