Jean-Baptiste Guiton Shoots Make-Up

We get lots of portrait shoot videos around here, but not so much with the high-end product shots. And this one is a real treat, as it shows the full process for creating the cosmetics ad for T. LeClerc shown at left.It is a composite shot, with each portion being shot on a 35mm-format Canon DSLR. Even if the ad runs as a huge poster, that "pieced-together"...

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London Calling

If you are a UK'er and see an idiot walking around in shorts this week, please stop me and say hello. Or for a less random approach, I'll be at The Flash Centre in London on Monday the 8th. Please stop by!If you are attending one of the London lighting seminars this weekend, please check in here for the latest info as the date approaches.-...

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Nikon D3X Leak Puppy Catches Own Tail

UPDATE: Nikon Rumors has published the entire article, with jpegs big enough to read the text.__________Long plagued with continual leaks, today Nikon decided to scoop all of the leakers by (accidentally) leaking their own announcement themselves. That is to say, a Euro version of Nikon Pro magazine (seen above) apparently went out early, en masse,...

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T-Day Speedlinks

If you are a turkey, today is a good day get out of town. Horrible, unspeakable things are happening to your kind on Thanksgiving Day here in the US. But otherwise, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. And after you are done feeding your face, don't forget about the big plate of speedlinks for dessert, after the jump...__________• Pixsylated has been on a tear lately, with this high-speed sync tute, and an in-depth field test of the RadioPopper RP-1's.• If you have a teenage daughter, you probably know about Twilight, the juggernaut book series...

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Colin Firth: CYA PDQ

UK Photographer Greg Funnell shot actor Colin Firth for Time Out London, and knew he would only get a few minutes. Thus the "PDQ."He wanted a lighting scheme that was safe over a range of subject orientation. Thus, the "CYA."Hit the jump for a video, links and an alternate way to think about the light that can allow you to have your CYA-PDQ cake and...

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Nikon CLS Video: We'd Tell You, But We'd Have to Kill You

Good news and bad news on the new Nikon CLS video.Good news is that they are now in stock. The bad news is that Nikon Mall is only listing it on the US site, and they are not shipping it out of the country. What, are they worried that the Taliban will get ahold of this stuff or something? Seriously, Nikon, this is nuts. Tear down that wall. You have...

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Orbis: First Look / Ray Flash Comparison

Just received one of the first Orbis ring flash adapters to make into this part of the world. Since I will not have time to shoot with it for a couple of weeks I am putting up a quick unboxing vid (and Ray Flash comparison) video for those of you thinking about taking the plunge.(If you are watching this via RSS or Email feed, you may have to click through on the title of this post to watch the vids.)My schedule is such that I will not get to really work with it until after Thanksgiving, which has me feeling like the kid in A Christmas Story pining...

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Thanks for the Nomination!

Muchas gracias to whoever nominated Strobist for a 2008 Weblog award in the Photo category. (Apparently, they didn't have a DIY black-straw snoot category.)The gesture is much appreciated. If you want to second (or third) the nomination, you can do so by clicking the little green "+" button on this comment right here.This is a call for nominations....

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Cheap Bouncy Fun

A couple of weeks ago, when we ran the post on the DIY bounce reflector thingie, I got several "Do Not Publish" comments that basically said: "Are you brain dead? Do you realize you are pointing people to instructions to DIY a product made by one of your advertisers?"To that, I say:"Geez, ma, why do you always leave DNP comments on my blog? Can't you...

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First Look: Annie Leibovitz At Work

UPDATE: Annie Leibovitz passed through Seattle on her book tour, much to the delight of a few Strobist readers...__________First previewed here last August, Annie Leibovitz: At Work is finally wrapped in those little brown Amazon fold-boxes and hitting doorsteps everywhere.I have just spent the afternoon with my copy, which I pre-ordered when it first...

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On Assignment: WiMAX

I am a geek.For the first 30 years of my life, that was seen as a liability. But lately, it has been a lot more fun. And as a geek, when I got a recent assignment from USA Today to shoot the first-ever rollout of WiMAX on a city-wide scale, I was stoked.If you are not familiar with WiMAX, think Wi-Fi, stretching for several miles from each access point....

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Jerry Vo Takes October -- With a Pair of 'Ebay Remotes'

Congrats to Jerry Vo, whose days of annoying strobe misfires are history. Vo shot his way to a free pair of Pocketwizards for the month of October in the Going Wireless contest by using a pair of what have ironically become known as "poverty wizards."He'll be able to shoot his next model from 1600 feet away.If you want a shot at the last set of PW's to be given away, you'd better hustle up. The last day to enter a video (or re-tag an existing video) is November 30th. Chop chop.More on Vo, including links to more of his work, at the Pocketwizard...

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Orbis Enters the Ring

The much-awaited Orbis Ring Flash Adapter is finally coming off the production lines. Enlight Photo has moved from a teaser site to the Full Monty, with lots more details and pix.Orbis is the first (non-DIY) competitor to the Ray Flash, and lowers the entry cost for a commercial ring flash adapter.Highlights:• Introductory Price: $169 US (with $16.99...

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There Goes the Neighborhood

I first got to know Drew Gardner by reputation before I ever met him. I was standing in The Flash Centre's London store and I saw these amazing, humongous photos on the wall. They were beautifully lit, but they also had a unique personal style and were full of humor. Anyone who makes shots like this has got to be fun to hang around with, I remember...

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Light Fare in Bilbao

If you happen to get hungry for tapas in Bilbao, Spain this month, be sure to stop by Café Iruña. The restaurant, which has been in continuous operation for over 100 years, is featuring an exhibition of photographs by Strobist readers. There's even a meetup scheduled. Thanks much to Rafa at SeE for the assist.If you are looking for an outlet for your...

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On-Axis Fill: Run-and-Gun Version

These days when I shoot something my workflow is such that I make time to light it. My assignment pace is a little more sane than the two- to three-a-day pace of my days as a newspaper shooter. Actually, I have had had five- or even six-assignment days on occasion. But thanks to my therapist, I have learned to repress most of those memories. (Calm...

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New Nikon Video: 154 Minutes of CLS Goodness

[UPDATE: There has been a lot of teeth gnashing about this DVD not being available outside the US. But I just found a source in Dubai (UAE), where you can get just about anything on the planet. Pretty sure they ship anywhere, too...]__________EDITOR'S NOTE: With all apologies to the Canon shooters who frequent this site: You really shouldn't even read...

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Lighting 101 PDF Translation Project

UPDATE: Lots of new languages are in play on the discussion thread linked below. We'll let the discussion fizz a couple more days and then break it up into language-specific threads to get things started. Thanks, Y'all!_________Thanks to the multi-lingual talents of reader Andrew Dahms, I am happy to announce that Lighting 101 is now available in Japanese...

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Vote -- And Consider Uplighting

First of all, if you are reading this in the US, get off your butt and go vote today. Either that, or don't complain during the next four years no matter what. I'm just saying.That said, take a look at this morning's Washington Post. They are running the expected, "same play" careful coverage that a newspaper has to run, lest it get howling complaints....

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Speedlinks Bucket Overflows, Flooding Basement

What with all of the Halloween festivities this weekend, I completely forgot about the speedlinks bucket. I left it on downstairs, where it continued to fill with links sent in via the comments section.Long story short, the basement is now completely flooded with excess speedlinks. The cat was marooned on the island/couch and we had to wade through everything to rescue her. She was pissed, and apparently shredded one of the speedlinks beyond recognition. But there's plenty of good stuff left over, after the jump.Speedlinks: 11/3/2008• Over at DG28.com,...

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London Seminars, Dec 6th and 7th, are Sold Out.

UPDATE: The Dec. 6th and 7th Strobist Lighting Seminars in London are sold out.Discussion thread is here. See full post inside for seminar details. Important Note to Email RSS subscribers:If you are reading this via email or RSS, please click through to the main site (click on the headline above) to ensure you have the most up-to-date information....

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CYBER COMMANDER Launched; Flash Remotes Gain Consciousness, Plot Extermination of Humans

Paul C. Buff, maker of AlienBees, White Lightning and various other studio flashes, has just announced the "CYBER COMMANDER™." This marks the first mass-market radio remote for flashes that actually lets you both control the output of the flashes from the camera via radio signals, and provide additional features to boot. I, for one, would like to take...

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