On Assignment: Teeny Tiny Halophiles

I was shooting scientists at the Center of Marine Biology at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore recently. Typical in-lab stuff, as in this through-the-window shot of work being done in a refrigerated incubator.But what really caught my eye was a collection of halophile living in pure salt crystals. They would indeed be pretty happy in such a crystal, as...

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Rosco Thinks Big by Thinking Small

Okay, so maybe I am predisposed to like this new gel kit, what with that catchy name and all. But this was the result of a very organic collaboration between a web community and an existing business, in which we were both the problem and the solution.Basically, too much of a good thing almost made the good thing go away. Then we saved it by making...

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Savage Review: Pneumatic Posing Table

I try not to spend much space here on product reviews. And generally when I do review something, it is because I really like it. Usually, my logic is, "Why waste both my time and yours if I am just going to dog something?"Usually.__________What a Posing Table is Supposed to DoThe idea is simple. The combination of a stool and posing table allows for...

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Boot Camp II, Assignment 3: Results

Greetings from The Cave, as my new (future) basement/office is known around the house. Today we are reporting back on BCII, #3, in which you were assigned to light and shoot a residential space of some kind.Hit the jump for results, and one lucky winner . . .__________This Space Intentionally Left BlankAs you can tell, we're not real big on furniture...

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Please Remove Ski Mask Before Entering Bank

Q: What the best thing is about getting beaten up with a baseball bat? A: How good it feels when it stops. And that is how I feel about the end of anonymous comments on Strobist. As of this past weekend, they are a thing of the past. Fortunately, it is free and very easy to comment using any of a number of different kinds of accounts. Please click through to this or any other post's comment section to see how to do it. While you're at it, please take a look at the commenting guidelines. And don't forget to grab a name tag.-...

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RadioPopper JrX: Questions and Answers

About a gazillion RadioPopper JrX questions came in while Ben and I were enjoying our three-day mancation. I wanted to hit as many of them as practical before getting onto Boot Camp Assignment 3, which is in the on-deck circle. Lotsa answers -- and some test results -- after the jump. __________RP JrX Q&ABefore the Q&A, just a note that continued...

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Gone Fishin'

Lotsa Q's via the comments on the RP JrX's. Keep 'em coming and I will answer as many as is practical later this week in a QnA post.But as of this morning, the girls are in NYC until Thursday. Which leaves Ben, 8, and yours truly home by ourselves. IN: Go karts, laser tag, pizza, movies and the increased likelihood of a farting contest.OUT: Bed making,...

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RadioPopper JrX Will Make You Fat and Happy [Full Review]

Do you shoot with flashes on manual? Do you burn needless calories walking over to your AlienBees, Nikon or Canon flashes merely to adjust power settings?Fear not my lean friends. Soon, you too will be soft and rotund from a complete lack of exercise -- just like the portly people in Wall-E, the publicity photo for which I am both transforming and...

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There Goes My Weekend...

You are looking at what arrived at my house today, and the reason my previous weekend plans (i.e., judging the Boot Camp II/3 entries) will hence be cast aside: These are the much-awaited RadioPopper JrX's.I have already begun to test them, and will be posting a thorough review shortly. (Will update more on Twitter over the weekend.)Don't wanna short-change...

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Behind the Scenes with Mad Men

I watch very little TV, but am a huge fan of Mad Men. For those of you from places where it does not yet air, it's a layered and sophisticated drama series about the advertising business, c.1962 in New York City. It's the best thing on TV since The Wire, (RIP) which has pretty much spoiled me for most everything else.The new season of Mad Men starts...

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Peter Belanger's Time-Lapse Macworld Cover

Photographer Peter Belanger did a soup-to-nuts video on the creation of a Macworld cover -- from studio shoot (including lighting) to post production to final layout. Fast, but way cool.More info on it on his blog post, and you can see more of his work (mmm-mmm, humongous donuts ...) here.Many thanks to all who sent this in!-...

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Light Aircraft, By Andrew Zuckerman

By including the lights in the composition, Andrew Zuckerman's photo of this Icon A5 sport plane elevates the subject practically to an object of fetish.To WIRED's credit, the magazine used this photo in the story -- much to the delight of the photographers who subscribe. But what about the lights that you can't see in the photo. Any guesses?See inside...

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What Crosses My Mind While Sampling the Spinach Ravioli with Pesto...

Which is literally what I was doing when I turned around and snapped this iPhone pic in my local Costco recently. (Making sure not to get busted as a terrorist for snapping a pic in a Costco, of course...)It's 10'x10', and 10' high. It looks pretty color neutral and costs about $200. It sets up easily with an accordion-folding frame. How would you...

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Improvisational Light

One of the biggest misconceptions about this site is that is is about a specific type of gear and/or lighting technique. While I will admit to giving a lion's share of time to the use of speedlights, I am pretty much a big tent guy when it comes to lighting. The concentration on speedlights is mostly a reflection of the fact that speedlights are already...

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