bodner069

For lighting photographers, the first thing to consider about a tripod is this: a tripod is your most powerful light. Read more »

For those following The Traveling Photographer project (more info on the whole project here ) the Dubai episode has just been posted . -30-

A great photo book (whether lighting or otherwise) is an amazing value. You get to rent someone else's brain for the price of a good dinner. And depending on who's brain you're renting and what you do with the info, the return on investment can be hundreds or even thousands of time what you invested. The Strobist Recommended Book List is small, but well-considered. It includes just five books on lighting, a book on the interpersonal aspects of photography and a massive, magnum opus that for the right people will prove invaluable. Read more »

You can't exactly put this stuff in your pocket. And what you get to carry it around will be largely driven by, well, what you care carrying around. Location Speedlights Most of you will end up using two small lights with stands and mods and a modest bag of camera gear. Not that there's anything wrong with that. You can do a ton of cool stuff with two speedlights. I have gone far past that level of gear in the past, and often to my regret. If that's you, grab the shoulder-slung camera bag of your choice. Then augment it with this: The LumoPro Padded Lighting Case is cheap ($30), lightweight, protective and perfect for a two-speedlight lighting kit. It'll carry two compact stands, speedlights, mods and various doo-dads perfectly. Note, it might feel a little big if you are using a one-light kit. After all, a one-light, all-compact kit could probably fit in a chess bag. But the various additional "necessaries" all take up space. Or if you want to bring along a...

We tend to start out using soft light at a 45-degree angle because it is an easy fix, and it's hard to go seriously wrong doing that. But there are all kinds of light mods, and often choices other than default soft three-quarter light can be more interesting. My favorites are snoots, grids and ring adapters. Snoots are like little tunnels you attach to your flash to block part of the light beam. Snoots are not rocket science -- we are just blocking some light. And cardboard works just fine to create tight zones of light that you can use to create something like the photo above. For grid spots, which work like snoots but have a much more beautiful fall-off to the edge of the light, you can DIY them out of straws but it is a pain in the ass and not really worth the effort for many. My advice? Get a Honl eighth-inch grid and be done with it. They will last forever (seriously, indestructible) and they fit all speedlights. I'd nix the velcro mounting system, however. Mod it with...

With the gazillion or so soft light mods out there, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the choices available. And while I have probably shot with more of them that I would care to admit, there are four soft mods that I go back to again and again. As it happens, these four are reasonably priced, too. __________ Soft is Relative So, which of the light sources above is the softest? The one in the back, right? Not necessarily. The 60" source in back is not as soft at 10 feet away from your subject as the 8x9" source is at 10 inches away. A good rule of thumb to remember is that a light source is soft when it looks large to your subject . This nets out the two variables of size and distance. Example: Even a bare speedlight looks soft to a subject only a couple inches away. Long story short, if you want soft light you will have to consider the working distance at which you'll be using it. The further back your light source, the larger your light mod will have to be. So front to b...

Light stands are designed to oppose gravity. Pretty simple. And the designs are, for the most part, pretty similar. I think of light stands as being in three categories: normal stands, compact stands (seen just above) and specialty stands such as C-stands. For light stands I like LumoPro for many of the same reasons I like the LumoPro LP180 speedlight. Their stands are well-built, reasonably priced and guaranteed out the wazoo. LumoPro has good service, too, should you need to replace a broken knob or bolt or whatever. Honestly, it makes me wonder why other manufacturers don't warranty their grip gear like this. Seems like a no-brainer, if you are making good stuff. For normal, full-sized stands, I like the 10-foot LumoPro LP608 . It is air-cushioned, has a five-year warranty and costs $45. It is a solid value choice and you can certainly spend more but get less. Most stands are pretty interchangeable. That's not to say that there aren't some cool designs to be had. For a...

Flash triggers are basically radio remotes. They are way to synchronize your flash when it is not attached to your camera and make it fire when you press the shutter. For a long time, you had to spend a lot of money ($200+ per set) to get good, reliable remotes. But technology (and competition) has advanced to the point where that is no longer the case. In fact, the recommended remote trigger for beginners (and really, most photographers) is only $55 a set. Recommended Basic Remotes: Phottix Ares Hong Kong-based Phottix has separated itself from the other Far East-based lighting companies and has built a great reputation. They have first-tier distributors in the West, responsive factory service and industry-leading warranties. These qualities separate Phottix from all of their Far East peers. Phottix' Ares remotes, at $55 for the set, give reliable performance, are hot shoe-based (for easy mounting/connections) have eight channels and run on readily available AA batteries. The st...

Because small lights and big lights each bring a different set of considerations to the party, I am splitting my recommendations into small flashes (AKA speedlights) and big lights (AKA studio lights). For speedlights, you have to decide if you wanna drive stick or automatic, meaning manual or TTL. I live in manual mode, which means I sacrifice some convenience for reliability and repeatability. It also means I can pay about a third as much for each of my flashes. Going with TTL flash (and the required TTL transmitters and receivers) is a convenience, but is also more expensive. The choice depends on your pocketbook and your lighting needs. Top Pick for Manual Speedlights For manual speedlights, I wholeheartedly recommend the LumoPro LP180 , about which I go into far more detail here . It's built like a tank, syncs four different ways, has a fluid and intuitive user interface, a built-in gel holder and has a two-year manufacturer's warranty. My favorite feature on the LP180 is...

If you date your cameras, you marry your lenses. That's because, unlike digital cameras, a well-chosen lens can serve you for a very long time. I still have one lens that I bought thirty two years ago. And I bought it used. I doubt that will be the case with any of my digital cameras, ever. In the past, I was a lens speed freak and was willing to spend great sums of money to have very fast glass. I now realize that lust was misplaced. If I had it to do over again (and I do, and have) I would lean more on reasonably fast primes. Here's why. Moderately fast primes are (much) lighter, (much) cheaper and often just as sharp (or sharper) than their speedy siblings. For Nikon shooters, the Nikon 28, 50 and 85 f/1.8 trio of lenses are great examples of this. They weigh next to nothing in your bag and offer great performance. Also, I have moved away from primarily using fast zooms. Rather than a fast 24-70/2.8, I'd now opt for a trio of fast-ish primes and a decent, slower zoom to ...

There is no perfect camera. So get that idea out of your head right now. Far better to think of any camera as a set of compromises. Size, speed, image quality, low-light performance, price, etc., can all be features—and they can all be liabilities. You want image quality? Get an 11x14" film camera. Great for detail and tonal range. But sucks for action sequences / portability / low light performance. Every camera is a compromise in at least one area. So to start, list your most important features on a sheet of paper and let that guide your choosing strategy. __________ • If you want best-possible image quality, you might sell your car/house/plasma and buy a digital medium format camera. • If you need super long glass and/or FPS speed (sports, nature, etc.) maybe grab a fast Nikon (or Canon) and a super-telephoto lens. • If you shoot people, speed and high ISO performance might not matter as much as gorgeous color. • I you travel a lot you might put a premium on your cameras being ...