A Walk Around the Monobloc, Pt. 1

Speedlights are great, and I use them about 90% of the time. But that does not mean they are always the most appropriate tool for the job. Nor does it mean they might be the best choice for your style of lighting.If you have learned to use your speedlights in manual, you should not at all be intimidated by the idea of using "studio strobes." In fact,...

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Nick Turpin: Back on the Street

London-based speed-lighter Nick Turpin has brought a videographer along on another one of his snooted SB-800 street shoots.For the shoot (done for MensHealth magazine) he simply approached appropriately dressed strangers on the street and created an instant studio around them. Video, links and more pix after the jump.__________(If you are reading on...

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That's Not a Light Stand. This is a Light Stand.

UPDATE: As usual, alternate suggestions for humongous light stands coming in via the comments. Check 'em out if you are so inclined.__________Do you ever find yourself in need of more height and stability than your, say, 5-section compact speedlight stand can offer?Do you sometimes need area-flooding back/separation lighting?Are you strong enough to...

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LP120, YN460 Feedback Coming In

If you are considering one of the new manual flashes on offer, make sure to see the original post on the trio of strobes. It has been updated with early user feedback -- and a scary video.-...

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Speedlinks: March 22, 2009

In this edition: Remote nuptials, utter normality, voyeurism, Malaysian mods, a portable office and free CLS videos -- after the jump.__________• "No, worries, ma'am. It's standard procedure to mount a G9 into any excess cleavage space in the wedding gown..." -- Forget the Final Four. Hassel Weems is using multiple remote PW'd cameras at weddings. (Via PW blog)• 50 Sense: Photographer Kirk Tuck makes the case that normal is underrated.• Get your voyeur on with Andrew "WTJ" Hetherington's silent, first-person POV video made during a visit to...

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Always Remember, Clients Can Smell Fear

UPDATE #2: Someone asked in the comments about Bert's "gunslinger"-type strap. It's a R-Strap.__________UPDATE #1: Bert detailed his post-production process on the shot here.__________What is your reaction when one of your best clients asks you to do a huge group shot in a dark, 800-seat auditorium? As Bill Cosby once said, "First you say it, then you do it." Then you take a moment to calm down and pray that the ceiling in the cavern is white.Belgian photographer Bert Sephani stepped out of his comfort zone and made it happen recently. And it goes...

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Two more Notes on the LP120 Flash

I failed to mention one of the better features on the LP120:  a two-year warranty. Big ups to MPEX on that as a way to make sure any inevitable 1st-generation bugs are not ultimately borne by the consumer.Also, WIRED's Gadget Lab blog is doing a user-directed review of sorts. Post your ideas for writer Charlie Sorrel here.-...

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Plug Into McNally's Brain with The Hot Shoe Diaries

Last year, Joe McNally lit a fire under the photo community's collective butt with The Moment it Clicks. To him, it was basically a memoir. But to us, it was a glimpse of what it was like to be Joe. It was full of lighting info, too. But organizationally, it was more a conversation over beers than lighting compendium. Disguised as a photography book,...

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Building a Better Mousetrap

Anyone who has ever been tormented by a mouse will enjoy this semi-OT field trip today. And besides, there was some pretty spiffy hi-speed remote TTL flash involved in photographing the capture.__________Imagine that you are a mouse -- an "outdoor" mouse. Specifically, you are the mouse pictured in mid-air, at left.You live in chilly northeast of the...

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Trade Secret Taps You for First Project

Trade Secret Cards, a new company based in California, approached me last fall with a pretty cool idea. They wanted to create a series of cards (think high-end baseball cards -- thick, glossy, etc.) but with an added twist.That twist is where you come in. Hit the jump for the deets.__________It's Not Me, It's YouThey at first wanted to do a series of cards featuring my work, with a photo on front and some On-Assignment-style info and diagrams on the back."Boring, Sidney."Anyone who reads the site sees my stuff all of the time. What can we do to...

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Manual Flashes: Two Debuts and an Adoption

UPDATED March 22, 2009, to add latest user feedback on LP120 and YN460. See below.__________At long last, there are finally a few lower-priced alternatives to cruising eBay for a used Nikon speedlight or forking over a few hundred bucks for a new flagship off-camera flash.Hit the jump for all the deets on the new LumoPro 120, the Yong Nuo YN460 and...

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CERN Pt. 2: "Just What do You Think You are Doing, Dave?"

After visiting the four major LHC experiments at CERN (and a fun Saturday teaching) all that was left was to head to the Computer Center to make some photos.You think you have archiving issues? You have no idea. More after the jump.46,000,000,000,000,000 Bytes Can't Be WrongForty six petabytes. That's the current combined HD and tape storage attached...

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Five-Day Workshop: Paso Robles, CA, 4/27 - 5/1

Two of the most common feedback items I have gotten at the one-day lighting seminars over the last few years has been the lack of a student shooting component, and a desire for a longer format. So this year, I am teaching two, five-day shooting workshops being hosted by two separate organizations. The first will be for Paso Robles Workshops (4/27 -...

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Speedlinks: 03/06/2009

In this edition: Umbrella lighting, car wrecks, epic journeys, imperfection, self-promotion and reinvention. (After the jump.)__________• Quick eye candy: Steven Haulenbeek's beautiful lighting installations -- using photographers' shoot-through umbrellas. (Thanks to Brad, via Toxel.)• Remember Blair Bunting? (Rembrandt Lighting: NOT.) While it is always a good idea to let Blair photograph your hot ride, think twice about ever letting him drive it. (Scroll down.)• Joey Lawrence, fresh back from Africa, had a great (if a bit NSFW-ish) post on Scott...

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CERN, Pt. 1: It's the Little Things that Matter

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I was remiss in not including the following link as a public service. If you are concerned about the safety of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, you can always check this site for the latest status on any catastrophic, earth-engulfing side effects.__________The folks at CERN like to say that the smaller the object, the bigger the...

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