review: Nikon SB-900 speedlight
review: Nikon SB-900 speedlight
With the SB-900 Speedlight (B&H), Nikon's flagship flashgun, it is clear that they did their homework. The SB-800 was a great flashgun, but there were certain things about it that were very frustrating, but the Nikon SB-900 gets all of this right. A huge improvement is that the SB-900 rotates 180' to either side! Right there in this image is the main reason to get the SB-900 ... it now rotates 180' to the right, instead of stopping short at the 90' mark like the SB-800. This is a huge benefit in bouncing flash with specific effect Read more inside...dreamy goodness: Canon 200mm f2 L IS
Canon 1D Mark III - Canon 200mm f2 L IS USM (B&H) - 1/300th @ f2 @ 125 ISO [ click on the photo to see a larger image] Canon recently upgraded their legendary 200mm f1.8 with an 200mm f2 version which has Image Stabilization. So out of curiosity I rented this lens from LensProToGo, to play with it and test it out. Here is the beast of a lens: the Canon 200mm f2 L IS USM (B&H) This is the kind of lens which is best used (or in a way ONLY to be used) at its maximum aperture. That wide aperture of f2 gives you an incredibly thin depth of field, and hence, that dreamy Read more inside...
Nikon D700 : preview
hands-on preview: Nikon D700
Nikon D700 ..-. 1/125th @ f3.5 @ 32oo ISO. [ click on the image to see a 100% crop ] The Nikon D700 camera (B&H) and Nikon SB-900 speedlight (B&H), were released today, to my great anticipation. I expected to see D3 quality images in a body about the size of the D300, and accessibly priced for what it delivers. This evening I drove in to Manhattan so I could roam around Times Square to test the low-light capabilities of this camera. This after all is what the D3 is renowned for, and the D700 promises to deliver the same image quality. Read more inside...modifying a modifier
This idea of how to modify that black foam half-snoot that I use to flag my speedlight with, was sent to me by Randall Todd. It allows the flag to be attached to the speedlight much easier than my less sophisticated method of using hair-bands. "I have made and used Peter Gregg's ABBC and found it to be very useful. Instead of using his big rubber bands I went with a Velcro design. The attached photos should show if fairly well. It's simply 10-1/4" of the fuzzy side of sticky hook & loop material on the outside and about 9" of "3M" rubbery shelf liner on the inside. I used a Read more inside...
bouncing flash inside large venues
bouncing flash inside large venues - adding TTL flash to ambient light
One of the ideas that has been mentioned here previously, is when using on-camera flash indoors, to approach it with a studio mind-set where possible. Instead of bouncing flash upwards towards the ceiling, or even simply behind you, the idea is to think "where would I have placed my softbox if this were a studio?" Then it is simply a matter of pointing the on-camera flash in that direction, and flagging any spill light from the flashgun. I most often use a piece of black foam to flag my on-camera speedlight. Read more inside...flash and tungsten lighting
flash and tungsten lighting - gelling your flash for incandescent lighting
Flash, for me, is an essential tool in sweetening the available light and improving the quality of the existing light. I often see comments on the photography forums to the effect that with cameras like the Nikon D3 or Canon 1D mk3, where you have exceptional high-iso noise performance, that you don't need flash. The crucial point that is missed though, is that flash is not merely there just to use when the light is so poor that you can't stop any motion blur from your subject, or stop camera shake Read more inside...spotlight interview
Every week James Robinson features an interview on his blog with a photographer that has caught his attention. And this week the privilege is mine - and you can read it here: spotlight interview - photographer Neil van Niekerk. And for no other reason than to spruce up this quickie post, here is one of my favorite images from a destination wedding I photographed in the Bahamas recently. Other interviews with me Read more inside...
A solution to a persistent Bridge CS3 problem
A solution to a persistent Adobe Bridge CS3 problem (Windows)
A few days ago I posted on an online forum about a persistent problem I've been having with Bridge CS3. The problem arises when I open Bridge and navigate to a folder, in that Bridge doesn't show any thumbnails but will just show a blank grey right-hand pane. Just a few hours later, one of the most knowledgeable photographers on the forum, Brian Tao, came up with several possible causes and solutions. Since I believe that the problem is quite prevalent, and the solution not obvious at all, I thought that it would be Read more inside...a raw element of style
During the portrait sessions with my couples, I try to maintain a fluid style of photographing them. Instead of rigidly posing I try to direct only a little, adjusting my position and my composition. I really want as natural looking and flattering portraits as I can, while getting a variety of images. For these reasons I move around a lot while shooting ... and I often try to get some lens flare on purpose. I love the way the image warms up and the flare creates pools of light within the image. This is an unpredictable effect, but when it works, I feel that the flare adds something Read more inside...
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