Strobist RSS Feed
| Core Knowledge: Working With Remotes |
 There are two things you should always remember about radio remotes:One, radio can be fickle. This is true whether you are using your time-honored PocketWizards or a brand new Chinese offering. Two, radio waves -- and success with your remotes -- are all about the physics. So a little knowledge can go a long way toward ensuring good range and reliability. Some basics that every lighting photographer should know, inside. Read more »   |
| Tyler Stableford: Dispatches From the Underground |
 Aspen, Colorado-based photographer Tyler Stableford generally shoots action and adventure, most of it aboveground. But this shoot for Timberland PRO would send him a half-mile deep into the earth. That far down, before adding light it is absolutely pitch black. As in, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. And the lights the miners use while extracting coal there aren't much friendlier -- low-level, and a mix of tungsten and fluorescents. So Stableford shot the entire campaign working on the edge of the quality envelope, and lighting with only a few speedlights. Read more »   |
| Q&A: Dealing with Glare from Dark Wood Backgrounds |
 Reader Jefferson, from California in the US, asked via Twitter:"How do you deal with glare on dark wood in background for portraits? Is this covered in Lighting 101 or 102?" Actually, it is covered in L102, if a little obliquely. And yes, pretty much any time you light into dark wood as a background you are gonna get some blowback. But rather than look at this as a problem, I prefer to think of it as a feature… Read more »   |
| Ono Shouichi: The Spirit of a Century |
 Photos © Ono Shouichi  By Irwin Wong -- Multi-light setups, gear reviews and lighting tricks are all worthwhile food for thought. But when people are looking back at your life’s work, will you be remembered for your lighting or for what you tried to tell the world with your camera? In a long-spanning portrait series, Tokyo-based editorial photographer Ono Shouichi has (to date) photographed two hundred Japanese centenarians. The lighting, while there, is subordinate to the message. As it should be. Read more »   |
| QA: Down the Phase One Rabbit Hole |
| There were a few misconceptions (and a LOT of questions) that popped up in the comments after I wrote about ditching the D4 for a used Phase One camera and back. Videos, answers to Q's and some specific things that convinced me to make the jump, inside. Read more »   |
| Kodak Files for Bankruptcy |
On the day when just about every photographer over 30 pauses to consider Kodak's filing for bankruptcy, a poignant video. The once-dominant company obviously knew it was already in trouble at this point, but still came out swinging in a refreshing appeal to the future. Considering this was made in 2006 (and how quickly things have happened since) the video was pretty darn prescient. In the end, all of these things did happen. Just without the need for Kodak. -30-   |
| On Assignment: Dude for LumiQuest |
 I shot the original ad for the LumiQuest Soft Box III back in 2008, using a pre-production sample. I love that light mod, and use it all of the time. So when Quest Couch asked me to shoot a second version for the bigger LTp and left the subject matter up to me, I eagerly started looking for a subject. Read more »   |
| Gulf Photo Plus 2012: See You in Dubai |
 The best part about facing the oncoming winter in Maryland is knowing I am gonna bail for a week of 80-degree days in Dubai at Gulf Photo Plus. It's my favorite annual photo event of all, and the only teaching gig I am planning for the whole year. Heisler's coming back. Dave Burnett is coming. Martin Prihoda, too. And of course many of the regulars will be there. On top of that, I'm especially excited to be teaching a completely different set of classes this year. Read more »   |
| A Few Pointers on Beauty Photography |
Ed. Note: For obvious reasons, do not try this at home without using extreme care. I'll say it again: do not try this at home without using extreme care. Seriously, kid. You'll put your eye out. -DH Photos ©Ludovic Taillandier  By Sara Lando -- Paris-based photographer Ludovic Taillandier (NSFW-ish) specializes in advertising, fashion and beauty. (And occasionally, apparently, novelty electronics.) Today, a look at the making of his futuristic Tronized Beauty series. Read more »  |
| BTS: Time Magazine's Protesters |
 Seldom do we get such a long-form look at the production of what is quickly becoming an iconic group of photos. The BTS video below is of Peter Hapak's assignment to cover the world-wide protester phenomenon in 2011, for the Time cover story in which they were collectively named Person of the Year.I have watched it several times now -- as a journalist, a photographer, a lighting guy and certainly as a human. There's a lot to learn. Read more »   |
| Bailing on the Nikon D4 |
Apologies for slightly off-topic post. But given my gear path to date, this is not exactly one I was gonna slip under the rug. I think every long-term photographer has an interesting and very personal journey leading to their current gear bag. Here's mine. It was almost 30 years ago, but still remember the first day I stepped into the Nikon pro flagship line. At the time I owned a Nikkormat FTN, a 50/2 and a 200/4. And then I saw the ad in the classifieds of the Eustis News. Some guy was selling a Nikon F, with a full bag of pro lenses, for like $600. I couldn't afford it. But my friend and fellow photographer John Ashley was also a young Nikon shooter, having gotten a job at the local Leesburg Daily Commercial right out of high school. And he was looking for some gear, too. As luck would have it our needs were almost complimentary. So we pooled our money (mine from mowing lawns) and bought the bag together, divvying up the spoils. I forget all of the split details, but I think I walked away with a 24/2.8, a 105/2.5, a 300/4.5 -- and a Nikon F body. It was the happiest day of my life up to that point. I now owned a Nikon flagship camera and bag of lenses -- if only the 13-year-old versions. Since then I have worked as a photojournalist with the F2, F3, F4 and F5 before switching to digital. Then it was the D1, the D2 and D3. So the decision to switch horses rather than go with the D4 was a big deal for me. Read more »   |
| Layer Slayer Dave Hill Peels the Onion at Valio Con |
 More than a few of you can kiss your productivity goodbye for the next hour. From a tech/creative conference last summer comes this long-form video of a presentation by LA-based photographer Dave Hill.It's a straight video grab from the conference room, so there is no contrast in the images. But still, great stuff. In the full-length vid after the jump, Dave talks about bootstrapping, five-finger optical discounts at prop shops, hand drawing curly beards on dudes in Photoshop and even his very first composite portrait. Read more »   |
| Lighting in the Wild |
 Living at the edge of the woods is like living next to a zoo. We get a nonstop stream of animal visitors, perhaps none more majestic than this eight-point white-tailed deer. Mature bucks are notoriously very crafty and skittish. That's how you live long enough to be a mature buck. But this guy visits us regularly, and has become a little more acclimated to the sound of my shutter release. Enough so, that I am starting to plan how I am going to light him … Read more »   |
| Another Year Passes in a Flash |
 The last week of the year is special, and one to be taken advantage of. I spend it balancing time between family/friends and looking back at the past year while preparing for the next one. There are some cool things lined up for 2012 already, but today's post is about looking back. Herewith, the favorite posts of 2011 -- mine, and yours... Read more »   |
| Shooting Holiday Lights, Redux |
 A lot of you have been tweeting or otherwise sharing the 2006 post on How to Photograph Christmas Lights (thanks!) so I thought it merited a refresh. Included are updated photos, tips on dealing with LEDs and a video that should totally make sense to your your point-and-shoot friends. We are hunkered down and in full-bore holiday mode -- including, as seen above, a trip to cut down our tree the other evening. Strobist will be back the day after Christmas with the traditional end-of-year B.O.S. post. Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to all. -30-   |
| Making a Case for the Beauty Dish |
 When posting on my four favorite soft light mods, I included a beauty dish but lamented the necessity of a dedicated case to keep it from getting scuffed up. Dishes aren't cheap to begin with, and neither are decent cases. Problem solved... Read more »   |
| Five-Digit Studio Flash Catfight: Broncolor vs. Profoto |
 As Profoto and Broncolor battle for supremacy in the high-end studio flash world, things are getting all like, "Rawrrr, nice sweater. Does it come in your size?" And just like Lexus and Infinity luxury car ads, they each want to point out their being better in some measurable way. Witness this Broncolor-produced "real-world shootout"… Read more »   |
| Brad Trent's In-Camera Digital Man |
 I didn't see this on Damn Ugly Photography (sorry Brad) until it was picked up by the Profoto blog, in itself a Damn Good Blog. (Especially when you consider it is run by a buncha tie-wearin' corporate weenies…)Brad Trent's "Digital Man" was created in-camera with a mix of surprisingly simple lighting, some crucial on-axis fill … and a $10,000 light mod. Definitely worth a few minutes of lost cubicle productivity on a Wednesday. :: Brad Trent's $10K Digital Man :: and... :: How To Do This for Less Than $10k :: -30-   |
| Rewind The Flash Bus: Now on Video |
 Above: Flash Bus Busted, Phoenix, AZThis spring, for reasons still largely unknown to the logical side of my brain, I signed on to a 42-day, 12,531 mile road trip. It was not a decision taken lightly. On the one hand, we'd be getting up at oh-dark-thirty every morning after sleeping in a coffin-sized bunk on a moving bus. On the other hand, I'd get to hang out up-close-and-personal with one of the true legends of the photographic community. I am speaking of course of McNally's first assistant, Drew Gurian. On April 6th, we pulled into the Pennsylvania Convention center in Philadelphia. By then we pretty much had our stuff together, and the bad jokes weren't getting any better. So we figured we should film it. Read more »   |
| Q&A: Controlling the Sun When Using Flash - A Comparative Guide |
| After Monday's post lighting a soccer player into the sun at a wide aperture, several questions came up via comments and Twitter about the relative benefits of doing this in different ways. Yes, there are different ways to do it -- namely ND, high-speed sync and special-chip cameras. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. The full how-to and scorecard, inside. Read more »   |
| Read Strobist on Google Currents |
 With a dozen SB's and a shoe box full of AA's, Strobist is all about being mobile. Google has just launched their answer to Flipboard, and for those of you mobile readers who choose to download the app, the site is available on that platform.The app is free for iOS or Android users, and you can download it here. Once installed, hit the magnifying glass search icon at the bottom right of the app and search "strobist". It is only US on launch, but that should change soon enough. -30-   |
| Soccer Through Sunset |
 Any time I am shooting an outside portrait and the start time is up to me, I am for an hour before sunset. The reason is simple: You know the light is gonna just get better and better until it is time to wrap it up. That's exactly how it was with a shoot last week of local soccer standout Zach Johnson. But this time we veered away from the normal afternoon/sunset game plan a little. Read more »   |
| Speedlinks: 'The Office' Edition |
 I'm still an old-school guy when it comes to developing projects. I like to keep my ideas on physical surfaces. And without whiteboards in The Cave, we revert to stickies. Like, everywhere. Today's speedlinks are office-themed; one an actual shoot-in-a-boring-office solution and another to show what can be done with … a lot of stickies. Read more »   |
| Dean Bradshaw: Putting the Pieces Together |
 Photos © Dean Bradshaw"Photography has taken me to some amazing places and allowed me to meet people I would never have had the opportunity to otherwise meet," says Aussie transplant Dean Bradshaw, who now works in Southern California. "For me it has been a lifestyle and a way of interacting with the world more than just something I do to pay the bills." Bradshaw said that he likes to think of photography as the intersection between art and real life. But that intersection doesn't always happen spontaneously. Usually it takes perseverance, serendipity, bootstrapping and an ability to pre-visualize the pieces of a photo before they ever comes together. Case in point, the process of creating the image of a San Diego breakdancer, above. Read more »   |
| Giving Back With Your Camera |
 It's Thanksgiving, a day when many people in the US will eat way too much food and then collapse on the couch to watch the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers on the teevee. (Heh.) But thoughts of giving thanks often prompt thoughts of giving back. And there is a lot of collective talent among the readers of this site. So today, a bit of an open thread on ideas for giving back with your camera. I'll start off with a few specific suggestions from my own experience, but I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Read more »   |
Last Updated: July 6, 2010