Griffin Design and Photography

2009-01-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Okay people... the Prince is BACK! Its 2009 and I'm better than ever! Got some portable power monster flashes... some ultra new inspiration, some new tutorial in the works... its about to be on! Stay with me cause my website www.davidgriffinphotography.com is about to get some updates, www.studiolighting.net is about to get some seriously tight tutorials and my blog here is about to get some cool new info too! Plus i have a ton of new workshops setup! Get ready! Its been a long time coming!

Monster Lighting Tactics II: The Workshop

2008-02-19T17:28:00.001-08:00

Click for larger size announcement!

Here it comes again! Its the Lighting Workshop that you've been waiting for! MONSTER LIGHTING TACTICS II !!! This time its outdoors in natural light with flash, smokes, gels, diffusion, light balancing and MORE! All for only $50!!!

More about glamour light...

2007-09-15T20:17:00.001-07:00

A page from my Monster Lighting Tactics Workshop Guide that I gave out!

I just held my first workshop September 7th. Things went pretty darn good! I only set out to test my ability to hold attention for 3 hrs. It was a success. One thing that was a big hit was the glamour lighting area of the workshop. Everything went great. I just wanted to give a bit of detail about that part of the workshop.

To make s long post short. Look at the light source in the eyes of all the images. Simple. Light directly above (just as in the setup shot) and some form of fill below and viola GLAMOUR LIGHT!

Hey, and to think... I though my workshop was gonna suck! Get ready for the next one, "Monster Lighting Tactics: Natural Light"

Special thanks to the world famous makup artist and hairstylist team Ivan & Ernie! To hire this fantastic duo email makeupbyivan@yahoo.com

Xtra Special thanks to Model for hire the lovely Mrs. Cordera! To hire this lovely modeling talent email jeanine_dulcenina@yahoo.com

FREE LIGHTING WORKSHOP COMING REAL SOON!

2007-08-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

MONSTER LIGHTING TACTICS!

Only 11 Seats Available!

FREE

LEARN HOW TO LIGHT LIKE A PRO WITHOUT A PRO'S BUDGET!

David Griffin A.K.A. - "The Prince Of Cheap" !

See my lighting articles and more at http://www.studiolighting.net/studio-lighting-tips/

Butterfly Light Setup2

2007-05-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here is what you can get from a setup like this... (Click the image to see them larger.)

Who's this guy you ask? None other than up and coming comedian Joe Fox! See clips of him at http://www.joethecomedian.com/ !

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Who's this adorable baby girl you ask? My son's future wif- - - uhhh I mean the M.U.A. (Make-Up-Artists') daughter and husband who stopped by during the shoot! :)

Butterfly Light Setup2, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Whats to look out for in this setup is that the catchlight is both above and below in the eye. Also notice the beautifully smooth skin! This light really creates a radiant skin look! I guess that's why magazines have been using it since ... the creation of the magazine! What have we learned thus far? If your in a pinch, all you have is 1 strobe (off camera flash or otherwise), an umbrella, a silver reflector and someone to hold it you can get glamour light in the easiest of situations! Its just over and under light!

Slight correction... this was the modified butterfly setup. (I had the light in a 60" inch Westcott convertible umbrella about 8.5 feet above and a bit off to the cameras left. Look into the eyes to see where the light sources are. The coolest part you ask? When you use it in the modified butterfly position you will get a slight shadow side creating a very dynamic portrait!!

You now have another tool in your arsenal!

Now what?... go use it!

Modified Butterfly Light Setup

2007-05-16T12:01:00.003-07:00

Modified Butterfly Light Setup, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Overfill Technique

2007-05-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

Overfill Technique, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Panel Shape Light Technique

2007-05-16T12:00:00.005-07:00

Panel Shape Light Technique, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

STARTING POINT! Panelbox Technique

2007-05-16T12:00:00.003-07:00

STARTING POINT! Panelbox Technique, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Rear Main Softbox technique

2007-05-16T12:00:00.001-07:00

Rear Main Softbox technique, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Rear As Main Technique

2007-05-16T11:59:00.007-07:00

Rear As Main Technique, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Shoot Thru Umbrella

2007-05-16T11:59:00.005-07:00

Shoot Thru Umbrella, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Shoot Thru Umbrella2

2007-05-16T11:59:00.003-07:00

Shoot Thru Umbrella2, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

(Strobist) Traditional Lighting Setup

2007-05-16T11:59:00.001-07:00

(Strobist) Traditional Lighting Setup, originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Calling for FEEDBACK!

2007-05-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hey! Its time I find out how I'm doin at this learning blog thing! If anyone has any feedback as to: how I'm doin good or bad this blog is, what you wanna learn about, suggestions, corrections to things I wrote (yes especially spelling! :)... PLEASE Email me so I know whats next! My DVD plans are a bit off track and this is the kinda feedback I will need to create the best teaching tool that I can create! Email me at destrianlives@yahoo.com with your feedback so I can know what how to improve this blog and my late summer DVD!

Hey did I forget to mention... if your in the Los Angeles Area I may be getting a class together and doing a bit of a Pilot Guerrilla Tactics Lighting Workshop soon! Email me if your interested in taking part! Details are being brainstromed all this month!

1 Special Secret from my Vault of Secrets!

2007-05-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

I though I'd give out a treat for the ages with this one.

By the way remember the name... MONTE ZUCKER!

Ever wonder why I call the sun my outdoor studio? Cause it offers unlimited backgrounds. Unlimited lighting patterns and near unlimited possibilities! I love it!

Go to www.stevebedell.com and you will get a great foundation! He doesn't do this technique (from what I've seen) but the man is da man! Buy his DVD "Natural Light Portraiture" and then buy the second disc "Finding the Light" rought total... $160.00 but trust me... if I were starting out and didnt know squat about how to take photographs this would teach me all I needed (after learning the basics of shutter, aperture, ISO and lens basics). Email the man (I think he's the next Monte!).

Cheap plug over! Back to the secret from my vault. The tools needed:

1. Basic DSLR with manual metering (Pentax k110D, Sony Alpha A100, Nikon D40, Canon Rebel Xti or any of the other countless numbers of entry level dslr's!)

2. Incident light meter (I suggest the Polaris meter cause it does all types of metering at $149.00 it also is the cheapest!)

3. 2 Diffusers (Homemade - which I suggest personally. Only cost you $20 total with some dollar white ripstop nylon and some pvc pipe frames).

Click the image above to see it large!

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HOW TO DO IT?

1. Set up a diffuser (white ripstop nylon) behind your subject. (Make sure the sun is behind diffuser!)

2. Set up a diffuser (white ripstop nylon) above your subject.

3. Take a meter reading of the subject while he/she is within the created tent.

4. FIRE!

Thats it! There it is! Now, I never studied under the late Monte Zucker but this technique is what helped to make him famous. I happened onto it by accident. I then began my studies and found out that Monte Zucker was using this technique since the 70's. Amazing! There is nothing new under the sun!

Here are my results from a very recent model shoot! I like it, my client likes it... I know yours will too!

NOW GET OUTTA HERE AND START SHOOTIN! Don't let 'em tell you that its too early to shoot!

Just go to your local fabric shop for some cheap white ripstop nylon and then the local hardware store for some cheap pvc pipe and get to building and get shootin!

SEE YOU SOON!

Butterfly Light = Glamour Light

2007-05-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

ALL YOU NEED IS 1 LIGHT FOR THIS!

I'm still around! Hey heres one for the ages! I wanted a beauty dish for some dumb reason recently. I searched the web like crazy! I found that the most respected beauty dish seems to be the Mola brand. Well, I went to the guys site and was appalled! Go here to vomit with me http://www.mola-light.com/html/samples.html ! Now it wasnt the site or the tool! By far many photographers love the beauty dish with good reason! I was sick to my stomach because I saw the price with I found out that Adorama and B&H Photovideo sell the Mola Dish... for over $500!

Before I go any further let me explain the whole beauty dish thing to ya. The first thing to understand is called Butterfly Lighting. Its when you take a light and place it above the camera lens but out front of the subject. It gets its name "Butterfly Lighting" because of the butterfly shape of the shadow that forms under the subjects' noses. This lighting technique creates some very hard shadows in the eyes sockets and under the chin depending on the size and distance of what your lighting your subject with. Typically you would place a reflector or additional strobe underneath the main light source to fill in the underside of the face (eye sockets, under nose and under chin areas).

Click the image to see it large!
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The fabled Beauty Dish (and I do mean dish in they way they look) is considered by many as the best tool to create the right "type" of light for "Butterfly Lighting". Its kinda hard, its kinda wide, its fall-off (bright center - darker edges) is very obvious and pronounced and its a lot less clumsy (space saving) than many other tools used. Alienbees has one (22 inches wide) for $119.00, The Adorama Flashpoint system has one (16 inches wide) for $49.00, even the 99 cent store has one (11 inches wide) for a dollar! (Commonly called a big plastic mixing bowl if your genuis enough to figure a way to mount it onto your flash!).

Remember, I'm king cheap! I use the Britek line of strobes so I get no frills anything! They dont make a beauty dish or even an octobox! I gotta buy the $69 4ft octobox from ebay seller fotodiox if I want that amenity (but its still more cost effective than buying a $400.00 one from Photoflex!) Anyway, I saw the Mola Demi a 22 inch dish $279.00! Then I saw the Mannti dish a 43.5 inch super dish $814.95! Go here to vomit with me --> LINK <---! Beware before you check that link... prices may cause heart attack!

Thinking about what the beauty dish does I went into thought. This is what I came up with:

1. Get something round and relatively small. Try a 24 inch shoot thru umbrella from www.briteklight.com its the only place I found a shoot thru umbrella that small for dirt cheap!

2. Get it high above the camera and a bit to one side. Aim it downward.

3. Get yourself either a $1 piece of white foamboard from an artstore or a 32 inch or bigger white or silver (I like silver a bit more myself cause of the snap it gives) and position it below the strobe and subject but outfront.

4. FIRE!

Instant butterfly light! Its that simple one light above and one light below. The light closes in and does things. The only thing you do is position the reflector! Heres my test results. Not refined but I know how to make it work. By the way I've even tested this with the standard 7 inch reflectors that put out an 80 degree spread of light with my cheap $51 and $75 Britek lights!

I know... I over filled it. But it looks good after you post process the images from that type of light cause of how the skin is lit.

The one thing that I notice is that if your subject has pretty smooth skin then this light will really show it off. Combine that with some soft focus filtration and you got top model stuff. Now get shootin... I'm bored! By the way... the reason this was posted was that I laughed seeing a multi-million dollar company pay a guy hundreds of thousands of dollars to do it and he used like 50 million lights and 100 billion dollars worth of equipment to do it!

The Real Portable Studio For Real Cheap! $650.00 or less!

2007-04-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here you go! Get these tools and you can start makin what I make!

1) Buy the Pentax K110D with a lens $444.00 (REGULAR PRICE)!!! Go to www.adorama.com ... NOW YOU HAVE YOUR BASIC DSLR WITH A LENS!

2) Buy some White Ripstop nylon (get 2 yards) and some White Satin (get 2 yards)- (Try Wallmart) $10.00 Total... HERES THE FABRIC YOU WILL NEED TO FORM YOUR BASIC MAIN AND FILL LIGHT LIGHT PANELS!

3) Build 2 4x5 foot lightpanel from basic hardwarestore schedule 40 PVC pipe with cuttin tool. - (Try Lowes or Home Depot) - $20.00 Total... HERES THE STANDS YOU WILL USE TO HOLD YOUR MAIN AND FILL LIGHT MATERIAL!

4) Buy a lightstand from B&H Photovideo or Adorama for $25.00 HERES THE STAND YOU WILL USE TO HOLD YOUR FLASH SO THAT YOU CAN FIRE YOUR FLASH THROUGH YOUR LIGHT PANEL!

5) Buy a Sunpak 383 or the recently re-released Vivitar 285HV... $99.00 HERE IS THE LIGHT SOURCE YOU WILL NEED!

6) Buy an Ebay Wireless Strobe Kit - $30.00 HERES HOW YOU WILL GET YOUR FLASH TO FIRE OFF YOUR CAMERA!

I'M BACK!

2007-04-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

FINALLY I'M BACK!
Much to talk about and much to do!
I was outta commission building my kids sandbox and playset! I'm alive and well! Lets get shootin!
Next post! $650 pro producing setup! DSLR Included! Up by April 14th 2007!

The setup for the absolute easiest 1 light setup on earth!

2007-03-17T22:10:00.001-07:00

1 Light Setup
Originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

This setup represents the easiest way to get a main and a fill light all at the same time using only 1 light! Its so great that if you use your shutter correctly you can selectively lighten and darken your background all at the same time! Choose a slow shutter to increase the ambient light and or a faster shutter to decrease the ambient light (mainly for the background).

Remember that the secret to this lighting setup being effective is that you have a large light source (the '60 inch umbrella satin shoot thru umbrella and the 3x5 ft light panel are my favorite choices). Position them close so that the light can bathe most of the subject. As far as size is concerned... look at the handdrawn diagram... if you move the umbrella back 10x's the distance it is now... it would appear (and light as though) it were much smaller! Meaning? Take a '33 inch umbrella and get it close and you have a source that appears (and lights as though) large.

Total meaning? Size really depends on distance from the light source! Small lights close seem larger and large lights far seem smaller! Reverse that and you have the absolute extreem!

The absolute best and most cost effective lighting setup on planet earth!

2007-03-17T21:50:00.001-07:00

The post "Puppy-dog" face!
Originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

This only needs 6 items!
1) $20.00 Lightstand
2) $51.00 Britek BB-200
3) $35.00 60inch Impact Convertible Shoot Thru Umbrella from B&H Photo (I got mines from Samy's Camera in Los Angeles fro $45.00)
4) $30.00 Ebay Wireless trigger kit

5) Any $400 - $500 Entry Level DSLR that will let you set the camera to manual control!

6) Any basic kit lens that should come with the basic entry level DSLR!

Executive Headshot Lighting Setup

2007-03-17T21:44:00.003-07:00

2 Light Headshot
Originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

The circle is a $41 ebay 5n1 reflector.
The square thing is a $60 Britek 24x24 inch Softbox with a PS-200H flash inside at half power
The little light in the back is a Britek AS-66 minislave

Basic Executive Headshot

2007-03-17T21:44:00.001-07:00

DSC08936 copy
Originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Just a simple example of how you could do an effective executive headshot with minimal equipment.

Total cost for setup: about $243.00 not including the DSLR. (You could make that back with the 1rst shoot you do!)

Macro Test 6: The Window to his Soul

2007-03-17T21:28:00.001-07:00

Macro Test 6: The Window to his Soul
Originally uploaded by (Griffin Design & Photography).

Heres my son eye faithfully captured by the Sony Alpha and a decent lens!

On-Location Strobe Power For Really Cheap But Definately The Best!

2007-02-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever ventured out to photograph someone or something and thought to yourself... I wish I could bring out my strobes? Then you think... I wonder how much those power supplies for my studio strobes would cost. Then you realize $600 - $2,000 and up is jut not your ballgame! After wishing and praying for a solution I finnally found it! Its a low cost Philipino company called Innovatronix! They've created a $300 (thats no typo!) gem that will power a 300 watt second strobe at full power for up to 1,000 bursts!

All I could think was what? $300.00 for on-location portability and excitement? Whats the drawback? $300 later there is no drawback to date!!

After plunging 300 pops out of my 440 watt second Britek HS-2000 strobe I find that it is quick to recycle 1 second or less even at full power! I find that over the past month alone the 967 shots taken with it have all proven to be completly liberating! Liberating from the wall socket that is! In only a month I've become more spoiled than a kid with a pacifier!

Now, I gotta tell you... this tool is absolutely professional looking. Its 15lbs and it makes a great weight for your strobe outdoors! The unit has only 2 sockets that release true sine wave output power... the exact same type of power that comes out of your household electrical sockets! Both sockets are your basic AC outlets just like in the US typical home that US made strobes connect to. What does that mean... the dang unit is like taking your home sockets with you on location! The unit is compatible with any strobe that is not a digital strobe. It even works with pack and head systems! (How Cool Is That? Really? How-Cool-Is-That!) Innovatronix lists compatible strobe units on there website http://www.innovatronix.com/cgi-bin/productcatalog/detailpage.asp?productid=323&categoryid=42 .

I am the absolute antithiesis of brand loyalty because no one has the perfect anything... just maybe the better this or the better that... but this is the fewest times I will say this without retraction unless something changes... The Innovatronix Tronix Explorer 1200 is the best investment you could ever get after getting serious about your photography! Dont worrie... the Explorer 1200 is a very tough - sturdy and very powerful unit. The only drawback is that I have the feeling the handle won't be around as long as the rest of the unit. But it may just be a feeling. Overall it is the tool that any photographer who uses strobes must own! Think of it... power's out... but enough light to see but no power to light. Out comes the Explore! Pop your strobes collect your paycheck!

Sorry, I gotta add something to my recommendation list...

1 DSLR $499 Pentax K110D (without Antishake or similar entry level DSLR)

2 Lens $89 (50mm f1.7/1.8 & $89 28-80mm f3.5-f5.6 or better)

3 Flash $75 from ebay seller Gadget Infinity

4 $30 Ebay Wireless Flash Kit from seller Gadget Infinity

5 $36 www.harbordigitaldesign.com diffuser (ULB and Adaptor)

6 $75 Britek BB-200 kit with umbrella and lightstand

7 $45 42inch 5n1 ebay reflector from ebay seller Fotodiox or Romaphoto (whoever is cheaper)

8 Now rounding off the top... The $300 Innovatronix Tronix Explorer 1200!

Thats the system to fight for to be able to shoot outdoors and indoors and begin a really great photo biz. IMHO. There are other ways, this is just what makes me tick. I may have been able to do it cheaper but hey, my stuff so far has been very reliable to me. The cool thing is that having the Tronix Explorer means I can be more mobile and versatile under many more circumstances because I can now take my lights out anytime anywhere (sept rain, snow, mud and other incliment weather!). Lastly, lets talk about the final question. The company. Innovatronix is a small company in the Phillapeans that seems to magically build and ship these terrific units out 48hrs or less after you order it and then it arrives 3 days after they ship it out. They send you tons of email confirmation that it has been sent and it arrives packaged as though its the heart of the Matrix! Greatly noted.... the battery is stated to last 5 years! If it ever wears and dies... buy another one... see there website for details. Now you know... now visit there website... and decide for yourself. Remember to order the 15VAC American Voltage unit or your strobes will laugh at you as they fry from the overload of eletrical current.

Thank you and see you real soon about making a portable studio for $600... got another post to drop quickly to makeup for missing my personal deadline!

The Best Flash On Camera Flash Tool Your Money Can Buy!

2007-01-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

Here we are again... My apologies for taking so long with this one!
I have said many things and shown many-many tools that I think are great that would improve anyones photography, but now theres a change in the air. The first week of January I received a treat. I got my Ultimate Lightbox Flash Diffuser system. I was actually quite amazed at how large the unit was! Then I thought about the old rule of thumb... the larger the light source the softer the light! Then I though about how well I managed with other flash diffusers. A smile washed over my face!

So you will know that this isnt just my say so...

"The Ultimate Light Box is my favorite new flash modifier. It's light quality and flexibility topped our recent testing ..and it's built to last too. - Will Crockett, Chief Tech Writer for www.shootsmarter.com"

Its the LAW!
When it comes to light from on camera flash the rule is as follows... the larger the souce coming from the flash the softer (more flattering) the light! Thats it. Flash heads are design to do 1 thing - blast anything they are aimed at with a missle beam of light! This beam is sharp hard and very "NOT GOOD" for portraiture! Its too harsh and hot to look natural and really is the bane of amateure photogrpher. By using diffusion techniques you actually make the flash head larger than it really is. Think of what happens when you take a piece of papaer and shine a home depot flashlight through it? The light source becomes as large as the light that you being emitted through the paper!

Yes what you see is very correct! The Ultimate lightbox is large enough to cup a Gary Fong Lightsphere II Photojournalist and a Stofen Omnibounce at the same time!

Click an image for an enlarged view... and yes size does matter! One thing of very special note... the 4th image in the lower series of images was taken in a 12ft wide by 15ft long room with 8 1/2 ft high ceilings. All the on camera flash modifiers were set to vertical.

*All images taken with the Sony Alpha A100, 50mm F1.7 lens, Sigma EF 500 DG Superflash.

Exposure was as follows: M Mode: ISO 200, F2.2, 1/100th

Manual Flash @ 1/16th Power

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Finally what is the Ultimate Lightbox?
The Harbor Digital Design Ultimate Lightbox Pro Pack is a complete system not just a simple on camera dffuser. The flashship tool is the lightbox. It is what it sounds like! A square box with a lid (kinda like basic tupperware) but with a twist! It has a snap on lid that you can use to soften the light leaving the top of the unit. It has 3 different size reflectors that can be used based on your situation. It has what they call "The Black Box" (a sweet name for basically a large black on camera softbox! It even comes with (drumroll please... all the self proclaimed strobists are gonna love this) multiple slices of diffusion and colored gel filters (red, green, blue, orange, and amber). The whole system surrounds a simple form fitted plastic adaptor that slides through the lightbox and then onto your flash head for a very confident and comfortable fit around your flash. From here you simply decide how soft or directional you want your on camera flash to be. You can slip on the diffuser dome (a Stofen - Omnibounce style diffuser cup that softens and spreads out the light from your flash head in every direction). You can use the Lightbox it self. Think super sized Gary Fong Lightsphere! Its about 150% as wide when shooting horizontals and nearly equally as wide when shooting verticals! Hows that for big!

Here are some test images

(click the picture for a super large view with much more detail):

The Gear: Sony Alpha A100 DSLR, 50mm F1.7/85mm F1.4, Sigma EF 500 DG Superflash, Ultimate Lightbox System Tools: Diffuser Dome, Lightbox, & Lightlid

Test Results:
*Only sharpening and cropping done on images using Photoshop CS2!
The situations for the test images are very diverse and typically difficult for the average shooter. The images of the children were taken indoors with ceilings 15 ft high. The images of the "Glamour Girls" were taken in a room with 18ft high ceilings with low ambient light and outdoors at 10:45 at night outdoors! Very common for professional photographers!

Images a, b, & f show the subtleness and softness of the Lightbox in action. A close look at image a will reveal the depth of the shadowside on the right side of the image if you look at the subjects face. Image B shows how the Ultimate Lightbox Gently fills in the darker side without burning out the highlights.

Image c was taken indoors with 18ft high ceilings. Notice how the combination of a very wide aperture lens (85mm F1.4 as well as a diffused light source - Lightbox) combine to create a very natural looking portrait! By the way it was about 8:45p.m. The room had a major lack of ambient light making focusing very difficult!

Images d, e, and g were taken outdoors at 10+ p.m.! The images are very bright for this time of night and mainly the subjects are not burned out neither are skintones maintained (especially at the trouble zones - cheeks, nose and forheads!) very well!

Conclusion:
The Ultimate lightbox is hands down the softest on camera flash diffuser available in the world! The elegant, smooth light emitted by this miracle tool rivals that of my professional studio strobe with its 33' inch white translucent umbrella. WIth it being a fact that bigger is better when it comes to diffusion it is happens that Harbor Digital Design created (by no accident I'm sure) the biggest on camera diffuser (which by default makes it the softest) on the market! With the lightbox coming in at a whoppping 1.5x larger than the Gary Fong Lightsphere at its longest point and just as wide at its shor you can expect what it delivers (the softest light)! > > This tool was made for premuim light diffusion right down to its bare essentials. Right out of the box you can use the lightbox and the adaptor on your flash for a greatly improved flash image! Its like having a studio all on your camera all the time! The best thing about the Ultimate Light Box is that it is an entire system design to enhance your flash photography. After spending some quality time with the system I have come to this final conclusion: It is the best flash accessory since the bounce card was invented! > > Mr. Capozzi and the gang have created a superior product and I hope to see more advertising for the most versatile - well thought out - O.C.F. diffusion tool! Need to know more and if your flash is fitted for the ultimate lightbox? Click this link www.harbordigitaldesign.com

Thats it for now!
NEXT Week... How to make a traveling studio for under $600 (DSLR not included...well, if we were still in a film world it would be)!

Tools Tools Tools!

2006-12-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

Lets close out the year with a super major major technique and theory that has elevated my portrait quality through the roof! We all know that great technique accompanied by good tools can make spectacular photographs right? This is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna turn you into McGuyver then! I will give you a shopping list and tell you why/when you need these groceries!

Forget the introductions... I got people wanting this knowledge badly!

Gotta have it list - for the Guerrilla Terrorist of Photographic Lighting!

A Flash Diffuser! (This of course means a flash as well!) This is probably more necessary than ever with digital! Straight flash: Imagine your flash as a rifle that blast 1 very strong bullet out when you click your shutter! Diffused flash: Imagine your flash as a very soft spray can gently washing over an image! Diffused flash is light that is softer, less harsh and generally is more suitable for people portraits. Direct (undiffused flash) is sign numero uno of the amateur photographer with his 1rst slr! Get a diffuser... learn to use it... look more pro! Check these out in this order: the Stofen Omnibounce (Cheap but pretty darn effective as long as you have a low ceiling), ABBC [A better bounce card] (Cheap but very effective), Gary Fong Lightsphere (Expensive but super - effective), , Joe Demb "Flip It" Bounce Diffuser (Cheap but effective when properly set for your subject), Ultimate Lightbox (Most expensive but possibly the best! By the way, this tool may be the real wildcard of the bunch its like a modular system that appears to be a stofen omnibounce, a gary fong lightsphere, the "flip it" and the bounce card all in one system! Review coming soon!).
White Foamboard / Foamcore! This is (after your camera and good lens purchase of course) your 1rst survivalist tool in need! Foamboard allows you to punch in light in order to brighten up shadows or simply increase the light content of the subject side. You can (if your really a master!) spray black spray paint on one side of the foamboard and use it as a flag (light blocker) to block out stray light. This most basic of tools has a secondary use that'll blow your mind! STORY TIME! When I 1rst started out I had nothing but a Vivitar 3800 manual focus camera, a 28-70mm f3.5-f5.6 crap lens 1 $30 sunpak 144 pc auto flash and 2 pieces of white foamboard. I wanted to shoot my friends kid for him when she was asleep. I took the foamboard and wired some string in 4 places along the edges like a book and opened it up like a "V." I aimed the Sunpak flash into the middle of the "V" and fired.... Viola... I had an instant softbox quality of light! Think of the principal now add this knowledge to your box! Remeber you can get the white foamboard from your local art store or damn near anywhere... HELL you can use white construction paper as a cheap alternative that really works.. it is the same principal right?!!!!!
PVC Pipe and PVC Pipe Cutter and White Ripstop Nylon Fabric! - This is your next purchase! Go to your hardware store and buy about $20 worth of "schedule 40" PVC pipe and about (6) 3 way "T" joint connectors. This is a salvation to the trained! If you have no softbox... you do now! Think of the Foamboard example above.... same principal but this works best with a stronger light output device. Wanna get really funky... go to your local fabric shop and buy some white ripstop nylon and some clamps from that hardware store now you have the same material that a softbox is made from and you now have a frame to make it stand up! Because the light will be channeled though or off of the square fabric if will have the same characteristics of softbox light! Learn how to meter and position your lights and the panel and your on "game time"!
Comming soon "Guerilla Lighting: Tactics of the Starving Photographer!" DVD! Sorry, I know... it was a cheap plug but I had to do it! This year I will be producing my 1rst dvd on photography! I will walk you basic shutter, aperture, f-stop, exposure subject! You'll see how I solve complex lighting situations as well as see me on a live photo session! You'll learn how to build your own photography equipment! You'll get diagrams of lighting setups and everything else you've ever wished for in a "how to" dvd about photography! THIS IS GONNA BE BIG! Get ready to start creating killer images that the big budget photography studios don't want you to know how to do!
Ebay 5 n 1 reflector! Useful to the fullest! This tool will minimize your need to have so many strobes! Think of a mirror that has a black side (to totally block out light), white side (to reflect a neutral color - pure white light), gold side (to change the reflected light to the warmish morning sunlight color that's great for skin), silver side (to give a stronger reflection of light of you need a more powerful light), and a translucent white (made of white ripstop nylon) side used to spread out the light coming thru it making it soft as softbox and umbrella (cause its the same material) light! This tool on ebay is simply... uhhhh pardon the expression... CRACK!! I own 2 of these indispensable tools and plan on getting a 3rd so that outdoors I can be a madman! I highly suggest getting the 42 inch disc or even better by leaps and bounds the 40x60 inch 5n1 oval. At least 40 inches would be required to do a good headshot or 3/4 body shot. To find these typically hundred dollar items for half price or less click http://myworld.ebay.com/mr.studio01, http://myworld.ebay.com/2dreammaker, and my favorite till they went up in price by 30% in December 2006 (What a shame!) http://myworld.ebay.com/fotodiox_pro . I think the best of them may be fotodiox but that's only if they bring back the aggressive prices they had in June, July, August, September, October, and November! That's it for this post... no image examples... just pure information! That's the real difference!

Whooooo lemmie add 1 more blatant plug! I will have a site up just before its released with a sample from the video. I intend to give you 3+ hours of easily repeatable McGuyver type techniques that will make you say..."Hmmmm I don't have that tool... but I have this and it works the same way - I can still do it!!"

So stay tuned and have a HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR! Email me if theres something you want to know how to do... plans are building up fast!

P.S. STAY TUNED... A REVIEW WITH TEST IMAGES OF THE ULTIMATE LIGHTBOX FLASH DIFFUSION SYSTEM! Stay tuned for the skinny on this possibly ground breaking tool! I've got a good feeling about it! We'll have to wait and see soon though!

Work the Light!

2006-11-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

Lets learn some new principals about light!

Using diffusion to control the light is an old secret of photographers for years! Just look at videographers... they have absolutely mastered the art of controlling daylight with diffuser panels and many other tools like reflectors and things that have made them look soooo great now-a-days! Lets try to apply the same principals to photography and what do you get? You get the sun to act like the largest hot light in the world and all you have to do is just bounce and diffuse it to taste!

The art of diffusion is in my opinion quite possibly the absolute best refining skill a would-be photographer could learn! It is also call subtractive lighting. Think of daylight as a 1 billion watt hot light that goes from 12'o'clock to about 4:30p.m. The technique of subtractive lighting would be to block and cut down the light in a way that would literally reshape the light falling onto the subject in a way that simulates studio light.

Sometimes difficult to create but easy to understand... try this. In a studio lighting situation I would like to create some direction to my light. like in this image below.

This shot was recently taken of my son Ryan in my living room using 1 simple $85, 200 watt, britek strobe (the BB-200, the scourge of the studio flash world!). I fired it through a white translucent umbrella. I also had a single '42 inch 5n1 reflector (silver side) on the right side behind his shoulder (it simulated light as though another strobe was fired from behind him).

As you can see the sun is only 1 light and I made the little strobe act as the single sun being fired through the umbrella (which softens the "sunlight" and diffuses it) then reflecting the lost light back into the portrait with the silver reflector.

So far its a very simple technique. I made 1 light act as 2! In fact it even softly lights the background. I also gave the image some sharpening as well as some soft focusing and some vignetting with Photoshop CS2 to make it a finished portrait though.

Examine the next set of portraits. All were taken outdoors at literally between 12 and 1 p.m. (photographer death time!). I only used 4 basic items. The sun was my hot light. A '42 diffuser (with the stand and reflector holder) was my shoot throughumbrella. My brown door garage actually turned itself into my reflector! Lastly, I used my Fuji S9000 digicam!

Whether you believe it or not.... all these images were taken under natural light. The only aid I had was the garage to the right of them all (my right) and the '42 inch diffuser that I had place to the left of them to shield them from the direct sunlight.

This is the absolute same technique used in the movie and television industry. Take natural light and just: block out, "cut in", and cut down what you need and don't need! Its called subtractive lighting! The only real consideration you will have in this instance is this...

Since you can completely control the light falling on your subject you will have to mind the background very carefully. Make sure the background is not many many times brighter than the subject area or you will get what is called "Blowout". (That's when whites become so white that you cannot see or tell any detail in the image. As you can see its beginning to affect my sons shirt in the image! Be extra careful of this when shooting with digital cameras! The sensors are very prone to "Blowout" and easily loose detail in highlights with 1.5 stops of brightness differences so be careful!)

This is what you can do to make Blowout work for you!

These two images were made because I wanted to make the blowout work for me! I simply put my diffuser right behind him and because of all that good sun blasting it it became an instantly lighted background!

Try this. Get a very thin white sheet. To know if it will work or not take a flashlight and put it about 3 inches to it and if you can see a decent amount of flash light coming through then it should work. What you have is a good and usable diffusion material!

Go outdoors at about noon and find a way to make a wall out of it between your subject and the sun. Expose for your subject and totally forget the white background you just made. The light passing through will actually burnout on film or digital if you give it enough exposure! Now, go to the side (In North America that usually means face the east or west with the subject in the shadow falling created by the sheet). You should be able to see a brighter side and a slightly darker side on you subject. This is the modeling effect. Meaning, the light is shaping the look of your subject. Think of what you can do with this light. The sheet is like a softbox. What if you used another diffuser overhead? How bout a reflector on the side? What would that do?

Now that you have some ideas of how to work the light use the technique! Hell, email me and tell me how it went for you! Hey, thanks Ryan and Xavier (my sons) for providing me with some great subjects to photograph!

The FlashDance Pt. 2!!!

2006-10-15T09:15:00.001-07:00

Now, lets learn why the amount of flash directly affects how natural or not your images look!
Lets evaluate this image I took of my daughter recently.

1.) Can you tell whether or not the flash was fired or not?

2.) Can you see the effects of a flash fired? See any shadows? See any highlights blown out (whites that look total white?)? See the overall light color tone blueish or reddish (that's called color temperature)?

3.) When you look at the portrait good, "can you feel the photographers hand?"

All these things have been accomplished because of the judicious use of the flash. Trust what I am saying. Had I taken this shot with all the other settings the same and not used the flash at all my baby and the overall scene would've been much - much darker! The secret that I have employed is 4 fold.

1.) I diffused the flash to evenly spread out the light output from the flash to reduce the hotspots throughout the area being lit by the flash.

2.) I set the camera on manual only to be able to set the camera to take in a lot of light. EG I set the camera's aperture very wide to F2.2 and the shutter speed to 1/80th a second and I even let the camera slide the ISO speed to 125.

3.) Because the camera was set to manual exposure I was able to set the flash to manual mode so that I could reduce the flash output to the level that I wanted to. This is called flash balancing.

Take this image for example. I took this at a recent wedding I was commissioned to photograph. To the untrained person this scene is destined to pose an unseen terror.

The unseen demons that lie in this potential champion image are:

1.) The overall image brightness level is low.

2.) The skin tone of the subjects are dark.

3.) There is an extreme contrast between the jet black suite and a stark white wedding dress in the same frame.

4.) This fleeting moment is only lasting a split second and time is not on the photographers side to really - really think out how to naturally expose this dark "enemy of the photographer" scene.

The solution was just the same as the other example. I opened up the lens as much as I could. I set the camera to let in as much light that I could steady the lens for 1/60th a second. I had to compensate for the overall low light level of the scene and set the Sony Alpha A100 to ISO 1600 to be as sensitive as it possibly could. Finally, I set my trusty Gary Fong Lightsphere 2 (Clear Photojournalist) on without the diffusion dome (imagine this as a large cup that fits over the flash that has a lid on it that makes the light that comes outta your flash like a lamp with a lamp shade on it.

The secret that I have given you is that the best way to keep your flash invisible and do its job is to 1.) diffuse your flash, 2.) make your camera take in more light by opening up your lens more and making your shutter stay open longer, and 3.) adjust your flash output as to not overpower the surrounding ambient light.

The easiest way to do this is to set your flash to -1 to -1.5 f-stops of flash compensation. If you do not have a flash diffuser try this. Set toilet tissue over your flash and and aim your flash straight up and down when you shoot indoors. If your really smart open your lens a as wide as your can (make the aperture number as low as you can) and set your shutter speed to 1/60th or slower (whatever you can steadily hold). This will give you a professional like effect that you've been looking for!

To see more examples of the combined use of these techniques to make flash work for you click this link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidgriffin/sets/72157594321263139/show/

Using Flash To Make Your Images Look Professional!

2006-09-08T16:56:00.001-07:00

The Flashdance Pt I!
Okay, back for another informative post to my blog! This post is gonna have you here over and over again! Sorry I'm late- got tied up for a wedding for and some other charity work! But I'm back with the "business" as promised! How to use your flash to make wonders happen!

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Lets start right in the middle of the dirty-work cause this'll be a tough one! Which image was made with natural light?

a.)

b.)

c.)

d.)
If you said "d" you were right! Lets not worry about how you can tell or what difference it really makes. Lets just focus on teaching you how to get in the right frame of mind to use flash!

The rules:

No. 1 - All flash ain't good flash! This is very important! Flash pointed straight at a subject will be flat, harsh (intensely bright) and very "disposable camera-ish".

No. 2 - Breaking common logic in flash makes better flash! Whatever you think is wrong! Less flash is better! Not aiming the flash straight at a person is better! Using less flash when the lights get low is better! There is never enough light outdoors especially at 12 o'clock noon get that flash firing (just like pro photographers at NFL games and NBA games!)!

No. 3 - The flash can only reach about 20 feet really well so stop trying to light up the neighborhood with it!

Okay enough with the rules! This is what I do. I have the Sony Alpha A100. I have a 50mm F1.7 prime lens. I have a Sigma EF 500 DG Superflash. I also have the Godsend (Gary Fong Lightsphere II - clear photojournalist see it at B&H Photo!) over my flash to diffuse the light and spread it out like a fine soft mist instead of a laser beam! I set my camera to manual metering mode (ISO 400, F2.0, 1/100th image stabilization on - this is a konica minolta maxxum d7/5d sony alpha a100 and pentax k1000d feature only... sorry everybody else deal with it!). I set my flash to manual power - I set my flash either to 1/16th power or 1/32th power depending on the exposure I get a glimpse of and the distance. 1/16 for darker scenes and/or farther distances and 1/32 for closer subjects with more ambient (room/natural) light!

Now, your flash and camera may not do this... but most upper level flashes that let you adjust the flash output can let you do this a number of different ways.

1.) Set the flash compensation to minus 1-11/2 f-stops of flash output (see rule No. 2 if you have any objections!)!

2.) Manually override what the camera tells the flash the ISO setting being used! If your using ISO 400 set the flash to ISO 800 or 1000 so that it will think that it doesn't need to put out a lot of light to get good exposure so in effect it fires less light out per shot!

3.) Many flashes will let you select the amount of power from full power its releasing per blast listed in fractions / ratios.

1/1=full power, 1/2=half power, 1/4=1 quarter of full power, 1/8= an eighth of full power... ect

Main Point: Get to know your equipment as to how to decrease the flash output!

NOTE 2 SELF: The less power you are shooting with the more burst your camera will let off before it will have to fully recharge!

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PART 1 OF THIS LESSON/TUTORIAL IS OVER... Part 2 will be here next week when I explain how the amount of flash directly affects whether or not your image looks natural or not and the principales of diffused flash!

In the meantime try this... shoot with the flash power diminished and notice the difference it makes in allowing the image shot to look more natural! This will force you to take in more light with the lens and camera and rely less on the flash to create the light for the scene!

NOTE 2 SELF: Get a diffuser! None of this will be really possible until you purchase a diffuser or make your own! A diffuser is a tool that spreads out the light so that it doesn't hit your subject like a flashlight just blasting it. There are many diffusers and I have tried many! The one I recommend is the Gary Fong Lightsphere II Photojournalist. Sure this one cost much more than its competition but the results are actually more natural and the loss of flash power is very low compared to the very capable and great Stofen Omnibounce and other diffusers! Trust me, the omnibounce is one of the absolute best! I made these wedding images with it!

Shot with the Stofen Omnibounce!

The other option is the interesting Harbor Design Lightbox system! It seems awesome and very versatile! http://www.harbordigitaldesign.com/ check it out and make your own decision! There are others but I will let you research! The cheapest way honestly is to build it out of toilet paper, wax paper thin cheesecloth or any clear material! Just look how the manufactured one stays on the flash (try one on at a real camera shop if you don't already own one!), what its made of and think of how it could be doing what its doing to make the light look softer and more spread out! If you buy my recommendation (The light sphere) just know that you will have a leg up because it comes with an instructional DVD that shows you how to use it!

See you Tuesday for part 2 of this 4 part lesson!!
Flash or No Flash can you tell?

Tools for the Wedding Photographer!

2006-08-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

1) Get a Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR)!

I cant recommend film because instant feedback can save your life when things are going bad! You can know immediately if you need to make any adjustments, correct them and keep shooting! Also, I gotta recommend the Sony Alpha for beginners! Its $999.00 kit with lens and has built in image stabilization! You can get the new Canon Rebel Xti and the New Nikon D80 for the same price but the Sony'll be easier to get going with and there are a bunch of lens' all over the place that you can get to get going for really cheap!

2) Get the most powerful lens you can afford with that DSLR!

Although expensive, fast lens' have access to wider apertures (lens hole openings) allowing more light through at any given of time. This helps you eliminate camera blur by allowing you to use faster shutter speeds to stop camera shake! The second effect of a good fast lens is that it will allow you to create "the pro effect" (when there is a very sharp and clear point of focus and everything behind and in front of this point becomes soft and "creamy" out of focus like the portrait of my son above)!

I recommend you get a DSLR kit from Sony(Alpha A100), Nikon (D80) and Canon (Rebel Xti. All offer kits for $999 that have 10 megapixel cameras that shoot 3 frames per second and a heck of a lot of control and camera for your money! Its a great time to be a consumer! If you already have some lens' pick which ever you have lens' for (check compatibility) and get that one... you cant go wrong! However I recommend the Sony Alpha cause it has only one feature that's a Godsend... in camera image stabilization just like the Sony steady shot in Sony Camcorders and the Minolta Maxxum series of DSLRs that are now extinct.
After you get outfitted with a good DSLR from one of the big boys... Get a good portrait lens... if on a small budget, get a 50mm F1.8 (Canon and Nikon) and 50mm F1.7 or F1.4 (for the Sony Alpha or Minolta Maxxum 7D or 5D find em used all over ebay, camera shops and other places online). The joke, used you should be able to get a good one for anywhere between $49.95 all the way up to $200.00 for a new one! I got my used one for 49.95 at Samy's Camera in Los Angeles! The 50mm Prime is a good starter lens in high quality portraiture. Called a Prime Lens because it doesn't zoom in and its been perfectly optimized to give the sharpest images at all focus points and apertures. Also, because they are smaller and lighter, they are some of the fastest focusing lens' that the manufacturers make! On DSLR's however they actually shoot like 75mm (Nikon and Sony) and 80mm (Canon: Rebel, 10D/20D/and 30D cameras) lenses which makes them more useful now than they ever have been! So dig em up old timers and give em to your grandsons! Many wedding photographers swear by 28-75mm f2.8 autofocus lens' of the past and with a 50mm prime you can at least have an equivalent of the latter part for far-far less money!
If your budget is better, I recommend 2 starter lens' - both from the Sigma (Excellent makers of quality - compatible 3rd party lens'!) 1 the 18 - 50mm F2.8 EX DC lens. This lens is the super high quality version of the lens that will most likely come with your camera kit! Think of it as a high speed version that takes much greater images at lower light levels! I also recommend if you can (but get the other lens first!!!! The other lens covers a multitude of possibilities more than this lens! The Macro 105mm F2.8 EX DC. Think of it as a 150mm F2.8 telephoto lens when its on you DSLR! You can use it to create great wedding portraits from moderate distances! about 15 feet away should give you good size on your image so that you wont have to crop into it too bad and horribly degrade your image quality!

3) Get the strongest flash your money can buy!

EF 500DG Super" src="http://static.flickr.com/73/225418519_1d038284ca.jpg" width=450>

My pick for absolute best flash on the market would have to be the (pictured above) Sigma EF 500 DG Superflash! This 3rd party flash comes in mounts for all the majors (except Olympus). Pound for pound this flash for about $250.00 will do everything you need! It offers a very high guide number (Flash power), relatively fast recycle time, High Speed sync (getting blurred backgrounds in brightly lit outdoor shots like sports illustrated) , and 90% of the same features as the top of the line series flash that each company makes at 50% of the price! (Check out Adorama and B&H for this gem!)

Don't joke around with this one! Sure natural light under the right circumstances produces the best portraits possible but we're talking about photography... that means that the "right" circumstances rarely ever appear and when they do... its only for a limited amount of time!!!!!!! A flash, a little bit of knowledge and a good flash diffuser will get the job done and help you produce images of all pro caliber quality results!(Provided you have a good lens like that 50mm baby and a decent camera body that took a fairly accurate reading!)

4)BOOK SMARTS! Don't get me wrong... nobody can just tell you whats gonna work for you... you do have to get "down in the trenches" yourself with some hard core experimentation to know what really works for you... but why not have a decent starting point? It made me much more sense to study someone elses' work and start there and then learn how to take how I felt and incorporate it as my own style and eventually stop using what I learned except the bare principal. This is the hardest part for me to say and you to realize... "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT EQUIPMENT YOU HAVE... IF YOU DON'T KNOW: WHEN, WHERE, HOW AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHY TO USE IT... YOU JUST WASTED YOUR TIME AND WONT... I REPEAT WONT SUCCEED AT PRODUCING THE IMAGE YOU OR/AND YOUR CLIENTS WILL WANT! I'm not they're salesman but the books I'll name I am familiar with and who I recommend. Its not the only people you should listen to but what helped me more in 1 year, than with 3 years without them!

"The Art of Wedding Photography by Bambi Cantrell" - I recommend this a bit more over the "Art of Digital Wedding Photography" by her because the images will give you more of a taste at what you can do without killing yourself in the post processing room if you don't know how.
Professional Techniques for the Wedding Photographer: A Complete Guide to Lighting, Posing and Taking Photographs That Sell (Photography for All Levels: Advanced) by George Schaub and Kenneth Sklute
Professional Secrets of Natural Light Portrait Photography by Douglas Allen Box

There are many-many books out there that will help you learn this mysterious art of photography and I hope I have pointed you into the right direction! Thanks for stopping by and come back soon for more tips on photography! Next Post: About the: Aperture, Shutter and ISO of that Camera! Basic photography info for the beginner!

5) Get out there and just take some portraits at a wedding for no cost or even letting anyone know your getting your practice in... practice at home on everything (paying close attention to the lighting the most important aspect!) that moves and doesn't move... start asking questions... lastly as a Professional Wedding Photographer if you can "carry his bags" (informally known as asking to go and assist him/her for no money (the sure fire way to get in and learn when you know nothing!) but make sure above all else you ask questions galore and if he/she doesn't answer your every question fire him (Yes fire the photographer! Carrying bags like a caddy for free, helping him/her keep track of everything going on at a hectic wedding and learning what they want you to know is absolutely critical to any photographer and if they don't care about you enough to pay you with valuable knowledge... then let them go and find a photographer who will!). Use this to build your experience points till its gone out of control and then start reading business books! Check out this podcast (audio interview) about this very subject by the great guys at Studiolighting.net talking to Erik Lawrence (Photo Assistant).

lawrence_tit src="http://static.flickr.com/74/225427168_235bf1f0b1_o.jpg" width=266>

The END!!!!

Note: In this post I mentioned a few things about the purchase of some products... one thing I will say ... be careful of two things: "Grey Market" and "Bait N Switch" practically the same thing!
Grey Market- when unauthorized retailers go overseas and get products with foreign warranties and manuals etc and import them to the USA and sell them at much lower costs without US warranties etc. What they do is literally open up the boxed merchandise, take every vital item and then sell it as a used price but don't tell you. They remove all the necessary equipment to use the item example: They'll take out the body cap that protects the camera when no lens is attached, all cables that allow you to: upload the images to your computer, connect your camera to a TV/VCR, battery, charger, and manuals! They take everything and strip the camera down to literally a body only! What they do is sell all these basic components that the manufacturer originally intended you to have to experience the camera and sell them at 10x and 20x marked up prices to make the money back (and sometimes more)! This practice is commonly known as the "Bait N Switch" (bait you in with an unbelievable price then switch the published product with something that was not what you saw advertised!). If it sounds too good to be true it probably is! Think about this... there is a Law in New York that protects retailers from this practice as long as they don't sell the item new. Just look in the Popular Photography and Imaging, Shutterbug, American Photo and other know photographer magazines... nearly each and every one of these crappy companies are stationed in New York! Don't believe me? Call one... they'll tell you that they have the item, you say I want it... then they say ok "You do want a battery don't you?" You say "What? Doesn't the camera come with a battery?" They say no that's just body only... No lens cap, no cables, no battery, no charger just the body..." You say to yourself (I can find that stuff elsewhere)... You say "Okay, I want it anyway." They say "Okay, sir/maam but its on back order for 2-6 weeks. Give me your credit card number." Basically they try to trick you, then jack you! Beware, buy from known places like B&H Photo-Video, Adorama, Ritz Camera, Samy's Camera, and lastly go to camera manufacturer websites and lookup list of authorized retailers! They know who's cheating customers most of the time! Hell, I'll shop at Ebay, Costco and Wallmart before I try to get myself burned at a grey dealer!

Watch out for: Tristate Photo, Infiniti Photo, Prestiege Camera, CCI Camera City, Royal Camera and anyone else that sells the digital camera body for a very low price but you see that the digital memory accessories are offered at an absurd price! Hint hint! They are probably gonna try to make up the money lost on the body by selling you the accessories at an overly exaggerated price! Don't believe me? Check out one of them and look at the price of a 512mb memory card and a 4 Gig Hi-Speed memory card that nearly any one of them advertise!

See You Next Post: Flash: How to make it produce Stellar results without killing your spirit and your budget!

Natural Light Lesson 1

2006-08-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

Finally, finally, finally! Welcome to the weekly blog for Griffin Design and Photography!
Every week I will post an image and some very technical explanations as to how it was created and how you can add the technique to your creative bag of photography tricks! With this being my very 1rst blog and very 1rst post I'm gonna make it a very-very good one!

My son Ryan! All that was needed was a large window, my Fuji S9000 and a 20 inch by 30 inch board of white foamboard I got for $1 at an art and craft store in Inglewood, CA.
Okay, here's the inspiration for this week!

This shot was taken while I was bored. I called my son over to fold his arms under his chin and lie down on the floor next to the window. What I like about this portrait is the capture of the natural light pouring in. I love how the white foamboard reflector sends back some light onto the shadow side of my subject and even doubles as the background! Yes that's the foamboard when intense 4pm sunlight hits it!

HOW IT WAS DONE?

Camera: Fujifilm Finepix S9000 (a slightly above average digicam that is able to create very large files which are good for printing and very- very surprising quality if proper exposure is achieved) - set to ISO 80, 1/30th a second at F5.0 - Manual Exposure and manual focus.

Technique:

I placed my subject right next to a window on the floor (receiving direct sunlight). I place white foamboard about 9 inches next to him (opposite side of the window at an angle to "catch" and bounce some light onto the darker side of the face. I got down on the floor about 1 foot away from him and braced my camera with my arm.

Tools for your Photography Success:

Working with natural light and reflectors. Reflectors do just what the name implies, they kick back light onto your subject. Try this... the next time you have the chance... place something very-very close to a window. Take a photo of it and analyze the dark side (shadows) and the bright areas (highlights) and ask yourself how much brighter this side is than this side. Then, while it is still receiving the same light slowly move a white sheet, foamboard (my favorite), photographic reflector, or even a piece of crumpled aluminum foil next to the object on the shadow side of the subject (just remember to angle it so that it catches and reflects some light from the highlight side and sends it back into the shadow side). Notice how the shadows "open up" (become brighter). This is a very - very basic technique that each and every photographer needs to understand! Understanding this will decrease the amount of equipment a photographer will need in his career to be "able" to get a winning shot! Notice that I didnt say you had to have an expensive piece of photographic equipment! Look all around you, great reflectors are everywhere! Even a simple piece of white paper can be used as a reflector! Just remember to consider the size of the light source, subject size, and reflector size. Once you add this bit of knowledge to your bag you will be able to do more with natural light immediately!

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Thanks for reading! Come back soon to read my next post: "Essential Tools for the Portrait Photographer!"

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