Eva - Aspiring Model

Kinkajou

I did a quick late-afternoon shoot with Eva a couple weeks ago. It was my first time using a shoot-through brolly outdoors with my STE2, and that was quite a thing. About halfway through the shoot I gave up and used only natural light.

Here are a few of my favs. C&C is welcome. I haven't given her the disc yet, but I did run a couple test prints that should be arriving any day now to see what the calibration is like.


1. (my fav)


2.


3. (there is a little piece of hair near her right eye and a stick in the background that still needs cleaning up - just realized I haven't done that yet... oops!)


4.


5. (too much reflection on her skin here?)


6.


Thanks!

jeffreaux2

With the exception of 3 and 4 I think that these are some really solid images.

-3 The light is too far behind her for my tastes. A bump of lightroom's "fill light" might help, but the frontal shadows appear to be too deep. Just a few degrees rotated to her front side may have made all the difference.

-4 I have often used a similar "lean" against walls for my own work. Her hips appear to be a tad too far from the wall...but you were right not to let the butt rest against the wall. Im not sold on the placement of her right hand/arm. I would rather see the elbow bent. Also, the wall "runs out" before the edge of the image. This can be leveraged if you are careful to let it run out to accomplish a rule of thirds in the BG. Also, if you could crop so that you retain a solid white wall across the BG....but here THAT would nip her left fingers Im afraid.

-5 The specular highlights here do not bother me. Again though...there is a slice at the top of the image where you missed the wall. I think keeping the background filled with wall in this image would be a positive adjustment.


I have used the STE2/580EX combination to death!!!

I rarely have a problem with the set up. Really rarely. But. I do remember having problems when I began using it.

So.

What types of problems did you encounter. Maybe I can offer advice?


Edit: To add this old link for STE2 usuers.

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=126108

Kinkajou

Thanks for your thoughts, Jeff. I'll definitely pay closer attention to the background details in the future!

#3 was the result of an umbrella malfunction and is therefore only sunlight... the failed light was positioned camera left to add some fill to her left side. I really liked the way the sun hit her eyes on that one, so I kept it and stuck with the dark shadows for artsy-fartsy factor, but maybe it is too much.

For #4, you're totally right about the wall in the background and hand placement. She didn't quite get to what I had in mind, which was something really extreme where she would be just leaning on her shoulders with hips really, really far away from the wall, which you can pretty much only do if your working in fashion or in music... and since these were unpaid and for both our portfolios, I figured we might be able to get away with it. But yeah... just came out kind of mediocre instead. I have a couple that are more 'standard' wall poses as well.

Here is a thread I posted in the weddings forum venting about my first umbrella experience. Most everyone said that they had issues with the STE2 outdoors, so I was surprised to read that it has worked so well for you! You can be sure that I'll be reading that post you added later tonight!

Thanks again for your thoughts; your work is stunning so I'm happy to take your pointers

jeffreaux2

Kinkajou wrote: »

Thanks for your thoughts, Jeff. I'll definitely pay closer attention to the background details in the future!

#3 was the result of an umbrella malfunction and is therefore only sunlight... the failed light was positioned camera left to add some fill to her left side. I really liked the way the sun hit her eyes on that one, so I kept it and stuck with the dark shadows for artsy-fartsy factor, but maybe it is too much.

For #4, you're totally right about the wall in the background and hand placement. She didn't quite get to what I had in mind, which was something really extreme where she would be just leaning on her shoulders with hips really, really far away from the wall, which you can pretty much only do if your working in fashion or in music... and since these were unpaid and for both our portfolios, I figured we might be able to get away with it. But yeah... just came out kind of mediocre instead. I have a couple that are more 'standard' wall poses as well.

Here is a thread I posted in the weddings forum venting about my first umbrella experience. Most everyone said that they had issues with the STE2 outdoors, so I was surprised to read that it has worked so well for you! You can be sure that I'll be reading that post you added later tonight!

Thanks again for your thoughts; your work is stunning so I'm happy to take your pointers

Well for starters I absolutely nearly always shoot in shade or open shade and NOT in bright sun.

Line of sight is a must...usually. The only problems I have had in this area are...stepping between the light and subject...as Heather mentioned in your other thread...and using a lens that blocks the signal from reaching the flash. I use a 70-200F2.8IS a LOT. Its a huge lens. ON occasion (rarely) I use more than a single flash. I have experienced this blocking by the lens if I have one flash up high (usually fires) and another on the opposite side of camera down low....which usually wont fire.

The distance issues arent ever a problem. I use a 70-200 and frequently shoot at 200mm for full length shots. That puts me easily 30-40 feet from the light stand. Not a problem.


As stated...I did have misfires at first, but as I have grown to use the combo more and more the misfires are truely a rarety. I ALAYS make certain that the red window on the flash is facing in my direction. I use white shoot through umbrellas. I sometomes use it as a convertable...or with the black cover on anf bouce light out of rather than through. In this case the flash usually is blocked from line of sight. Ive never had an issue bouncing STE2 off subject and back into umbrella for the shot though.

I know its easy to get frustrated when the gear isnt performing...but...seriously...I know that myself...and Heatherfeather...and Urbanaries(though she now uses radiopoppers) have used this combo literally to death. Do you think maybe yours has a defect?

reyvee61

You've got some solid shots for sure..
Six is my personal favorite, I love the way the lines lead right to her face.
Backgrounds have already been mentioned and asides from the issues you were having with the ST E2 I think the light is nice in most of these.
I gave up on Nikon's CLS outdoors and switched to radio triggers via manual because of how unreliable it was even in shade.
I understand line of sight but if I simply forgot and turned the camera the wrong way while shooting portrait orientation I would lose the ability to trigger.
Twenty dollars for the inexpensive but reliable Cowboy Studios four channel radio triggers and now I get a fire every time no matter where I am...

Kinkajou

I don't know if you read through the whole thread, but yeah, most of the time I was trying to use them in a shady area, I was in direct line of sight, the lens was a medium sized lens, and I use the combo indoors about once a week for promo/production shots for work and have never had a problem. The kicker in this situation was that I would test it with the pilot button on the STE2 and it worked 90% of the time. Then I'd push the shutter button and it wouldn't fire, even when I stuck the camera right directly in front of the sensor a foot away. I did all the requisite changing of batteries and moving things around and utilization of choice words and doing little dances to please the flash gods and everything. At this point I'm willing to try it a couple more times and then see whether I'll need something different for outdoors and will stick with the STE2 for studio work. Yay for challenges that force you to learn something.

jeffreaux2

Kinkajou wrote: »

it wouldn't fire, even when I stuck the camera right directly in front of the sensor a foot away.

My experience with this symptom is that the batteries in the flash unit are dead....or....the STE2 is not securely mounted in the shoe.


Still....there might be a chance you have a lemon of a unit. Is there anyone who has one for you to borrow....compare with in your area?