Voice Activated Lightstand (VAL) Tips?

[Mark Elberson]

I am going to be shooting a party this weekend. My wife has volunteered to be my VAL. I have never used this technique though so I'm hoping for some helpful tips.


Background:Friends of a friend are renewing their wedding vows and throwing a party at their house to celebrate. They want someone (me) to photpgraph their event making sure to "capture the moments". Since I'll be moving around a lot I plan on using on-camera flash (sorry strobists [] but I'm still building my lighting kit...and skills!).


Setup: 50D,EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and580EX II with Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce. (I will have a number of other lenses at my disposal but this setup will be my go-to. I will also havean EF 50mm f/1.4 mounted to an additional body for available light stuff). My personal experience with this setup is that it provides a very soft and predictable light (maybe boring, butwell suitedfor this application []). What I was considering though (since I'll have an assistant) was to mount a 430EX to a monopod and have my wife run around in hopes of providing some rim/subject separation. Thoughts???


Triggering: Since I am still waiting for my CTR-301Ps to arrive I will be using Canon Wireless IR via my on-camera 580EX II. This should work fine indoors in close quarters.


What am I looking for: Settings...I was thinking of setting a 2:1 or 4:1 ratio between the on-camera 580EX II and the monopod mounted 430EX? Placement...my original thought was to cross light so since my key is on-axis I was just thinking of placing the VAL behind my subjects or perhaps get crazy and have her at a 45 to the subjects?


Thanks in advance everyone!

[Sean Setters]

The only thing I would really question is using the 580EX on camera as your key. You might want to try the ratios the other way aroundfor a few shots and see which provides the best looking results.


My girlfriend has played the role of VAL during a photoshoot for two twin boys. She was holding a flash, umbrella swivel, receiver, and a 43" umbrella. It was a bit awkward to hold, and I wouldn't recommend it for parties. I realize this info won't necessarily help you for this particular party, but check out the informationavailable here that shows you howyou mightmaximize your VAL's usefulness in the future. I've already purchased the painter's pole and Kacey Adapter (both are in the mail as we speak). I have a small softbox, however, I've purchased a small (25") umbrella to use instead (I figured it would be lighter and easier to handle--and the spill might actuallybe beneficial in this situation. The umbrella hasn't shipped yet, but I should have it in a couple of weeks or so.

[Mark Elberson]

I just pulled a "Setters"...by that I mean typed up a lengthy post which was meticulously put together and accidentally hit the back button on my browser which completely killed it!!! I many less words, the gist of it was, thank you everyone for your great advice!


Sean, would you suggest I use my 580 as fill and my 430 as key?


Chuck & Peety, I have not placed my order with www.photogels.com yet so unfortunately I have no gel plan :-( I also don't have a snoot (I just got serious about strobism and I'm still piecing my kit together). Would you just recommend that I set my zoom to 105mm as a band aid?

[peety3]

Sean, would you suggest I use my 580 as fill and my 430 as key?


Chuck & Peety, I have not placed my order with [url="http://www.photogels.com]www.photogels.com[/url] yet so unfortunately I have no gel plan :-( I also don't have a snoot (I just got serious about strobism and I'm still piecing my kit together). Would you just recommend that I set my zoom to 105mm as a band aid?
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The 580 has to be on-camera as trigger, and since off-camera flash is "better", the 430 becomes the key or main light.


Any theater supply houses in town that might have gels, or colleges with a theater department where you could bribe away some gels, maybe in promise to replace them with colors that they want? Might your local camera store carry some? You'd be looking for Rosco 3409 (1/4 CTO), 3408 (1/2 CTO), and 3407 (CTO) to start. Later you might want to add 3316 (1/4 plusgreen) and 3315 (1/2 plusgreen) in case you're under fluorescents. (I buy sheets and have my scrapbooker girlfriend cut them to size and add velcro, or just cut them and hold them in place behind a pre-velcro'd sheet of diffusion gel.)


For snoots, you could do the strobist thing and just use a cereal box.


Do you have a gray card? I'd get one if you don't have one. It'll make a lot of difference when white balancing, no matter how you go about white balancing (and I do hope you plan on doing some form of white balance, either before or during&amp;after).

[Mark Elberson]

Do you have a gray card? I'd get one if you don't have one. It'll make a lot of difference when white balancing, no matter how you go about white balancing (and I do hope you plan on doing some form of white balance, either before or during&amp;after).
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Finally...yes, I do have a gray card :-) I may set a custom white balance but odds are I'll tweak it in post. I've had more luck that way. Either way I will definitely shoot the gray card each time my light source changes drastically.

[Chuck Lee]

Sean, would you suggest I use my 580 as fill and my 430 as key?

Mark, other than a few high end functions there's no difference between the two. I think the Guide #'s the same. The idea is that you get a more natural studio style look when the key is off to the side and higher than the subject. The on-camera flash will need to trigger the off camera flash and that is what the 580 is built to do. It does not mean that you can't turn the power down an use it for a on-axis fill.

I have not placed my order with www.photogels.com yet so unfortunately I have no gel plan

see if MPEXcan ship these to you next day. Or at least like peety said, see if you can find some CTO at a nearby camera/video store.

Would you just recommend that I set my zoom to 105mm as a band aid?

Even then, you take the chance of flaring the lens if the flash is behind the subject. You need someway of keeping that light from hitting the lens and the absolute best way to do that is with a grid. As peety said you can easily make one from a small cereal box wrapped with black tape. Froot Loops tonight anyone?.....[]

[peety3]

Mark, other than a few high end functions there's no difference between the two. I think the Guide #'s the same. The idea is that you get a more natural studio style look when the key is off to the side and higher than the subject. The on-camera flash will need to trigger the off camera flash and that is what the 580 is built to do. It does not mean that you can't turn the power down an use it for a on-axis fill.

Chuck, Canon has a sneaky way of embedding guide number into its product names. The 430 has a guide number of 43 (meters, at ISO 100 and f/1). The 580 has a guide number of 58 (meters, at ISO 100 and f/1). So, I guess the model number is the guide number in decimeters? (And the 580 adds full rotation head, external battery input, PC input, auto-thyristor flash, and the catchlight panel.)

[Chuck Lee]

Canon has a sneaky way of embedding guide number into its product names

Thanks peety, That's why I always use the phrase "I think the....."


So, inorder to balance the two Mark will need to do a little calculating. So the 430 has 43/58 the power of the 580? Is that correct?


Rounded out with about a 1/3stop margin of error and I'd say 2/3 the power. Correct? So, to get a 2:1 ratioof the 430 to the 580 (that would be the 430 used as the key) Mark would need to set the 430 at full and the 580 to 1/4 power. Oh, but wait, We haven't accounted for the subject distance. Dang, this is going to get confusing.


That's what makes using Vivitars so much fun!! They're identical.


Mark, practice at home the best you can. Good Luck and God Bless you brother.....


peety?........what say you?

[Sean Setters]

I just pulled a "Setters"...by that I mean typed up a lengthy post which was meticulously put together and accidentally hit the back button on my browser which completely killed it!!!

I laughed for a good 15 seconds straight after reading that. :-)

[peety3]

I just pulled a "Setters"...by that I mean typed up a lengthy post which was meticulously put together and accidentally hit the back button on my browser which completely killed it!!!

I laughed for a good 15 seconds straight after reading that. :-)
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Yeah, but not nearly as much as a post on POTN a few years ago.


Guy was at work, his wife as at home, and a family friend had stopped by the house. They were talking cameras, and wife wanted to show friend her hubby's camera. Wife calls hubby at work, asks where the camera bag is, he tells her.


After work, hubby gets home, and wife asks him "why do you have three cameras?!!!" Hubby thinks to himself, "sweet, she ONLY found three of the cameras!"


All those in favor, raise your right hand and say "that's me!"