PhotographyBanzai.com

I’ve started doing off-camera lighting practice outside with the Nikon D600 and fully manual flash units. The sessions consist of self portraits with various styles of lighting and settings. I’ve done two so far and have plans for more. If you find my settings odd, take note that I have been shooting with half-stops instead of third-stops. It is easier because I don’t have to scroll through a bunch of values and more importantly, the notches on the meter are easier to understand. I shoot at least one stop under exposed, but more than likely between that and three stops. Even more so with the shots at f8 in my second session. Session #1: Two position-able lights on tripods. Flash were bare most of the time, but I also used the built-in wide angle diffusers and bounce cards at times. The lens I used was the Nikon 28mm f1.8g. Session #1 video: Session #1 Example photos:  f3.3, 1/180th, ISO 50 f3.3, 1/180th, ISO 50 f3.3, 1/180th, ISO 50 You should be able to tell how I setup lights pre...

I put together a portable flash setup for a convention coming up. My plans here are to potentially use this as a secondary light source in more detailed photo sessions (assuming I have any). The nice thing about it is the portability and I’m also able to get around a few limitations of the gear being used. All of the items are things I’ve acquired in the past, so there wasn’t any inherent cost to get this going.  Here is my related Youtube video demonstration : The related video on this setup. The setup consists of (current prices listed): Sony VCT-R100 tripod isn’t available anymore, but check out the new one called the Sony VCT-R640 . UNDFIND FishBomb Lens Filter and Accessory Case Yongnuo RF-603N flash triggers Adorama Camera PC to Hot Shoe Adapter with Connecting Cord Cold Shoe mount bracket (tripod >> pc sync hotshoe adapter, not the exact one I have) Yongnuo YN460-II manual flash isn’t available anymore so check out a newer model like the YN-560 IV . As an affiliate of...

I thought I wrote an article about the Pentax AF-280T flash unit describing what settings work best with the flash. I spend a few minutes searching through the site with no luck. I was making a large number of video overviews today and did one on the AF-280T. I guess that I mentioned an article that only existed in my mind! I’ll fix that post haste…done (see below). Put the camera in Sv, Tv or P mode and the flash in red/green auto mode. Sv mode settings and overview: – Put the camera in Sv mode and modify the ISO to change depth of field. ISO 80 on the K-5 will force the camera to use the largest aperture it can when the flash is powered. I’ve used Sv with my Pentax AF-280T flash with good results. This is the simplest mode to use with the flash as all you will need to control is the ISO setting. It is also the mode I get the best results in without much effort on my part. – Matrix metering is fine. – Set the ISO yourself. – Allow the camera and flash to control aperture and sh...

As I spend a good deal of my photography time at conventions taking photos of people in a multitude of lighting conditions, often that means utilizing add-on flash to add fill light or just fully light a scene. I’ve primarily been a natural light photographer for years. Although, I’ve always recognized the positive benefits adding my own light to a scene can bring. Most of my reluctance is due to portability, added components (more to carry around and bring to a shoot), and difficulties I’ve had getting consistent results with the Pentax flash system before I found a few techniques that work well. Although, what brings me to write this article is two fold. I saw yet another posting on the Pentax Forums , which brings up the suggestion that Pentax should improve the on-camera flash to make it useful by adding things like tilt, swivel, and more power. My response to this is a definite no thank you . Pentax is partly defined by their ability to make small yet powerful cameras. A built-in ...

Continuing on with my studio practice, I decided to try my hand again at macro photography. The camera rig! Equipment: Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera Body Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR lens Kenko Pz-Af 1.5x Teleplus SHQ tele-converter Custom Brackets flash bracket with a Sigma EF-530 DG Super flash, the Sigma acted as the trigger for the other flash units. 2x Yongnuo YN460-II flash on Flashpoint light stands Slik Pro 700DX AMT-Alloy Tripod Legs with a Smith Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head Here is a quick video of the setup in action (sorry for the *pop* *pop* sound, it seems that the 25fps videos have an issue when directly uploaded to YouTube): https://youtu.be/exzUoxZEpUo My artistic goal for the session was to create top-down images of texture and detail. Things we see everyday, but when viewed up-close they are very different than how we usually perceive them. Intricate networks of connection and amazing textures abound… Here was my first subject, stale matcha (finely-milled Jap...

I’ve never been that motivated to use an external flash when doing the type of photography I usually do. I completely understand the need for additional light in most situations to uniformly expose a scene. I have a Sigma 530 DG Super flash, diffuser, two slave flashes, flash stands, and flash brackets yet I don’t use them that often. My primary reason is to avoid extra bulk and to make my gear feel less… startling… to my subjects. So I started looking for a flash that could provide me the ability to fill the foreground with a decent amount of diffuse light. My other requirement was to be as small as possible. In the same line of something like the Nikon SB-400. Metz has the mecablitz 24 AF-1 which would have been my first choice, but it isn’t sold in the USA. I saw an ebay seller, but they wanted $80 plus a lot in shipping. Too much to spend for an experiment. Promaster sells a similar item, but it is not available for Pentax. I eventually found something with the same ideals. It take...