Thanks to Joe for taking the time to talk too – here’s his info and the show notes:

And I thought I was a socialite online!  Joe really takes it to the next level!  And you can hear the passion and excitement in his voice too – he really just loves photography… and life!  It’s contagious too – I’ve got a few seeds ready to sow myself….(more on that later)!

Here’s the rest of the show notes:

• The ABC’s of posing
• Corrective posing
• Adorama learning center -  softboxes versus umbrellas
• Shoot the centerfold – seminars
• www.matthewstaver.com

Just a great chat overall, and the nuggets, tips, and insights you’ll pick up are invaluable.  The show should be in your iTunes feeds shortly (if not already), but if you’d like to give a listen inline, here’s the show:

Tip #1.  Positioning the Umbrella

You’ll notice on a standard light stand that the umbrella will have to be inserted at an angle…you can either angle it upward or downward.  I see so many folks that are totally confused by this and I’ve got a great mnemonic to help you remember the right way:  I call it “Up For Luck!”  Take a look at the following side-by-side shots:

See how there is so much more light missing the umbrella from my strobe in the first shot? It’s falling out of the top and not really being controlled all that much.   Compare that to the second shot, where the umbrella is nicely filled out with light…a great softening effect for sure!  This is just one of five tips I am going to share with you this week on lighting your shoots from an off-camera flash with nothing more than a single light stand and shoot through umbrella!  Ready for more?  Got your own ideas and tips/tricks to share?  Sound off in the comments, or tune back in tomorrow for another tip to help soften and diffuse things even more!

After experimenting with my own sets of various wireless triggers, and the number of questions that have come out in this area, I’d like to set about de-mystifying the concept of wireless triggers.  In doing so, let’s separate for the moment the whole reason for removing flashes from your camera (better lighting, more control, etc.), and for introducing the wireless element (fewer cables to trip over, longer range, etc.)  Let’s instead start where most people like to start – talking about the gear!  There’s basically four competitors out there, and I’ll cover the nuts and bolts of each here:

PocketWizards

• Link: Pocket Wizards at B&H Photo
• Cost: $440.00 Set
• Pros:  They just work.  These are the ones professionals use, and they do so for a reason.  You can even use them to trigger your camera!  Another plus is a long range and pretty sturdy!  Lastly, readily available through multiple vendors so warranty/worry-free
• Cons:  Expensive and large.  At close to $450 for a pair (you have to have at least two), it’s nearly the cost of a flash!  When the accessories cost almost as much as the main gear you are trying to accessorize (the flash with a trigger), the cost is probably too high in my opinion.

CyberSyncs

• Link: CyberSyncs from Paul C. Buff
• Cost $270 ($180 and $90 for a transmitter/receiver set)
• Pros:  Much more cost effective than the PocketWizards, and work with nearly the same durability, repeatability and range.  Not at the same level as PocketWizards, but for the price, this is one many enthusiasts look at seriously.
• Cons:  Not as reliable, durable and extensive a range.  Paul C. Buff is considered to be reliable and I’ve heard good things about them, but let’s face it – they’re no B&H.

Radio Poppers

• Link: Radio Popper Store
• Cost: $170
• Pros: Low cost of entry for the Jrx system, nice and compact system.
• Cons: Batteries are unique size so getting replacements can be more expensive in the long run.  I could not get multiple flashes to fire from on-camera with any measure of repeatability.  Documentation on their website not as clear I would have hoped.

Generic Triggers*

• Link: Varies
• Cost Varies – from $20 to $100
• Pros: Very low cost of entry, wide variety of vendors to choose from
• Cons: Reliability and warrantability can be sketchy depending on which vendor you go with.  No surprise, you get what you pay for.  My first generic set were from Gadget Infinity for $20 and could not get them to work right with any regularity.  My most recent set, (branded by a friend under the heading of *Blackbelt Light) costs $75, and are very reliable.  I got one trigger and three receivers for $75 and they have worked flawlessly.  Likely out of warranty after 90 days though under most normal circumstances, and again, no B&H, but having friends in high places helps!

*****

So, there’s the nuts and bolts from the various wireless triggers out there, from generic to professional grade ones.  It’s worth noting that that one player is notably absent, that being the Elinchrom Skyport.  The reason I left this out is because initially they were available from B&H, but are now distributed by Manfrotto, and while I have no bias for or against either company, when a product shifts distribution channels, that in and of itself raises a flag in my eyes.  Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, I’ve not been able to test or know anyone who has tested them that I could get to give me feedback in time for this writing!

Perhaps the best part of all of this is that now you get a chance to share your own thoughts, questions, and comments on wireless triggers?  Do you have any of the above sets?  What are your own experiences with these?  What about the Elinchrom’s?  Anyone out there use them and care to share thoughts or experiences?

So, why is this news?  Well, PSU Magazine isn’t news, but from the same folks that brought you PSU Magazine is an all-new digital magazine – and it’s not about Photoshop!  It’s taken on the subject of photography – specifically lighting, and tackling it all in one magazine.  I got a chance to sit down with it last night and really dig my teeth into it.  (And you can too for free, the first issue is free for all here).

Here’s my initial thoughts:

1.  Big:  It’s a big file, about a 350MB download.  Since it’s designed with the iPad in mind, I was a little surprised that the footprint was so large.  I guess it’s to be expected since it did have lots of imagery, and even video embedded in it, so there’s no way in getting around that for the first issue.  My advice though – decrease this size for future issues…the last thing someone wants from a digital magazine is for it to take up 10-20% of my iPad space over just a single year (250MB x 12 months = 3000 MB or 3GB)!

2.  Ads:  I get it, magazines need ads in order to be revenue producing.  And this is no exception – about 20% of the content is ad space.  A good portion of the ads though, are for off-shoots of the Kelby group.  Whether it’s Photoshop World, Kelby Training, or other ventures, a good 50% of the ad space was devoted to their own content promotion.  If I know about your magazine, odds are that I already know about your training, and I can’t help but know about Photoshop World.  While this one is free, if the same kind of ads start appearing in the paid subscription ones, I’d not be thrilled to be paying for them to advertise in their own product and services lines to me again.

3.  Content:  The be-all, end-all of the magazine is the quality of content right?  Right.  Okay, here’s the articles that grabbed me right off the bat:

Larry Becker’s DIY Corner – Easy to understand, well put together, and an immediate grasp of why this is helpful – it saves me money!  I like that!

5 Different Looks From a Single Softbox by Zack Arias – Hands down, the best article in this inaugural issue.  Showing how the same light source can achieve such drastically different looks all depending on position, angle, and posing.

Behind the Lens with  Joe McNally – I have to admit, that when people flock to a certain personality, I tend to run in the opposite direction, and the masses have been flocking to Joe McNally for a while now.  This is probably the one exception primarily because he is, undoubtedly, very talented behind the lens, and knows off-camera flash inside and out.  I tend to gravitate toward his content though, not because of his knowledge base, but because of his teaching style. So, an opportunity to read more of his instruction (and for free), was exciting.

But to be honest, the draw of this article wasn’t the text content, because I don’t think Joe even wrote it.  In fact, it was more just a bio and a couple of shots (which I’ve already seen in his other venues).  So, why did I like the piece?  For the video content!  For the first time, it’s nice to get a video in a digital magazine!  Pretty sweet to be able to tap the video thumbnail and watch the video right there in your hands!  And there were two of them! (Although why they were split into two, I have no idea – maybe the chance to show me the Kelby media ads twice?)

I was a tad disappointed there even though, because the videos were kind of “fluff-y”.  In ten minutes (3 minutes then 7 minutes):

• Question #1 – “If you only had one modifier, what would it be?”

• Answer – Something small light and cheap!

• Question #2 – “What would your next modifier be?”

• Answer: A small cheap 8′ lightstand

• Question #3 – “What’s the advantage of TTL?”

• Answer:  It automates measuring light for you.

• Question #4 – “What’s the tipping between small flash and studio strobes?”

• Answer:  The space you are shooting in, or for appearances on high profile jobs.

• Question #5 – “Where can people find out more about you?”

• Answer:  His blog, website, and social media

*****

Last but not least, the layout here does merit a tad bit of discussion.  First in that area, I liked how the magazine reads by flipping left to right, just like a regular magazine.  I also liked how you could tap an article in the TOC and it would go straight to that article.  The larger res photos on a double-tap were nice features too, as was the video inclusion (just don’t make the questions such softball ones again, take a page from Ibarionex approach when he interviewed Scott on  The Candid Frame).

While the ads were not my favorite part, one thing that I think was very cool was that when you tapped on them, a page opened up for the vendor website inside the magazine!  That’s pretty slick!

So,  the bottom line here (which I think we all are likely asking), is whether or not this is something worth buying.  The answer (surprise surprise), is “It depends…”

For me, the two key variables will be cost and content.

Content

With the exception of Zack’s article, these first pieces were light, brief articles that didn’t really wade hip-deep into much.  With the great equalizer of the web, where so many people are producing valuable content and rich learning experiences for a low cost (or even free), paying for the privilege of basic lighting info and photographer interviews with softball questions is not something I would be prone to doing.  Money is already tight.

Cost

So, what would I pay for this?  Probably – I like that you don’t have to get a full year subsscription, and can buy them on an individual basis.  Each one will go for  $3 (they are calling it $2.99 though, that sounds better to consumers…).  I just hope that you can preview the table of contents on future issues before buying.  Some people I like to read, and others, not as much.  There are features in my PSU magazine that get read instantly, and others I never even glance at.  I think it’s a little high, but understand there’s some overhead, although it’s not as much as you’d think…

Keep in mind, distribution cost used to be the biggest barrier to market and since distribution is free (for the most part anyway), the only real overhead anymore is bandwidth.  Of course, they could also have costs rolled in for contributing authors too, but I can’t speak to that.  Although, with that in mind – if Kelby Media asked me to write an article for their magazine, would I want to charge them for that?  Hmmmmm…….

Don’t get me wrong though – I really liked the stable of authors, and even know some of them personally (hey Mr. Groupp! ) And it is an impressive list for sure:  Zack Arias, Frank Doorhof, Erik Valind, Jeremy Cowart, Jim Schmelzer, Joe McNally, Tom Bol, and Jason Groupp are fantastic photogs and with great insights and experiences

What about you?  Have you read the magazine yet?  If not, at least get the free one here.  What are your thoughts?  What would you pay for this annually?  What would you pay per issue?  Did you like the articles?  Were they thought-provoking and inspiring?  Sound off below!

For those of you who might not know who Dave is – he’s one of the original “Photoshop Guys”, and has been teaching Photoshop classes since version 2!  He is currently the Senior Developer, Education and Curriculum for NAPP, a Certified Photoshop Instructor through Cs4, and  Certified Technical Trainer.  With several books under his belt, and a 2009 inductee to the Photoshop Hall of Fame, he is certainly no stranger to the world of Photoshop!

Here’s the nuts and bolts of our discussion, but to get the full schmear, grab the podcast either from here or in iTunes!

Talking Points:  Shooting with Photoshop in Mind

• What’s the point of Photoshop:  Fixing photos or creating visions?
• Compositing Photos in Photoshop
• Story boarding, green screens, extracting – options galore
• How do you get there from here?
• Fine Art versus Business
• Learning Workshops versus Seminars
• Watching versus Doing
• HDR:  Art form or a Solution?
• Links
  • Dave Cross Workshops
  • Dave Cross Blog
  • Dave Cross on Twitter
  • Dave Cross on Facebook

It was so fun talking to Dave about such a wide variety of subjects and we really hit on quite a bit for only 40 minutes of talk time!  Do check out his web resources there as I think the smaller sized workshop setting he has set up in Tampa will become the trend-setter of things to come.

*****

As a final reminder for the podcast and website a couple things wrap up this week:  The month long Flickr contest series, so do get your photos in for a chance to win Photo Mechanic!  Also ending this weekend is the promotional deal on the Deeper Vision eBook from David DuChemin – 20% off through July 2nd w/ promo code DEEP4.  Have a happy 4th of July, and we’ll see you next month!

So, for the time being, enjoy an abridged post of the LDP Podcast #60 with Andie Smith

Have a great weekend! (Oh yeah, and don’t forget the Flickr Contest is still going on for that free copy of Photo Mechanic)

One final little trailer teaser here for ya, since I had my last two podcasts with my good friends Andie and AJ (they live like ten miles from each other), figured to give him some linkage too – his new podcast is live now in its second episode, so stop over to AJ Wood to check it out – fun, fast, and informative!

While both the light and the composition are essential elements to a photograph, often times you will “see” one before the other.  So the question became one of “Do you see the light?”  versus “Do you see the composition?”  Take for example the photo I’ve shared in the past of Bull Island at Sunrise:

When I first saw this scene, it was not a sunrise – it was more around 11am – noonish.  It was my previous trip to Bull island, and my first thought was “This scene would be gorgeous at sunrise!”  To me, for that moment, the composition was totally the first and only thing that popped into my mind – I simply had to find the time to get back for the right light.  As you can tell from the above shot, I did!

By contrast, sometimes you are in a location and the light just speaks to you…something about it inspires you to capture the moment.  After the moment of inspiration then, the way to compose starts to creep into your minds eye.  Here, a great example from my own portfolio archives is some beams of light that caught my eye in a parking garage:

The lines of light that shot through the grid-style wall of the garage really caught my eye here, and I spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out the best way to capture the moment.  Clearly, I was shooting on a tripod, but I wasn’t sure if I should look at it from this side, the other end, or from the front.  Either end would have given a left-to-right (horiztonal eye movement) perspective, whereas shooting from on the side would have been a vertical sort of shot, with the lines drawing the eye in.  Ultimately, I shot it as my own eyes first saw it: left to right.  The point though, is that I saw the light first, then had to think about the composition…

For me, the best way to express the whole idea of looking at images from a perspective of lighting and composition, it’s probably better to not use the term “versus” because neither one weighs more for me – I consider both equally.  Does one sometimes catch my eye first?  Of course – but I always draw the other element into the image whenever possible.  For me it’s more of a scale – with lighting on one end and composition on the other:

Sometimes something on the left end of the spectrum catches my eye, then my brain pulls me to the right to bring the two together.  Other times something on the right end catches my eye, then the opposite happens, my mind starts thinking about the left.

As you can see, it’s not as simple as one would think to really definitely answer this – but I will say this:  It helps to explore which you may lean toward more.  Some people just see the lighting element of imagery plain as day, while for other the composition just falls naturally into place.  Knowing which way you lean though, can help you to work on the other element.  The question really to ask then is:  which comes first in your eye? (Hint: Sound off in the comments! )  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Friday for some honest to goodness ground-breaking news!

First off, focus stacking is used mostly in genres like macro photography, where intricate detail is needed across a range wider than what the aperture will allow for during composition.  The principle is much like the layered approach to HDR imagery – where you stack layers of images with different compositions on top of each other and blend the right portions through the entire image.

Where focus stacking differs from HDR is the types of images that you are layering.  In HDR images, you are compositing images with different exposure values over one another.  In focus stacking, you are not changing the exposure values, rather just the point of focus.  As depth of field drops off both in front of and behind your focusing point, the subject will blur.  While this may be an appreciated blurring technique in some cases, in other cases, getting different depths of field from different focusing points can make for a tack sharp macro throughout the range of the subject.

As is most often the case, explaining a photography concept is best done with images, so let’s take a look at an example.  For easy demonstration, I took a white cordless phone and placed it on a black background.  This way color issues are kept to a minimum…

Notice on the first focusing point, the sharpest point is right near the front?  It also quickly drops off into the background as I was shooting at f2.8  The low aperture number means I will have a very shallow depth of field, which is what is causing the blurred background.  To bring the rest of it into focus, I need to “stack” more shots that have a different point of focus.  So, let’s add another few to the composite:

The end result from stacking all these together can be accomplished by any one of a number of methods ranging from the most time-consuming of doing it manually inside Lightroom or Photoshop, and the most efficient one of using 3rd party software.  While several options do exist, the one that has become pretty much the industry standard is that of Helicon Focus!  Their quality of processing is, bar none, among the best I’ve seen.  More on that likely later this week.

In the meantime, here’s the result of an image that has been focus-stacked:

It’s a quick edit, and done with only having focus-stacked 5 images.  If I wanted a really detailed depth of field on something more important than a cordless phone from circa 1990′s, I’d likely have taken at least 10-15 images and massaged them through Helicon Focus more carefully.  More details on this entire process are coming up later this week, including reviews of the Tether Table (which will be given away this weekend as the March contest comes to an end), Helicon Focus, and the light triggers from Blackbelt Lighting.

For a behind-the-scenes footage video, stop over to the Facebook page!  (Be sure to “like” it and share a comment while you are there…)

When it was done, the house sure did smell good from the caramelized sugar, bananas toasting, and who doesn’t like bread?  (I know, I know – lots of carbs aren’t good for you…)  But, every once in a while it’s fun to indulge.  As luck would have it, this particular loaf of bread had some nice colors and tones to it, so naturally, I started thinking about my other hobby – photography!

With bread there’s so much you can do from capturing details, to using a shallow depth of field, to creative lighting and shadows, everything becomes a cornucopia of possibilities.  Here’s a few of my selects from just ten minutes of prep, 60 minutes of cook, and ten minutes of shoot time!

Want a slice?  What tasks have you taken and turned them into photo opportunities?  The lesson learned here today (hopefully anyway) is to take something you have to do and make it something you want to do!  In this case, it was a win-win scenario for me, but what about you?  Sound off with your own fun-filled (or food-filling) photo projects!

For the inquisitive, this was shot with off-camera flash, using Radiopoppers.  The EXIF data:

Since EXIF data doesn’t record flash settings, I want to say that this was at 1/4 power, bare bulb (no diffuser, umbrella, bounce or anything like that).  The hint of yellow reflection off the background of the stove is likely due to bounce off the yellow color of the teapot itself onto the black metal on the stove.  It was an unintentional but cool side effect, so I left it in!

As the old saying goes: “Keep on shooting!”

Each book is a series of “hero shots” – just some really cool photography, ranging from studio work, to portrait, landscape, and everything in between.  The concept behind the series is that each page can be torn out (they’re perforated) so you can go and try to duplicate the effect in your own images.  I tore a few pages out of the books to show you the idea in practice.  Keep in mind that it seems my scanner is having some issues, so the image quality here is not very consistent nor is it necessarily accurate – the end result in the book look much better!

You can see the front image (left) shows the end result, and the rear of the page (right) shows the setup with how and where things are positioned.  I do wish he would have included the technical data such as aperture, shutter, ISO, light settings (1/4 power, manual, TTL, etc.), but it’s a neat idea regardless.

Here’s the rest of the sample images…

With 25 pages per volume, it’s nothing too meaty that will leave your head swirling with technical minutia and yet it’s got enough creative directions from all the contributing photographers to give you plenty of ideas for inspiration.   It’s all a lot like “lighting recipies” with a boiler plate template, from which the author (and contributing photographers) expect you to springboard from.  They give you enough to get up and running, but not enough to completely duplicate w/out a little of your own flavor and tastes in to season appropriately…

Depending on where you are and what you are looking for – this could be a two thumbs up or one to skip.  For me personally – I love getting creative and inspirational ideas from other photographers, so this medley gets two thumbs up!  Cool idea, well implemented, and lots of inspiration going forward!

• I must either want it or already own it!

• It must cost $50 or less

For the first 20 items, you can visit these links for parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 – but if you want the full kit n kaboodle next time, make sure you sign up for the newsletter – these folks got the whole schmear at once for free in a handy-dandy PDF file.  There’s lots of reasons to sign up, including that I will always respect your privacy, and you can unsubscrbe if you ever feel like I am spamming you.  I promise though, the news is good, there’s lots of photos from me and LDP/CB members, and discounts to other products as well.  So, don’t delay, subscribe today!

Okay, now without further ado, the final 5 of the 25 Item Gift Guide for 2010!

1.  Energizer Ultimate Batteries – I had recommended the Sanyo Eneloops last go around because they held their charge much better, and could go through more recharges.  However, my most recent issue of consumer reports indicates that the Energizers have caught up and surpassed them.  Apparently cheaper and packing an equal oomphf ranked it higher, so it goes double for me as I find Consumer Reports to be one of the most reputable publications available.  And for the bargain basement price of $6 on Amazon, it’s worth testing these in the flash units!

Energizer Ultimate Batteries

2.  Webcam – Now that I have a widescreen 24″ LCD on my desktop computer, I find I want to spend more time at it than my laptop.  And for those of us who bought monitors for their viewing and not a built in rinky-dink camera, the add-on of an independent webcam cam make video chats and messaging much easier with friends and loved ones.  I personally like the Logitech line, and they have several for under $50.  Unless you are looking for a webcam that scans your face and tracks with it, there’s really no need to invest more money.  They come as cheap as $20, but I’d trust the C310 HD Webcam.  It’s got a built in microphone too, so no frogging around with headphones and other wired products to talk – it’s that easy!  Plus, right now the regular price of $46 is almost knocked in half with holiday savings – down to $26+ shipping.

Logitech Webcam

3.   F-Stop Watch - Okay, I know this has a high geek factor, but it really is a watch, and the design isn’t that outlandish.  The best part though – is that the f-stops are positioned in their relative clock positions…all the way from f1.4 up to f11!  How cool is that?  For the photog in your life – it’ll be a great gift, and at only $36, well under the price threshold.  Consider it on your final online push…I just told Tracy about it with an “Teee!  Look at this!”

4.  Justin Clamp - I’ve been looking at these for years, and when I get more serious about off-camera lighting using wireless triggers, a Justin Clamp will come in very handy in situations where a light stand just cant reach, or is too awkward.  A one time charge from B&H for $46, and you don’t have to buy it beer or pizza afterward!  Mine’s officially on the list!  Get yourself one too if you use lights!

Justin Clamp

5. Zipshot Tripod - I am not normally one to take risks on gear, and know that you need to spend decent money if you need reliable gear, but here I am making an exception.  This cool little tripod is called the Zipshot, and looks to be made out of the same lightweight rods that camping tents are constructed from – with tension strings that makes it self assemble faster than anything I’ve ever seen.  The speedy setup, combined with its compact and lightweight specs make this something to consider if you are out and about in an active capacity and on the go.  It won’t hold more than a 3LB SLR, so with the 50D weighing in at about a pound and a half, you could probably throw up to say an 28-135mm lens on here and watch it stay in place to capture longer exposures.  I don’t think I’d put anything bigger on it, but for something quick and easy, this compact and durable device fits the ticket at right under the $50 mark.

Zipshot Tripod

There they are, all 25 gift guide ideas in their glory.  Thanks go out to many readers who pointed me to the “best of” lists around the web and other outlets and resources from which these few were pulled.  Happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow with the latest and greatest from LDP!  Yup, the annual holiday show! (Well, not really, an annual event, but likely the last of the year, so stop in for a fireside chat with me and my special guest as we talk about the “Finding Your Creative Vision”.

1.  SnagIt! – If you ever needed a screen capture utility with professional features, including adding callouts, banners, text, and other things, this is the place to go.  It retails for $50 so just fits in the guidelines of being under $50 and on my wish list!  Made by the folks over at Tech Smith, it beats the pants off the native print screen functionality of Windows and Command-Shift-F4 on Mac.

Snag It!

2.  A star filter – I’ve always been a fan of starbursts in imagery, and there’s no time like the holidays to add that effect to all your lights.  If you can’t afford the stopping power of F-16, try one of these filters from Hoya (link from B&H Photo for the 77mm variety, so check to see if they have your filter size in stock…in all likelihood, they do!)

Hoya Star Filter

3.  USB Charging Outlet – I think it’s safe to say that the USB cable has pretty much become ubiquitous.  Whether you have an iPhone, a Droid, a bluetooth earpiece, or any one of a countless bunch of USB devices that need charging almost daily, an outlet like this makes your life a LOT easier!  No more actual outlets lost to a charger when you need a lamp, a monitor, or some other device to plug into the real outlet.  Just a bit of DIY know-how to swap out an existing outlet is all you need!  (Don’t forget to cut off the power first.)  I want like 5 of these, but each is only $20, so it makes the list!

USB outlet

4.  Captured! – Probably one of the most esteemed wildlife photographers out there, Moose Peterson has quietly built a reputation for his legendary captures of both nature and wildlife.  I can’t remember the last time he published a book, but this one is definitely on my wish list this Christmas.   Reading about photography is always a good thing – reading from the masters, even better!

Moose Peterson's Captured!

5.  Wireless Lapel Microphone Kit – Finally, for those of us with video on our DSLR’s (and it’s a growing crowd), consider your audio when you record.  A simple wireless lapel microphone system will deliver the goods better and more professionally.  Invest right from the get-go and save yourself tons of aggravations down the road.  Here’s a simple system from Radio Shack right on the money at $49.99! – Although I should note that the unit comes with a jack that is 1/4″, and a reducer is needed to go down to the 1/8ths needed for SLR plugs… (you are tethered to a wall because it needs AC power, so don’t think you’ll get the portability of, say a hotshoe mounted microphone set, but that’s for the very dedicated crowd as it’s way above the $50 max for these lists)

Wireless Microphone Kit

There ya have it, the five for today!  That means there are only five more items to go in the last list, which should be out next week!  Get your own thoughts in before the list is done, and let me know what you think of things so far!  Sound off in the comments and via email!

1.  A New Card Reader: With faster and higher sized cards coming out all the time, believe it or not, that card reader from 3 years ago (or older) might not work anymore.  The newest format – SDXC – Secure Digital Extended Capacity – takes things to the stratospheric level, with card memories reaching the theoretical limit of 2TB of data!  Obviously, developed with the photo/video – ographer in mind, these cards re-designed the way media is read, and a newer card reader is needed to see all the bits and bytes.  They’re not terribly expensive, usually around $15-$30, but the one I got was the Delkin Reader came from B&H for $20.

Card Reader

2.  Daylight Balanced Light Bulbs: For the color correction perfectionist, truly accurate color balance only comes from working in a controlled environment.  One of those elements is the light bulb.  The ideal recommendation for a color-controlled work flow starts with a colorimeter, but ends with the ambient light.  Consider the bulbs you use in your lamps and ask yourself – are these the right light levels?  According to many resources, daylight balanced light bulbs give the best neutral light to work from.  A number of vendors claim their products meet the daylight balance gauge but look for ones with a Kelvin of 5000-5500, so be sure you get bulbs that are in this range.  The ones I like are from Tabletop Studios – ranging from $10-$40 depending on size and wattage.  (I got the 14 watt spiral tops for $10…)

Daylight Balanced Light Bulbs

3.  Gaffers Tape: This is one thing that photographers hate to buy, but love to have.  It’s just not sexy to own, or fun to have around, but when you want to somehow strap a light to a corner, a tree, or any one of a number of both conceivable and inconceivable uses, gaffers tape is your best friend.  It’s kind of silly not to buy it, but it’s just not got the pop.  Get your photographer a 30′ roll of it for only $15 at B&H though, and they will be thanking you over and over again!  From B&H

Gaffers Tape

4.  Gift Cards: Out of Ideas? – Let them do the shopping with a gift card.  It may not have the creative spin of gaffers tape or a battery caddy (from Part 1), but if you truly have no idea what someone wants or needs, let them decide and get a gift card.  Most major vendors from Amazon to Best Buy have them.  For me – I like the B&H Gift Card, with values ranging from $25 – $1000.

B&H Gift Card

5.  Zip Ties!: Cables are a necessary component for photographers.  Whether it’s the mini-USB, the micro-to-USB, the iPhone-USB, or any other connector (also think PC-sync cables), nothing keeps things organized better than cable ties.  My super “on-the-cheap” method is left over twist-ties, but you can class it up easily with a couple packs of these much more professional-looking Velcro-ties.  At $6 for a pack of 100 ties from Amazon, you can’t go wrong!

Cable Velcro Zip Ties

In case you’re wondering, there is a Part 1 and a Part 2 with ten other ideas for the photographer you know, so if nothing here strikes your fancy, be sure to check those out for other options.  In the meantime, enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving here in the States, and for the international readers, have a Happy Thursday!  We’ll see you back here likely on Monday.  Don’t forget Friday is the National Family Photo Day (as declared by Nations Photo Lab), so you can take and print pictures of all your family, while getting a chance to win lots of fun free stuff from them!

1.  Wireless Trigger System:  Pocket Wizards, Radio Poppers and Cybersyncs are great if you’ve got the moolah, but for those on a budget, there should be some happy medium to get reasonably reliable triggers.  I had tried the Cactus triggers myself, and they were a good point of entry, but really just were too unreliable.  My buddy Kerry Garrison from Camera Dojo has researched the heck out of this and knows his stuff on lighting.  He’s put together a great kit that includes everything you need from transmitters to receivers, and PC Sync cables too, all for the budget-friendly $50 rate!  Check out his demo video here and get your photographer a set of these.  I can’t wait to get my own set!

Wireless triggers from Camera Dojo

2.  Lexar Memory:  Everyone could use an additional memory card, and with prices dropping rapidly, the 8GB UDMA CF cards are now within the budget-conscious range, so pick up a spare (or two) of these as we never have enough in our bags…this one is linked from B&H but pick your own vendor of preference as the deals are across the internet.

Lexar CF Cards

3.  Black Rapid RS7 – Okay, so it’s 8 bucks over the limit, but for the portability and easing of camera holding during extended sessions, the Black rapid RS 7 is a godsend.  If you don’t have one – get one, plain and simple.  Visit here to buy one today!

Black Rapid RS-7

4.  Online Training – a month or two from either Kelby Training or Lynda.com is just the ticket to help the photographer in your life help themselves.  Whether it’s a refresher on Photoshop, boning up on Indesign, or even learning how to set up a WordPress blog or website, these are great resources for online training.  Monthly rates are $25 on average, and with the holidays approaching, you could easily find discount codes or bonus offers for signing up, so consider this valuable option.  It’s all part of the mentality of helping people advance in their craft through education!

Online Training

5.  Light Stand – I have been procrastinating getting a second light stand for some time now and there is just no excuse.  The primary is an Impact stand I got from B&H and it has served me well, so I just need to add this to my own wish list, and encourage you to add one to yours (if you don’t already have enough that is…but then again, do we ever have enough lightstands – it’s a VAL you don’t have to feed or take out for beers after a shoot!)!.  Here’s my own preferred one:  10′ Impact Lightstand (Tracy, are you reading this?) I should probably note here that I am linking to the 10′ tall heavy duty one – well worth the extra investment in my opinion, but for the super budget-conscious, these can get as cheap as $20 for a light duty 6′ one!

Impact Light Stand (6' to 10')

Okay, so consider it 5.5 suggestions today.  I’m sure you have your own ideas too, so feel free to throw your own suggestions in the mix.  Remember, with two down and three to go, keep the ideas coming as I do have some room open for a few more!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

A.  I either own it or want it!  If I don’t own it, how can I say it’d be a great gift?  Only if it’s something I want!

B.  Let’s be realistic, the current economic trials are hitting us all hard – and throwing $100+ ideas on a gift guide is too rich for the blood of many photog-types in the trenches, so it’s gotta be cost-effective (nothing over $50)

To keep this manageable, it’s been parted out into five posts – each with 5 items.  These are in no particular order, with no favoritism or affiliation to the actual products or vendors.  So, without further ado:

1.  Ditty Bag – My brother had some of these on our canoe trip earlier this year, and they proved invaluable in keeping my gear dry.  $27 for a three-pack of dry ditty bags is a steal!  From REI:

REI Ditty Bags

2.  The Photo Mug – What can I say?  I want one of these muchly.  With my own expenditures being withheld to ones that are needed versus wanting, and not splurge items, I just have to hope someone in my family sees this:

Photojojo Lens Coffee Mug

3.  The Battery Caddy – I know, this was in last years showcase, but that should tell you how much I love this.  Mine was won in a photo contest online about three years ago and it has never left my camera bag.  Brilliant idea, and worth its weight in gold!  More options available than the AA clip shown here.

Battery Caddy

4.  Flickr is probably one of the most recognizable photo sharing sites.  With a pro account ads are banished and you are not limited in your daily uploads nearly as much.  Only $25 gives the gift for a year!

Give the Gift of Flickr

5.  Pocket Rocket from Think Tank.  A sponsor of the Lightroom workshop, Think Tank gave us a bunch of these to include for each participant.  I had to have one myself too, so out went the $17 – totally worth it!

Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket

Number 6-10 will be out soon, but I still have room on the list for some late additions, so if you’ve got some ideas, feel free to share (sharing is a good thing) either here in the comments or with me via e-mail.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you tomorrow (or possibly Friday)!

To that end, it’s to our advantage to control the light as much as possible.  An entire sub-industry has grown over the years catering toward controlling the light in your photos too.  Everything from grid spots, to gels, strobes, reflectors, and so much more – we could spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on various light modifiers.

We’re not going to break the bank today though as we take a closer look at a certain kind of light modifier called a Flash Bender, from the folks over at Expo Imaging.  Pricing for individual ones range from $30 to $40, or you can get the entire three-piece set for only $104, we’re certainly not spending exorbitant amounts of money.  The question really is more of what they can do.

Taking a page from their own description on their website (which you can find here:  Rogue Flashbenders), these devices:

“FlashBenders represent a new approach to controlling light. FlashBenders are positionable.  You can bend a FlashBender into almost any position, and it will assume that shape, staying in position until you reform it.”

To see if these shape-changing devices really can deliver on controlling the light, I turned to my trusty, not-so-rusty model train for a little demo shoot, just to see what I could do with them.  First up, I took a couple shots with a bare flash attached (580 EXII) and pointing full on the subject.  The results were predictable:

Bright, shiny highlights, and some pretty nasty glare, right?  But, like I said, to be expected from a full on-camera flash.  Having set the barometer now, I decided to move to where I knew the light would be better.  Off-camera.  I started working with the light and found a good angle (around 45 degrees, camera right), then attached one of these benders and made a snoot out of it (a snoot is a circular funnel that restricts the light).  Things were starting to look up almost immediately with a full wide angle, mid width and then a tight snoot.  Take a look:

Nice!  These Flashbenders really easily got my harsh light that just doused a scene and wrangled it under control pretty quickly with just the strap of Velcro around the neck of the 580, and shaping it around the front in a circle.  It was time to start adding slight nuances to the shape of it to see just how much nuance I could get.  Here’s the result:

Now we’re talking!  About the only thing missing is a little bounce from the light as it shoots past the train to come back and fill the shadows a little.  I tried holding one out to camera left and got the final effect desired:

I could keep going with all the different options and shapes here, but it’s sufficient to say that I was highly impressed with the Flashbenders.  They fit the bill for me in three material ways:

1.  Cost – Hey, it’s the economy right?  Gotta keep costs down and at $104 for the trifecta, it’s almost a no brainer because you can get the Large Reflector, Small reflector, and the Bounce Card sizes in one sweet little package.

2.  Space/Construction – Not only are these pretty durably designed with the bendable metal plates or fingers wrapped securely in the nicely padded and sewn-stitched outer shells, but they pack well, laying flat in the bottom of your bag or curled up snugly to fit on the edge (I put mine next the the flash and barely knew they were in there!  Rock on!

3.  Functionality – What can I say?  They deliver and in a big way.  I used one to wrap the light tightly, then the bounce card to hand hold and create a little fill on the opposite side.  They serve their purpose, do so with space-saving design in mind, and at a cost that all but the most frugal photographer can afford!

These get my two-thumbs up seal of approval.  If you don’t have a set, you need to go out and get one.  If the full set is out of your reach, then at bare  minimum, you could probably get by with the largest one as it has the most range and flexibility.  It’s available through Expo Imaging direct, or if you want, you go through one of their many retail partners.  I tend to prefer B&H as NAPP members enjoy free 3-day shipping.  (If you want to go that route, here’s the link to the largest of the set at B&H if you like…)

There you have it, my two cents on these flash modifiers – probably one of the cheapest tools out there, but so functional and usable on so many different levels, it’s simply a must have in any photographer’s tool kit!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here on Tuesday (Labor Day Weekend and all…) for more photography goodness!

P.S.  The September Newsletter went out this morning to all confirmed subscribers!  Like it?  Want more?  Send me a note with what you’d like to see!  Not getting it?  Want it?  Subscribe from the sidebar or from this direct page here!

1.  Cranking the ISO and hoping to fix in post

With advancements in technology, noise handling both in camera and in post production has resulted in some astonishing results that in previous years would have been literally unrecoverable.  While we should always endeavor to make our images shine as best we can in camera – advancements in tools of the trade simply give us more options and we would be foolish not to use them.

Here’s a good example of a shot that was done at a high in-camera ISO setting, that was recoverable to a good quality image.  It may not necessarily be of “stock photography” caliber (you really need every pixel to be perfect for stock photography), but for event photography, I would consider this acceptable quality.

2.  Implementing additional light sources (Flash, video lights, etc.)

3.  Using a tripod/monopod in conjunction with longer exposures to increase odds of sharp captures

4.  Use a gray card to get good white balance/off-set the ambient lighting conditions.

Having your subject hold a color balance card (or even just a gray card) in the scene for one shot is a great way to counter-act the effect of difficult lighting, including everything from halogen lights, to fluorescent, tungsten-florescent mixes, and the garish hue from sodium vapor lights common in locales like stadiums and street light settings.

Gretag Macbeth Color Wheel

Sample Graycard Shot

5.  Use supports from the surroundings to brace your camera

Using a tree, a wall, or even the ground to help stabilize your camera can reduce the shutter speed considerably to help when shooting in low light situations.

As much as we may try to hand hold our cameras, blur is unavoidable due to our heartbeats, finger tremors, breathing, and a host of biological factors, the best we can do is help to minimize that blur by using supporting mechanisms and techniques to get as stable a shot as we can.  Even when we can hand-hold, matching that color from the scene is much easier to do when you start from a known vantage point, whether it be your own flash, or a controlled ambient scene.  So much to think about and so little time…where do you want to go from here?

Hint:  Sound off in the comments – would love to hear others thoughts, tips, and tricks for dealing with low and/or harsh lighting! Special thanks to Kerry Garrison of Kerry Garrison Photography for sharing a sample image from his own portfolio when I couldn’t track my own down in the library (bad me for not keywording fully!)…

In any case, here is the long-awaited review of the Epodisc from the folks at Expo Imaging:

First – what is the Expodisc?  It’s simply a disc that defracts light as it passes through your lens in order to determine the proper white balance setting for your images.  Why is this a good thing?  It’s a good thing because light doesn’t always fall into the specific categories designed by your vendor.  It’s not always daylight, tungsten, florescent, etc.  These vendor pre-sets can get you close, but if you want spot on white balance settings in camera, this is definitely the way to go!  Here’s the short video I had put together a while back on how it works:

[display podcast]

Do I like the Expo Disc?  Absolutely – and if I were in an environment where lighting conditions change often, or it was tricky to determine (say those lights in gyms with the green phosphorous), these utilities are a godsend.  Landscape environments can also be tricky when you are dealing with things like snow, shade and sunny areas at the same time, and portraiture can be tricky too – say you have a bride’s wedding dress, the whites of the eyes, and the teeth for sample areas – which do you set?  Use the ExpoDisc and it will be spot on every time!

Thanks again to the folks at Expo Imaging for lending me the review units of the Ray Flash and the Expo Disc. It was a pleasure, and for those interested in learning more about their products, please visit their website here.

Happy shooting everyone – be sure you get your shots in, because there’s limited time left in the Circles contest for a lucky participant. Here’s the Flickr thread – keep on posting and keep on shooting!  We’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

I was going to make this a combo post for both hardware and software, but given the length of the former, decided to hold off on the latter for another week…so, let’s just take a look at the Rayflash today. First off,  you may ask how this is at all different from David’s write-up, and you would do well to ask.  The answer lies in the nature of the comparison.  You see, David is looking at different types of ring flashes, while I am considering adding a ringflsh to my gear bag.  So, rather than look at different ring flashes, I am looking at a ringflash as opposed to not shooting with one.  What are the differences in the nature of light?  Or better yet – are there differences in the nature of light?  Thanks to the folks over at ExpoImaging, I got a chance to take a firsthand look at the Rayflash.  Here are my thoughts…

For starters, I decided to consider the nature of the gear itself, since it is specific to camera body and flash type.  So, this means if you are shooting with a Canon 40D and a 580 EXII, it takes a different model from, say the Nikon D300x and the SB900.  In a way this is a good thing, but there’s also a downside.  The downside is the lack of cross-camera support.  If you ever change gear out for any reason, the Rayflash as an accessory won’t migrate with you.  That being said, it’s a good thing because that means the product is custom made for your specific setup, whatever that may be.   In the end, it depends on your perspective, but I would consider this a pro for the Rayflash as I know it’s going to fit – no questions asked!

The other big thing to consider is weight.  Having not gone through any capture with my light on-camera lately, it was an adjustment going back to shooting with the 580 on the hotshoe.  In taking the 40D, a 580 EXII, and a Sigma 70mm, then adding the Rayflash to it – my arms got a workout!  It was heavy!  I can’t even imagine how heavy the setup would have been with one of the other styles of ring flashes, as the Rayflash on its own added very little weight.  Score another one for the Rayflash.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the output – what kind of light does it produce?  Well, there’s no better way to answer this than to take some actual pictures.   So, let’s take a quick look at the purpose behind ring flashes as a general tool in your bag – what do they do?

Ring flashes are good at providing even light, to kill shadows.  They also make for great catch lights in portraiture.  There’s something quite compelling about seeing a portrait with a nice little ring of light to add some dimension to an image and make it more compelling.  However, due to lack of available models in my time frame, I decided to take advantage of the shadow killing aspect of ring flashes.

This meant going for macro work.  With macro photography, often it is challenging to get nice even lighting throughout an image primarily because you are working in such close proximity to your work.  Ring flashes can help eliminate that problem.   Let’s take a look at how the Rayflash performed here.

To test the quality of light, I set my 580 on manual exposure rather than ETTL because with the Rayflash on, it could effect the light output, and I wanted to be in complete control over this element of the photo.  So, I set it to 1/32nd power, with the camera set to a shallow DOF (f2.8) and a shutter of 1/500th.  The following images show the resulting image, first with the Rayflash, second without the Rayflash and finally, with the built-in camera (except here I couldn’t control the flash output – but I wanted to include it for comparison purposes..you’ll see in a second here, take a look):

Taken with the Rayflash

Taken without the Rayflash

Taken with on-camera flash

As you can see, the Rayflash gave a nice, even distribution of light around the subject of focus – the flower.  It softened things much like a diffuser would and prevented excessive shadows from forming arond the edges of the petals.  Compared to the flash without any adapter, the result is much more harsh, with more blown out highlights, and in general, a less compelling image on the basis of the quality of light.  You can see now why ring flashes are used in macro work.

Finally, the on-board or built-in flash.  Ugh!  Almost unusable from the quality of light perspective.  Unless your purpose is to capture a subject in the most unflattering light possible, I can’t imagine enjoying the third image.  This is why we add flashes, then learn to accessorize them, and finally to move them off-camera.

So, there you have it – I would say that if you are serious about macro work, then a ring flash should definitely be in your camera bag.  Apologies for not getting to the portrait side, but that would have made things SUPER long.  (Aren’t ya glad I didn’t add the software review too?)  Feel free to chime in via the comments or email if you have additional thoughts or feedback on the gear, and many thanks to the folks at ExpoImaging for their support in providing the review unit – couldn’t have done this without you!

Until tomorrow, Happy Shooting (and let’s be careful out there)!

A while back I decided to ditch the Canon ST-E2 wireless trigger for a number of reasons – those being:

1. It relied on line-of-sight
2. It didn’t have a very good range
3. It wouldn’t work with non-Canon gear

I, like many others, have been salivating over the new developments in radio trigger technology.  And, at my last job, I had access to multiple lights, strobes, and such for experimentation.  So, in order to do said experimentation, I decided to invest in some Cactus Triggers that I purchased off an online web vendor (I forget the vendor off the top of my head – search the archives and I am sure it’s there…).  Much to my chagrin though, it would not work with my Canon 550EX flash.  So, when I left my previous job, it was back to the ST-E2.  In order to spur some motivation to invest in some more serious lighting gear on my own, I decided to sell the ST-E2 to fund the purchase of some Cyber Syncs.

Long story short, I ended up with no off-camera method to trigger my one flash unit.  So, I was back on-camera.  Needless to say, ambient light photography was a large focus for that time period.  Well, after the economy stabilized a little for the household with my state job, I decided to invest in the Cyber Syncs – but as a measure of insurance, wanted to make sure the devices would work in my 550EX (the 550EX does not have a sync port).  So, a quick email to them revealed that a neat little device from the folks over at Flash Zebra would make the Cyber Syncs compatible.  A mere $14 later and the device arrived late last week (while I was in SC).  So, next month the Cyber Syncs will be making their way to my doorstep.

In the meantime, I have these Cactus triggers, and I thought with the inclusion of a sync port, perhaps I could jerry-rig something together.  With the sync port going out to what looks to be an RC-mini, and the receiver also going out to an RC-mini, I needed a way to join two RC-mini’s together.  A quick dig through my various buckets of cables and connectors revealed a dual mini that is normally used to connect to headphones to a single audio.  Worth a shot, since it’s only about $50 total invested.  I connected everything together to get this:

On your left is the trigger that came from Cactus, to the RC male.  A reducer on that took it to an RC-mini male.  In the center is the well-hidden PC-sync device that came from Flash Zebra.  (For a better picture, see below…)  A female sync port on that was able to connect to the male sync port that was included with my Cactus gear.  That also went to an RC-mini male.  These are both connected on the right to the y-connector that you would typically see two headsets connect to the same audio source.  The technology is the same, so it’s worth a shot right?  (No pun intended…)

I fired off a test shot from the 40D and it worked!  So, how well would it work?  What kind of reliability would there be?  I took the flash into the next room and fired the trigger from a further distance away…about 20 feet.  Flash!  Then I took the trigger around the corner and fired it.  Flash!  How cool is that?  Another set of tests was needed.  One where radio waves wouldn’t bounce all over the place – outside!  If you recall, I interviewed Scott Eccleston from Weekly Photo Tips a while back, and a recent post of his armed me with a good testing method of the Cactus triggers.  Armed with the inspiration of this video, I enlisted the aid of my wife and took to the great outdoors.

I began with a fresh set of batteries in both the trigger and receiver, as well as the flash.  Starting from ten steps away from the flash, I tripped the shutter – flash!  Twenty paces – flash!  Thirty paces – flash!  Fourty paces – nada.  Hmmm…tried again – nada.  So, I moved back to 35 paces – still nada.  A couple steps closer and it flashed again.  About four more tests at this distance and I had 100% flash rate.  Starting back to my wife, I counted the paces, 1-2-3… all the way to 33 paces.  At an average gait of 3 feet per pace, that’s an outside range of 99 feet!  Considerably better than the ST-E2 and at a third of the price!

For posterity’ sake, and since I am in a very casual way reviewing the PC-sync adaptor from Flash Zebra, here’s a better shot of just that device.

Also for posterity sake, here’s a view of the trigger that attached to the hot shoe of the 550EX:

Here’s a few sample shots.  For all the tech-types, these are pretty much straight out of camera (or sooc) – all I did was adjust the WB for Flash and adjust the ACR sharpening from 25 to 75.  All are resized to 650px wide for the blog.  Here’s the setup:  I took the Canon kit lens (18-55) on my 40D, threw on the 550EX, and set everything to default values.  Shutter at standard sync speed of 250, aperture at f8 and ISO at 100.  I powered the 550EX at it’s standard setting, on camera (relax strobists – I can hear you shuddering from here),  and started firing a few shots.  I pointed the flash to camera right and got this:

Yup, that’s a God-awful shot, with a nasty shadow.  Perhaps I could ditch the shadow.  Since we’re not exactly using conventional wisdom here, let’s try it with the flash pointed straight at the subject:

Hey!  That’s actually not too bad.  It’s not that great, and still definitely a “Meh” kind of shot as it’s still got something of a shadow.  So, I spun the flash to fire above me and bounce off the ceiling:

Voila!  You know what?  For being a spur of the moment thing, and without a lot of pre-planning or preparation, that’s not bad at all.  And, it was shot in a bathtub!  Anyone else out there have a bathtub?  Try some shots in it for different items.  I used a tape measure, but what about a pen, or a microphone, or a printer, or even a lens?  I bet you could get some pretty cool results with very little setup!  Anyone else have some odd or unusual ways to get clean backgrounds and even lighting on the cheap?  Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback in the comments.  Feel free to link your own efforts there too!  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

We do see the world differently than others, and by capturing our vision, and then sharing it with the world with our particular expression, otherwise ordinary scenes can be seen in a new and different light.  With that idea in mind, here’s one I captured recently (with my own camera) that kind of spoke to me in that way:

What made this unique for me was the ambient light.  No gels, no lighting tricks or anything – it was on our weekend getaway, and since not very many places outside of mountain cabins have things like wood stoves, the idea hit me to catch this scene.  What makes it (for me) is the fact that the ambient light is very “fireside”.  The tungsten light combined with the sun setting behind the trees outside made this a perfect scene.  So, up went the tripod, the shutter went long, and I kept the aperture up, and noise down.  (5 seconds, f10, and ISO 100 for the techies in the crowd).

I think it worked, but would like to hear from the readers out there.  Does this work?  Can ordinary scenes be made extraordinary?  What about the role a photographer has?  Is there really a “symbolic” or larger purpose for people who enjoy taking pictures?  What do you enjoy about photography?  Feel free to sound off in the comments, as there are no wrong answers here…

In the meantime, happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Friday!

Yes, that’s right, an admitted geek read directions to make sure I utilize them right.  After reading about these kinds of things on David Hobby’s Strobist site and over on the Flickr Colorado Strobist site, I wanted to make sure I don’t accidentally fry either my precious 40D or the cheapo 550EX because of improper usage.

Well, after reading through the massive 1/4 page sheet of instructions, I was confused so I sorted back through the gear and here’s what I have:

So, I am not sure what the one cable is for on the right of the trigger (transmitter).  Is that supposed to plug into the transmitter, or the transceiver?  If you look at the back of the transceiver, there’s a funky little plug there that looks as if it is made to accept the one female end to that spare cable.  Meanwhile, the other end looks to be another RCA mini, and the side receptacle on the transmitter is built to take an RCA mini.  Not sure I understand why, as the trigger would normally be connected to the hot shoe of your flash.

Finally, it looks as though in order to get these triggers to work with a Canon 550EX, I would need an adaptor cable of sorts that would change an RCA mini to a female version of that three-prong set on the 550.  Any ideas from those out in the blogosphere?

Lest I forget you, dear readers, here’s a brief bout of humor courtesy of What the Duck:

HAPPY HALOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Don’t get too hyped up on sugar – you’ll get camera shake!  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here on Monday!  Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help me sort out this wireless trigger confusion!

Oh, sorry, this is a photo blog, not a football one!

Okay, here’s the latest and greatest from CB. First and foremost, CB Episode #55 went up today. I took about twenty minutes to talk about off-camera lighting. I looked at the radio transmitters available, infrared transmitters and a number of different companies that deliver products. Pricing from various websites was also reported. As prices may change, and sales may happen, those are approximate according to the date of publication. So, if you have questions about off-camera flash, this may be a good starting point. I look at everything from PocketWizards to Cybersyncs, Skyports and more. It’s about a 20 minute listen, but chock full of information, so download it and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments – I’d really like to hear what people think of the “new format”.

Other news from CB – the header is updated! I’ve got new header shots rolling out every day this week, so make sure you visit the blog and look at the new images (this is for all you RSS readers out there). For the regular visitors, you may also notice that I finally took some time to sit down and add some of the common links above the header, so now you have quick access to The Online Photography Test (more questions and ideas are needed for the “Expert exam”, not linked like yet), the Colors and Textures Gallery, and my own website of personal photography work.  Finally, I also added a link to the  CB Flickr group (I’d love to see some more members sharing photos and ideas). Pretty cool stuff that I am happy to finally have in place. Thanks go out to Erik Bernskiold of Bernskiold Media for taking some time to jog my memory on the particulars of HTML editing – it’d been a while.

As promised, here are the links from the show (a.k.a. show notes):

• Pocket Wizards (B&H) $380
• Elinchrom Skyports (B&H) $180
• Alienbees Cybersyncs (Alienbees) $130
• Cactus Triggers (Gadget Infinity) $25-$50
• Nikon (B&H)
• Canon (B&H)

As I said in the show, I’m migrating from the ST-E2 from Canon to the Cactus transmitters. If you’d like to hear a follow-up episode on my experiences when I am done, let me know and I’ll try to get that “in the can” too.

Well, that was just a ton of information for a Tuesday, so I’ll leave things at that, and let everyone come back tomorrow rejuvenated for the Wednesday “What’s This?” Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

P.S.  Don’t forget the poll on the sidebar or the Photrade contest – both are ending soon so get your votes in today!

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