TGIF - POTW 12/01/06

Congrats to Strobist reader Ruth D., whose wonderful photo of a boy seeking an adoptive family was picked up by the TV show, "The View."This, of course, will greatly increase the young man's chances of hooking up with a family. I could not be more pleased to see that one of the site's readers is using her new skills for such a great cause.For many good reasons, The Heart Gallery asks that the kids' photos not be placed on other websites. So to see Ruth's photo click here.More info on it here.Nice job, Ru...

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With This Flash, I Thee Wed...

Strobist reader Kevin Yong put his new-found lighting skills to work for his first wedding shoot.Uh, I'd say he had some pretty okay stuff for his first wedding.Even better, he posted a nice little tutorial on his various photos for all to see.Check it out if you get a chan...

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More on Kashi's Kurdistan Process

I love the web. I'm pretty sure I was ADD before ADD was cool, and the fact that the web is just an endless stream of tangents is darn near irresistable to me. While checking out the reaction to Ed Kashi's Iraqi Kurdistan piece today, I came across the following:• A behind-the-scenes look at MSN's acquisition process and business model on the story.• A great discussion about it on Lightstalkers.• An in-depth statement on the process and motivation by Kashi himself.Yeah, I know this does not relate directly to off-camera strobe. But bigger picture,...

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Must-See Multimedia: Iraqi Kurdistan

If you haven't seen this, you are in for a treat. Mediastorm's new piece is something photographers can watch on multiple levels.While we are constantly saturated with coverage from Iraq, we only see the things that make news on a given day. Ed Kashi's Iraqi Kurdistan is an expansive kaleidoscope of imagery showing the real Kurdistan people, their...

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On Assignment: Zebra Fish and Zygotes

For whatever reason, I tend to get sent into laboratories on assignment pretty frequently.Maybe they have taken a good, long look at my sports photography and decided that scientists might be easier for me to get in focus. I dunno.About a month ago, I was assigned to photograph a scientist who was studying zebra fish zygotes to gain insight into their...

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WSJ on Companies' use of Nonexclusive Stock Images

Update: The article is available in the free section of the WSJ. Link at bottom of the post. Thanks for the heads-up!The Wall Street Journal has a great article today on what happens when two (or more) companies choose the same stock image for a campaign.They talk about all levels of stock photography, but note that the $1 web image (microstock) is a big factor. They specifically mention iStockphoto, whose contributors were actually classified in the articles as amateurs.Many companies are being embarrassed by the fact that they went the nonexclusive...

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Everything But Photo

On a whim, I decided to blogroll the non-photo blogs and message boards that I visit regularly. There were too many photo sites to list, so I nixed those in favor of the other stuff. You'll find the remaining (non-photo) sites at the bottom of the sidebar on the right.What non-photo blogs and boards do you like? Hit me in the comments secti...

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TGIBF - POTW

Nope, that's not a typo. It's not just any old Friday - it's Black Friday.And this week's outstanding shot comes from RanManDX, who transformed an old, abandoned shack into a work of art with some off-camera flash and careful balancing of strobe to ambient. At first I thought the light coming from camera right was strobe, too. It balances so well with...

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Happy Thanksgiving, Folks

Fall is my favorite time of year. It brings beautiful colors, non-stop football and roasted turkey. Who could ask for more.This fall I spent many evenings photographing a wonderfully cooperative subject - the beautiful maple tree seen above. I was working on an experimental project for The Sun. What I did for this project was to shoot about 5,000 still...

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The Lighting Journey: Where Are You?

A few days ago, a reader whose opinion I value greatly made an impassioned argument for limiting the content of the Flickr Strobist pool to just professional-quality images.It was a macro shot that he felt was inappropriate that set him off. But the gist of the discussion was that people were throwing many things up that he thought were of little intrinsic...

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Thanks. No, Really...

Yeah, I know it's a great book. But do you have to sit there and torture me in my own message forum?I already promised I would wait until Christmas.Of course, I could always get one for the office...

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Bits and Pieces: Nov 20, 2006

• New Post-Processing BlogFor all you Photoshop noobs out there, UK newspaper photographer and Strobist reader Michelle Jones has started a blog on various post-processes. She has some QuickTime movies tutorials and such, too. Pretty neat.As if that isn't enough, she has started a forum for off-camera flash folks, so check it out if you are so inclined....

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I am Glam. Glam I am.

Arizona-based photographer Don Giannatti has produced a multimedia DVD entitled, "Lighting Essentials 1". Basically, he shows you how to make the lighting version of stone soup out of a couple of Home Depot work lights, some translucent material and some foam core boards. He moves to speedlights and bigger strobes, but the reflective and diffusion...

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Strobist Goes Mobile

That's right, folks. You can now read Strobist on your iPod or Palm handheld, if you are so moved.How, you might ask?I would be happy to tell you. If I had any earthly idea how to do it, that is. (Heck, my VCR still blinks "12:00.")But fear not, because some readers on the Strobist Flickr group discussion threads have figured out the secret handshake....

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TGIF - POTW 11/17

It's Friday, and that means it's time for another reader Photo Of The Week. This week's image is by Mark Lewin, who posts on Flickr as Markmyshots. Mark used two lights, both on manual. He aimed one at the background and a second at the tomato. Because of the translucent quality of the water, it was the background light that set the tone (and the base...

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More Grecco: Martin Scorsese Time-Lapse

It is not often you pick up a watershed tip from a BTS vid, but this Michael Grecco time lapse of a Martin Scorsese shoot was just that for me. The tip is all about using a grid spot to selectively compress the tonal range of a subject. And in this case the black overcoat being worn by Scorsese does not stand a prayer of reproducing any texture -- until Grecco fixes it.He underexposes the ambient and lights Scorsese from camera right with a warmed-up softbox. Nothing new there. But at camera left, there is a low-and-tight grid-spot flash that is...

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Merry Christmas to Me

I cannot tell you how hard it was to not just click the "Buy it Now" button and snag Michael Grecco's new book, Lighting and the Dynamic Portrait, off of Amazon tonight. I mean, less than $20? No brainer.Why didn't I? Because I am a dad. And dads need things on their Christmas list that fit within very modest budgets. Besides, knowing there is a good...

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Behold: A Light... With a Diffusion Panel.

Strobist reader X-Pose has posted a neat little tutorial showing how he made his DIY PVC light panels. Better yet, he shows how he uses them to light his Christmas card photo, too.FYI, I am working on a pretty in-depth multimedia project for Strobist that will show many really cool things that can be done with these easy-to-make panels. They are a...

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Sometimes it's Not the Photo, it's the Process

On some photos, you take satisfaction not so much from the photo itself but from the process that got you to it. Such was the case a couple of weeks ago, when I was assigned to shoot an up-and-coming rap artist in Baltimore. I arrive at his house a couple of minutes early for the assignment as he is finishing up the interview with the reporter. He...

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Updater on the Canon Flash Mods

Michael Bass has set up a website describing, among other things, his Canon flash sync sub-mini jack mods. They have been well-received by Strobist readers, and will (hopefully) prompt Canon to include a PC sync on future flash models.Anyway, he is no longer confined to eBay. Check out his page if you get a chan...

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Apparently, The Books are Way Better

First of all, thanks much to those of you who were actually taking up a collection to fund a sub to Commercial Photo magazine for yours truly. That kind of thoughtfulness is much appreciated, but not necessary. Yeah, it looks great. But $300 is a lotta ball bungees. if you know what I mean. I am actually looking for a Strobist reader budget-friendly...

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OT: I Want One.

Not gonna get one. But boy, are they cool. I'm talking about the Segway HT, which I got to play with for four hours yesterday on a tour of Washington, D.C.Yeah, $4,000.00 is a chunk of change. But for $70, we got to have a lot of fun. And I think I have gotten the Segway jonesin' out of my system. Maybe.They have branches in six other cities. Highly recommended as a gift for a loved one. Or for yourse...

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Bit and Pieces, 11/12/2006

• Inside Commercial PhotoIf you want to peek inside the pages of the $300-per-year Commercial Photo magazine, there are three pages up on Flickr. In addition to the picture at left, you can click here or here to see a couple of other setups.I am seriously thinking about subscribing. Life's too short, not to take an occasional flyer, ya know?• Why Can't...

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Low-End Theory: One-Gallon Modifier

Flickrite Muzzlehatch has constructed a diffusing reflector (or is that a reflecting diffuser?) from a winshield washer fluid bottle for his macro work. A complete how-to photo set is here. It looks to me like this would work well off-camera, perhaps at the end of a monopod.By Mike...

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TGIF -POTW!

OK. First of all, sadly TGIF does not mean jack to me, as I work on Saturdays.But in the fall, Saturday means college football, and I will be shooting the Maryland vs Miami game. So I am not complaining. At least until 2nd quarter, when the daylight goes away.But Friday also means reader photo spotlight on Strobist, and today's Picture of the Week...

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More on Commercial Photo Magazine

Thanks to Alert Reader EssPea, who posted a link in the comments section for Google's on-the-fly translation of the Commercial Photo website, we can all read the nuances of Far Eastern lighting in plain old English.Sort of.The bots are decent, but they won't win this year's Booker Prize. Here's a typical line of English generated by the translator:"......

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Pssst. Wanna Buy a Used SB?

Lord knows where he finds this stuff, but MPEX has come across a big pile of used Nikon SB speedlights. Did I tell you this guy knows what we like, or what?I counted 18 as of Wednesday night. If you are looking for one, they range from $65 for SB-24's to $169 for the SB-28's as of this writing. To get to them, just click through to the Strobist section...

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A Japanese Strobist Magazine?

Alert Reader "Bjorke" writes the following in the comments section of DIY Lighting Diagrams:Have you ever seen the Japanese magazine COMMERCIAL PHOTO from Genkosha? Every issue covers the local advertising scene along with TV commercials and had detailed coverage of ad and other lighting setups, complete with such drawings (and snaps of the set).I...

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News: Midwest Photo Exchange to Partner With Strobist.com

Strobist.com is very pleased to announce a brand new partnership with Midwest Photo Exchange (MPEX), the Columbus, Ohio photo retailer.What does this mean for you guys? Lots, actually.First of all, MPEX has come through for us again and again when other retailers were not able to stock items such as the double-fold umbrellas and compact, 5-section...

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For U.S. Readers: Free Coroplast Grids!

It's Election Day, when the whole world gets a look inside the sausage factory that is the United States democratic process. If you are reading this from somewhere the USA, please remember to vote. But more important, don't forget to help clean up any coroplast campaign signs that are still standing in your area tomorrow.They are nothing but landfill...

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Multimedia Monday

When catching up on my October archiving, I decided to add two new categories in which to place future articles - business and multimedia.The former has grown in interest on the site because of the transitional-pro nature of many of the readers. And the latter is an exploding genre of photojournalism that is just going to keep getting bigger.Neither...

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The Hot List, Oct 2006

Before we get to the October Hot List, I have to say that I like Pieter's match photo so much I am just looking for excuses to stick it up. Pieter, if you have a problem with this becoming the Hot List icon, please let me know in the comments and I will swap it out for something else.In what will be no surprise for regular readers, Harrington's biz...

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Exposure with a Grey Card

Chad Miller says, "your camera is stupid" in this Flickr Technique thread because it wants your image to be middle grey, like the square pictured here. Your camera can't know whether you're aiming it at snow or cinders, so it splits the difference.Steve Traudt has The Fifty-Cent Solution for Apogee Photo Magazine.David uses the back of his hand in...

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TGIF! Time for the Reader POTW

It's Friday, which means that (a) I push the boundries of what is considered "casual dress" at work, and (b) time for a Reader Photo of the Week.This week's image is by Strobist reader X-Pose, who has really sprouted antlers since getting his Dean Collins DVD's. The guy is kicking butt, IMO.Truth be told, this not even is my favorite photo of his that...

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On Assignment: Shade is Your Friend

One of the first things to consider when balancing strobe and ambient light is whether or not you can knock the ambient down a bit, to give you more options with your small-flash lighting ratios.And for my money, nothing does that quicker and easier than the shady side of a building.If I am doing a strobed outdoor portrait (as in the above photo of...

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Jack O' Lantern Winner

Congrats to bmp_digital for winning the quickie pumpkin assignment. He actually balanced four light sources - two flashes, one streetlight and a candle to get this positively Halmarkey-looking Halloween photo.Sez bmp:"Shot in my driveway, ambient streetlight illuminates orange leaves, upper right, Sunpak 522/blue gel lights rest of background. A Canon...

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