Yoga shoot

I had a fantastic shoot yesterday with Rebecca at this great yoga studio in the Pearl District of downtown Portland called YoYo Yogi.

Rebecca and I have not worked together since the KROCK New York billboard campaign, and she wanted to get some shots of her doing yoga.

The shoot was a blast. I worked in some shots with the new Expoimaging Rogue Gel Kits.These gel kits are fantastic and I will be writing a review on them soon here.



For most of the shoot I used a single strobe (Nikon SB900 with auxiliary battery pack) in either a Westcott 28" Apollo, or a Westcott 60" convertible umbrella. I used a Nikon SU800 to trigger the flashes. This was one of those situations where the SU800 was perfect for controlling the flashes.

We wrapped up the session with a two light set up. One light was set with a Rogue Honeycomb grid, and the second was set up with the Rogue Gel Kit. I dragged the shutter a bit to burn in some of the ambient light. I will be posting more of the images in the next few days.

Fun relaxed shoot where we got to try some new stuff in a different location.

Print of the week "Tattoo shadow" by vanishedtwin

The selected print of the week is available for purchase in many different mediums over at www.redbubble.com. Click on the photo and check out your ordering options.

Happy Birthday Scarlett

The last three years have gone by so fast.

Flash Facts - Calculating manual flash

guide number = f/stop x flash to subject distance

flash to subject distance = guide number / f/stop

f/stop = guide number / flash to subject distance

These three equations are all that you need to know in order to manually calculate flash exposure.

For instance the LumoPro LP160 has a guide number of 140 @ ISO 100. So, if I place the flash 10 feet away from my subject the equation would look like this:

f/stop = 140(guide number) / 10 (flash to subject distance)

If you solve the equation you would set the aperture to f/14 to have the correct exposure.

You can plug in any two variables to get the correct flash exposures needed. Just keep in mind that these formulas are a good starting point. The end decision of exposure is up to you.

Flash metering

We had a great time shooting a wedding up at Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood this past weekend for Chad and Sadie. This is the third time that I have shot a wedding at Timberline, and it is one of my favorite venues.

As with most location shoots there comes a time when your equipment seems to make a different decision than you do when you push the shutter. It happens to everyone at some point. The most important thing is how you react in that situation. My number one rule is: "Don't panic." I do not always adhere to the rule, but I have it none the less.

For me it has been the way I meter and control my flashes. I have just not been able to get the consistent results that I am looking for when I use a TTL system.



Over this past summer I found myself starting out with TTL via my Nikon SU800 and found it lacking consistency from frame to frame. Have I always had this problem? Nope, not really. In some cases it works out just fine when I am looking to simply brighten a scene, or when I am in close with a single subject and want to let the background be swallowed by shadows.

I find manual metering the best way to get exactly what I want when I want. In fact I have also started to use manual control when I have my flash mounted on camera. I set my distance and just have to keep it in mind when I am following subjects. Then it is a simple matter of making minor adjustments on the fly.



This past summer I have put my Nikon SB900 up against my LumoPro LP160 and found myself switching from the Nikon to the LumoPro on just about every shoot.

I have found that the interface on the LumoPro LP160 is easier to make quick adjustments on. Not that the SB900 has a terrible control layout, but I find that simpler controls are easier.

In the TTL vs. manual battle it looks like manual is the winner for me. One exception to all of this is Nikon's Auto FP High Speed Sync. That is a fantastic feature and there are many times that I would be lost without it. And that is why I will keep my Nikon flashes, but my day to day work horse is going to stay my LumoPro LP160.

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.