Our do-it-yourself project this month is a studio broadlight particularly suitable for portraiture. Unlike point source lights diffused with fabric coverings, this mammoth fixture uses 16 100w bulbs, arranged in a grid within a wooden box, to flood...
Like most photographers, I've got a bunch of lights and all kinds of light modifiers lying around. I've got softboxes, umbrellas, and assorted parabolic reflectors. They range in color from white to silver, gold to flesh colored.
One of the mysteries of photography is Depth Of Field (DOF). It combines various factors, including camera to subject distance, focal length of the lens and aperture in use. You calculate all of the above and know what will appear sharp and unsharp in the image. Those who use fixed focal length lenses have had the advantage of having a DOF scale on the lens, which yields...
“Something you threw together in crafts class, Princess?”—Buck Rogers in the 25th century
As a kid during the 1950s, I had one of the last Buck Rogers ray guns produced. These were actually flashlights made by Norton Honer but were designed to look like Buck’s ray gun. It’s only fitting that ExpoImaging’s Ray Flash ringlight converter projects light as...
Over the years I've seen a lot of weird and bizarre photo products. While the photo market is a relatively modest niche all by itself, there are always those willing to cater to the sub-niches and micro-niches within. When a Flashkon 2000...
The important characteristics of any studio lighting system are the quantity, quality, and color of the light they produce. Other factors such as recycle time, type of output control, build quality, and the ability to accept accessories may be crucial, but for many of us the most essential element is price. I was impressed by previous Flashpoint monolights (April, 2012, issue of Shutterbug) because they’re rugged, dependable, and significantly, for the advanced amateur and aspiring pro, inexpensive. Now Flashpoint has introduced a new family of monolights—the DG series—that builds upon all of the positive aspects of previous models and takes them in a new direction.
A monolight is a self-contained studio flash that consists of a power supply, flash head, and modeling light wrapped up inside a single housing. Monolights are typically powered by AC current but there are times on location when an electrical outlet may not be so conveniently located and long extension cords can create safety hazards, even when securely fastened down. I’ve had people trip over taped cords and believe me, it can ruin your day. That’s why a new breed of monolights, such as Adorama’s Flashpoint II monolights, offer a DC option with a battery pack when you might be out standing in a field or, at one time during my tests, in a big parking lot. A switch lets you choose between AC or DC power provided by a dedicated Ni-MH battery pack that measures 7x7x3” and weighs 2.65 lbs.
There are lots of companies making speedlight accessories but what makes Graslon’s different from the others are the mirrors. Most speedlight diffusers work in a similar way: translucent material is placed in front of the flash head to scatter light and soften shadows, but many times that light doesn’t scatter and some gets lost. Graslon’s Flash Diffusers use a series of patent-pending mirrors that enlarge the light source before sending it through the diffuser. This allows the light to travel to the corners of the diffuser so that light coming through the diffuser is balanced and, well, diffuse. Two types of diffusers, or lenses, as Graslon prefers to call them, are available: the dome spreads the light everywhere (think bare-bulb effect) to take advantage of bouncing light off walls and ceilings; the flat lens is more directional and useful when you’re using the flash as fill in no-bounce situations. Much like a Zeiss Softar filter it’s covered in hundreds of mini-lenses or bumps that spread the light evenly across its surface.
Even though I know I look like 30 something (ahem), I've been at this game for some time. But sometimes having all those years of background (I think some people call that experience) comes in mighty handy for putting things in historical perspective. And while 30 years isn't exactly an eon in terms of the history of photography, I guess you could say I've been...
The affordable yet sophisticated self-contained Genesis 200 ws and 400 ws monolights provide all the power and lighting control needed to create professional-looking portraits and great still life tabletop photographs. They provide recycling times as low as 1 second. The 5v sync voltage is even safe for today's digital cameras.
It is rare that I have so much fun using studio strobes. But such was the case with the Interfit cyberFLASH 300 ($449.99) and digitFLASH 1000 ($899.00) lights from Paterson Photographic, rated respectively at 300 and 1000 ws. And the battery-driven eFLASH...
Several of my fellow portrait photographers have been using cool lights for years. Interestingly, they have not abandoned their flash units but continue to use both, depending on the situation. Having been a strobe/available light photographer for the most part, I was eager to both find out how well they worked and for what subjects they’d be most suited. Interfit was kind enough to send me their very economical ($340 street price) set of two lights, each with an eight-sided softbox, so I could find out for myself. Could they do everything my studio flash units could? Were they a better choice for some subjects than others? After a few weeks of testing, I had my answers.
I 'll admit to it--ever since I was first introduced to the Interfit flat panel strobes a few short years back, I've become enamored of this company's products. And I still use those lights. Every year since, Interfit would introduce new lighting gear, but these newer monolights were either too big or too basic for my needs. Then along came the EXD200.
A monolight makes entering the world of studio flash photography as painless as possible. Before long you’ll find that this studio strobe will be as easy to use as your shoe-mount flash (perhaps easier) and provide undreamt of creative possibilities. Some monolights make the transition much easier. Enter the digital Interfit Stellar XD.
You have lots of stuff ready for sale or that needs to be catalogued, such as jewelry, watches, pottery, tableware, glassware, figurines, coins, or maybe even an old camera. So how do you photograph these items quickly and affordably, while making them look their best?
For starters, we often need soft, largely even, and, for the most part, shadowless illumination to bring out all the salient features in the item. While a light tent or other diffusion enclosure can be used, getting lighting ratios just right can prove time-consuming. Using household lighting is often unsatisfactory if you want to make the item sparkle so that it beats out any competitive offerings online, and especially if you want the pictures to reflect an air of professionalism. Besides, color balance is often an issue, made even more difficult when available fluorescent lighting is used. And if you use flash, you’ll need more than one strobe, which becomes a costly and often time-consuming proposition.
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