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Umbrellas, reflectors etc - flash questions...

VikingViking Registered Users Posts: 178 Major grins
edited April 6, 2006 in Technique
Anyone who can point me to a direction where I can learn myself how to use bouncers, reflectors and Unbrellas in my photography? I need to get myself equipment to get softer light on my portraits.


Thinking of getting myself a Sb800 flash, a stand and a Umbrella to bounce the flash in, while I am "on location". I need it to be light. Im not a strong man. :-)

Please help me out.

Have a nice day

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    BodwickBodwick Registered Users Posts: 396 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2006
    Viking wrote:
    Anyone who can point me to a direction where I can learn myself how to use bouncers, reflectors and Unbrellas in my photography? I need to get myself equipment to get softer light on my portraits.


    Thinking of getting myself a Sb800 flash, a stand and a Umbrella to bounce the flash in, while I am "on location". I need it to be light. Im not a strong man. :-)

    Please help me out.

    Have a nice day


    Here is a 4 part article you may find useful.

    Try searching google or yahoo and see what you come up with. There must be loads of articles.
    "The important thing is to just take the picture with the lens you have when the picture happens."
    Jerry Lodriguss - Sports Photographer

    Reporters sans frontières
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    StormdancingStormdancing Registered Users Posts: 917 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2006
    Viking wrote:
    Anyone who can point me to a direction where I can learn myself how to use bouncers, reflectors and Unbrellas in my photography? I need to get myself equipment to get softer light on my portraits.


    Thinking of getting myself a Sb800 flash, a stand and a Umbrella to bounce the flash in, while I am "on location". I need it to be light. Im not a strong man. :-)

    Please help me out.

    Have a nice day


    See this very good tutorial written by Shay Stephens HERE
    Dana
    ** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
    Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
    no birds sang there except those that sang best.
    ~Henry Van Dyke
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    VikingViking Registered Users Posts: 178 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2006
    How do I know how mutch power to use in the flash?
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    Shay StephensShay Stephens Registered Users Posts: 3,165 Major grins
    edited March 26, 2006
    Viking wrote:
    How do I know how mutch power to use in the flash?
    That depends on how much light you need to expose your image. At the very least, you can take a picture and review how it looks and check the histogram, then make the flash brighter or darker as needed.

    A better, faster, and more reliable method is to meter the flash output directly with a flash meter. You can read a bit about them and their usage here:
    http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/meters.shtml
    http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1025&message=8206126
    Creator of Dgrin's "Last Photographer Standing" contest
    "Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
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    MitchellMitchell Registered Users Posts: 3,503 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2006
    Viking wrote:
    How do I know how mutch power to use in the flash?

    What camera are you using? I assume you have one of the newer Nikon DSLRs if you are contemplating an SB800 purchase. If so, you can use the great Nikon CLS to wirelessly control your off camera flash for both trigger and exposure.
    I've had some luck using an off camera SB 800 fired into an umbrella for some home portraits of my daughter. Just ask!

    45955779-M.jpg
    Mitch
    http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/
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    VikingViking Registered Users Posts: 178 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2006
    how do i know where to place the flash w umbrella?
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    BodwickBodwick Registered Users Posts: 396 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2006
    Viking wrote:
    how do i know where to place the flash w umbrella?


    Did you read the articles 1 through 4 I mentioned above?
    "The important thing is to just take the picture with the lens you have when the picture happens."
    Jerry Lodriguss - Sports Photographer

    Reporters sans frontières
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    VikingViking Registered Users Posts: 178 Major grins
    edited April 3, 2006
    How near the person does the flash w stand and umbrella if I use this setup with a Sb800?
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    Shay StephensShay Stephens Registered Users Posts: 3,165 Major grins
    edited April 3, 2006
    That's like asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. Just try it! So many things depend on your scene, settings, desired outcome, etc.

    The closer the light is to the subject, the lower the power output needs to be. And if using an umbrella, the closer you get, the softer the light becomes (i.e. the shadow transitions are more gradual).

    Now, no more talk, start shooting mwink.gif
    Viking wrote:
    How near the person does the flash w stand and umbrella if I use this setup with a Sb800?
    Creator of Dgrin's "Last Photographer Standing" contest
    "Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
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    MitchellMitchell Registered Users Posts: 3,503 Major grins
    edited April 3, 2006
    Shay Stephens wrote:
    That's like asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. Just try it! So many things depend on your scene, settings, desired outcome, etc.

    The closer the light is to the subject, the lower the power output needs to be. And if using an umbrella, the closer you get, the softer the light becomes (i.e. the shadow transitions are more gradual).

    Now, no more talk, start shooting mwink.gif

    rolleyes1.gif
    I agree with Shay (although I'm more subtle). Let's see some pics already! Then we can critique and make some suggestions about lighting placement, flash settins, etc...
    Mitch
    http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/
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    USAIRUSAIR Registered Users Posts: 2,646 Major grins
    edited April 6, 2006
    So how many licks does it take

    Fred
    http://www.riverbendphotos.com/
    http://www.facebook.com/Riverbendphotos
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