Thursday, January 13, 2011

NiZn Batteries: Long-Term Update

Remember those nickel-zinc batteries-on-steroids that came out a few months ago? Long-term usage reports are starting to come in.

The short version: When you send your SB-800 in to get its fried PC board(s) replaced, you might not wanna mention your choice of battery.

Longer version, inside. Read more »

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Mini-Rant: Screw the Critics

It's a new year, and I have been thinking a lot about this. There was even a long, rambling rant all written up, but I just spiked it. I'll save you the reading time by condensing it down to this:

__________
Don't try to please everyone. The more worried you are about pleasing everyone else, the less likely you are to ever please yourself. Nor are you likely produce anything truly interesting or develop any kind of a personal style worth having.
__________


That applies to your lighting. But it is also true for your composition, your choice of subject matter, your cooking, your performance review, your haircut -- whatever.

If you are not getting the occasional blowback, you are almost certainly playing it too safe and worrying too much about what others might think of your work.

The important thing is, what do you think of it?

-30-

Friday, January 7, 2011

Sketchy iShoot Sniper Remote Claims 500m Range, Immunity From Copyright

UPDATE: 500m? Bzzzznt. More like 30m, if published reports are to be believed. And it can't hold a 1/250th sec sync, either. Surprise, right?


Need to place that speedlight five football fields away? No problem.

Or, at least no problem 90% of the time, according to the specs on the "iShoot Sniper" remote transceiver from the Chinese company McLovin' Photoloving.

Highlights include... Read more »

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Hack Your Grid II


Here is a quick-but-cool little hack inspired by the permanent way I altered my Honl grids a little earlier.

Using a piece of elastic and two hooks (tiny bungee cord, hair band and two paper clips, etc.) you can mount any grid to any smaller sized flash. I use them to mount my old Paul Buff grids to speedlights.

Why? Because if you are mixing speedlights and big lights, your gridded accents can usually be handled with low-power flashes. And many people have full sets of grids in varying beams for their big lights but not their speedlights.

Works on big modifiers, too. Using two larger straps in "X" formation allows me to mount the relatively inexpensive grid from my AlienBees dish onto my slightly smaller Profoto dish -- thus deferring the need to purchase the brand-specific beauty grid.

In short, as long as the grid is bigger than the target light/reflector, you can mount any grid to any light. Use two straps for more control and/or tension as needed, and you're good to go.

They take up almost no space -- just keep a few of the elastic hook sets (at your needed lengths) tucked away in your light bag. Like me, you're probably gonna find more uses for them on location, too.

-30-

So, I Got Published in TechCrunch Today…

UPDATE: I answered some of the folks who found multiple other publications of this photo via a Tineye search below, in the comments. #WelcomeToMyLife
__________


I was trolling my RSS reader today during a break and saw a post containing one of my photos -- a golden egg shot originally done for J. D. Roth over at Get Rich Slowly.

Funny, I don't remember being askedRead more »

Sunday, January 2, 2011

On Assignment: Stephanie Yezek


My ongoing partnership with the Howard County Arts Council has yielded a steady stream of talented, interesting people to stick in front of my camera. And dancer Stephanie Yezek, above, is a great example. She can pretty much disobey the laws of gravity whenever she wants. She has amazing strength and control.

Regular readers will know that I love shooting against dusk. And since this project is essentially a license to experiment, that's exactly what we did… Read more »

New Year, New Bookshelf

Three brand new additions to the recommended reading list include a book of DIY photo projects, a must-read for anyone selling their home and a long-awaited, uber-comprehensive manual aimed at Canon Speedlite users.

:: Strobist Bookshelf ::

-30-

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