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[supernormal]

Oh shit so all I have to do is buy a second flash, a second light stand and some fucking Gels!!!!? Or can I just use my cheap LED light and a gel for this? My light set up as of now is are these:
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-VK750-Speedlite-Display-Cameras/dp/B00GE4MNQA/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1456099564&sr=1-3&keywords=neewer+flash
http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1456099591&sr=1-1&keywords=neewer+led
I just recently decided to take them off my camera, though as of now I need to experiment with the set up to get the most use out of the situation.

I have one of those LED lights and honestly I never use it. It's really not powerful enough and it being ON your camera does no favors to your photography. I specifically bought 4 flashes to be able to get the 4 light set up look, but honestly I always just use 2. I do however use the 4 lights whenever I do color backdrops since I can't shine through it like the reflector.

Karla-Bday-4 by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Karla-Bday8v by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr


I'm gonna be doing a a photoshoot with a bodybuilder soon and I'll be using 4 lights there to accentuate his body better with rim lights so having them does come in handy once in a while. Buy that second flash or third flash without hesitation and learn how to complement them. In most situations I only use one light on the subject ( I really like shadows) and the other for the background usually pointed toward the subjects back to give some rim lighting. Like this:

Business-BW by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

You could pretty much make a living with those two flashes.

 

[JadedWriter]

I actually bought that LED to use off camera and I have a stand for it, but yeah I'll be getting a second flash later then when I have the money for it. So pretty much I'll get the most use out of a second flash and some umbrellas and some gels over some other more expensive shit? Good to know. I'll just need a second flash trigger for that thing at some point.

 

[supernormal]

This is genius! I shoot a lot on location as well, so I totally feel you. And will copy you haha!

That's great, I copied it from this guy and pretty much learned everything about shooting on location from this single article.

http://zackarias.com/editorial-photography/anatomy-of-an-editorial-shoot-coca-cola-ceo-muhtar-kent/

I work in the government and most of my daily shooting is political figures and big execs so having read that early on helped me immensely.

Knew it! I use the same flashes. Got 2 so far and had to shoot in some extreme weather with my umbrellas, the wind kept blowing them away, they fell more times than I cared to count, but all I kept thinking is I CAN JUST GET A NEW ONE. Also £10 umbrellas for the win. They bent and broke, but got the job done for the shoot, which is what counts. Lesson: always look for stones to put on your light stands lol.

I usually just tell the person being photographed to bring someone along to hold my shit. haha.

 

[supernormal]

I actually bought that LED to use off camera and I have a stand for it, but yeah I'll be getting a second flash later then when I have the money for it. So pretty much I'll get the most use out of a second flash and some umbrellas and some gels over some other more expensive shit? Good to know. I'll just need a second flash trigger for that thing at some point.

Well lighting is pretty much the most important thing. If you have good lighting you could take good picture with an iPhone, so yes you'll get the most use out of your flashes. For trigger I just use this.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L4RBA7U/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I got like 8 of them just because they're so cheap. Unless your making a ton of money on this and shooting for magazine prints you don't need to spend "a lot" of money on this stuff.

 

[JadedWriter]

Well lighting is pretty much the most important thing. If you have good lighting you could take good picture with an iPhone, so yes you'll get the most use out of your flashes. For trigger I just use this.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L4RBA7U/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I got like 8 of them just because they're so cheap. Unless your making a ton of money on this and shooting for magazine prints you don't need to spend "a lot" of money on this stuff.

I've already bought this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1040166-REG/vello_rfw_lr_vello_freewave_fusion_lr.html
I'll just need an extra trigger then. Good to see I don't really need a super expensive light set up. I just need some gels now.

 

[Koriandrr]

I actually bought that LED to use off camera and I have a stand for it, but yeah I'll be getting a second flash later then when I have the money for it. So pretty much I'll get the most use out of a second flash and some umbrellas and some gels over some other more expensive shit? Good to know. I'll just need a second flash trigger for that thing at some point.

Honestly, from my experience using LEDs - they're only good for shooting video. I used one from a videographer friend on an event once and it just wasn't nearly strong enough to do anything a flash could. I would only use them if I'm shooting video for static light.

That's great, I copied it from this guy and pretty much learned everything about shooting on location from this single article.

http://zackarias.com/editorial-photography/anatomy-of-an-editorial-shoot-coca-cola-ceo-muhtar-kent/

I work in the government and most of my daily shooting is political figures and big execs so having read that early on helped me immensely.



I usually just tell the person being photographed to bring someone along to hold my shit. haha.

Thank you so much for this! Will read now..
I'm getting more into music photography and ideally would love to do my setup backstage and take band photos there, so portable stuff is very important.

EDIT: So, noob question here - I always see these guys bringing portable beauty dishes. Not necessarily the big metal ones, but anything that has the same effect. I would really like to get one for beauty face light but don't know what to get for a flash or if they work with a flash at all. The ones I've seen only work with a very strong static light that requires power or some sort of portable battery?

 

[CalhounBurns]

DSC_1216.jpg by Nick Richards, on Flickr

DSC_1222.jpg by Nick Richards, on Flickr

 

[supernormal]

EDIT: So, noob question here - I always see these guys bringing portable beauty dishes. Not necessarily the big metal ones, but anything that has the same effect. I would really like to get one for beauty face light but don't know what to get for a flash or if they work with a flash at all. The ones I've seen only work with a very strong static light that requires power or some sort of portable battery?

There's this and similar variants for speedlights you can find:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3MHAEG/?tag=neogaf0e-20

If this is for shooting bands backstage though, you're gonna be better of getting some big umbrellas instead. I wouldn't use a beauty dish unless it's a scheduled shoot and I've got some time to set stuff up and test it with the actual model.

 

[Koriandrr]

There's this and similar variants for speedlights you can find:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3MHAEG/?tag=neogaf0e-20

If this is for shooting bands backstage though, you're gonna be better of getting some big umbrellas instead. I wouldn't use a beauty dish unless it's a scheduled shoot and I've got some time to set stuff up and test it with the actual model.

Ohh I see. Small note, I'm in the UK and the beauty dish you linked isn't available here, but there's similar ones for more ££

So, I can see 71'' umbrellas like this but this large reflector umbrella also looks pretty good... possibly not as soft though.


EDIT: I'm failing at google here. Would love to see example photos taken with large umbrellas/reflector umbrellas and beaty dish but it's not like looking for photos taken with a lens...

 

[supernormal]

Ohh I see. Small note, I'm in the UK and the beauty dish you linked isn't available here, but there's similar ones for more ££

So, I can see 71'' umbrellas like this but this large reflector umbrella also looks pretty good... possibly not as soft though.


EDIT: I'm failing at google here. Would love to see example photos taken with large umbrellas/reflector umbrellas and beaty dish but it's not like looking for photos taken with a lens...

For me shoot through umbrellas are the very bottom of the chain. The don't diffuse a lot and they also spill much of the light all over. I prefer reflector umbrellas especially if the have a white bounce as opposed to a silver one. The light is softer and it doesn't spill as much. The beauty dish is almost the same as the reflector umbrella or softbox but the light is more focused into a smaller spot (which makes it only good for faces). My reflector umbrella gets used the most out of all my modifiers.

Here's a video showing the difference (or should I say similarities) between a beauty dish and an umbrella.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCs9URvIHm8

 

[Sami+]

Been forever since I posted

Mae Double Exposure by Sami Mckee, on Flickr

Mae by Sami Mckee, on Flickr

Mae by Sami Mckee, on Flickr

Sunset by Sami Mckee, on Flickr

 

[Koriandrr]

For me shoot through umbrellas are the very bottom of the chain. The don't diffuse a lot and they also spill much of the light all over. I prefer reflector umbrellas especially if the have a white bounce as opposed to a silver one. The light is softer and it doesn't spill as much. The beauty dish is almost the same as the reflector umbrella or softbox but the light is more focused into a smaller spot (which makes it only good for faces). My reflector umbrella gets used the most out of all my modifiers.

Here's a video showing the difference (or should I say similarities) between a beauty dish and an umbrella.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCs9URvIHm8

Ahh I see thank you!
I have one shoot trough umbrella and one reflective, but small ones, not really big. Have to go on proper 1/1 on the flash for the shoot trough when it's dark, but I like the soft light, I think the reflective one is a bit too harsh so I use it for fill/hair light.

 

[JadedWriter]

That's great, I copied it from this guy and pretty much learned everything about shooting on location from this single article.

http://zackarias.com/editorial-photography/anatomy-of-an-editorial-shoot-coca-cola-ceo-muhtar-kent/

I work in the government and most of my daily shooting is political figures and big execs so having read that early on helped me immensely.



I usually just tell the person being photographed to bring someone along to hold my shit. haha.

That Zack Arias post was a learning experience. He put so much planning into each and every shot. No wonder why the stuff I do is pretty much subpar.
A couple of shots I took walking around Saturday night:
DSC_9747 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_9758 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_9761 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr

 

[Schryver]

Just got my first camera! Fuji X-T10 (with just the 35 F2 for now). Don't have any clue what I'm doing but wanted to take some shots on my first night and figured I should get some use out of my UCS Slave 1

 

[alundra311]

Just got my first camera! Fuji X-T10 (with just the 35 F2 for now). Don't have any clue what I'm doing but wanted to take some shots on my first night and figured I should get some use out of my UCS Slave 1

Ooh! Congrats on the purchase! I have the same camera but with the 18-55 mm lens. I really enjoy shooting with my Fuji. I love using their film simulations, especially classic chrome. With film simulations and the in-camera raw converter, I usually don't even have to process photos in the PC.

A little tip, always shoot raw+jpeg. With this, you can just shoot in a given film simulation and settings and if you didn't like the result or wish to see how it would look using another film simulation, you can then just use the in-camera raw converter to re-process the same image or just process the raw in the PC. (Sorry for the stupid long sentence.)

 

[jongkookie]

Got the Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm aka "The Stovepipe" earlier this week, but it's been raining the last few days so I couldn't get any good shots... until today!







And here it is against my Sigma 75-250 lens:



This lens is truly legendary, I'm seriously considering dumping all of my primes and just sticking with this lens forever.

 

[JadedWriter]

Got the Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm aka "The Stovepipe" earlier this week, but it's been raining the last few days so I couldn't get any good shots... until today!







And here it is against my Sigma 75-250 lens:



This lens is truly legendary, I'm seriously considering dumping all of my primes and just sticking with this lens forever.

Nice shots, good clarity. I just ordered some umbrellas for my shoots. I can't wait to start experimenting with them.

 

[VisceralBowl]

Shots from my most recent gig.
Ezze-Bar-Final by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Fantastic lighting.

When I want to achieve sharpness I usually don't touch the contrast too much, just play around with highlights, shadows and blacks, then add some clarity for that detail pop. If you want extra extra detail pop, which I personally do only on black and white photos, go in photoshop, make a new layer and give it a high pass filter, but don't overdo the details too much, it's pretty strong, then set it on something like soft light or the one before it (can't remember the name I just scroll trough them lol) and then erase or mask out the stuff that you don't want to be overly sharp, like the background. Just leave it on the most focused parts like faces, don't wanna have too much overall detail in portraits.

Thanks for the info!

 

[LT Snoshado]

Picked up a Panasonic Lumix G7 today and tried shooting some night shots. Here's my favorite one (I think)..

 

[Futureman]

When I found out the technique used below I dropped the 4 light set up immediately in favor of this. It's been my most requested type of shot since then and it's really easy to pull of on location.

S2Square by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

For this I use two lights and big reflector like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SSL920/?tag=neogaf0e-20.

One of the lights on the subject pretty much however you want, I usually do butterfly lighting or Rembrandt, and then the second light behind the reflector which you will use as a background(the translucent side). You will get perfectly white backgrounds and some rim lighting on the subjects sides giving the illusion of the 4 light set up.

hey supernormal, great photos! I'm trying to follow this and I'm a bit confused. Would you be able to make an image showing how you have the lights set up and reflector? I assume you still have the model against a backdrop of some kind. How far is the model from the background?

 

[VisceralBowl]

Really liked this one for some reason. Not sure why.

---
cat stuff

 

[JadedWriter]

DSC_9781 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_9773 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_9819 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_9840-2 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr

 

[snaffles]

Really liked this one for some reason. Not sure why.

---
cat stuff

Those are cool, cats look like they are much better suited to shooting with a shallow depth of field than dogs. The problem I always run into with my dogs is that their snout will be out of focus if you focus on the eye and vice versa.

 

[hEist]

iphone.

 

[Fëanorian]

Haven't done much posting lately, been kind of lazy with photography also.

Some I've taken this year:

Main Street Rain by abrahamsahuayo, on Flickr
Field Sunset by abrahamsahuayo, on Flickr
Downtown Square Snow by abrahamsahuayo, on Flickr
The Joy of Being a Child by abrahamsahuayo, on Flickr
Empty Franklin Theatre by abrahamsahuayo, on Flickr
No more expresso tonite by abrahamsahuayo, on Flickr

 

[Flo_Evans]

Busy lately... no time/energy for personal work.

Here is some test shots for a portrait session - 2 different directions with post processing haha - Blue Steel vs. Dirty South.

 

[JadedWriter]

So the event I was covering ends and I start taking pictures of these fucking things like a fucking kid.
DSC_0225 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0233 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0224 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr

 

[StopMakingSense]

Went out to Death Valley for the megabloom and it was amazing.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Small clip I just edited with some footage lying around, hope you guys enjoy it =)

https://vimeo.com/156891323

 

[snaffles]

Small clip I just edited with some footage lying around, hope you guys enjoy it =)

https://vimeo.com/156891323

Looks great, music fits really well with it too.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Looks great, music fits really well with it too.

Thank you It was all stiched together, none of this footage was meant to be appart of this.

 

[Dr.Horrible]

Went out to Death Valley for the megabloom and it was amazing

These are great, the megabloom would be awesome to see in person.

 

[pringles]

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Iceland.

5C5A3170 by Pete Johns, on Flickr

Incredible! Looks like your trip to Iceland was a success?

Been forever since I posted

Mae Double Exposure by Sami Mckee, on Flickr

Love it!

iphone.

Can't believe what you manage to get out of the iphone camera O_O Nice work.

Went out to Death Valley for the megabloom and it was amazing.

Wow, outstanding shots!

 

[VisceralBowl]

double

 

[VisceralBowl]

Small clip I just edited with some footage lying around, hope you guys enjoy it =)
https://vimeo.com/156891323

That was great.

Went out to Death Valley for the megabloom and it was amazing.

I'd love to see that in person. Looks cool!

Those are cool, cats look like they are much better suited to shooting with a shallow depth of field than dogs. The problem I always run into with my dogs is that their snout will be out of focus if you focus on the eye and vice versa.

Cats have flatter faces so it's not as much of an issue generally. I've had little luck with dogs outside of the one that loves shiny stuff.

 

[supernormal]

hey supernormal, great photos! I'm trying to follow this and I'm a bit confused. Would you be able to make an image showing how you have the lights set up and reflector? I assume you still have the model against a backdrop of some kind. How far is the model from the background?

For the main lighting and reflector it's something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHw0OyT8Nv0

For the background:
http://zackarias.com/editorial-photography/anatomy-of-an-editorial-shoot-coca-cola-ceo-muhtar-kent/

How close you put the background depends on how much of the subject you want to show. For example if just shooting the face you could have the background a bit further back and still fill up the frame. For the a full above the waist shot you pretty much have the reflector right behind the subject so that their whole upper body is inside the background when you look through the viewfinder.

I don't really do Behind the Scenes but for example this is the raw shot from this upper body shot.

Final
Ezze-White by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Untouched

Here you can see the edges of the background (which is pretty much touching the subjects back) which I fill in in photoshop to get the "seamless" look.

------------------

Here's a few more from that shoot.
Ezze Brick Wall by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Ezze Whinery by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Fantastic lighting.

Thanks.

Here's that same combination on close up shot.

Jessy Smoking-GR by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

 

[alundra311]

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

Also, a couple of pics I took at a toy fair. Any tips on taking better pictures at toy fairs?

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

Untitled by Justin Paul Obsines, on Flickr

 

[Fuser]

Incredible! Looks like your trip to Iceland was a success?

Yeah it was amazing, best holiday I've ever done. Got so many photos it's unreal, I'll post them up eventually!

Got out this weekend for the first time in a week, sunrise was a bit flat but never mind. Decided to break out the macro lens again, first time really using it since going to full frame. Blimey the DOF changes a lot from the crop body!

5C5A4293 by Pete Johns, on Flickr

5C5A4364 by Pete Johns, on Flickr

 

[JadedWriter]

I finally did some off camera experiments with some color gels with my girlfriend, not too bad for my first time, can't wait to get my second flash now.
DSC_0288 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0264 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0261 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0272 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr

 

[brochiller]

Thinking of picking up either a Olympus EPL7 or Panasonic GM5 soon. Anybody on GAF have any experience with either of them?

 

[Koriandrr]

I did some heavy photoshopping on my latest shoot. Feedback would be really appreciated, as I have no idea if I'm doing this right. I've been staring at these images for far too many hours to see things properly..

P2270121-121-6 by Rossi Ivanova, on Flickr
P2270118-118-3 by Rossi Ivanova, on Flickr
P2270078-78 by Rossi Ivanova, on Flickr
P2270065-65-6 by Rossi Ivanova, on Flickr
P2270058-58-5 by Rossi Ivanova, on Flickr

 

[supernormal]

Karla-Dress- by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Shot this today on a really short notice but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

 

[JadedWriter]

Karla-Dress- by Samuel Vasquez, on Flickr

Shot this today on a really short notice but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

I love the look of your portraits. This is that two flash setup again? What focal length do you shoot at?

 

[supernormal]

I love the look of your portraits. This is that two flash setup again? What focal length do you shoot at?

Thanks. This one was really nothing special, like I said it was basically improvised. Only lit with a reflector umbrella really close to the models right side. This was shot with the kit lens 18-135 probably zoomed in at around 35-50mm. It was day time so I cranked up the speed a bit to dim down the sunlight and have only my strobe light her, hence the more contrasty look.

I shot some "Twilight-esque" shots with her later that day that were more controlled. I will be posting those later. Here's a book from the guy that actually shot the Twilight posters that has also helped me a lot in my work.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817400141/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[JadedWriter]

Thanks. This one was really nothing special, like I said it was basically improvised. Only lit with a reflector umbrella really close to the models right side. This was shot with the kit lens 18-135 probably zoomed in at around 35-50mm. It was day time so I cranked up the speed a bit to dim down the sunlight and have only my strobe light her, hence the more contrasty look.

I shot some "Twilight-esque" shots with her later that day that were more controlled. I will be posting those later. Here's a book from the guy that actually shot the Twilight posters that has also helped me a lot in my work.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817400141/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I should pick up a simple lighting book. I improvised some stuff that's either at least half decent or at least more interesting than my usual stuff but I should have a better sense of what to do in that regard. Pretty much I like how your lighting techniques add a lot of dimension and character to your portrait work.

 

[VisceralBowl]

 

[JadedWriter]

I'd like to think I've gotten better at my walk around shots.
DSC_0316 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0293 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr
DSC_0291 by Marcus Beasley, on Flickr

 

[snaffles]

I'd like to think I've gotten better at my walk around shots.

I think your post processing has improved a bunch on the last few sets of street shots you posted.

 

[Koriandrr]

Love it. I feel guilty for loving it too, as it's a BOKKEEEHHHH shot (especially after reading this), but man, don't they just always look good lol. Love the dog

 

[supernormal]

Love it. I feel guilty for loving it too, as it's a BOKKEEEHHHH shot (especially after reading this), but man, don't they just always look good lol. Love the dog

There's a lot of great things coming together in this shot that are not jut Bokeh. So don't feel bad.