MVI: Q 'n A
UPDATE: Not meaning to confuse, and judging from the comments, I certainly did: Not really talking about the absolute number of comments, but rather the relative number on different types of posts.
__________
Without any true metric to understand how posts on Strobist are received, I sometimes revert to judging by the number of comments received on a particular entry.
Going by the (relative) numbers on different types of posts, this can be a little disconcerting.
Example:
Full, On-Assignment-style Monteverde Institute post: 24 comments.
Flippant, snarky Annie / Sean Connery video repost: 107 comments.
If I went straight by the numbers, it would be no better than those city mags that track rack sales to the point where every issue eventually morphs into some variation of, "50 Top Doctors!"
But against those raw comment numbers you have to consider relative quality of the comments, and those from the MVI post included some pretty good questions. So that helps to balance things out.
Hit the jump for some selected Q's (and, to the best of my ability, the A's) from the MVI post comments...
__________
Q and A
Leading off, from Anonymous:
How do you make the flash fill so balanced? This picture is so natural that I have hard time to reverse engineer the light.
Anon-
That's mostly because I am going so tight on the flash/ambient ratios. If you think about it, I am not so much lighting as compressing the contrast range of the photo.
If I had brought the ambient light way down, the lit area would be more obvious. But if you expose the photo in such a way that the exposure is built on making the ambient look just a little more saturated, you can build the subject back up with strobe without making the photo look obviously lit.
In an ambient-light-only photo, I would have to choose between a properly exposed Dan and properly exposed surroundings. If I exposed for Dan, the backlit surroundings would be too bright. So all the light is really doing is allowing me to compress both Dan and environment together into one lush exposure.
It looks natural because it takes a scene with a little too much tonal range in it and compresses it down to the way your eye normally sees it. In that way, it probably looks more "available light" than it would have if I only shot it with available light.
__________
Joe asks...
I'm starting Lighting 102 but am up to speed with all your new posts. I haven't bought any light modifiers yet, but my question is--should I skip the umbrella and just get the Lumiquest Softbox III? It seems to be a better choice in terms of portability and ease of use.
Joe-
Apples and oranges. They give off very different kinds of light. I would recommend a shoot-through umbrella as your first light modifier. It is very versatile.
Honestly, I used an SB-III here because of the wind as much as anything else.
__________
JeK68 asks...
I was also tempted to get the Justin clamps for similar situations, but ended up with the Manfrotto (Bogen) 171 and a mini-ball head attached on a short stud. The 171 is more secure and can be more packable imho.
JeK68-
True, but the 175F Justin clamp will secure a flash to far more mounting surfaces, including larger and/or irregular things.
__________
Rob asks...
You like those Justin clamps more then the Bogen Super Clamps?
Rob-
Increasingly, yes. But they are very different animals. Super Clamps are bigger, stronger and work better for things like camera remotes, to be sure. You can also turn a pair of light stands into a background support with a pair of Super Clamps.
But the 175F "Justin" clamp is nice and light and mates a flash -- and any angle -- to a variety of surfaces better than anything I have seen. It is not as compact as a Super Clamp, but it is lighter.
__________
Dave Kee asks...
Did you consider using on-axis fill?
Dave-
Yeah, but (a) I thought it would look a little unnatural in that environment and (b) I was fresh out of lights (except for the pop up, I guess, but I would have wanted a ring there). So I would have had to kill the camera right rim for any O-A fill.
I had Dan crosslit pretty well, so there were really no deep, dark areas that I would need on-axis fill to fix. And again, I wasn't too far above the ambient. So nothing was gonna be really dark on Dan even if the flash did not hit it.
__________
Alfred asks...
This is the second time you have confused me by saying, "By cranking my shutter speed down I can drop the environment and make Dan the star."
I do know what you want to say, but is it not true that if you crank your shutter speed down you are effectively slowing the time and the exposure for the environment would be raised? To me turnng speed down means slowing down.
Alfred-
If you are thinking of shutter as a whole number on a dial, sure. But I think of shutter and aperture not as absolute numbers but rather as control valves for light.
Which valve I use depends on which kind of light (ambient or flash) I am trying to kill. So to me, "cranking down" (or closing down) shutter or aperture means closing off the light that is getting through.
Conversely, opening up allows more of a particular kind of light to get in. Unless I am in some kind of trouble (subject motion because of too slow a shutter, for instance) I really do not pay attention to the actual numbers very much.
So, when someone asks me what shutter and aperture I used for some photo, I usually have no idea exactly where I was. It is just that I don't really pay that much attention to the absolute numbers.
__________
Kevin asks...
I see you are getting away from the umbrellas for the softboxs. Could you expand that a little and I don't see any pocket wizards, are you using CLS?
Kevin-
I still use umbrellas, it is just that I do not normally default to them.
As for synch, I PW'd the camera right rim light because it was firing right at my key light, which was slaved on SU-4 mode. And the key light easily set off my "tree" back light, which was also slaved on SU-4 mode. All strobes were on manual, as was the camera.
That's why I only took a pair of PWs. I shoot like that a lot.
__________
KatieMac asks...
My favorite is how you clamped and hung your gear all over the "No Trespassing" sign. I hope that meant for others, not from the Institute! Beautiful lighting, wonderful that Dan doesn't look to be "artificially" lit.
Question: did you gel the flashes to even the color temperature with the ambient light, or correct them in post? and BTW, what color is the daylight in the tropics under the trees?
Katie-
We were on MVI property -- that sign was at the edge of the property and meant to deter others.
As for your color temperature question, there is a lot of green bouncing around in there -- filtered by the leaves, bouncing off of the ground -- it all greens up.
But when I underexpose the ambient just a little, it minimizes the green bounce/fill. So when I build light back up on Dan with strobes, it all looks fine.
I was on Daylight balance for all of this, with a 1/4 CTO on the key. So flash was just fine, and ambient-lit areas were coolish green and lush. That sets the tone of the photo without turning Dan into a martian.
__________
Mario asks...
Any chance we could get one of those setup drawings for this shot? It piques my interest that I don´t see any wizards on the strobes. It'd be interesting to see where they were and if you found any serious obstacles for the strobe controls, as you often do in these forest settings.
Mario-
See above on the PWs. And here you go for the diagram, in special edition Costa Rica green:
__________
Without any true metric to understand how posts on Strobist are received, I sometimes revert to judging by the number of comments received on a particular entry. Going by the (relative) numbers on different types of posts, this can be a little disconcerting.
Example:
Full, On-Assignment-style Monteverde Institute post: 24 comments.
Flippant, snarky Annie / Sean Connery video repost: 107 comments.
If I went straight by the numbers, it would be no better than those city mags that track rack sales to the point where every issue eventually morphs into some variation of, "50 Top Doctors!"
But against those raw comment numbers you have to consider relative quality of the comments, and those from the MVI post included some pretty good questions. So that helps to balance things out.
Hit the jump for some selected Q's (and, to the best of my ability, the A's) from the MVI post comments...
__________
Q and A
Leading off, from Anonymous:
How do you make the flash fill so balanced? This picture is so natural that I have hard time to reverse engineer the light.
Anon-
That's mostly because I am going so tight on the flash/ambient ratios. If you think about it, I am not so much lighting as compressing the contrast range of the photo.
If I had brought the ambient light way down, the lit area would be more obvious. But if you expose the photo in such a way that the exposure is built on making the ambient look just a little more saturated, you can build the subject back up with strobe without making the photo look obviously lit.
In an ambient-light-only photo, I would have to choose between a properly exposed Dan and properly exposed surroundings. If I exposed for Dan, the backlit surroundings would be too bright. So all the light is really doing is allowing me to compress both Dan and environment together into one lush exposure.
It looks natural because it takes a scene with a little too much tonal range in it and compresses it down to the way your eye normally sees it. In that way, it probably looks more "available light" than it would have if I only shot it with available light.__________
Joe asks...
I'm starting Lighting 102 but am up to speed with all your new posts. I haven't bought any light modifiers yet, but my question is--should I skip the umbrella and just get the Lumiquest Softbox III? It seems to be a better choice in terms of portability and ease of use.
Joe-
Apples and oranges. They give off very different kinds of light. I would recommend a shoot-through umbrella as your first light modifier. It is very versatile.
Honestly, I used an SB-III here because of the wind as much as anything else.
__________
JeK68 asks...
I was also tempted to get the Justin clamps for similar situations, but ended up with the Manfrotto (Bogen) 171 and a mini-ball head attached on a short stud. The 171 is more secure and can be more packable imho.
JeK68-
True, but the 175F Justin clamp will secure a flash to far more mounting surfaces, including larger and/or irregular things.
__________
Rob asks...
You like those Justin clamps more then the Bogen Super Clamps?
Rob-
Increasingly, yes. But they are very different animals. Super Clamps are bigger, stronger and work better for things like camera remotes, to be sure. You can also turn a pair of light stands into a background support with a pair of Super Clamps.
But the 175F "Justin" clamp is nice and light and mates a flash -- and any angle -- to a variety of surfaces better than anything I have seen. It is not as compact as a Super Clamp, but it is lighter.
__________
Dave Kee asks...
Did you consider using on-axis fill?
Dave-
Yeah, but (a) I thought it would look a little unnatural in that environment and (b) I was fresh out of lights (except for the pop up, I guess, but I would have wanted a ring there). So I would have had to kill the camera right rim for any O-A fill.
I had Dan crosslit pretty well, so there were really no deep, dark areas that I would need on-axis fill to fix. And again, I wasn't too far above the ambient. So nothing was gonna be really dark on Dan even if the flash did not hit it.
__________
Alfred asks...
This is the second time you have confused me by saying, "By cranking my shutter speed down I can drop the environment and make Dan the star."
I do know what you want to say, but is it not true that if you crank your shutter speed down you are effectively slowing the time and the exposure for the environment would be raised? To me turnng speed down means slowing down.
Alfred-
If you are thinking of shutter as a whole number on a dial, sure. But I think of shutter and aperture not as absolute numbers but rather as control valves for light.
Which valve I use depends on which kind of light (ambient or flash) I am trying to kill. So to me, "cranking down" (or closing down) shutter or aperture means closing off the light that is getting through.
Conversely, opening up allows more of a particular kind of light to get in. Unless I am in some kind of trouble (subject motion because of too slow a shutter, for instance) I really do not pay attention to the actual numbers very much.
So, when someone asks me what shutter and aperture I used for some photo, I usually have no idea exactly where I was. It is just that I don't really pay that much attention to the absolute numbers.
__________
Kevin asks...
I see you are getting away from the umbrellas for the softboxs. Could you expand that a little and I don't see any pocket wizards, are you using CLS?
Kevin-
I still use umbrellas, it is just that I do not normally default to them.
As for synch, I PW'd the camera right rim light because it was firing right at my key light, which was slaved on SU-4 mode. And the key light easily set off my "tree" back light, which was also slaved on SU-4 mode. All strobes were on manual, as was the camera.
That's why I only took a pair of PWs. I shoot like that a lot.
__________
KatieMac asks...
My favorite is how you clamped and hung your gear all over the "No Trespassing" sign. I hope that meant for others, not from the Institute! Beautiful lighting, wonderful that Dan doesn't look to be "artificially" lit.
Question: did you gel the flashes to even the color temperature with the ambient light, or correct them in post? and BTW, what color is the daylight in the tropics under the trees?
Katie-
We were on MVI property -- that sign was at the edge of the property and meant to deter others.
As for your color temperature question, there is a lot of green bouncing around in there -- filtered by the leaves, bouncing off of the ground -- it all greens up.
But when I underexpose the ambient just a little, it minimizes the green bounce/fill. So when I build light back up on Dan with strobes, it all looks fine.
I was on Daylight balance for all of this, with a 1/4 CTO on the key. So flash was just fine, and ambient-lit areas were coolish green and lush. That sets the tone of the photo without turning Dan into a martian.
__________
Mario asks...
Any chance we could get one of those setup drawings for this shot? It piques my interest that I don´t see any wizards on the strobes. It'd be interesting to see where they were and if you found any serious obstacles for the strobe controls, as you often do in these forest settings.
Mario-
See above on the PWs. And here you go for the diagram, in special edition Costa Rica green:
__________
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Posted at 12:00 AM.
97 Comments:
Hey, don't fret the comment count. I'm sure there are tons of guys like me just lurking, soaking up the good stuff in obscurity.
Keep it coming. We're listening to all of it.
+++ I'm sure there are tons of guys like me just lurking
concur. Posting this comment only as proof that such people do exist, possibly in huge numbers. I read every one of your postings, David, and appreciate them all very much. You have inspired me to become a photographer, I'm truly thankful, please keep writing!
I'll admit it, I've been reading this site for a while now. I do a lot of off camera lighting and usually have a set of triggers with me wherever I go and at least 2 flashes. I have never commented but everytime I read your blog I have the urge to go out and take more pictures. I absolutely love this site and everything about it. I am going to be making an octabox soon due to my broke college self, and I am saving for a D700. Thanks for all the information.
Hi David,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I'll follow your advise and will go buy an umbrella now, specifically the convertible double-fold Westcott from this post: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/02/westcotts-convertible-double-fold.html
Also a lurker commemting anonymously because my photo blog doesnt have anything on it yet. Ive learned a lot from you and just dont ask questions because you explain things very well.
One question i may have missed...are the pw's worth tje cost over tje alien bees remotes? I've used borrowed pw's once before i knew what i was doing (loaned by a guy at dcon who also sent me here) but not the alien bees remotes.
Here in the Uk I am struggling to find the hot shoe adaptor with a female screw thread on the bottom, both Warehouse and the Flash centre cant help. I have resorted to buying 2 hot shoe to pc adaptors only to use them as a method of attaching my flash to the mount. Will the metal base with contacts cause any damage to my flash (speedlights 580ex) Thanks - Angus
Yeah... lurkers a plenty... but you know people love to gossip about celebrity! Your work here is very highly appreciated by jillions!
Like nearly everyone above said, I've read your blog avidly for a while and haven't felt a need to post.
I figure you have a lot of questions already asked of you, so I tend to just kind of work it out. Like in college where the professors/authors "left this as a exercise for the reader."
BTW, have a friend who's just starting sports photography, and he had a pro come up to him during a game, and offer him the use of an extra flash. It never even occured to him to use it, and now he's all cranked up about learning to use on and off camera flash.
That generosity reminds me of what you're doing here. Thanks for not keeping all of the ideas and gear to yourself. We REALLy appreciate it.
Hey David,
Even though I'm a macro shooter I read every post, have gone through all of the Lighting 101 and 201 tutorials (frequently pointing fellow macro shooters to the Apparent Light Size post) and check your blog daily. IMHO Strobist is required reading for every photographer...
Regards.
Dalantech
www.johnkimbler.com
David,
I'm sure Shane is right, I've been reading every single post on your blog for over a year now. And have never commented before. Thanks for all your detailed explanations and the humor in your writing skills.
The on assignment post are my fav's and set met thinking about my way of working while shooting for a client. It enriches my bag of options!
Hello, I have been going to this site almost everyday now trying to soak up as much information as I can. I am always looking forward to your next post, I even have the strobist feed on my feed ticker so I will always know when there is something new. I have never commented before, but I believe that there are many more people out there like me.
Maybe you could add some kind of rating system for your articles, or maybe you could go by view count (if this blog allows such features).
Hello, I have been going to this site almost everyday now trying to soak up as much information as I can. I am always looking forward to your next post, I even have the strobist feed on my feed ticker so I will always know when there is something new. I have never commented before, but I believe that there are many more people out there like me.
Maybe you could add some kind of rating system for your articles, or maybe you could go by view count (if this blog allows such features).
I'm also one of the guys who hardly ever write comments, although I've read every single post you published here.
I just don't write comment because most of time I think I have nothing to add to such assignment experiments. Maybe in a near future.
Sorry if this is not the way to let you know but I think there might be a fault on the site. The content to the right on the homepage is missing and I can't find the "more" hyperlink to the "Controlling Reflections: How They Roll in China post."
Thanks
Ned
So "lower the shutter speed" means lower the ambient light captured, which is done by making the shutter faster.
Right! Got it!
I'll remember that next time I see a sign on the road asking me to lower my speed. I'll go faster. I'm sure the cops will understand.
I see how your mind is working, thinking about light levels, but it is a confusing use of language. Nothing to do with numbers, just language.
Just adding to the comment count (ahother lurker here)
I visit the site weekly and have learned a lot from it. I'm a casual shooter and the quality of my photos using flash is now considerably better than before I found this site and Neil van Niekerk's site.
I don't think I've ever left a comment I'd like to say thanks now and recommend that you don't pay any attention to the numbers as only a few people who read your articles will (like me) feel that they have anything worthwhile to contribute.
Keep up the excellent work.
David,
Just so so know, this post got me to go back a take another look at the 102 lessons on balancing flash with ambient. I had a eureka moment when it all suddenly made sense to me. I just made a huge jump in quality while working with strobes. Don't worry, we're paying attention.
Thanks,
Rob
Lurking faithfully. Your DVD set rocks.
David,
First, thank you for the technical information, the you-can-do-that inspiration, and the fashion support that cargo-shorts wearing photographers around the world have needed for so long. (This is where the awkward knuckle bump occurs)
controversy tends to breed comments, especially once they start to go off-topic. everyone feels the need to weigh in with their own opinion. a lot of times, if someone has a question about technique, it will end up on the flickr group rather than on the blog.
i love this blog, it's really made me aware of light (ambient, strobe, whatever), and i'm slowly scraping together a strobist kit to put all of it into practice. thanks for all of your hard work and knowledge
+++ I'm sure there are tons of guys like me just lurking
like me :)
big big thanks for you're great posts david
vinzent
I have been reading your blog since (almost) the beginning. You have taught me so much in a short amount of time! Thank you!
I can confidently tell my wife why I have 5 flashes and what each one is doing, while I photograph my sons. When she and the family sees the results, they are so happy and amazed. The pics come out great! Hanging sheets, plastic bowl beauty dishes, black straw grids, cereal box snoots, and white tile board can create nice results. Oh yeah, I use "real" umbrellas and stands.
Please do a post on WB settings on your camera. I know you usually use a 1/4 CTO for your main. When do you decide to change the wb on the camera? I usually use the flash wb setting unless I am trying to gel and match ambient. Got any ideas you want share?
Oh crap, this makes me sound like a total noob.
David,
Since I learned of your site nearly a year ago, I have visitied nearly every week. I learn something new nearly every time I visit. Especially useful are your archived tutorials, which are so easy to get to.
While I may not comment often, that says nothing about the quality of the post. Like most of your readers, I am more likely to comment on annoying or trivial post than on a good or substantial post. I lvoed your Monteverde post, and learned a great deal. Please continue posts like that.
I can't help but offer one piece of advice. I got a large roll of adhesive backed Velcro at the hardware store, and put the soft side on the side of my Speedlites, and the coarse side on the back of my radio triggers. I coil the sync cord with a rubber band, and, presto, no dangling cords, triggers, etc.
Keep up the great work,
Mark Smith
80heel@verizon.net
I am a big fan of both the Justin and the Super Clamp - I have one of each - but you DIY'ers might like my $2 version from the dollar store.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7320910@N03/1847160508/in/photostream/
It's a normal hand clamp (the Black & Decker ones are way more expensive, and don't have the hole in the end) with a 1/4" bolt at the end, so you can attach the brass adapter from your umbrella adapter. No hole? Just drill one.
It also lays flat for a quickie floor-stand.
Do you think you might do a post someday about people wearing hats?
Lurker here..... Keep it coming!
It's easier to make a quip than say something sensible. Don't sweat the comment count.
Have a look at the million vapid "love it", "great shot", "beautiful" comments on any popular flickr photostream and be happy in the knowledge that comment count is not indicator of comment quality.
Wait - how do you make a background stand out of two super clamps and a pair of light stands?
I've lurked around here for a long time, and learned a lot. I'm commenting now because:
1) I want to build up the comment count for this type of post, vs. the "reposted video" type;
2) I'm learning much more from the "on assignment" and "q & a" posts, although seeing the videos of the Annie et al gets me thinking about how to achieve similar results with the resources I have;
3) To thank David for showing a practical method of lighting that is not intimidating and builds confidence for the beginning shooter.
Another lurker here checking in. David, your student lurkers outnumber the vocal ones by at least 40:1! While I'm never quitting the computer guru field to be a full time photographer, with your shared knowledge I and others are 'seeing the light' (sorry! I couldn't resist!) For all I've learned I owe you some computer help anytime.
Regards,
David Soussan
Birmingham, Michigan
David- Like many lurkers on blogs, I read your posts as often as you post em! I refer so many photographers to your blog that some of them ask if I get paid. The irony of it all,... I dont have any flash setup at all. I keep wanting to get some flashes, but $$ has kept that at bay. I dont win contests where gear is offered because I dont have even the most basic flashes... but I make do with stationary continuous light...and ambient light.
Which brings me to my praise of your blog. Even though the focus is on flash, you really are mostly talking about light. THANK YOU! It is so cool to read about how you see light and how you bend it to meet your needs. Very insightful. I cant get enough of your blog!
I agree, don't sweat the comment post count. Many of us do lurk, first time poster here. I personally don't have much to add yet of value in the way of comments and am not going to attempt to take up your time with questions for things I haven't tried yet.
Today seemed a good day to post..after months of lurking and reading, my MPEX Strobist kit comes today! I'm looking forward to a FUN weekend!
Add me to the lurker list. I've read every posting, most often several times. Reading about the concept of using the strobes to compress the tonal range was an 'aha' moment for me.
Thanks for all the info. Curious how your travel-light netbook worked out for backing up your photos.
David,
Good sir, you simply rock the pinyata the rocks the party :)
Numbers, shlumbers. You inspired me and here's some proof: The Annie/Connery shoot and follow-up dialog inspired some tight ambient/lighting ratios for a recent trash-the-dress anti-bridal session shot recently:
http://kern-photo.com/blog/files/ashley_clay_trash_the_dress_in_denver.php
The first image was shot with an elinchrome octabank and I was amazed the the dynamic range in the photo. The second was cranking down the shutter and dropping the ambient.
"Single flash, multiple exposure" is a lighting technique I've been exploring and I've posted a few of those as well.
Keep up the inspiration!
R. J>
Hello David,
I have the Strobist Blog bookmarked as http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ and starting with the feb 6 post my browser no longer displays your right column navigation nor ad banners. After the jump of the article these items reappear. Maybe something to look into with your advertisers in mind.
My name is Jeff, and I too am a lurker. I usually see any questions I have answered in the replies. This post however, was a stroke of genius David. Great explanations in this post that will for sure help me out when I gather up the courage to put a battery under my arm, man up, and go outside to shoot!
Yes I'm almost positive there are a ton of people just reading and learning but not commenting. I check your blog daily, great stuff but this is my first comment. Its so good I am wondering why I'm studying Photography in College when classes are free on strobist!!! Btw isn't there a way for you to see how many unique visitor come to the site???
Hello David, don't sweat the comments: there are a variety of motivations for commenting, so I wouldn't consider it a good metric for the value of a post.
Thanks again for your generosity: your blog rocks! Not coincidentally, many of your discussions shed light (if you'll pardon the pun) on more than just lighting, which is a huge bonus.
My father-in-law is also a hobby shooter, and we were hiking at Stinson Beach in California, which has very dense, lush undergrowth like your MVI images. I tried to explain that there is no "magical" setting on the camera to compress the contrast in such a scene. You'll have to do HDR, or tinker with levels in P'shop in post....
...unless you light the scene.
I'm going to share the MVI links with him -- especially your comments about compressing contrast. Hopefully you'll gain another loyal reader.
I thought I would comment just to boost your ego... Great Q&A thank you!
Probably wouldn't have gotten into artificial lighting if it wasn't for this blog.
Thanks
I really appreciate the QA. It is as helpful as anything on the site.
This is probably only my third post on your site, but I literally check at least once a day for updates.
Strobist is in my favorites bar (not pull down menu) at the top of my browser along with Scott Kelby, and David Ziser.
I've not been following long enough to see a Q and A post. This is a great read and encourages me to post questions within the comments. Thanks for giving David!
I lurk here so often my wife is threatening to divorce me and cite your blog as "the other party". Even worse, you have influenced other photogs (like Bert Stephani) to share their insights as openly as you do, so I have more people to lurk/stalk. Ignore the comment count (except this posts') and feel the love instead.
Eh yo, hello from detroit!
just another lurker (photo student) saying hey.
btw - note to Paul - David provides us with knowledgeable incite and experience to further educate us in areas in which we might struggle...
And yet you provide him with smart alec comments that come from your confusion with lighting 101.
(e.g. - shutter[&asa] controls ambient; Aperature controls strobe/flash.)
Thanks for sharing all of you adventures, and being kind enough to respond to even the most fatuous questions.
Me too... I sell Strobist like an X10 affiliate, and check for new posts more often then GraphJam.
Great stuff, David! Keep it up!
I read and learn from all your posts as well, David.
Usually don't comment as it all makes "perfect sense" to me. Of course, when I try it myself, it's a whole different story :-)
I usually don't ask questions until I'm exhausted trying to match the theory and reality myself.
I'm learning slowly, but surely and you are a very, very big help.
Akif.
As always more good information.
Thanks
Alleh
Long time reader, first time poster.
I keep reading & learning. Don't necessarily understand everything I know, but more so all the time.
Reading this blog is habit forming, and I have a bunch of gear as a result... and even a few very satisfying images to show for it!
Your efforts here are much appreciated!
Signed, A lurker in Baltimore
Yet another voyeur letting you know I love your blog and learn so much here. BTW, was at a McNally workshop 2 weeks ago and everyone there follows you regularly as well.
Chris DC
Hey David,
just as Shane Gibbons said !
At the very beginning of 2009, i just wanted to buy a good camera to get me started in photography and i did not know about how cheap and easy it was to light a scene with strobes and make it look THAT cool... Then i found your site... at the end of the month, while travelling to NYC (i am from Belgium), i came back with a brand new Canon EOS 40D and an all-round lens... plus two Vivitar 285HV, two Manfrotto collapsible light stants, two umbrella swivels, two Westcott collapsible 43' umbrellas and my triggers are flying from Hong Kong to Europe. I just can wait to experiment every single tip i learned from Lighting 101.
Thank you for bringing my envy to do photography to another level. You are read by so many amateurs out there, but not always (or not at all) commenting, just like i do... keep up the good work, we definitely want more from you !
Thank you kindly for your BLOG. I'm just getting started. Your MVI post was superb. I still wondered about your setup, until I went to your strobist website to see your sketch of how you did the shot. When I receive your BLOG through RSS email, it does not have a place for comments; so I now need to go to your site to post comments--your tutorials and observations have been valuable. Please keep up the good work.
another lurker here...thanks for everything.
ryan
thank you for your invaluable insight.
Had my own (finally) Eureka moment watching your DVDs at long last, last evening -- I now get the very simply principle that it's basically about exposing for different areas of the shot with adjustment as shutter = ambient, aperture = flash. Kept reading that here but for some reason the, ahem, light just came on last night during my watching of your seminar video.
Oh, and I think you need to give a lesson in irony to some of your readers :) I am wildly entertained by folks miss the poke in fun irony/sarcasm and think you're insulting your colleagues or friends :) Dang the internet can be without enough context clues...
Keep up the fine teaching site and your ironic sense of humour.
And of course there are no lurkers for you at all as you have detailed hits statistics to tell you how popular your site is, yes?
Flash on! Er, I mean flash off [the camera]...
Don't worry about the comment count David! There are readers like me who check your blog/read daily; I rarely comment.
Hey,
I'm fairly new to strobist and to off flash photography so I have never posted but check the site daily for new stuff and love soaking up all the info! Keep it up!
Leslie Lee
I believe that the lower post count means that readers are out working out the techniques and concepts for themselves. The lower post count denotes activity.. I require my photogs to do every assignment or concept you post, and so they dont have time to comment, and generally answer many of their own questions. And you generally have already answered many of the questions they WOULd ask anyhow. Thank you SO much for your generosity. You've helped way more people in VERy real quantifiable ways than you realize..really. My magazine is proof.
Dude, how many comments for this post? ;)
I confess, I am another lurker. Been a reader since you started the blog. Check in every morning when I get to my studio. I owe a lot of my recent success to the knowledge and resources you have supplied. This post may be a wake up call for me to get more involved in the community. Thank you!
Hi,
I`m just another lurker from
Germany :D While i don`t use flashes, I`m reading your blog for about 6 months and it gave me new (well, for me) ideas how to use it - thanks a lot...
i read more blog posts than i post in comments but I will start posting more comments since reading this post....this QA was really interesting to me i kinda figured you were a "less about numbers, more about results" kind of shooter. I feel like a lot of beginners get too wrapped up in the numbers and should just trust their feelings, its not like their image is gonna blow up if the numbers are wrong....right?
It is IMO only a certain type of person who posts comments.
I have loved you site since I found it over a year ago. I don't comment, I don't join in with forums. I'm too busy taking photos and I get my feedback from the real world.
Don't judge the worth of the blog by the few who like to have their say and read theri own opinions.
Keep up the great work. RL
Just another very appreciative lurker. This is the only blog I check EVERY day. I also have your video and building up a small lighting arsenal...all thanks to you sharing your knowledge.
ps. This is also my first post to any blog.
Hey David -
Like so many others - this is my first comment on your blog; I've been a reader for a little more than a year now. I couldn't keep quiet any longer if it helps in guiding your types of posts.
First, the O-A articles are by far my favourite - I go into withdrawal when I haven't read one for a couple of days (with shakes and everything - very ugly). I also think all your reference material (L101/102) is outstanding and I go back again and again. Is there an L103 in our future?
I've also been rolling around a couple of ideas for future content that you might consider:
I'd really like to hear a bit about your dialog with subjects. I've recently summoned the courage to ask a couple people for their portraits and I get a little tongue-tied (partly because I'm thinking so hard about the technical stuff). I'd like to know more about how you approach people, the type and amount of instructions you give them during the shoot, etc.
The other thought I've had is could you do another "Boot Camp" series? I'd like to get involved more in your assignment style of posts where you get readers involved in putting up their work (as humbling as that might be!).
Anyway, thanks for such a great blog. Your knowledge and more importantly your generous spirit come through in every one of your articles.
Cheers
David
(Oh, and btw, my son's name is Ben too!).
This is my first post, but not my last! ...and this is the only blog that I read every day.
Thanks David!
-Chris
Hi David
This is a tricky post to respond to, because there are two key topics.
a) It's a comment/observation on how blogs themselves are commented, and b) there's a whole seam of rich lighting information to be mined.
Like many others, I can only comment on the lighter blog postings. I think you're on the money with your analysis, that you have to go by the quality of the comments, which are driven by the quality (or perhaps the maturity) of the originating post.
Don't get me wrong, the lighter, less mature posts (I should be finding a better term) are fun and add to the colour of the site. They are also the type of post that learners and non-experts like myself can contribute.
When you get into the lighting drills, layout diagrams, key lights, DIY and such, my only contribution, as I sit here is to go "hmmm, I see, how can I apply that to the subject matter I have access to?"
You're also correct to question the metric, because it's the technical stuff that really drives the site and why I and many others (I presume) keep coming back.
It's a fact that the mass media sites overlook, perhaps deliberately, when they go for the response or view count. Then they use these metrics to sell advertising. To me, this explains why we get so much crap from them as they continuously miss the point.
Oh, and on the lighting part of the blog. Thanks for the advice and tips. The best part for me is they all contribute to the bigger picture of making lighting instinctive.
Personally, I really neeed to ramp up my photography, get people interested in modelling for me, get a (small and temporary) studio space happening. These are my personal obstacles.
Cheers
Ian
I'm committed to reading everyday after several spots last year where being a strobist and trusting my 580's and my pocket Wizards would have been far easier, lighter ( a plus in the 41st year). Sometimes the budget makes this much more attractive too. You don't get the Hensel Tria's/Porty's unless you hit the budget threshold.
I just need a few stand adapters which I'll order this weekend.
I also heard from Justin Kase Condor a funny local DC guy about cheap replacement feet for the 580's direct from Canon ($3) and not off ebay ($15). Check out Justin when you have a mo'. .JustinKaseConder.com
Lurkers are okay - I prefer "committed devotee readers".
I usually don't post a responce because I have to be some kind of google/blogger member. I signed up a couple of times, and it never remembers my password, and it is really a pain. So I don't comment..... I hate to post anonymouse.
Ditto from another lurker who overwhelmingly prefers these OA posts to reposts of Annie vids.
Keep up the great work.
I read your blog and enjoy it a great deal, but I can honestly say that when people bitch about things, whether it is about Annie's budget or people who just seem to be "standing around" or anything else, it's mostly because they have issues.
My issue is that I am bored with my photography and need to create new projects. I have been motivated by Joey Lawrence (www.joeyl.com) to push myself further. Even at 50 yrs old and an ASMP member, it's still a matter of "go get 'em tiger!", though it would be nice to have someone around to help kick butt sometimes.
Peace!
John
I have been reading your site for a while now. as a student your site is the best supplemental text around.
i was also wondering if you had any tips for shooting roller derby?
J.H.
Hello David,
as said many times before, don't count # of comments, this is my first one.
Really enjoy the site, great posts, lots of interesting info. Thanks!
I lurk here as well - I have been reading the site for over a year now, and have been trying to put it in to practice as best I can!
You are an inspiration to a lot of people, and I tell every photographer I meet to whom the word has not spread that 'strobist' is the place to go for off-camera lighting.
Keep up the good work!
PS - you don't need to publish this comment or anything, it's just a thankyou and an encouragement ...
Ditto... read often, never leave comments. Thanks for writing for us!
Great stuff! Now you got me looking at the 175F Justin clamps and the Lumiquest Soft Box III. I've been using the shoot-through umbrella as recommended for a while now. How do you turn a pair of light stands into a background support with a pair of Super Clamps? I've got a stand coming for that purpose. Keep up the good work.
David,
I absolutely, completely, 100% love your work and you sharing it with us. I tried for years to understand how to bend the light to my liking and I never managed it until you have shown us the path.
For me the biggest revelation was the "flash does not care about shutter". Oh boy, how confusing it was before you laid it out! Thanks again.
The recent discussion about free/non-free is quite silly IMO. It drains your energy which otherwise could be spent teaching us some new skills ;-))) Yeah, I'm kidding. But maybe not really ;-)))
I absolutely agree with you, that giving part of your time/energy for free only leads to good things coming back to you. Yes, you need to say the occasional "no" here and there to people who want too much, but there are so many other occasions where it is a net plus result.
Keep up the good!
Pawel
Comments as a metric could be mis-leading. I have been reading your site regularly and never left a comment! May be if you want to know how good is a post, you could implement a quick vote button, click 1 to 5 and your done. Your site is amazingly useful! Cheers.
Hi David,
Medium time reader/fanatic here. I've been through 101 and 102 and there's a couple things I would love to see a post on and learn more about.
First off, I'd like to understand better through words and example the difference between a shoot-thru umbrella and a softbox. I'd probably understand better if I had the chance to use a softbox, but I'm a starving strobist for now.
The other thing is lens flare. They seem to pop up now and then and for some reason I tend to miss them in my quick LCD review. Since you undoubtedly already know, maybe you could say a few words about what situations often produce lens flare and what to do.
Thanks and keep up the great work.
Max
http://www.flickr.com/photos/murreasy/3251915689/
First off I thought I'd say that yes there are many lurkers here soaking up the knowledge. I comment on occasion but most of the time someone else has already beat me to the punch.
I agree with Alfred's comment about how the terms can get confusing when talking about "cranking down" the shutter etc. I've recently been writing up a little primer on shutter and aperture for a camera club where I work and found myself doing the same thing. Aperture can be just as bad for this if not worse because its counter intuitive with the higher number being a smaller hole. I'll often say increase the aperture and people mistake that for increase the F# when I mean aperture size. Best solution I've found is to always include lots of visual aids ;)
Thanks again for the great site and not "hoarding" the knowledge.
I think it is generally accepted that you can't learn anything while your mouth is moving, and I'm wondering if the same can't be said for "when your fingers are typing" so maybe it is a sign that people are learning and doing instead of sitting around talking (typing comments) about it. I certainly have to force things slowly into my cerebrum and until this post, hadn't thought I had anything to contribute, but maybe in today's society we have forgotten to say "thanks" as often as we should.
Well thanks David, for all of the information, guidance, support, humour and in reality, probably life changing and re-invigorating advice on all aspects of photography, not just the use of flash.
There's got to be a better way of judging the value of an article and someone else out there can go look for it while you keep teaching!!!
Looking forward to your very next post.
Cheers, Muzz
Back in the 1970's I worked at a talk radio station, and our working hypothosis was that less than 1% of the audience would ever consider picking up a telephone to call in.
Not on any given day, but during the entire time they listened to the station.
So, I would think the math would be similar here, because of any number of reasons (RSS, busy, don't have questions, etc.)
I've been reading since close to the beginning, and there are times that I left a comment, and lots more times I haven't.
I don't do as much off camera flash as I'd like these days.
Partly because it's a lot harder to carry stuff around, and partly because I tend to cover events where off camera flash is not practical without calling more attention to myself than I like.
This weekend, I did find myself wishing for my 30D, though. I had set up two off camera flash units with Pocket Wizards, and was just getting happy with the look when I realized that I couldn't focus in the near dark conditions.
The 30D has the ability to use off camera flash with the PC connector and cord to the Pocket Wizards, and the 580ex on the camera for on-axis fill and more importantly, infrared focus assist.
Without the infrared helper, I got no flash at all, because the camera couldn't get a focus lock, and I couldn't see well enough to manually focus, either.
So it was back to the on-camera bounced flash, using my modified better bounce card.
**** DAVE ****
Concerning the number of comments, I think the content of reader's feedback is more important.
I stopped counting the number of "it's a fan." comments at fourty.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
It's an electric fan. Annie likes fans.
January 19, 2009 2:15 PM
Anonymous Neil said...
@Hunter
I'd bet thats a fan.. probably to keep Sir Sean cool.
I also bet I'm not the first to say this.
January 19, 2009 2:32 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Are you talking about the fan?
January 19, 2009 2:33 PM
I very much liked the Annie post BTW. Thank you.
Ha! Our city mag just ran the "50 Top Doctors" story...
This is the first time I've commented and I read almost everything you post, PLEASE keep it up, it's transformed my photography!
"How to light," what does that mean?
I usually don't comment much or get involved in discussions, but I have been reading carefully every email and opening every link you put on. Thank you very much for all your effort, it helps us a lot. It steers up my creativity and I am anxious to try the new technics.
The technical posts are why I visit your blog almost daily, but the celebrity stuff is fun. It's easier to comment in a fun way than in a technical way. You should count the readers not the commentators.
I too am a lurker. I have been since the first few weeks you started publishing.
An engineer by trade, I appreciate your practical approach to light and lighting. Your articles have transformed my photography and continue to make me think in inventive ways.
As well, I can't tell you how many times I've met with up and coming photographers who follow your threads. Keep them coming!
Id be excited if there were only on assigments and lessons and no video interludes. not that im complaining of course :)
David,
I've been reading your blog now for at least a year, probably longer. I guess I'm a "Lurker" also. I enjoy most all of your postings and "Lighting 101 & 102". I've been playing around with photography for about 50 plus years and NEVER learned so much from any other source. God Bless you for your generous contribution to all of us "Photographer Wanna Be's". Thanks!
Dean
Ask and ye shall receive, it seems...
There is infact a way to measure how your blog posts are recieved. Check out http://www.postrank.com or more specifically the postrank for the strobist blog at
http://www.postrank.com/feed/86fb2d8358c33c46e8747377d33d13c7
As regards comments and the quality/quantity thereof-- I've been indulging in online forums of various types for many years.
There's a difference between dialogue based forums where people exchange opinions and educational forums where people are passing on knowledge...but:
One of the things I have discovered can be the sign of a -very- successful post is a complete lack of response. It can be a little disconcerting at times, but if you press it, what you find is that you said everything you needed to say and said it so clearly, that the people who -agree- with you feel they have nothing else to add, and the people who disagree with you can't come up with a decent rebuttal.
So you get silence. On a site like this one, I would imagine that it suggests that whatever you've written about you've expressed clearly enough that the people who read it understood it well enough that they don't have anything relevant to add to it, and they can't think of any questions that you haven't already answered.
This of course is not an absolutely consistent rule of thumb, but it's something to consider when you are weighting volumes of comments relative to posts.
Just a thought!
It's just always nice to see the "boots on the ground" of how the techniques get used on everyday assignments. Dunno if I always have something to add, but it's always nice to read.
David,
Thank you for the blog. This is my first post here and I'm writing it from bed on my iPhone as your blog is a great bed time read, gets me all excited for next day light.
Keep up great work and don't read too much into comment count.
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