One Light Portraits Using 50D, 18-200IS, 580EXII

[Fred Doane]

Ken,

I love your shots. For those of us that are curious about the lighting set upobviouslythe flash wasn't shoe mounted since it was shot through/into and umbrella so I was curious if it was fired ETTL using the ST-E2? or did you manually set the flash exposure and use another wireless trigger? If I had to make any kind of comment on the composition I would have prefered a few of the shots (specifically shots 2, 3 & 4) to be a little more eye level with the subject. That being said shot 5 I actually like the above angle shot it works with the lighting. Your shots are still amazing it's only a minor comment.

Fred~

[Ragingblues]

Fred,


Thanks very much for the compliments, and there's nothing negative at all about your preference being different on some shots. I tend to try all kinds of angles when I'm shooting, and this batch may have had a few more of the above eye level shots than those that are even. I've never thought about it, so maybe I do shoot more slightly above eye level than at it. It could be that I'm taller than my wife an kids and just don't squat enough. LOL Either way, I'm just continuing to learn, do the best I can, and usually forget something when shooting, including cool new poses to try.


As far as the flash firing goes, I shoot with the flash in manual and make afew adjustments until I like the results. I planned to buy awireless trigger setup, but chose togo withthe old standby pc sync cable for now. Finding one with the right configuration wasn't easy, but Midwest Photo Exchange had a 15 footer for cheap and it's been working fine for me. Once Alienbees addresses a fewphysical design issues with the Cybersyncs, I will probably get those.


Thanks again,


Ken

[HiFiGuy1]

I really like the third shot (B&W). Great crop, composition, sharpness. Just excellent. Ironically, I think it is successful partially because of the angle of the shot. Highlights the innocence of youth.


I also think the girl with the blue and magenta wrap over her face and head is fantastic. Those are my two favorites.


Also makes me feel better about my lowly EF 28-135mm kit lens. []

[Ragingblues]

Thanks much! The angle of that black & white shot is definitely due to a height difference. My son was sitting on the floor, while I was squatting down to take the shot. It's a challenge at times to get him to look up from what he's doing, so I take what I can get. The background in that shot is actually a piece of white project board from the store. I bounced the light from over my head off of another piece of project board.


BTW, the gal in the blue & magenta warp is also my wife. We were going to try something different with a couple of her colorful dresses and I got the idea to do a head wrap sort of thing. It came out pretty fun, I think.


The only thing that would make your 28-135 lowly is if it doesn't get used much! []


Thanks,


Ken

[Chuck Lee]

Also makes me feel better about my lowly EF 28-135mm kit lens.

There's nothing lowly about that lens. I bought one in a kit with my wifes 40D and I can take awesome shots down to 1/8 handheld of static scenes. Look at a side by side comparison of Bryan's ISO charts with the 24-105 f4L. Again, there's nothing lowly about that lens.My wife and I were doing some research on a women photographer that does portraits of deceased infants. I know it sounds morbid, but actually, for her and her clients it's a ministry. She had a 5D strapped with the same lens and her portraiture was breath taking. It's about light, composition, and artistry. The equipment serves to compliment.

[Sean Setters]

Not meaning to hijack your thread Ragingblues, but I had some fun with a single flash and a tiny umbrella I got this week. My idea was to use a 25" white umbrella on a painter's pole, held by my assistant, during a wedding reception I'm shooting this weekend. But first, I wanted to see what the results would look like. Therefore, I set up a self-portrait with the tiny umbrella.


Canon 50D, 17-55 f/2.8 IS, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO 100


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strobist: 1 Vivitar 285, camera left & clamped to railing using a DIY justin clamp, 1/8 power (1/4 power with a 1-stop ND filter), 1/4 CTO gelled (although that isn't really applicable to the b/w image), shot through a 25" Creative Light Translucent umbrella. Triggered via Cybersyncs. Sun is providing light on right side. Setup shot below.


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[Keith B]

One light; 580EXII fired (1/4 power I think) into a Eclipse 60" Umbrella. Triggered with ST-E2.


5DmkII24-70 2.8 @30mm1/60 f/4.5 ISO 400


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[ShaunHill]

I just registered on this forum to tell you how wonderful I think these photos are!