PhotographyBanzai.com

Another convention done with more photos to show everyone! This time I was fully loaded with equipment. Two camera bodies, a number of lenses, and two flash units. I managed a pretty elaborate setup for 1 1/2 days, but eventually pared it down to less than half. I’ll get to the technical side of things after a few example photos. A few photos with information on how they were made: I had a photoshoot with a cosplayer that I know well. This was one of the many photos I had taken. I like the back-lighting and overall contrast of the image. I probably was using wireless flash from the upper right. (D600, 50mm, f2, ISO 800, 1/90th)  This photo was taken in the hallways of the convention. I like the “in your face” perspective as well as the bright colors. The 28mm lens on full-frame is still capable of nice background blur in many situations. (D600, 28mm, f2.4, ISO 800, 1/90th) This photo was taken at the cosplay contest. I decided to go with the 85mm lens instead of the 70-210mm becaus...

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 recently finished acquiring all of the decided upon replacement gear after selling off my entire Pentax tool set. Although there were various reasons, the main was to go “full frame” with the Nikon D600 as my main camera (D7000 being my second). The D600 is lacking in some aspects such as maximum shutter and flash sync speeds, but besides that it is a very solid camera specification wise. The added benefit is that it isn’t too much larger than the D7000, so whatever type of bag I can fit the D7000 in, I will at least have a good chance of fitting the D600 in there too. Mirror selfie but car window. I received the camera on the 12th and have just started getting use to it. The transition is pretty easy considering control and function are similar to the D7000. There are a few odd quirks like some changes to button placement, but for the most part, very similar. I’ll probably start compiling a list of positives and negatives for a future review of the camera. Which reminds me, I ...

Another convention has come and gone. This time it was Kollision Con 2012 located in St. Charles Illinois at the Pheasant Run Resort.  All of the Photos: Facebook ( Masquerade , Saturday , Sunday ) Edit, here is a video I put together to go along with the articles : For this convention, I was pretty limited with the DSLR gear I had on hand. I’m still trying to sell off some of my Pentax lenses, so that cash is tied up until it happens. I do have a few Nikon lenses on order from KEH, but that will probably be a few days until they arrive. Being challenged is part of the fun, so I didn’t have any qualms going into a convention like this. Nikon D7000 Nikon 50mm f1.8g (crop makes it similar to 85mm focal length) Yongnuo RF603 flash triggers Yongnuo YN 460-II flash Impact flash diffuser (compression fit with white fabric on 3 sides and one side that has a silver reflector) This was my first time attempting complete manual control with manual flash in a hallway cosplay setting (eg. t...

Two friends and I visited another restaurant in the area. This time it was a Japanese style restaurant with various foods like yakisoba, udon, bentos, and sushi. For this site I will focus more on the media part of my excursion, you can see more about the restaurant in the link above. Equipment: Pentax Optio WG-2 digicam Nikon D7000 with the Nikon 50mm f1.8g lens I used the WG-2 for my video clips. The setting used was 1080p 30fps and with electronic SR on. As always, I need a lot more practice to make higher quality video captures. Simply put, move slow and brace your arms to avoid as much camera shake as possible. When editing the videos, I extract the audio from the clips and edit them in Audacity to make the mono recording into stereo as well as attempt some basic noise reduction.  For the photos, I used the Nikon D7000 in my U2 custom setting mode. This mode is set to aperture priority and -0.3 exposure compensation. I have automatic ISO selection on and set to 1/60th mi...

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...