Setting up the shot - Embrace

Camera - Canon EOS-1D Mark IIn
Lens - Sigma 70-200mm f.2.8
Exposure - 1/320 @ f/13
Focal Length - 87mm

Lighting - Alienbees ABR800
Light Modifier(s) - 60" Westcott bounce umbrella.
Trigger - Alienbees: Radio Remote One


This shot was set up with a black background in a living room area at a long stay hotel.

With this shot I used an Alienbees abr800 ring flash shot into a Westcott 60" bounce umbrella.

The light was slightly above and to camera right. I focused the light on to Bobby's eye and let the light feather onto Kylene.

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.

Orbis ringflash Review

If you Google “Orbis ringflash review” you will get about 32,900 results. Needless to say there have been many reviews done on the Orbis Ringflash, so I am going to try to do something a little bit different. I am going to write about how I used the ringflash out on location, and how it worked with both TTL and manual metering.

I would like to start out with a few thoughts on the physical make up of the Orbis, and how it is mounted. The flash mount that holds the flash inside the Orbis is flat out amazing. I mounted three different flash units into the Orbis and all three of them stayed in place and I did not worry for a second about them slipping out. The Orbis flash mount was able to hold my Nikon SB600, SB900 and my Lumopro LP160 flawlessly.



The first time I saw the Orbis demonstrated it was being hand held up to the camera. When I tried shooting like this I had a bit of a shaky hand shooting so I then ended up mounting the flash on a stand. I have seen a few different DIY methods to solve this problem, and in the end Orbis came out with a mounting bracket that works like a dream. It is called the Orbis Arm
and in my opinion purchasing the mounting bracket is the best way to go right off the bat.

If you have ever used a conventional ringflash then you are in for a huge surprise. The Orbis is nothing like other ring flashes. It will give you the same light for the most part, but in a small easy to handle package.




The units weight is just a fraction of conventional ringflashes and does not require a power pack beyond your flash unit. For some people the TTL option is going to be a deal maker, but I must admit having the option of TTL or manual is always a great choice to have.

Beyond the ringflash's traditional lighting look the Orbis works just as well for an off camera main light or fill light. I have talked to a few different photographers that have the Orbis in their regular light kits and many of them also use it as a great on axis fill light.



The Orbis ringflash is a very capable light modifier that can be used for far more than just a ringflash. When I took it out for a location shoot I ended up using it off camera most of the time. This allowed me far more effective blending of daylight and flash.

The Orbis is easy to transport and has an all but instantaneous set up time. With the Orbis on a lightweight stand outside in the breeze the set up was very stable and I did not have to worry about the wind taking it away as it would have done with an umbrella.



My overall opinion of the Orbis ringflash is that it is a very well designed and built flash modifier that is capable of far more than just it's initial intent. If you are in the market for a light weight ring flash that is versatile enough to work as other types of light sources then you should take a good hard look at the Orbis ring flash. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Action packed weekend!

Before the week gets too far out of control I wanted to say thank you to those that made it out to the lighting workshop this past Saturday. I had a great time and I am looking forward to the next one.

Now on a sad note. I did that one thing that every photographer dreads. I dropped and broke my favorite lens. By the looks of it I do not think it can be saved. It was a pretty savage fall. Tomorrow I will give my insurance agent a call and see how much I will be penalized for using a service that I pay for. You just have to love insurance.



My Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 was not the most expensive or newest lens, but it was my favorite. That glass had some character and that is going to be hard for me to replace. That lens has been my workhorse for as long as I have been shooting with Nikon. Children, musicians, celebrities and all sorts of people from all walks of life have been photographed with that lens. I'm going to miss it.

Print of the week "Embrace" 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.

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.

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.