On Traveling With Your Camera

UPDATE: Feb. 26th, 2015 -- The New York City episode of The Traveling Photographer has just been posted.

UPDATE: Dec. 12th, 2014 -- The London episode of The Traveling Photographer has just been posted.

UPDATE: Nov. 15th, 2014 -- The Paris episode of The Traveling Photographer has just been posted.

UPDATE: Sept. 7th, 2014 -- The Dubai episode of The Traveling Photographer has just been posted.


In January Strobist was restructured from a standard, 2x/week blog into a core knowledge archive. Rather than publishing all of the time, we made the 2,000-post archive more organized and accessible. Now, Strobist only updates when there is something meaningful to say.

I did this to flip the signal to noise ratio (seriously, who needs to read that many photoblog posts every day) and to create some time for two significant projects. The first of which, The Traveling Photographer, has just dropped.
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Introducing The Traveling Photographer

Here's the problem with most travel photography books: they are to some degree disingenuous. They play on the idea that you'd love to be a full-time travel shooter, and build on that desire to point you in a lot of inappropriate directions.

I mean, it's cool to know how to shoot for a cover, or how to get in touch with picture buyers for travel mags or how to (try to) sell your work as travel stock. But the reality is that only a very small percentage of people who try will actually make it as travel photographers.

Which is why the first thing I did with this new video series was to throw out that assumption. Here's what I went with instead.



Travel is a wonderful thing. But it is also a time-compressed, experience-rich period in when the balance between photography and the other parts of your life can be a bit stressed.

Most of the time when traveling you are simultaneously serving several masters. You are an individual, experiencing personal growth as a traveler. You are a spouse. You are a parent. And you are a photographer.

To that last item, many photo enthusiasts who travel do so overburdened both with camera gear and photo expectations when they hit the road. Seriously, I often see people in fantastic destinations weighed down by 30 lbs of gear—and a surprising amount of internal pressure to Get the Shot—while they are on freaking vacation.

Here's the thing, and the the main premise of TTP: You're probably not being paid to shoot abroad. You are doing it for the joy, for the experience, to record your family's memories and just maybe get something killer for the wall in your photo den.



And that is our mission: to show you how to travel lighter, to exist most of the time as merely a traveler/spouse/parent who is present in the moment and get the most out of your experience—without ruining it for everyone by being Full-Time Photo Guy. And we'll show you how/when/where to efficiently slip out of that role to come back with some gorgeous photographs.

TTP is a holistic approach to travel photography. We're about photo vs. life balance when you're on the road.
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The Traveling Photographer: Fundamentals


In TTP:Fundamentals, you'll learn:

1. How to travel very efficiently both with respect to your pack list and your gear
2. How to co-exist with your traveling companions outside of your role as destination photographer
3. How to make your photography a nimble asset to your travel experience, as opposed to a zero-sum-game competitor
4. How to organize your thinking as a photographer (we steal techniques from pros, here) to become far more efficient as a photographer
5. How to make the most of a few pre-planned slices of time to get striking results without encroaching on the most important thing: your family's travel experience


I can't tell you how many photographer/travelers I have seen in how many fantastic locations who looked like they were geared up for a D-Day invasion. Two bodies. Street-sweeper zooms. Tripod. Spouse. Kids. Sightseeing/shooting with all of this in tow at freaking noon.

Almost invariably, they don't look happy. Seriously, WTF. What is the main goal here?

The sweet spot is in realizing that you want to be Clark Kent most of the time, and only when the payout is worth it to slip into a phone booth and become Super Photo (Wo)Man.

Our goal is to be your phone booth.
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With City-Specific Episodes


After TTP:Fundamentals, which is about two hours long, we hit the road to a series of five (this year) cities around the world: Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris, London and NYC.



In these cities, which should be on the short list of any traveling photog, we cover everything you need to know before heading to one of these destinations with your camera. We're like Your Man in Hong Kong—or wherever. We're your fixer.

We cover specific travel logistics as they relate to photographer/travelers, inside knowledge from local shooters and choose some well-curated photo experiences designed to help you get some trophy shots.



Looking for that killer skyline shot? It often needs to include the thing all of the iPad-toting tourists are standing on. We'll show you where, when and how to make your photo better.

Finally, we include some off-the-beaten-path experiences that will make your trip that much better.



Each city-specific episode is about an hour long. So far TTP:Fundamentals and TTP:Hong Kong have already been published. Dubai, Paris, London and NYC are set to follow in the coming months. After that, we will make the decision on whether or not to continue based on your viewership. (So watch early and often!)



The "we" in this equation is myself and photographer/videographer Andrew Tomasino, pictured above. This is something we truly love producing, and would be happy to spend some time during the next few years of our lives doing so.
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Where to Watch The Traveling Photographer


In early 2013, web training behemoth Lynda.com acquired the rights to stream Strobist's 6-DVD lighting course, Lighting in Layers. The synergy was such I decided to pitch Lynda with what I considered to be a wildly ambitious idea: a city-specific, travel photography series, filmed all over the world.

They said yes.

(Retroactive note to self: Be careful what you wish for.)

Long story short, Lynda.com is now where The Traveling Photographer series resides.

Lynda.com is a subscription-based site with a phenomenal amount of educational content. The cost is $25/mo., with no contract needed. That means you can sign up for a month and binge-watch an insane amount of cool stuff in addition to The Traveling Photographer. Like the aforementioned Lighting in Layers collection. Or Steve Simon on street photography. Or lifestyle shooting with Nick Onken. Or how to nail copyright infringers with Attorney Carolyn Wright. Or how to use a view camera, with photo legend Douglas Kirkland. Or camera-specific video manuals. Or ridiculous amounts of detailed, professionally produced software (photo and otherwise) tutorials.

For $25 you can gorge yourself for a month until your eyeballs fall out and then walk away if you want. Whether you stay or not, it's kind of a no-brainer.

And because many thousands of companies use Lynda as their corporate partner for training, you may well already have full access at work. Check around at your company and see.

I hope you enjoy The Traveling Photographer series. Andrew and I had a great time producing it. And even more so, I hope it adds to your experience both as a traveler and as a photographer.
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:: My Lynda.com Author Page ::

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Do This: Sara Lando in US for Workshops in August

Whatcha doing in mid/late August? If you are within striking distance of Baltimore or Atlanta, you have a one-off chance to do something cool and fun that will change the way you approach your photography: spend a day (or two) with Italian conceptual portrait photographer Sara Lando.

After spending a couple years convincing her to come to the US, Zack Arias and I are this summer hosting Sara for two weekends of seminars and workshops in Atlanta and Baltimore. We are doing this because A) it's an awesome experience (trust us on that) and B) it's a lot easier than getting all you guys over to Dubai for Gulf Photo Plus.

Speaking of GPP, fun fact: instructors there get to sit in on any seminars/workshops they want on their day off. No offense to Arias, McNally, Heisler, etc., but I chose to sit in on Sara's classes during any chunk of free time that I had. And I learned a lot.

Sara marches to the beat of her own drummer, which is to say she's different. And she's different in a way that illuminates a critical blind spot for many photographers. She comes at her craft from a completely different and unique direction that fills a lot of gaps in my own (admittedly technically-based) thought process.

Her series on the psychology of portraiture was literally the most popular set of posts on Strobist in 2012, when they appeared. She's grown considerably as a photographer since then, as well as in her ability to communicate her thought process to other shooters.
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Three Choices—Or Choose All Three

Sara is doing three classes in each city—two half-day seminars on Saturday and a small-class, full-day shooting workshop on Sunday. (The Sunday classes are all full.)

You can sign up for any or all. The two larger-size classes (morning and afternoon on Saturday) also offer a combo discount.


Sat. AM: Rethink Your Approach to Portraiture



Saturday morning's class, entitled Behind the Portrait, is an exploration into about a thousand things you probably have not thought of in your own approach to photographing people.

Having spent some time in this class, I can tell you that it was both illuminating and painful. I was learning so many little things, yet wincing all along as I realized the lost opportunities I had previously squandered because I am far, far too technically oriented for my own good.



I think f/stops and shutter speeds and lighting when I should be thinking word association and gesture and subtext and connections and more stuff like that than I care to admit.

Are you the same way? Saturday morning will be about fixing that.


Sat. PM: Throw Away the Rules





The Saturday afternoon class is a seminar on the use of mixed media with/after your photography. In some ways, it is like taking your photography back to kindergarten art class. In others, it is as if you took it to a grad school psychology class.

To get an idea of where her free-form cardboard/string/tape/cotton-ball techniques have taken her, take a moment to visit the website for Magpies, the utterly unique project she produced using some of her home-grown multimedia techniques.



Quick story from her Dubai class, which will probably piss her off for my telling it. One couple was emotionally moved by her multimedia work to the point where they wanted her to shoot their wedding in that style.

But Sara's not a wedding photographer. Not does she want to be. The very thought of being one terrifies her. So she asked them the date, and politely explained that she was previously engaged to shoot on that day.

So they offered to change their wedding date to accommodate her. She had painted herself into a corner with what should have been a rock-solid bluff. So she shot their wedding.

My point: maybe you're a wedding shooter, a portrait shooter or whatever. I'm just saying it is possible there are doors you have yet to walk through that offer entirely new possibilities and potential for your work, be it personal or professional.
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The Saturday morning and afternoon classes (8/16 in ATL and 8/23 in Baltimore) are $99 each, or $159 for both. The 8/23 location, which I am hosting, is in Columbia, MD., between Baltimore and Washington. It's a great spot, with several great lunch choices within a two-minute walk. (Full details coming soon to attendees.)


Sunday: Small Class (Shooting) Portrait Workshop

PLEASE NOTE: The Sunday classes have already been filled.



If Saturday is a classroom experience with a full class size, Sunday's is an all-day small class, with 14 people max. This session includes both specialized instruction and hands-on shooting. There will be models onsite, and lunch is included (speaking here for Baltimore, you'll have to ask Zack for ATL.)

I popped into this class, too, while filming for my Lynda Travel project in Dubai. We were on a tight filming schedule, but I so wanted to stay longer.



If Dubai was any indication, we'll need some water and some large tarpaulins, among other things. I have not yet gotten my full marching orders from Sara, but I stand willing and able to execute. After all, I get to be onsite for this one all day.

The all-day small-class shooting workshop is $350, and you can get more details here. (This class is filled.)
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I Think Heisler's Wrong

In 2012 I engineered a week in which Sara would assist for photographer Greg Heisler for a week at Gulf Photo Plus. You may remember her writing about the experience here on Strobist.

Greg and I both thought Magpies was amazing. While talking about it, he looked at me and said, "You know, you can't teach that."

At the moment, I agreed. And maybe in some ways he is right. But I also realize that Sara's time with him was as an assistant/Strobist mole and she was super-busy just taking in as much as she could.

But the next year, attending her classes at GPP, I became increasingly of the mind that, yes, there is a lot of what she does that can be taught. And I was only too happy to be there taking notes. Just like I will be this time.

Sara will not turn you into a rubber stamp of herself. And nor would you want that. But spending time with her has opened up a few new channels in my brain that has changed the way I think about shooting people.

I highly recommend the experience as an ideal way to cap off your summer and charge up your creative batteries as you head into fall. Don't miss this.
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Full Details and Sign-Up Info:

:: Sara Lando US Workshops, August 2014 ::


Dates:

Atlanta: 8/16 - 8/17
Baltimore: 8/23 - 8/24

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On Assignment: Cellist Carolyn Rosinsky

I love shooting at mix. Especially when there are epic clouds on the move. And even more so while monitoring my Dark Skies app to know exactly when the rain will start falling on a OMGHowMuchDidThatThingCost? cello.

Just keeps things interesting, you know?
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Location, Location, Location

Every photographer should have a go-to location for shooting outdoor portraits. Mine is the Howard County Conservancy, who are smart enough to both recognize that they have a great place to shoot and to bend over backwards to work with photographers who like to shoot there.

It is really worth spending a little time to find locations like this in our area, be it private land (with permission) public land (find out your local park policies for photography) or hybrid areas like HCC.

In this case the HCC hosts, among many other cool buildings, a 1700's-era heavy timber barn that was moved, plank-by-plank, to enjoy its golden years on the grounds of the Conservancy. I love this backdrop and often start there while we wait for the cool light to arrive.



Because the barn has four sides, at least one of them is always going to be in full shadow. That's an easy thing for a couple speedlights to overpower, and speedlights was exactly what we were using to light Carolyn this evening.

I have pretty much ditched my Nikons for shooting people, unless they are running full speed on a full-sized soccer field or the like. Just like Zack did, there is a huge DSLR garage sale coming soon…

This is mostly because I have fallen in love with the compact size and color palette of the Fuji X-cameras. Check this: mixed with speedlights, I can carry three bodies, six lenses AND A WORKING STUDIO in a little Domke F-6 bag and a short sling case.


Photo by Dave Kile

Here's the full lighting gear pack we used for all three setups that night. The lights are LP180's—we're basically using two speedlight starter kits, now that I think about it.

My friend Erik Couse is acting as VAL on the key light. His job is to stay on axis and rotate the light to follow her face. As a photographer himself, he has a strong intuition about the latter which makes him much better than a C-stand.

Plus, he is way taller than me. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

The fill is from a second umbrella'd LP180 (slaved, with the key light being triggered by a hot-shot-to-⅛" cord.) I have since switched to a 30-foot coiled version to simplify things.

This is all flash, which is to say we are totally overpowering the ambient that is seen in the BTS pic. Key light was full exposure, fill was about two stops down.

I love the monochrome palette of the photo, and the texture of the barn as opposed to seamless or a painted backdrop. I want to cut out a section of this barn and keep it in my garage. Sadly, HCC is not that accommodating.
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Dark Sky is Your Friend

After we shot some headshots against the post-sunset light, we went for something a little more contextual. The sky was, like, epic-opera cool. But that also meant approaching rain, which is a HUGE no-no for the expensive instrument of a concert cellist.

To cut it right down to the wire, we used my favorite shooting weather app, Dark Sky. It knows your exact location and aggregates a plethora of real-time weather data to tell you exactly your time-based weather profile.

You can look at real radar maps, etc. But what I like is the time-based way in which the rain data is presented. There is a timeline for your exact location and a graph of rain intensity expected over time. It's wavy and constantly updating as location-based radar location is absorbed and crunched.



Best yet, you can set it to sound an alarm when [light/medium/heavy] rain will be starting in your exact location in [x] minutes. OMG. Where was this thing when we had to cover the Preakness horse race with al those damned remote cameras? It's awesome.

So, skies were threatening but Dark Sky told us we were cool for 15 mins. We just walked our same lighting kit over to a nearby field and Carolyn uncorked an amazing soundtrack while we shot. I love shooting cellists.
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Just as before, Erik is skying the LP180 key light over her, paying attention to the orientation of her face. He is off to high camera right, from my perspective. I am in the grass on my belly with a Fuji X-E2 and a 14mm f/2.8 (21mm equiv.).

To my left, down low, is the fill light: the other LP180 in another umbrella on a collapsed compact stand. This light does not appear to be doing a lot, but you would miss it in its absence.

It is picking up detail on the side of the cello and pushing light out into the near camera left grass. It's also painting a specular highlight down the black chair, which gives it form without lots of detail. This is a dark picture. A ton of detail in the bass clef would kinda ruin it.

The fill light is sync-corded to the camera; the key is optically slaved. We are working really fast here (rain's a-comin') so we ballparked the key light exposure and had Eric tweak the distance if we needed to alter it. Also, I could do that with my aperture and tweak the nearby fill to compensate when needed.

The sky was all over the place. It was changing quickly with the clouds rolling in, so the shutter speed was changing, too. But mostly I just let the ambient exposure roll and adjusted when/if it got too far out of whack.
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Fuzzy Logic

A good selection of epic sky photos in the can, we went for something a little different. I pulled the 14mm and replaced it with a (follow the bouncing ball here) Diana 38mm plastic lens, on a Nikon adapter which was in turn fitted to an N-to-X-Mount adapter for use on the Fuji. The result: a normal-length, plastic squishy goodness.



I like to stretch for something different, especially when I am happy with what I already have. For Fuji portraiture I love the Diana 38mm just as I have used the Holga 60mm with full-frame Nikons in the past.

Pixel peepers hate this kind of stuff. Somewhere, there is a guy reading this whose forehead is starting to throb. (Embrace the anger, my DxOMark friend…)

The further I travel down this path, the more willing I am to go for evocative at the expense of [sharpness/exposure/focus/you name it]. Heck, I spent three days shooting in Paris in May without once putting a "real" piece of glass on the camera. I regret nothing.

I used to worry about what I was giving up. ("But it's not sharp!") Lately my concern is not for missed technical perfection, but more for the unexplored path.

In the end, this was my favorite image from the shoot. Plus, that look that she is throwing over her shoulder: I love that, too.

I am not married to Diana. But I sure won't mind hanging out with her for awhile. And in the context of a small camera bag full of possibilities and a dinky lighting kit, I'll be happy to follow where she leads.
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Discussion, via Twitter: use hashtag #StrOA165, and add "@Strobist" at the end of the tweet if is important that I see it.


Next (OA): Avatar

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Avatar

My last head shot had been getting a little long in the tooth. So on a whim the other day, I redid it.

Gotta keep things fresh, I always say. So I try to redo my head shot every seven years, whether it needs it or not.

As photographers, we only get to see one side of the equation—and that does not involve looking down the barrel of the gun, either. So being on the receiving end is always a learning experience. Even more so when you are on the shooting and receiving end.
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Your Brand

So, show of hands: how many of you are on social media? OK, a couple.

A head shot, AKA avatar, is your immediate first impression on other people. And in theory at least, you have the ability to present your first impression pretty much the way you want to. After all, it's not like you need to go out and hire a photographer to do it.

That said, from my position on Twitter (with lots of upstreamed questions/mentions coming from photographers) I see a lot of photog head shots. Some are great, and very conscious of the power of that first impression. Some… not so much.

And there are even some eggs. Eggs. Are you effing kidding me. Seriously.

A new head shot had been on my to-do list for a while, but there had been plenty of reasons to put it off. As a one-man band, my to-do triage list usually keeps anything that is not on fire or bleeding on the back burner.

But that time on the back burner allows time for ideas to percolate on non-urgent projects, just like a long-term assignment. So in the end it works out pretty well. And in thinking about what kind of a head shot I would want to do, the following thoughts had risen to the top:


Black and White

That's a photographer thing, I think. This would get heavy use as a visual brand for my social media channels, as well as a mugshot for any external publication for which I was a subject.

I wanted black and white rather than color. And to avoid the trap of thinking in both genres at once, I shot it only in B&W. Besides, Fuji (I used an X-T1 for this—more on why later) does really nice B&W files in-camera.


Al Dente

I am not generally slick or polished. (Or long-trousered, for that matter.) So the feel of an avatar/headshot/visual brand should be consistent with that. B&W, simple light, organic background, etc. Heck, I didn't even shave. Which is kinda of interesting and pretty spot-on in retrospect. The idea to actually get up, walk across the room and do a headshot hit me totally on a whim.

Which, I figured, was the ideal time to do it. Stream of consciousness.


Square

It would be most-used as a square, so I wanted to compose and shoot it as a square. In a pinch it could tight-crop to a vertical. But it should want to be square.


Warts-and-All

This is where the photog and subject thing collide. As photographers, we want to show people in an authentic way. As subjects, we wanna look good. That to me was the most interesting of the collisions that resulted in playing all of the parts in this production.

In the end, I figured I am 49. Sure, I can give myself smoother skin. But every wrinkle, every acne scar, every sunspot and every gray hair are well-earned. (No warts yet, but give me time.)

The photographer in me won out and I am glad it did. Having gone through that balancing act and come out squarely on the photo end, I hope to bring that experience to being better able to encourage my own subjects to go full-bore real. Or at least to move the slider a little more in that direction. In general things are way too plastic these days, IMO. I understand it, I guess, but I don't like it.


Neutral Expression, Camera Conscious

Again, going for real and direct here. Aim a camera at someone and the eight-year-old inside them hears their parent yell, "Smile!"

It's reflexive. Even so, I have always maintained that a neutral expression is far more versatile. It is a mirror expression. It will reflect whatever the viewer puts into it.

Ditto with camera conscious. I use the technique of, "Look over there for a second" all the time when I shoot people who are not making a good connection with the camera. It's a device. Maybe good for a manufactured visual moment, or a little variety in a shoot. But it will never have the impact of someone staring straight into the camera.
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Technical Stuff: Again, Simple

I used one light on a stand right behind the camera, bounced into the white suspended ceiling. At first it was an LP180 speedlight—pleeeenty of power for this. But while I am good at sensing how light will fall from a no-model-light flash onto a face when viewing from camera position, being the subject itself made that much more difficult.

So I swapped out to one of the LED monoblocs we bought for filming the Lynda Travel stuff. That way I could see myself in the context of the light, realtime.

How? Because of one little awesome trick.


Fuji Camera Remote



The Fuji X-T1 is the first camera to include access to the Fujifilm's Camera Remote App. It's free, but it only works with the new X-T1. (Presumably, other future Fuji cameras will include this capability.)

The app allows you to not only view a near real-time (seriously, the lag is almost nil) thru-camera image on your iPhone, but also to control the camera and shoot frames, too. You can remotely change many of the settings just as you would on the camera. You can even tap your screen to whatever you want to focus on and the AF point will jump to there.

I am only beginning to explore the app, but I know one thing: it makes the X-T1 pretty much the ultimate selfie cam. Zack used it to shoot close-ups of a cobra. (Meh. Weenie. I eat them...)

But seriously, I can see lots of cool possibilities for this. It's not fully baked yet, IMO. But it is a V1.01, and it is freaking free. So there's that.

And it worked great for this shot.
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As for post production, as I said I tried to resist the temptation to Barbie-fy my skin. In fact, I even jacked the contrast a little. Even more so in the wood grain of the basement closet door I used as a backdrop.

I duotoned it a little bit—warmer in the highlights, cooler in the shadows—to get the faux richness of the old Kodak Elite B&W paper, when you left it in the Dektol for a full five minutes. Again, old guy. Whaddya want.


Seriously, Do a Real Head Shot Already

If you are a photographer and you shoot people and you have not put some time and effort into making what is for you an appropriate, real head shot then I would submit that you might not be getting the concept, as they say.

It's your first impression. It's your brand. You have everything you need to do it, for free. Just do it, okay?
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Discussion, via Twitter: use hashtag #StrOA166, and add "@Strobist" at the end of the tweet if is important that I see it.

And if you know of a photographer who has really pulled off the head shot/avatar thing pretty well, shoot us an URL.


NEXT: Full-Sun Group Shot

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On-Assignment: Full-Sun Group Shot

If you have never done it before, lighting a group shot outdoors in full sun can be daunting. After all, sun is pretty bright. And your subject is pretty big and thus harder to light at a high level.

But with a leaf-shutter camera and a couple of battery powered monoblocs, you can easily own the sun and just about anything you can put under it.
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I have been using the Howard County Conservancy, well, let's just say a lot as a location. So I not only suggested some things I might be able to shoot for them as a thank you, but asked if they had any ideas themselves.

Turns out, what they really needed was a staff group shot. Not the first thing I would have gone with, but from their perspective it was important. And since my overall goal is to elevate their visual footprint, swapping out something as pedestrian as a group shot is pretty low-hanging fruit—and a lot more obvious to me in retrospect.

Oh, and can we get head shots of everyone while we are at it?

Sure we can. No prob.
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Follow the Bouncing Ball

It's been awhile since a full walk-thru OA. So what the heck, let's break this one down.

First thing is scheduling. With a flock of busy adults, the best time to schedule a group shot is when everyone is already together for another reason. So that, rather than light, is usually gonna drive the timing. In this case it was a staff meeting. They'd be done about 9:30am, and some people would have to leave quickly after that.

Not ideal—a mid-morning shoot without the benefit of early-morning golden light. I suppose I could do a sunlit group, but the light is already a little high at 9:30am in the summer. And who needs all that squinting? So let's nuke the sun and use flash.

My next stop is at Google Maps, to orient myself with the summer morning sun (really, I do not shoot very often in the morning…) and make sure we have somewhere that can be in full shade with a good sunny backdrop.


Our Spot and Our Gear



Here it is: the same Montjoy Barn that was our portrait backdrop in OA165. This morning, we'll be making use of its size and opacity. In the morning it throws a pretty good spot of shade.

You can see my gear loosely splayed out: A couple of Einstein e640s with Vagabond Mini Lithium batteries to power them. Light mods are a Paul Buff medium PLM (silver, with white diffuser) up top, and my go-to Photek Softlighter on the ground as fill. I put the PLM up top on the key because it is more efficient, and that is where I will need my power.

The camera: a (relatively dinky looking) Fuji X100s, on sticks. The latter being to keep it still just in case I need to swap faces in the group shot in post. Which I am not above doing.

The x100s is very important, as it has a leaf shutter which will allow me to sync flash at any speed that is below the t.1 time of the flash itself. I have posted in detail about the x100s and its near magical qualities in sun-nuking. We have also used this same gear pack for another OA if you want another look at how this stuff works together so well.


Grab a Baseline Exposure



From the camera position, let's grab a quick shot of the full-sun background. And this is a very specific shot, exposure-wise. I am going to shoot it at 1/1000th at f/8 at ISO 200.

Why 1/1000th? Because I can safely hit that sync speed with an Einstein e640 on half power. Which is a pretty good whop of light at 320ws. And I love, love, love that the e640 shows me my t.1 time at any setting, right on the display.

There it is:



Why half power? Recycle time. That's plenty of light to do what I need. So why go up a stop and double my recycle times? After all I am using batteries here. Common sense.

Why ISO 200? Best quality. Got plenty of light; no need to stretch the ISO.

Why f/8? Because that will easily hold focus through the group (and then some) on an 23mm lens/APS chip. And I am pretty sure I can hit f/8 at my working distance with an e640 on half power.

And if you notice, my scene is significantly underexposed. I don't want the ambient to be that dark in the final photo. But setting myself up with too-dark ambient means I create wiggle room to be able to alter my flash exposure and ambient exposure just by twiddling the camera's knobs. More on that in a minute.

Now let's make sure I can light this group at f/8 before they even get here—and without a flash meter.



Yep, just fine. That's a shot (at f/8 ISO 200) of the barn from approximately the same working distance from my light as my light will be to the group. As long as the laws of physics behave, I'm good to go.

Also notice that the barn is pretty warmed up. I am going with a ¼ CTO warming gel (how to gel a big mod, here) on the key light to make them pop against the blue sky.


Season to Taste

Since my ambient exposure for the background/ambient shot is too dark and I can still hit this aperture with my flash, I can do anything I want to the flash/ambient exposure right from the camera when I actually start to shoot these folks. If I want the sky lighter, I open up the shutter. If I want it darker (which I won't—it's plenty dark) I could still drop down to a 1/2000th and be safely inside my t.1 time.

Also, note that I am using a sync cord connected to the fill light and slaving the key off of that. This means I will not waste any critical microseconds in the process of close-shaving that sync time. Every little bit matters, and a radio remote can be your limiting factor in this situation at very high shutter speeds.

If I want my subjects lighter I can open the aperture and close the shutter to reclaim the background exposure. Or vice versa if I want them darker. Easy manual control of everything, all by starting with an exposure that is a little too dark. (And having a leaf shutter, of course.)


Here's the Scene, Ambient-Light Only



This pic, courtesy an HCC tweeter, shows the scene as it exists before the exposure shift and without flash.

It's pretty remarkable what the ability to drop the ambient and bring the subject back up with flash can do to a photo. And they have absolutely no idea what this looks like from their perspective. They pretty much just see this:



After they get in place, I will want to tweak my background/sky ambient for the final shot. In the end I lightened the sky a bit by opening the shutter up ⅔ stop to 1/640th of a second. And that's my final tweak.

Then I grab a couple of shots, loosen them up a little and show them a flashed pic on the back of the camera before we really get going. Because when they see it, they look kinda epic:



And that's usually what will get a small group over the hurdle and help them bring a little confidence (attitude, even?) to a group shot. Which a group shot really needs if you ask me.

A few minutes later and we are done. In fact total for the group (wrangling, etc.) we were about 15 minutes, even grabbing an impromptu second group (camp counselors) in the same light. It was a pretty easy swap-out.
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Next Up, Head Shots

If you have a group shot and head shots to do, always try to do the group first. If you're gonna be herding cats, you wanna do it while everyone is fresh and not bored. Then you can zero in on your head shot victims one at a time.

Plus, this way is more respectful of people's time. Do the group, then hit the head shots in order of who has to leave first. (Or who is most important, yada yada.) That gets everyone out as soon as possible.



For head shots we took about 30 minutes to quickly reset the lights and set up a full head shot studio inside the barn. With two big lights and soft modifiers on hand, we would have everything we needed as long as the batteries held out.

Nope. Not even. That barn door is in open shade, which the door also allows you to shape and control. So at that point all we needed was a clean backdrop. Paging Mr. Foamcore…



Doorways in open shade and a piece of foamcore: head shots don't get much easier than this.

You can get a lot fancier, to be sure. But for their needs it sufficed just fine. And it worked great to get people on their way, too, as we were literally knocking these off in about 30 seconds each.

No flash, so you can motor right through micro expressions. Just have your repertoire of corny jokes at the ready.
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So, easy morning—both for me and my leaf shutter/battery flash combo. The Conservancy is a tremendous resource for Howard County and I am quite pleased to be able to do anything I can to elevate their visuals and increase their exposure.

There are lots of other orgs like this; maybe even one in your county. Do yourself—and them—a favor by getting better acquainted.

Discussion, via Twitter: use hashtag #StrOA167, and add "@Strobist" at the end of the tweet if is important that I see it.


NEXT: Actor Ben Lurye

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Choosing a Camera

There is no perfect camera. So get that idea out of your head right now. Far better to think of any camera as a set of compromises. Size, speed, image quality, low-light performance, price, etc., can all be features—and they can all be liabilities.

You want image quality? Get an 11x14" film camera. Great for detail and tonal range. But sucks for action sequences / portability / low light performance.

Every camera is a compromise in at least one area. So to start, list your most important features on a sheet of paper and let that guide your choosing strategy.
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• If you want best-possible image quality, you might sell your car/house/plasma and buy a digital medium format camera.

• If you need super long glass and/or FPS speed (sports, nature, etc.) maybe grab a fast Nikon (or Canon) and a super-telephoto lens.

• If you shoot people, speed and high ISO performance might not matter as much as gorgeous color.

• I you travel a lot you might put a premium on your cameras being small and lightweight, with good low-light performance.

• If you are following a toddler around the living room, continuous AF performance may trump price.


So think about what is important to you (and your budget, of course) and begin your search for cameras using that as a compass point.

If you are old like me, you might be tempted to only consider cameras built around the dated form factor of film cameras to be the only cameras worth serious consideration. That's an age bias. Have it if you like, but be aware of it. To a twenty-year-old that doesn't matter any more.

Speaking of age, if I were just dipping my toe into the water I'd strongly consider a late-model used digital camera and a used lens or two. If I was not happy, it would be a cheap marriage to unwind. Within a year I could probably sell the lot on eBay for a couple hundred less than I paid, max.

And if I was happy it would be a great platform to build on. Once committed, my next body might something current and the original body goes to a second/backup. Either way, I would not expect to be using the camera after five or six years.

Point is, you don't have to jump in the deep end. Buy one body and a lens or two. Maybe buy used from a shutterbug friend, knowing the camera implicitly comes with ad hoc tutoring. (And a good outlet to borrow/lend lenses, bodies, etc.)



I spent over 30 years with Nikon film and digital SLRs as my primary cameras. But the further I got away from shooting for newspapers (which at the time had included lots of sports photography) the more my priorities shifted. Here is what is important to me now: small, lightweight, good image quality, great in low-light and quiet/unobtrusive. That led me to move to mirrorless (Fuji) a couple years back.

Pictured at top are the cameras that currently get more use than anything else I have (save maybe my iPhone): a Fuji X-E2 and a Fuji X100s.

Whatever camera style/brand you are considering, you can use the 'net to easily scope out how other photographers are using it and what kind of image quality it has.

For instance, try this: click on the night photo just above, which will take you to its Flickr page (in a new window). Scroll down beneath the photo's page where it says "Fujifilm x100s" (or just click here) and you go to a page that will show you lots of different photos shot with exactly that model of camera.

And here's the thing: clicking on that link from just about any camera icon on a Flickr photo page will quickly show you that you can make amazing photos with just about any current camera. So don't sweat it or pixel peep too much.

Instead, focus on how you will be using the camera and what features are truly most important. Then let that drive your choices. And understand that the camera you use today probably won't be the camera you are using in five years.


NEXT: Lenses

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Choosing Lenses

If you date your cameras, you marry your lenses. That's because, unlike digital cameras, a well-chosen lens can serve you for a very long time.

I still have one lens that I bought thirty two years ago. And I bought it used. I doubt that will be the case with any of my digital cameras, ever.

In the past, I was a lens speed freak and was willing to spend great sums of money to have very fast glass. I now realize that lust was misplaced. If I had it to do over again (and I do, and have) I would lean more on reasonably fast primes and here's why.

Moderately fast primes are (much) lighter, (much) cheaper and often just as sharp (or sharper) than their speedy siblings. For Nikon shooters, the Nikon 28, 50 and 85 f/1.8 trio of lenses are great examples of this. They weigh next to nothing in my bag and offer great performance. Also, I have moved away from primarily using fast zooms. Rather than a fast 24-70/2.8, I'd now opt for a trio of fast-ish primes and a decent, slower zoom to back them up.

This way, you get a stop (plus) faster at each focal length, backups throughout the 24-70mm range and you lose the most daunting aspect of the speed zoom: an expensive single point of failure.

In general, remember this when it comes to ultra-fast DSLR lenses: you pay through the nose for them when you buy them. And then you pay again, in weight, every time you lug them around. Remember that cameras have amazing high-ISO performance these days. And they are just going to get better as we go.



As for my Fuji lenses, it is pretty hard to go wrong with their primes (although I'm not a huge fan of the 60mm macro…) But the others are small, gorgeous and fast. I love the built-in 23mm (35 equiv.) of the X100s. It's sharp wide open and it has beautiful flare when you point it right into the sun as seen above. It's my most-used lens. Which is a good thing, given that it's welded to X100s.



Painted Hall, Greenwich, UK with Fuji 14mm/2.8

Along with that, the 35/1.4 (50mm equiv., seen at top on left) and 14/2.8 (21mm equiv., on right) are my go-to lenses on the interchangeable lens Fuji bodies. If I am shooting tight headshots, maybe the 56/1.2 in the middle.

As a backup for the lot, I like the 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 kit zoom (not shown). Which, although not a speed lens, is great optically and has stabilization.



Actor Ben Lurye, with Fuji 18-55 f/2.8-4

Good performance from a kit lens (the zoom that often comes packaged with a camera) is not a given, as many of them are crap. If you are using a kit zoom as your main lens, know that it will be be sharpest near the middle of the aperture scale—let's say around f/8. In fact, most lenses are great at f/8.

If you like to hang out close to wide open, grab a (used, if necessary) prime at your most-used focal length. You'll be a happy camper—and have a backup if needed.
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What to buy? And when? That should be driven by what/how you shoot.

Here's my thinking on lens progression, driven by how I shoot. Most of the time I am going to go out with a single, prime lens. I like the size, the weight, the speed and sharpness. Actually, I also like the discipline of having a single focal length. It helps me to see better.

With a new system I'd build out my wide/normal/short-tele primes, then get a decent wide- to short-tele zoom as a backup or for times when I would want one-lens variability. Only then do I start going for more exotic lengths if needed.

The reason is simple: most of my work will be done with the bread-and-butter focal lengths of moderate wide to short tele. So I want good quality, speed and backup in those lengths before I start to get crazy with a superwide or whatever.

You can easily try out a lens for no risk. Buy a good example used, from someone with a good return policy. If the lens is a dog, return it immediately. If it is good enough to where you want to keep it and play, you can always resell the used lens for about what you paid for it within a year or two.

So, very little risk. (In fact, if I was going to need to rent a lens for more than a week I'd do it this way. Your rental would be practically free.

And obviously, if you love a lens and decide to marry it and keep it forever that's best possible case.


NEXT: Lights

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Choosing Lights

Because big lights and small lights each bring a different set of considerations to the party, I am splitting my recommendations into speedlights and "studio lights." (Although I hate that term.)

For speedlights, you have to decide if you wanna drive stick or automatic—AKA manual or TTL. I live in manual mode, which means I sacrifice some convenience for reliability and repeatability. It also means I can pay about a third as much for each of my flashes.

If you live by TTL, you will die by TTL. Or, at least your wallet will die a small, unnecessary death every time you need to purchase a flash.
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For manual speedlights, I wholeheartedly recommend the LumoPro LP180, about which I go into far more detail here. It's built like a tank, syncs four different ways, has a fluid and intuitive user interface, a built-in light-stand socket, a built-in gel holder and has a two-year manufacturer's warranty. No other speedlight comes close to claiming all of those useful features.

That it costs about a third as much as you would pay for an OEM branded flagship TTL flash is icing on the cake. If you can commit to shooting manually, this is your flash.

If you need TTL (and remember, this is the gear acquisition equivalent of joining the TTL mafia) I would consider eschewing the OEM flagship TTL flashes. They can run north of $500USD, which is just nuts.

The Phottix Mitros comes in Nikon and Canon variants and sells for about $300USD—with twice the warranty length. It does pretty much all the fancy stuff most of the OEM flashes do including the optical TTL triggering of other TTL units, be they other Mitros units or OEM units.

I will say that for the lesser price you will give up some ease of user interface. But this may well be that I was used to the OEM flash user interface and that of the Mitros is pretty radically different.

Finally, for some people the flagship OEM flashes will be just fine. For instance, if your name is Bill Gates they are a perfect choice for you.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are a ton of flashes constantly hitting the market from the far east, from a variety of pop-up brands. Some of the brands are recognizable because they bought the rights to use familiar but now bankrupt brands that were formerly trustworthy. They have spotty track records for quality. Factory warranties are short to nonexistent.

Many who read this will be tempted to go that route because of prices that are almost too good to be true. If that's you, by all means knock yourself out. Some people need to be stung in the wallet to remember a lesson or bit of advice. I know I did when I was young. Good luck with that!
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As far as big lights go, there is a completely different set of variables to consider. Big lights are system-oriented, and you would do well to choose wisely in what will likely be a long-term relationship.

I spent a lot of time and money auditioning big lights over the past 25 years. I am really happy where I am now, and would have loved to make this good of a choice from the get-go. I wrote about researching and choosing big lights a couple years ago and at the time settled on a Profoto/Paul Buff hybrid choice.

I loved Profoto's light mods and quality of light, but they were very expensive. And the battery options insanely so. So instead of battery versions of my Profotos, I went with Profoto plug-ins and a full Paul Buff Einstein setup for portable, battery-powered big lights. Sounds crazy, but for the price of just two AcuteB battery generators you can outfit yourself like an Einstein King.

So for the last couple of years I have had two full systems in my gear closet: Profoto plug-ins and Einstein 640s with portable battery packs. (But they also plug in.) And even though the Profotos are far more expensive, rugged and "professional" (whatever) I found myself again and agin choosing the Einsteins to use.

That's because inexpensive or not, they are simply amazing flashes. And they come with a 2-year warranty (sensing a trend here?) and legendary factory service. Further, Paul Buff has finally taken some time to develop the modifier system that a good flash deserves. The reflectors and accessories are well-designed—and wonderfully inexpensive.

The caveat here is, this is pretty much a US-based choice/suggestion. One of the main reasons Paul Buff lights are so inexpensive is that he only sells direct, and mostly in the US. There are a couple of dealers outside the US but that starts to erode the value proposition pretty quickly.

So, to beginners looking for a great light at an amazing price in the US, I would suggest you strongly consider Einsteins. Not the similarly shaped and even cheaper AlienBees, however. They look similar, but are not in the same league as the Einsteins. Save your money and go Einstein. It is not that much more.

If you are outside of the US, I am sorry that this choice will be either not available or not nearly as good a value to you. So I would suggest that you look at other reputable flash brands (Bowens, Elinchrom, Hensel, Profoto, etc.) and choose the brand that works best for your needs and your wallet. This advice also holds for people for whom the Einsteins aren't a good fit.

Again, I would suggest avoiding the temptation of the super-cheap mystery brands from the far east. Personal experience. But if you need some personal experience of your own to dissuade you in the future, by all means go right ahead.


Next: Triggers

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Choosing Triggers

This is pretty simple and straightforward advice. First, start with a wire. Yep, a simple sync cable.

It is cheap and reliable, and a great backup to have for when your wireless triggers decide to go all hinky on you. Which they sometimes will. Because, radio.

If you chose your flash wisely, you'll not be locked into expensive, proprietary PC-based cords. I live in a one-eighth-inch sync ecosystem and could not be happier with it. As such, my current favorite universal camera-to-flash cord is this 30-foot coiled baby. I wish everything in my life was this simple.

Next, promise me this, or we are gonna have words: that you will never again buy a flash without a good built-in slave. Every flash I have recommended to you has one. Don't be without it. That makes triggering multiple units much easier, whether you have wires or radios or whatever. Just makes too much sense. Friends don't let friends buy flashes without built-in slaves.
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For wireless triggers, you can date or you can marry. If you just want to date, there is a new flavor-of-the-week appearing near constantly. They'll be cheap, but they'll likely not be long-term compatible with other triggers of the same brand.

I tend to look at remotes as a long-term investment that I can safely add to over time as needed. Seriously, I have been using the same brand of triggers since the early 1990s. And by choosing wisely then, all of my triggers can work well together even though they were purchased over a span of 20 years.



For those reasons I use PocketWizard. And because I am a manual shooter and am not chained to TTL, I can go with the simplest (yet rock-solid) PocketWizard triggers. So I recommend without reservation the ~$100 PocketWizard PlusX transceivers.

Why: They are super reliable, simple to operate, run on AAs (huge thing if you have ever been left scrounging for batts in the wild) have ten channels, are auto-sensing receiver/transmitters, have a hard-shell-enclosed antenna, and have wonderful range. (More detail, here.)

PocketWizard make a wide variety of increasingly complex and capable triggers. But if my son or daughter were starting out as a young pro photographer, the PlusX is what I'd buy them. I have owned nearly every model of PW trigger, and these are by far my favorite. For 90% of PW shooters, these will be the best choice.


NEXT: Light Stands

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Choosing Light Stands

Light stands are designed to oppose gravity. Pretty simple. And the designs are, for the most part, pretty similar. I think of light stands as being in three categories: normal stands, compact stands (seen just above) and specialty stands such as C-stands.


For light stands I like LumoPro for many of the same reasons I like the LumoPro LP180 speedlight. Their stands are well-built, reasonably priced and guaranteed out the wazoo. LumoPro has good service, too, should you need to replace a broken knob or bolt or whatever.

Honestly, it makes me wonder why other manufacturers don't warranty their grip gear like this. Seems like a no-brainer, if you are making good stuff.

For normal, full-sized stands, I like the 10-foot LumoPro LP608. It is air-cushioned, has a five-year warranty and costs $45. It is a solid value choice and you can certainly spend more but get less.

Most stands are pretty interchangeable. That's not to say that there aren't some cool designs to be had. For a "splurge" light stand I'd consider Manfrotto stackers. They have a unique design that allows them to snap flat together for easy transport and space-saving storage. They are more expensive ($84 for 8-foot version and $115 for the 12-foot) so you'll have to make that call. But they are a great upgrade if you frequently lug around a flock of light stands.

If you don't need all of that functionality, skip the stackers. In fact, many speedlight folks who don't need a lot of stand height prefer to use "compact" 5-section stands. They rise to about 7 feet and collapse to about 21".

For that, my recommendation is easy and clear-cut: get the LumoPro LP605, seen above. It is the best-built of the five-section stands, includes ground spikes for more stability in wind and has LumoPro's outsized warranty.

For $40, it is hard to go wrong here. There are more expensive versions of this, but they are not as well-built, have no ground spikes and you won't get a five-year warranty either. Done deal.
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As far as C-stands go (more on what they are, here) they are pretty much all built like tanks. Which is part of their weighty charm. LumoPro C-stands ($100 for the riser and another $35 for the arm—make sure to get both pieces) are a good value choice as they back up the build quality with their five-year warranty.

If you want to get fancy, Kupo C-stands offer a quick-release mechanism for faster setup. But both are all but indestructable.


Buy Some Sand Bags...

While we are on the subject of stands, please do this: Take $23 (for 4) and buy some sand bags. Get the bags from Amazon. Four will do you well for many small shoots.

And the first time a stand fails to blow over because you had it properly (and cheaply) secured, they will have paid for themselves.


But Don't Use Sand.

Skip the sand, as it will probably leak in your car or screw up the zippers. Rather, use "pea gravel," from your local home improvement store. It's super cheap ($3.50 worth will fill three sets of sandbags) and way less messy than sand.

You won't need these cheap insurance policies until a stand comes down in the wind, breaking your flash or your mod or your subject's noggin. Then you will have needed the sand bags retroactively.

Start with four or so. You'll probably end up getting more as you go. Cheapest insurance (and piece of mind) policy you'll ever buy.


NEXT: Soft Modifiers

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Choosing Soft Modifiers

Editor's note: In 2011 I wrote a full post on my four favorite soft modifiers. No changes since then. These are still my go-to's, for reasons explained below. So I am adapting/enlarging this walk-thru in the gear selection module. -DH




With the gazillion or so soft light mods out there, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the choices available. And while I have probably shot with more of them that I would care to admit, there are four soft mods that I go back to again and again.

As it happens, these four are reasonably priced, too.
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Soft is Relative

So, which of the light sources above is the softest? The one in the back, right?

Not necessarily. The 60" source in back is not as soft at 10 feet away from your subject as the 8x9" source is at 10 inches away. A good rule of thumb to remember is that a light source is soft when it looks large to your subject. This nets out the two variables of size and distance.

Example: Even a bare speedlight looks soft to a subject only a couple inches away.

Long story short, if you want soft light you will have to consider the working distance at which you'll be using it. The further back your light source, the larger your light mod will have to be.

So front to back, here is the straight dope on the four mods pictured above.


1. The LumiQuest Soft Box III



At 8x9", the LumiQuest SB-III can be very soft -- as long as you are working the light literally right up next to the subject. Case in point, this headshot of Ben I did for an ad for the SB-III when it first came out.

With a flat front edge, the light is easy to feather. This means you can work in the edges of the beam for more interesting (i.e. uneven) illumination.

Pros: The SB-III is small, and folds flat. This means it travels great, hiding in the back flap of my Domke F3 or just about anywhere else. It is also pretty reasonable, at under $50. (Especially considering the SB-III has a lifetime guarantee, unique on this list.)

Cons: It's small size means it is literally soft in only in the knife-fight range. Back it up more than a couple of feet and it starts to get hard. Actually, I tend to use this to my advantage, making the light more versatile just by varying the distance. That is one of the reasons I use it so much.

And speaking of that, most of the time I use an SB-III, I will do so in combination with a fill light. (Example here.) This gives a combination of both shape and detail.


2. Beauty Dish



The next step up, size-wise, gets us to a beauty dish. A broad, shallow reflector, it throws a modestly soft light at portrait distances. There is nothing particularly "beautiful" about it. The dish just has good PR, I guess.

A light this size won't wrap as much as a giant octa or umbrella when used at the same distance, which can be a good thing. So while some people may think of it as a beauty dish, I tend to think of it as a character dish.



Again, I almost always use it with fill. The shot above (more here) is a good example.

When used with a giant, on-axis fill light, as in this Martin Prihoda cover shoot, the beauty dish really starts to live up to its name. The shadows from a dish are distinct, and controlling their depth with another light source gives you a wide range of possibllity.

Pros: A dish gives you soft(ish) light that can stand up to a breeze. Soft boxes and (especially) umbrellas can turn into a sail in even a light wind. The beauty dish will hold up in a moderate wind -- especially when sandbagged. Also, the fact that the dish is circular gives a signature shape on the face as compared to a rectangular soft box. Some people prefer this, but I find it kinda arbitrary.

Cons: Does not fold in any way, so travels like crap. Expect to have to buy a protective case for it. Which only adds to the next downside. Of the four sources listed here, the beauty dish is the most expensive.

I have a few dishes, including one that I got for free from Profoto in a promotion that would have cost me north of $300. I did not know which I wanted (silver or white) so I chose silver for more efficiency. In hindsight I should have chosen white, which I now use far more often.

But I was not gonna pony up for another full-price Profoto dish. So I ended up with the white FTX 22" Beauty Dish ($105.00 - $130.00) shown above.

Being an aftermarket universal fit dish (one dish, many mounts) it can be a little quirky in some ways. But overall I have been happy with it. They also do a grid for the dish ($85.00). So if you are into controlling the beam of the light, the price difference (OEM vs aftermarket) may be even bigger.


3. Westcott Double-Fold 43" Shoot-Through Umbrella



Usually recommended as the first soft light mod for a space-conscious photographer, the double-fold umbrella practically disappears in your bag. It collapses down to 15". (Best of all, they are just silly cheap.)

I started out using it in typical fashion, 45 degrees up and over, as do most photographers. These days I am much more likely to fly it over the top of a subject, as in the falconer shot seen above:


(You can read a full rundown here.)

Or sometimes it is literally on the floor, as in with this portrait.


Pros: Hello … it's dirt cheap. Also, travels extremely well. If you are into guerilla lighting, this is your mod. Also can be very powerful, used right up next to your subject. This is something you cannot do with a reflected umbrella because the shaft can get in the way.

Cons: They are pretty fragile. Between the double folding arms and the telescoping hollow shaft, expect them not to last too long. (A little breeze can get them, too.) Also, the light is hard to control -- an umbrella spews out light like a frat boy puking at 2:30am after a party. Very little directional control. Raw light can spill past the edge, too.

But for under $20, who can complain? I usually grab a couple to be safe.


4. Photek 60" Softlighter II


Combining the best features of a shoot-through umbrella and a large soft box, I like to think of the large Softlighter II as a poor man's octa.

It is a convertible shoot-through umbrella that can double as a reflective one due to the removable black backing. And it comes with a very efficient diffuser screen, turning the umbrella into a wonderfully even light source. As a bonus, the umbrella shaft is segmented, so you can remove half of it after you open it. This makes it possible to use it in very close. It is large-octa light quality, for about $120.

How good are they? Even people who can afford to use any expensive mod they want frequently opt for the affordable Photeks. If you are an Annie Leibovitz fan, she frequently uses them as her key light, as seen here:



(And for a bit of fun, you watch this video annotated—Annie-tated?—in this dedicated post.)

Pros: Way cheap, as compared to the octa it largely replaces. Versatile as an umbrella, as described above. Gorgeous light with the diffuser. Very lightweight -- easy to boom without expensive gear. Takes a speedlight well.


(A Photek 60" how we lit the photo above, as detailed here.)

Cons: They are not as heavy-duty as an octa -- but to be honest I have yet to kill one. Also, the front is not a clean light source like an octa. You can see the strobe unit. So if you are shooting reflective objects (glass, etc.) this may not be for you.
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So those are my Four Horsemen of soft light. I have bought (and shot with) a lot of soft mods over the past 35 years, but those are the ones I keep going back to. I highly recommend each, for the reasons above.

The main thing is to look at your working distance and see which light source will create the light you want at that distance. Fortunately, as you can see above, you don't have to spend a ton of money to get versatile, soft light.



NEXT: Hard and Specialty Modifiers

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Choosing Hard and Specialty Modifiers

We tend to start out using soft light at a 45-degree angle because it is an easy fix, and it's hard to go seriously wrong doing that.

But there are all kinds of light mods, and often choices other than default soft three-quarter light can be more interesting. My favorites are snoots, grids and ring adapters.



Snoots are like little tunnels you attach to your flash to block part of the light beam. Snoots are not rocket science -- we are just blocking some light. And cardboard works just fine to create tight zones of light that you can use to create something like the photo above.

For grid spots, which work like snoots but have a much more beautiful fall-off to the edge of the light, you can DIY them out of straws but it is a pain in the ass and not really worth the effort for many. My advice? Get a Honl eighth-inch grid and be done with it. They will last forever (seriously, indestructible) and they fit all speedlights.

I'd nix the velcro mounting system, however. Mod it with elastic for quick changes and you'll be good to go.
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A less expensive (but flash-specific) alternative are the DIY-ish grids from SaxonPC. (Seen above, more info on those here.)

Also in the specialty mod category are speedlight ring flash adapters. They turn your small flash into a donut of light that can give you a beautiful, shadowless look for key or fill. My two favorites here are the Orbis and the RoundFlash. Both have a very good quality of light. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

For the record, I have owned five different commercial ring flashes (and adapters): Profoto, ABR800, Ray Flash, RoundFlash and Orbis. I use the Orbis more than all of the others combined.

Whatever you do, avoid the Chinese knockoffs of the Ray Flash. They are light-sucking pieces of junk, and are rarely anywhere near color correct. But they are cheap!

Seriously, if you're that broke you'll be better off home-brewing a cardboard DIY ring flash adapter for the time being.


NEXT: Tripods

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Choosing Cases and Carts

You can't exactly put this stuff in your pocket. And what you get to carry it around will be largely driven by, well, what you care carrying around.

Most of you will end up using two small lights with stands and mods and a modest bag of camera gear. Not that there's anything wrong with that. You can do a ton of cool stuff with two speedlights. I have gone far past that level of gear in the past, and often to my regret.

If that's you, grab the shoulder-slung camera bag of your choice. Then augment it with this:



The LumoPro Padded Lighting Case is cheap ($30), lightweight, protective and perfect for a two-speedlight lighting kit. It'll carry two compact stands, speedlights, mods and various doo-dads perfectly.
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If you need to go beyond that, I'd take a serious look at ThinkTank bags for your fragile gear and whatever size sling bag you need for the stands/long mods.

ThinkTanks are fantastic: well-built and well-designed (and frequently updated by the thinking photographers who design them.) I absolutely love mine and I recommend them without reservation.

For a camera/laptop backpack (not a roller) I'd say go with the Airport Essentials case. It holds a good amount of stuff, very securely. It's also the perfect size to curl up with on a plane in coach. Just put it on your lap, wrap your arms around it and rest your head atop it on that Toys-R-Us pillow they give you. That's the best way I know to sleep on a plane.

If you need more capacity (or wheels) step up to any of ThinkTank's bigger rollers without hesitation. They are all solid choices. Capacity-wise, they go pretty much from "mirrorless cameras" to "I need to move a body."


Carts



Or rather, cart. Because there is one, standout choice.

I hesitate to even bring this up. But one day you may find yourself looking at a pile of bags and light stand slings and rollers and you may start thinking, "I need a cart to do all of this in one trip."

Let me first say that I do not envy you. And second, also say that I have been there myself. Not full-blown McNally-ladened, but too much to carry in one trip. By a long shot.

When that day comes, you'll start thinking about a folding cart. And rather than endure all of the mistakes (and wasted money) that I did, I am going to suggest you go straight to a Rock-n-Roller MultiCart.

Why MultiCart? Solid build, folding, expand to a big size if needed, can be a dolly, can hold a board to double as a digital tech's desk on set—you name it. They rock. And roll.

They make several sizes, but I recommend either the R-8 (smaller) or the R-12 (bigger).

If you have not yet heard of them, that is because they were originally designed and marketed for the music industry. (Those guy hump a lot of gear around, too.) But increasingly, they have been adopted by backache-plagued photographers everywhere.

They are highly functional, versatile and built like tanks. Either of these will likely be the last cart you ever buy.

As a bonus, you will likely (and hopefully) use them more around the house than you even do for work. At least I hope so. Because it kinda sucks to travel with that much gear in tow every day.

But if you are gonna, this is your cart.


NEXT: Books and More

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Education: Gear for Your Brain

Your brain is gear. Keep it in tune by providing it regular doses of education. A well-written and info-packed photo technique book is a screaming bargain in the long run. You're essentially renting someone's brain.

I have dedicated an entire bookshelf page to my very favorite lighting (and other photo) books for your consideration. All are well-considered and are, I believe, the very best examples in their genre.
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But beyond that I would suggest you consider the occasional workshop. Nothing beats a hands-on, small class with a solid pro who knows things you would like to know. It is a super growth experience, and something you really owe yourself if you are passionate about learning to be a better photographer.

At this point severe time constraints limit my ability to teach. But in the past I have taught many workshops and worked with many organizations. Having worked as an instructor for Gulf Photo Plus (held late winter in Dubai) and Santa Fe Workshops (held year-round in New Mexico and elsewhere). I can strongly vouch for both of these organizations. I have seen first-hand how students grow in leaps and bounds in the span of a week, all while making great new friends and having the experience of a lifetime.

If you have ever toyed with the idea, you should definitely ask around, do your research and then take the plunge.
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That's it, For Now

That's my two cents worth on gear. You may have other choices or priorities, but that is the best I can offer you with 25+ years' experience behind it.

If you want to chime in on your own, feel free to do so on Twitter via the hashtag #StrobistGear. If is it important that I see it, include an @Strobist in there somewhere and I will.

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Traveling Photographer_DUBAI has Ben Posted

For those following The Traveling Photographer project (more info on the whole project here) the Dubai episode has just been posted.

-30-

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Choosing a Tripod

For lighting photographers, the first thing to consider about a tripod is this: a tripod is your most powerful light.

That's because time (AKA shutter speed) is what we use to bring up the exposure in a large environment, which we then tweak/improve with judicious use of added flash. It is very difficult to light a large space, so just let the ambient do the heavy lifting and finish it off with your lighting genius.

And even when you are not lighting, you'll frequently need a tripod for a variety of reasons. And when you do, you want it to hold your camera still.

To that end, every photographer needs good sticks.

There are a couple of schools of thought about how to choose a good tripod. But no matter which way you go, the most important thing is this: don't waste your time and money on a piece-of-crap version. You'll just have to re-buy it later.

Ask any photographer who has been around long enough to make mistakes, and you'll probably hear tales of woe over misspent dollars in an attempt to save money on tripods. Alas, good tripods aren't cheap and cheap tripods aren't good.

I just had a direct experience with this problem on a recent series of assignments for Lynda.com, wherein we were traveling around the world shooting and filming in various cities. My (young) shooting partner saved some money by buying an inexpensive, "feature-ladened" tripod.

Actually, scratch that obfuscation. Let's name names. He bought a "Vanguard" Tripod, and it turned out to be a piece of crap. (Don't judge. It's a common mistake.) The Vanguard was wobbly up top, and very quickly, one of the legs would not grab and click into the open position.

(You had ONE JOB, Vanguard tripod…)

After much swearing on Andrew's part (and general uselessness on that of the tripod) he looked into repairing the probably-not-worth-fixing piece of gear. Though clearly defective—and still in warranty—Vanguard wanted Andrew to pay shipping both ways for the repair. Essentially, he'd be buying the cheap tripod again.

Ugh.

Look, don't do this. Just don't. Instead, do your research, ask around, buy a good tripod and be done with it.


To Start...

Independent of the factors listed below, here's my first advice: go for a name brand with a good reputation.

Manfrotto, Gitzo and Induro are good examples. None of them are cheap, but they are also likely to not let you down. They are supported by a great reputation and solid service, the same way your camera is supported by a good tripod.

Don't save money by buying a tripod that is spec'd to do less than you need it to do. That's another mistake. And you may find there is not a one-size-fits-all tripod for you. The optimal tripod for your big bird-watching rig might be overkill for your travel photography needs.

Similarly, a tripod designed for travel photography—even if a quality brand—might be way under-sized for your big lens work.

So like most shooters you'll probably end up with two tripods. One as a heavy-duty platform and one that is much more portable.



General Purpose Tripods



Your first tripod will probably be one that can do everything well, but maybe sacrifices extreme portability. And that's a good strategy.

Again, go with a good brand and buy enough support for your needs. If money is tight, rather than skimping on the brand I would suggest buying good quality, but buying used.

The 20-yr-old old metal (more on that variable below) Gitzo Reporter Performance pictured above is total, rock-solid support. It was bought used (eBay) reasonably and will last me the rest of my life and well into someone else's.

Used quality is a better choice than new crap. But if you have the money to spend, by all means take some time and test drive some new tripods in person. You'll quickly get a feel for the solidity and quality of the various options.

But go with a brand that has a good reputation. Or skimp, curse a little and get it right on round two.



Specialty Tripods



By specialty, we generally mean portability: small, light, reverse-folding, etc. This is the tripod you take with you when you travel, or when shooting smaller mirrorless cameras. Or both, obviously.

For extreme portability in addition to solid support at the mirrorless level, I like the MeFOTO Backpacker ($139 - Amazon). Ours, seen above, is partially wrapped in gaff because that is the most convenient way to store the indispensable tape when traveling. The BackPacker is not full-sized; it only goes to about chest-height.

But—BUT—it reverse folds to a very compact 12.6", which makes it a total win for travel or backpacking (duh, the name) with mirrorless cameras. It is super-compact, and well-built. I used it with a Fuji X100s to make the photo of London's Big Ben, above.

If you shoot full-sized DSLR, I would suggest stepping up to a MeFOTO GlobeTrotter. It is bigger, more stable, goes up to 64" in height and has a retractable center column while still keeping the reverse-fold design. Even still, it folds to just 16.1" long. ($209 - Amazon). As a bonus it converts to a monopod, which is nice.

You can spend an extra $160 on the GlobeTrotter and go carbon fiber, which saves you a pound. But for that price you can literally buy both and have $20 left over. Or $160 would get you a great, second general-purpose tripod used.

Speaking of...



Carbon Fiber or Metal?

Tough choice. Carbon fiber is more expensive—sometimes shockingly so. For instance, an Induro (carbon) CT-214 cost $400—for just the legs (no head). But you can get the same legs (an AT-214) in aluminum for $149.

Those are both great supports. And identical, except for the material used in the legs. But is the weight difference, at 3.3 vs. 4.4 lbs, worth that much to you? Or, perhaps will the size of the tripod itself be the limiting factor in your suitcase or backpack that outs it from travel for you?

If the carbon version really fits your total needs and you can afford the price tag, maybe that's cool. Or maybe you buy metal for big support and a MeFOTO for travel. You would save money (over $100 in this example) in the process.

And honestly, that's what I'd do.

Either way, the worst, worst, worst thing you can do is to throw money away on a crap tripod. Consider my lessoned learned (and that of literally millions of photographers before you) sufficient warning.


NEXT: Cases and Carts

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On Assignment: Ben Lurye

To some a foot bridge abutment, to others a studio.

I've long kept a picture file of versatile nearby locations for photographing people. This foot bridge abutment on Columbia Road about two miles from my house is a great example, and it actually gets used a lot.

Above it's seen in normal daylight. But with the right light it offers so many different looks.
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In late afternoon it picks up the golden light right before sunset. And you can also see how, as the shadow moves across the weathered face from right to left, that you could use it to create a very cool (or warm, actually) light-on-dark chiaroscuro portrait using just the sun:



After the sun dips, the concrete picks up the cool tones of blue hour beautifully:



These are light colors that can be enhanced by using your white balance. I had long thought that white balance was for correcting light; making it "white." I now see it as the exact opposite. When I see light that has a color to it, I'll often push that natural color a little more through a white balance tweak.

The abutment is basically an I-beam stood on end. The photo at top was shot in midday light, so you can see the actual, weathered concrete color. As we move around a little more to the right, you can see the little portrait enclave created by the I-beam geometry. I love this kind of stuff:



This photo was shot in neutral light too, at the same time as the scout photo above. Those protruding walls not only give some three-dimensional interest as compared to a flat background, but also act as natural cutters for the light. They can create shadow, which creates mood.

Back to our evening shoot, lets throw an LP180 speedlight on a stand at upper left and fit it with a mini-soft box (a LumiQuest LTP). I am going to warm that light up with a ½ CTO gel, which takes it halfway to tungsten:



So just one light, and a protruding wall to create some shadow, means you could easily create some mood and chiaroscuro any time you want. And for clarity, it is important to know that I am working well above the ambient here. There is no ambient light component to this shot. It's all flash.

I want detail in the shadows, I could add a reflector. Which is fine and a great solution if you are just working with one light. (You could also do that, albeit with less directional control, by opening up the shutter speed and letting in more ambient.)

But since I have a second light I can also do that with full control of my direction, intensity and color by adding a second light as a fill. So I am going to push a second LP180 in from my right. This one is in a small umbrella, and with a full CTB gel, which creates a contrasting cool color:



So now I have a pretty cool little shooting alcove. I could stick him back in there, lurking in the blue shadows. Or I could bring him forward, emerging into the warmer key light:



The BTS shots are straight out of the camera, but the shot above has been tweaked in post for a little more intensity of color. The blue fill coming from camera right also colors the shadows on his face. Which for a long time would have freaked me out (blue skin???) But really, why wouldn't they be blue in that multi-colored environment. We are creating a texture of color and sticking someone into it. He needs to pick up that color.

Here's a pullback that shows the lighting. Remember, there is a ½ CTO gel on the key at upper left and a full CTB on the fill at lower right:



And speaking of which, why is the fill coming from below? Well, I want it to illuminate and color the shadows, which are being cast from above left. So I want it pushing from below right. I could do the same thing from on-axis, but it would be a different look.

I want the fill to reach into the crevices, so I am shooting from right up against the left edge of that fill umbrella. But I can walk around and shoot from the other (right) edge of the fill umbrella and get a completely different look—one that is much more filled with blue. And I shifted this picture more to blue in post to carry those tones into the background.



But his face is still picking up the more powerful key. Even though shot in the exact same environment and light as the head shot above, the camera angle shift creates a pretty different look. Ultimately, Ben preferred this image as it was the one he chose to front his web site.
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Moving back around to the front facade of the abutment gives us a more standard, two-dimensional backdrop. Like one of those fancy faux "exposed concrete" walls in an expensive rental studio. But it is really exposed, and it is free.



I love both the texture of the facade and his vulnerable expression and body language here. I enjoy working with actors, as they can very seamlessly reach into themselves and pull out a different expression and feel to a portrait. (I wrote about that in detail earlier, in this 2013 OA of actress MaryLee Adams.)

My goal is to keep working with that and to have the confidence to incorporate it more into my portraits of people who are not actors, too.

The light for the above portrait may feel like just one key light, but is really a two-light setup. It's still done with LP180 speedlights, but this time they are both in Westcott double-fold umbrellas. The key (from upper right) has a ¼ CTO warming gel and the fill (opposite axis, lower left) has a ½ CTB cooling gel. But the fill is dialed down a couple stops so that color shift is pretty subtle.

Here is a BTS pic:



To be honest, I kinda like that as a picture, too. And I love, love that backdrop. (Free to use, come on down…)

In these photos, the fill from lower left (which, again, I am right up against with my camera position) is very subtle and would only be noticeable in its absence. For that reason, I have taken out the second (fill) highlight in Ben's eyes. So it really feels now like a one-light photo, albeit one with much more control of the shadows.




The quality of the fill, as much as anything else, creates a tonal feel that belies the use of a small-chip camera like the Fuji X-E2 I used to make this photo. The lens was Fuji's surprisingly good kit zoom, the 18-55/2.8-4. It is at ~37mm, which translates to roughly 50mm on a full-frame chip.

A lot of people don't like a 50 (or 35 APS equivalent) for head shots. I actually like it a lot, as long as you are far enough back to hold the head shot in a horizontal (or obviously, square) format. If you are so close that you have to go vertical to hold the face, you are also close enough for the focal length to really give you more of a spherical distortion on the face.

But from this far back the 50FF/35APS looks very three-dimensional and intimate to me. That leverages the power of Ben's direct-camera gaze which makes this my favorite of the images we shot that evening.

It's not a standard actor's head shot, but rather more of a portrait of a person who happens to be an actor. Which is obviously more of where I'm coming from with this as a photographer. And ultimately my goal in a shoot is to make photos that appeal to both the subject and to me, even if they are not the same photos.

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On Assignment: Ben Lurye is #168 in the long-running On Assignment series, which can be found here.

Discussion? Questions? Via Twitter, use hashtag #StrOA168—and add "@Strobist" at the end of the tweet if is important that I see it.


NEXT: Lighting Like Leo

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