My Inner Heatherfeather and a One Trick Pony

jeffreaux2 · March 8, 2012

I have used the Canon STE2 infra red transmitter for years to trigger my speedlights. While I have had plenty opportunities to stretch its limits outdoors, I havent really experimented heavily with them indoors. But here was my chance.....

On the wall opposite the direction the bride is facing there was a window. It offered plenty of light below her waist but not much above that due to the way the curtains were arranged. At my house we could have just opened the curtains, but we are at a pre cival war plantation house that offers paid tours (and photo shoots) and so we were reluctant to monkey with the drapes.

The solution was to use a 60inch convertable umbrella and speedlight on my 13 foot stand. I set the height so that the bottom was just below where the drapes began to part. I set the flash so that it's infra red sensor window was facing the bride. Since the speedlight is daylight balanced, there was no need for a color correcting gel on the flash. The transmit signal was bounced off the brides dress to the speedlight which fired and bounced its light into the umbrella and back out onto the bride. The whole stand, umbrella and all were around a blind corner and out of sight. Worked like a charm!

I have seen many instances where Heather either hides a light in a photo, or clones it out in post. So, this was my stab at it. Although the STE2 does require a little planning and thought to use in this manner, it is very capable and shows once again that it is NOT a one trick pony.

and one with JUST window light (different window!)

Qarik · March 8, 2012

brilliant! I love the frame within a frame within a frame look. light looks completely natural as well.

zoomer · March 9, 2012

Good idea on the first setup. If her pose were oriented more to the camera instead of to the light...believe the shot would overall be more successful, like the framing.
The second shot is very nice.
Nice professional quality work on both.

Bryce Wilson · March 9, 2012

Excellent solution to a challenging light problem. The results are marvelous.

One thing bothers me about number two though. The frame in a frame is really nice, but because of the angle distortion of the doorway frame, I feel like I'm falling into the picture.

adbsgicom · March 9, 2012

Very nice, and thanks for the lighting info as well. I like the third look in the first set (4th image) and really love the last one.

Gotham · March 9, 2012

Nice work. Though I'm looking forward to the 600ex-rt with a radio trigger. Will hopefully make the whole line of site (or bouncing IR beams) problem irrelevant.

jeffreaux2 · March 9, 2012

Gotham wrote: »

Nice work. Though I'm looking forward to the 600ex-rt with a radio trigger. Will hopefully make the whole line of site (or bouncing IR beams) problem irrelevant.

Phooey on that....Ive read that you can't use the radio trigger and use high speed synch together. Thats a no-go for me.

Radio Popper and others have better solutions for radio and ettl.

Agnieszka · March 17, 2012

BEAUTIFUL photos and what a setting!

jeffreaux2 · March 17, 2012

Agnieszka wrote: »

BEAUTIFUL photos and what a setting!

Aaaaaw....thank you sooo much Angie! I sure have missed you. Hope all is well with you and yours.

The location here was beautiful. Old south charm never disappoints!:D

Agnieszka · March 17, 2012

Oh Jeff, these are suuuure beautiful!

Speaking of finding your inner SneakyFeather, I finally thought I'd dig out my wireless flash set-up this season (with a LOT of help from some lovely people on here

), and now that I *finally* figured it out ... what happens? My receiver takes off for a flight ...... to the ground. That was painful to hear (since I didn't see it) grarrrrr. Why are those stupid little things just so expensive (for what it is). So my Inner Heather doesn't seem to like me much, gotta say .....

Btw, I think #6 (first photo from your recent post) is a tiiiny little bit tilted, or maybe I'm just a bit off after the not so happy day today :bash

SO nice to see you on here again (not that I've been here much recently, my two girls sure like keeping me away from my computer these days), haha! But reality is about to hit and my season is starting in just about 2 weeks (shoot, already???) Hope to see more photos from you in the near future

jeffreaux2 · March 17, 2012

That shot may have a slight tilt although, the columns are larger at their base. They arent very useful in squaring up a crop for sure!

So are you picking up on business now? If so its great to know. Mine took a big hit and I only moved to a neighboring city.

I know two girls are a handful. My youngest is back home and getting things in order to start nursing school. My oldest daughter may soon move back home as well depending on where she is accepted for PA school. She decided to follow the physicians assistant path as my DIL did.

They still keep me busy!

Agnieszka · March 17, 2012

Haha! I bet!

) + I bet things will get busier on my end in e the girls get older too, but it's sure hard to find some time to do any work with them on my side, haha.

Nope, it never really picked up in CO. Well, I guess I haven't been advertising at all either. I was on a lazy horse in Boston, kept booking brides whose friends I shot, so I didn't have to advertise at all, in fact I could have boOked about four times as much per year with all the inqueries .... So that's where I'm still shooting. I can't shoot many weddings anymore with the kids in the house, but I do fly out to MA for all of them. Kinda funny how I hear crickets when it comes to CO weddings, but at least I finally got a little baby photography business going now. Got 5 referrals from one CO baby, so that's good .... But I think I'll switch gears soon as I have to figure something else out for when we move back to Switzerland (where weddings aren't big).

So that's my story, haha! Moving stinks ....

jeffreaux2 · March 17, 2012

I have family in Switzerland. Including a you ger cousin who is a photography enthusiast(although she shoots Nikon!) if you get there and find the need to develop an assistant let me know!

She cycles as a hobby. Most of her work centers off that. She has sent examples of off camera flash though!

Agnieszka · March 17, 2012

Oh, I'd definitely let you know (it'll be an other ~two years though until we move). Do you know where she lives? You'll have to go / come visit sometime!

jeffreaux2 · March 17, 2012

Agnieszka wrote: »

Oh, I'd definitely let you know (it'll be an other ~two years though until we move). Do you know where she lives? You'll have to go / come visit sometime!

Not sure where exactly. I see her every couple years. Her mom was home(here) recently for A death in our family.

I had told her about dgrin and she joined but only 5 posts since 2009.

She still shoots though. Im sure.

mjoshi123 · March 17, 2012

very nicely done. Thanks for sharing your approach in detail.

JamesCroftPhotography · March 19, 2012

I love this set! I've got this funny feeling the bride was THRILLED with the results!

Bilsen · March 20, 2012

Beautiful set Jeff and, more important, you've introduced real creativity to a subject (weddings) that usually bores me to tears.

I paid my sons' wedding photographer a fortune and, while he did a nice enough job, we got wedding package # 6. Your stuff here could change the whole genre.

My Inner Heatherfeather and a One Trick Pony

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