NASTY CLAMPS

A while ago, I got my hands on couple of Nasty Clamps for review, and I have not been able to put them down since. The Nasty Clamps are a very simple idea that is extremely well executed and also made right here in Oregon.

Waves of music in a sea of beer

I have written before about how much I love my Lumopro LP160 and I am going to do it again. Another location that I love shooting in is a nice and dark bar or small club. I was shooting a local band named In Repose last night and I needed to throw in some flashes to help out lighting. I asked the band if they had a problem with lighting the playing area before I did anything. They did not have any problem with it so I went around and placed some flashes around where they were set up.

LumoPro LP160 – Seamless integration

The more I use the Lumopro LP160 the more I love it. Recently I have been using it as a slave unit with my Nikon flashes. It has worked seamlessly when using the digital optical slave function. With this function selected the flash will ignore the TTL pre-flash and wait for the actual flash for it to fire. Between the S (optical slave made) and the Si (optical slave mode that ignores the TTL pre-flash) it is nearly effortless to add in the LP160 as a manual flash into your shot for added depth of lighting.



With all of its triggering options there is little need for additional triggers. All you need is a single set and the optical modes of the LumoPro LP160 and they fire right along with your other flashes.



I have also been using the digital optical slave function when using my SU-800as the commander of my Nikon flashes in manual mode. When shooting with this type of set up I can control the Nikon flashes from the camera position via the Nikon SU800 and have the LP160 fire with the Nikon's



If you wanted to have remote control of the LP160's power I would suggest that you look into the Jrx series by Radiopopper. I have not used these triggers as of yet but from what I have read and heard they should not have a problem controlling the LumoPro LP160's flash output.



I cannot express how happy I am with this flash unit and how much I recommend it to anyone looking for another flash in their kit.

Rogue Gels by Expoimaging

The new Rogue Gels come in two different versions. The first is the Rogue Gel's Universal Lighting Filter Kit and the second is the lighting filter gel kit for the Rogue Grid. Both kits come with 20 gels for a wide variety. The two sets offer the same color choices and options, but two different mounting methods.

The Universal Lighting Filter Kit is just what it sounds like: universal. This gel kit has a Gel-Band that attaches around the flash, along the lines of a custom shaped rubber band. You then take the tabs of the gels and tuck them into the side of the Gel-Band.

The gels are cut so that you can leave a bit of space between the head of the flash and the gels. The Gel-Band is a very secure fastener, it is not going to ever fall off of your flash, and the gels are held tightly and not going anywhere.

That being said, I do wish that the Gel-Band was similar to the Rogue Tension Strap found on the Honeycomb Grid. The way that the Tension Strap mounts is great and with a very small modification I am sure that it could be converted into a gel holder. But I am sure that would raise the cost significantly so it is all a matter of trade off.

The Rogue Gels lighting filter kit for the Rogue Grid is perfect in its integration with the grid. You place the gel between the bezel and the honeycomb. The two pieces line up via the grooves on the bezel and the honeycombs. It is super easy to put together and the gels cannot go anywhere because of the grids design.

In the spirit of keeping this “fresh” and trying new techniques, I decided to use these gel kits to enhance the natural tones of the location and the model. By putting a gel on my flash unit mounted in a Westcott 28” Apollo I filtered the light bringing it to a nice warm tone that complimented the model and the tones of the location.

Another technique that I tried was placing an amber gel on a flash and then bouncing the colored flash off of the wall bringing in again some warmer tones to the shot.

These two gel kits are fully capable of dealing with not only color correction but also with dramatic lighting situations. They are a truly comprehensive gel set. With 20 gels in each of these kits you have a wide range of colors to blend in or change altogether. I tried mainly to enhance the colors present instead of completely changing what was there, but these make it easy to accomplish either task.

One of the things that I love about the Rogue line is that they are small modifiers that have big results.

I always make sure to have these modifiers in my kit, every shoot. Their sublimity has a huge impact on the shot, and I love having them as an option providing so many different possibilities.

At the end of the day I find both the Rogue Universal Filter kit and the Rogue Gels lighting filter kit for the Rogue Grid just as versatile as the other light modifiers in the Rogue series. I believe Expoimaging has created a very well designed line of flash modifiers that every photographer should try.

Zoom vs. Prime

In case you missed it I lost my favorite zoom lens to a massive fall earlier this week. Now I am stuck in the age old debate of Zoom vs. Prime.

I have found that I go to my 50mm in a lot of controlled shooting situations, but I have also fell back on my old 28-70mm as a sort of catch all lens.

Both sides of this debate have very compelling reasoning to them. So lets hear what all of you have to say about the matter. You can leave a comment here or feel free to email me at info@vanishedtwin.com and let me know where you stand and why.

Basic off-cameraflash workshop

Tomorrow is the workshop, so if you would like to attend all you need to do is register by sending an email to: info@vanishedtwin.com



Saturday, Sep 3, 2011
Begins at 5pm
Tryon Creek State Park, Portland, Oregon 97219


map



This workshop is an outdoor introduction to off camera flash. We will be running through the beginning basics of getting the flash off of the camera and then learning how to control it in different lighting scenarios such as the setting sun and outdoor locations.

This is a free workshop, but you need to register in order to attend. Please email info@vanishedtwin.com to register or for any questions.

This is going to be a hands on workshop, so you will need a camera, flash and a trigger.

Mountain top wedding

This weekend we are heading up to one of our favorite places to shoot weddings.

Very excited to go to Timberline Lodge and shoot Sadie and Chads wedding!

BASIC OFF-CAMERA FLASH WORKSHOP

Saturday, Sep 3, 2011
Begins at 5pm
Tryon Creek State Park, Portland, Oregon 97219


map



This workshop is an outdoor introduction to off camera flash. We will be running through the beginning basics of getting the flash off of the camera and then learning how to control it in different lighting scenarios such as the setting sun and outdoor locations.

This is a free workshop, but you need to register in order to attend. Please email info@vanishedtwin.com to register or for any questions.

This is going to be a hands on workshop, so you will need a camera, flash and a trigger.

Smugmug

I have been asked quite a few times who I use for my online print service, and the answer is Smugmug.

I have been with Smugmug since September 29, 2006. I actually received a one year pro account as a gift for a wedding I shot. At first I used a separate service to host my website, and then I would direct my clients to my Smugmug site.

Through the years I learned more and more about what Smugmug could do. The more I learned about the customizing options the more I loved to service.

Eventually I moved my main website into my Smugmug site and have been very happy with the services, and options. There were many stumbles along the way as I learned what I could and could not do with the new site, but once I figured out how to build HTML pages in Smugmug it was all aces from there.

Smugmug has three plans. Basic, Power and Pro. The services that are available are pretty fantastic. From basic sharing to custom photography products Smugmug is definitely worth a look.

You can give them a try for 30 days and see what I am talking about. You will not be disappointed.

ExpoImaging Rogue light modifiers

The Rogue Honeycomb Grid and the Rogue FlashBenders are speedlight modifiers from ExpoImaging. The modifiers are light weight, small, and wonderfully flexible. Making room for them in your camera bag is very easy, and once you see what they can do you are definitely going to be able to clear out some space.




The Rogue Honeycomb Grid is a simple yet very effective four piece grid modifier for your speed lights. The set is comprised of the main housing bezel, two grids, and the grid strap. The Rogue Honeycomb Grid is designed to produce three different angels of light at 16, 25, and 45 degrees. The two grid pieces on their own produce the 25 and 45 angles, and when they are stacked together they produce a 16 degree angle of light. This modifier is very easy to use to control your light. Popping the grids in and out of the mount is a breeze.



The Rogue FlashBenders is a positionable light modifier that can be used many different ways and comes in both small and large sizes. You can shape the Rogue FlashBenders by simply bending them into the position that you want, and the three ribs in the Bender will keep it in position. You can used it as a bounce card, roll it into a snoot, or even use it as a flag. One of the most flexible light modifiers that I have ever used.



Mounting this line of modifiers onto your flash is incredibly easy with the use of the elastic band with hook and loop fasteners. There is also 2 snap points on the strap to adjust the length. The strap holds the modifiers rock solid in place and I have not had any trouble with them falling off or slipping out of alignment. In fact this is, in my opinion, the best on flash mounting system that I have used and I hope that there are plans for a stand alone hook and loop mounting strap in the near future.


I used a Flash Bender for the main light in this photo. To get the light as soft as possible I brought it as close to the model as I could.
With this set up the Flash Bender will give to lots of nice contrast, and with the fill light you can dial it in with as much shadow as you want.



The performance of these modifiers is absolutely fantastic! With a little room in your bag and these modifiers you get big lighting options. After shooting with the Rogue Honeycomb Grid and the Rogue Flash Bender for a few weeks now I have grown to love both their solubility and versatility.


In this shot I used the Rogue Flash Bender to camera right as the main light and then set up the Rogue Honeycomb Grid as a hair light from behind.


Here is the flash Bender as the main light with out any fill. I then added the Rogue Honeycomb Grid as an accent light and allowed it to flare into the lens as an added effect.

I have used the Rogue Honeycomb Grid, and Rogue FlashBenders both in studio and out on location. They work very well as both main lights and as accent lights. The material that they are made of is very durable, and I have no worries about them getting damaged in my bag or out on location.


For this shot above I used my Rogue FlashBender on the LumoPro LP160 to camera right, and feathered the light toward the model.



This is a pretty straight forward shot. I mounted a LumoPro LP160 fitted with a Rogue Honeycomb Grid to a 10' stand and raised it to full height.

I chose this spot because there was a natural light hot spot in the foliage. I used that natural light for separation of the model from the background.

For this shot I used a LumoPro LP160 fitted with a Rogue Flash Bender to camera left for the main light. I opened up the Flash Bender to it's full height and with to use it as a bounce for the main light.



I have found that using the Rogue FlashBenders as your main, and then the Rogue Honeycomb Grid as an accent or separation light is a very versatile combination.