Video: Two-Speedlight Bikini Shoot
Jacob the Photographer has a neat li'l video up from a bikini shoot that really gives an idea of how easy it is to effectively overpower ambient with just a couple of speedlights.
Try to reel your eyes in long enough to actually notice some of the lighting techniques going on here:
• Using high-angle key (the stand flash) with the corded, hand-held flash as fill.
• Using the corded hand-held off at an angle as a key light and the stand flash as back/separation light.
• Direct flash key (but about 2 feet higher than the lens axis) with the camera back/left separation light.
• Bringing up the foreground with flash enough to darken the sky (see here for a how-to.)
• I'll have to look into those oil-cleansing strips, too.
The main point: Look how simple and easy his various setups are, vs. what the end result look like. I mean geez, talk about minimal gear and maximum control.
That's what is it all about. Well, that and hot bikini models, of course.
My favorite part: The wolf howls from the bicycling team that rolls past at about the two-minute mark.
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Posted at 5:52 PM.
35 Comments:
I noticed he's using a 580ex with a hot-shoe chord, with a 430ex in the background. Does that mean he's shooting eTTL? or manual?
The wolf howls are great - but not near has funny as the crazy stance it takes him to shoot a model who is shorter than him.
Wow....
Great vid, but you should've snapped a shot when the bikers passed by.
They even colormatched her bikini.
these videos that show both the process and the finished product are incredibly helpful. thanks for sharing!
Ah Jacob... moving up in the world.
I saw this in another thread, and some wiseacre mentioned Jacob's unique 'orangutan' stance.
I wish I could see this....I only get a question mark with quicktime and haven't been able to sort it out.
Man, is that how I look hand holding a strobe?
I guess i'm too critical but I liked his shots when he wasn't shooting from below and at eye level. I guess his intent was probably to get more sky in.
It doesn't hurt to have a smokin' hot model in pigtails.
The shots are viewable in much larger form here.
You can see some of the photos in better quality on his thread at DPreview.com:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1025&thread=23626832
I just did the same thing last Sunday. I used my 430ex bounce of the white umbrella with pocket wizars.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp-graphics/633732615/
I just did a bikini shot too. However, I used my 430ex and bounced it off from the white umbrella.
Here are my images
I love the stance, and practice it often. Just never really knew what it looked like. Keep up the good work!
Works wonders to see to whole shoot, lighting setup and finished product!
Makes it easiet to get your head around it.
I have SB28's and they don't seem powerful enough during midday to overpower ambient. Are any of the smaller flash units powerful enough?
Higher ISO for more flash power and faster shutter speed when using SB800 is the way I've best been able to overpower the sky with my speedlight.
haha yes when I would shoot like this i always thought in the back of my mind i looked like an orangutan, so finally i wanted to catch it on tape... so I could have a good laugh at myself. Its funny because the models get a good kick out of it which makes them laugh and i get some good natural smiles out of them sometimes :)
Cool vid!
Just wondering how jacobthephotographer triggered the flashes. I don't see pocket wizards so commander mode only works with the built-in flash, right? Thanks! Julia
Isn't he in danger of lens flare when he points his back light (the one on the stand) into the lense? From what I have learned at Strobist.com you should gobo your flash if is has visual connection with your camera.
"Cool vid!
Just wondering how jacobthephotographer triggered the flashes. I don't see pocket wizards so commander mode only works with the built-in flash, right? Thanks! Julia"
I actually use the 580ex flash set to "Master" ( on a hot shoe cord )to trigger the 430ex set to "slave" :)
I was too busy checking out the hotty to notice the "orangutan stance"...I'll have to watch it again. I liked the music too.
Did he have omni bounces on those strobes? It looked like there was a diffuser on them. I wonder if the difference is noticable out doors.
Awesome video!
Hi tuthdoc99 If you are using firefox, it sounds like you have a conflict with the flash players. This site will sort it out for you;
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Quicktime
scroll down the page til you get to the part titled:
Resetting the Quicktime browser plugins
and follow the instructions listed there.
I'm not totally sure I understand what the flash pointed at the side of the subject is for. Can anyone explain?
The side light is called a 'rim light', it makes the side of the model brighter, giving the pictures a more '3D look'.
Yeah that was some really funny poses the photographer took to get the right shot. But man those shots were awesome!
I am JMR from JMRPub.com
"Higher ISO for more flash power and faster shutter speed when using SB800 is the way I've best been able to overpower the sky with my speedlight. "
but when you crank up the iso, the background light gets lighter accordingly.. using a fast shutter speed is key, but also try changing the zoom head to narrowest (highest mm, 105 instead of 24 mm etc)you get more power from the flash, which means if you are already shooting at your x sync you can also close down the aperture without making the subject too dark
Hey, the vid was a great help and inspiration. Great shots just with flashes. Could you tell me which flash cord you use or like for Canon. There is an Off Camera Shoe Cord 2 (2ft.)($50.00 B&H) and an OC-E3 Shoe Cord 3 (maybe 3ft.)($75.00).
I found out that the OC-3 cord is a newer model, and is also 2 ft. long.
Oh, and also what kind of stand do you recommend to put the flash on?
Jacob was a blast to work with and does a great job. The orangutan moves definitely made me smile ;)
I watched Jacob's video months ago... I was already using the same technique and I simply love the results. Its so simple and you can set up an interesting lighting situation in seconds.
I've just posted my own YouTube video: Private Photoshoot.
I used a single strobe: SB-800 combined with pocket wizard. Single strobe was fitted with a strobist inspired grid spot. Thanks!
Nice! But hey, what kind of camera was that?
This Video is fun! Well done!
Cheers!
Thanks for the great video. I learned a lot. Someone tell me who the music is by.
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