Thread: So what you got!!!

Originally Posted by dullbird

was thinking the same thing.....

why would you want something the majority have got.....dont be a comformist spread your wings and get it right the first time



ONLY JOKING......if we have any touchy canon users out there that drive freelanderswoops there i go again

i ment drive auto's

stop it dullbird stop it

I've had a few people tell me the own Canon for the same reason they drive a Cruiser and then tell me that Nikon and Land Rover are **** and don't work.

It's good to seem some Canon owner's understand Land Rovers

Originally Posted by dullbird

i see you like to travel light

whats with the different flashes, that is another on the buy to list but that is one thing that we never covered in class that i really wanted to look into was like speed lights and stuff....so not only do i have no idea how to use one and get the best out of it i have no idea what to buy either.......but what i do know is i would like to have one in my equipment as there has been times when i think i would of benefited from a remote flash rather then the one on top...and at least with a unit on the shoe i can angle it upwards should i need to

Firstly, I'm a semi-pro photographer...pro designer, but am moving into photography as another skill set (can't have too many in my opinion!). So the amount of gear I have is more than most people - and that's not all the gear I have in that photo. Just the bag that goes with me just about everywhere when I'm shooting.

The flashes in the photo are 2 Canon 580 EXII's and 1 430 EX. I've found that's what works for me on most shoots - if necessary I will use studio lights...but in comparison they are big and heavy. One of things that makes or breaks a photo is lighting...there are a whole lot of other things too that you need to understand, but if you can get your lighting right it makes a huge difference. I'll give you an example of using three flashes in a portrait shoot...I think it will explain it better than words.

Here's the setup shot with the subjects in place:


I've got one flash on camera at a lower power to give me some frontal fill, this flash is also the master that the other two flashes fire from. The next flash is firing into the umbrella and is at a higher power - this is the main light and gives a nice diffused light. The last flash is being fired into the background to overexpose the background and give a nice white backdrop. And here's the finished shot:



I purposefully didn't go into the technical side, as that can be overwhelming if you don't understand it - but it is also essential! I'm shooting with the camera in full manual and the flashes are on manual power. If you'd like to learn how to use off camera flash and understand how lighting works, check out Strobist - the guy that runs it is a total guru for all things flash lighting.

Originally Posted by samuelclarke

Firstly, I'm a semi-pro photographer...pro designer, but am moving into photography as another skill set (can't have too many in my opinion!). So the amount of gear I have is more than most people - and that's not all the gear I have in that photo. Just the bag that goes with me just about everywhere when I'm shooting.

The flashes in the photo are 2 Canon 580 EXII's and 1 430 EX. I've found that's what works for me on most shoots - if necessary I will use studio lights...but in comparison they are big and heavy. One of things that makes or breaks a photo is lighting...there are a whole lot of other things too that you need to understand, but if you can get your lighting right it makes a huge difference. I'll give you an example of using three flashes in a portrait shoot...I think it will explain it better than words.

Here's the setup shot with the subjects in place:


I've got one flash on camera at a lower power to give me some frontal fill, this flash is also the master that the other two flashes fire from. The next flash is firing into the umbrella and is at a higher power - this is the main light and gives a nice diffused light. The last flash is being fired into the background to overexpose the background and give a nice white backdrop. And here's the finished shot:



I purposefully didn't go into the technical side, as that can be overwhelming if you don't understand it - but it is also essential! I'm shooting with the camera in full manual and the flashes are on manual power. If you'd like to learn how to use off camera flash and understand how lighting works, check out Strobist - the guy that runs it is a total guru for all things flash lighting.

thats great i'll have a look at that site.....i do use my camera on manual as apposed to aperture priority etc if thats what you mean....but would really like to learn about the flash side of things as i think that can be just as if not more technical than the caerma setup its self

as i'm fully aware that light within photography is SO important in expressing well anything really,

I use 2 SB-800's still learning about flash photography, but the off-camera flash is great.

Originally Posted by dm_td5

I use 2 SB-800's still learning about flash photography, but the off-camera flash is great.

isn't the flash work really important with the macro photography as well??

Originally Posted by dullbird

....but would really like to learn about the flash side of things as i think that can be just as if not more technical than the caerma setup its self

Yes it is! I've been studying it for the last year and I feel that I haven't even scratched the surface - while there isn't all that much theory (relatively speaking), it's translating the theory into practice that's the biggest challenge. Understanding the relation of F stops to shutter speed really helps too.

The best thing is to just get a couple of speedlights (flashes) and start experimenting! Both Nikon and Canon have a good range of speedlights.

Originally Posted by samuelclarke

Yes it is! I've been studying it for the last year and I feel that I haven't even scratched the surface - while there isn't all that much theory (relatively speaking), it's translating the theory into practice that's the biggest challenge. Understanding the relation of F stops to shutter speed really helps too.

The best thing is to just get a couple of speedlights (flashes) and start experimenting! Both Nikon and Canon have a good range of speedlights.

is there any you can recomend!! or anyone else recommend for that matter

like i say it is on my too buy list i just dont know which one to buy and why?

Originally Posted by dullbird

isn't the flash work really important with the macro photography as well??

Yes it is and its also important to disfuse the light to eliminate harsh shadows. But there's a lot of uses for a good flash, birds, people, lots of things.

Originally Posted by dullbird

is there any you can recomend!! or anyone else recommend for that matter

like i say it is on my too buy list i just dont know which one to buy and why?

The SB-900 has just come out, but for the D80 you can't go past the SB-800. You can get these from B&H in NY for about AU$350. I'm pretty sure the D80 also will run Command mode on the flash which means you can use it off camera very easily. You can get cheaper units but (and the little brother SB-600) but the SB-800 is very, very good and very quick cycle time on the charge.