Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page…

[seth]

dont.care…  I seriously need to learn from you.

I have higher-level amateur equipment (if that makes sense).  Trying to save up for better gear but it just ain’t been happening lately.

[dont.care]

Learn what, exactly? All I’m pointing out to ‘Warren’, is there’s a difference. There’s a reason things are marketed according to the targeted consumer.. If I were a hobbyist/Amateur, I wouldn’t be buying expensive kit. I certainly wouldn’t be marketing myself as a professional. L lenses are extremely nice, because if well taken care of–hold their value and will last a LONG time. The weather and dust sealing (in most L)  reduces the likeliness that you’ll ever get mold or dust behind the lenses. Better resistance to all the nasties that reduce/diminish IQ. Better color, contrast, etc.

I bought a socket set from a tool store the other day. Cheapest one I could find.. Went to tighten a bolt on a rear bicycle tire and snapped the socket off of it.. Had I went and bought a good set of sockets to begin with–I wouldn’t be returning it.

Buy cheap–Buy twice.

Anywho, I don’t know if you’re being facetious, sarcastic, or rhetorical–I just can’t tell 😉

[seth]

No, totally serious.  About photography and running a photography business.  I’m one of those that’s not gotten started, need to learn more before I do, and again, get better equipment.  Do a lot of stuff for cheap or free for family and friends.  For instance, I don’t know anything about using flashes in the manner you’ve described.

[dont.care]

The more Speedlites you have, the less power they require to achieve the same results as just using 1.. You can set 4 on quarter power to achieve a “full power” state when used in unison, or you can set them all on half power and have 2x the light you’d achieve by using 1 on full power.. The point is, by doing this–You don’t have the long delay whilst the capacitor is recharging. Also, you can completely “darken” the day with sufficient speedlites and with the right modifiers/reflectors to light up your subject.. It is an extraordinarily dramatic effect you achieve when done correctly..

[seth]

I’d love to see some of your work sometime!

One thing I have a hard time with – and I just have one speed light that when I have to use it, I use it on a bracket…  I don’t like the “flash look” – I have a hard time using flash and making it look like it’s not obviously taken with a flash.  Know what I mean?

[dont.care]

You have to use modifiers for that “non flash look”–color balance is extremely important too.. Notwithstanding, you have to place your lights in such an angle that would prevent “hotspots”..

a naked flash, is a “small source of light”. In relation to a popup flash, it’s larger, but it’s still extremely small. Small bright light relative to your larger subject creates harsh light. You have to make your light source LARGE in relation to your subject. I like to use a softbox and an umbrella (shoot through) .. the umbrella has some spill (which is ok outside for most cases) and the softbox is more directional (controlled better) .. you can use a gobo on a speedlite behind an umbrella to stop some spillage.. point is

softbox = soft direction light with minimal spill, umbrella = soft light with spill. both create a large source of light relative to your subject which enables light to “wrap” around and minimize harsh shadowing ..

Like I said, large light source = good, large light source with device to soften the light = better.

 

[cameraclicker]

Who would carry around 6 $500 flashes and use them for a simple fill light and rely on wide aperture shooting primarly?

Well… that’s funny!

Yes, when I am out shooting just for me, I frequently don’t bother with a flash at all.  I just use ambient light.  Once in a while I rely on the pop-up flash in my Rebel, or I use a 430 EX II which is small, light-er, and capable.  The bag my Rebel lives in has the body, 18-250 zoom, 10-20 zoom, plastic fantastic 50,  430 EX II, spare battery, spare cards, subway tokens, bulb blower and a couple of cloths.  It generally weighs about 15 lbs.  The last shoot where I had to produce or would be terribly embarrassed, we were flying.  I thought very carefully about what I would need and how I would manage if gear failed.  I took what I felt was the bare minimum — and my bag was still 35 lbs.  That’s not counting computer, chargers, tripod, and so on.  That’s just cameras, lenses and flash.  There were two 600 EX RT’s because I expected to be shooting on the beach at noon with the flash in the hot shoe, I used both for a couple of shots but mostly just held one as a spare.  Usually I travel by car so nothing is weighed, gear just goes into bags and into the trunk.  Then I take more lenses and more flashes.

I don’t know any pro that shows up at a job without backup gear and I have seen several with a large bag just for small flash, lots of small flash.  I also don’t know any pro that’s using kit lenses.   Everyone I see shows up with fast glass in case flash is not allowed.   Image stabilization is nice but if you are not permitted to use flash, it is much better to have a lens that is 4 stops faster and a body that delivers clean files at high ISO settings.  Image stabilization does not help at all if it is your subject that is moving, and flash does not help much if your subject is not close.  Flash does not help at all if it gives you away!

 

 

[dont.care]

Btw.. inside, a modifier is your walls and ceilings as well.. Which is why they say, “NEVER AIM YOUR FLASH DIRECTLY AT YOUR SUBJECT”.. unless of course, you have a modifier to soften the light before hand 😉 However, if your walls and ceilings are not white, you have to custom color balance your camera. if you shoot raw, this is hardly an issue. You just want to make sure the color temp is correct for the subject.

[dont.care]

Flashes are just so quirky.. The bulb inside of them can shatter easily. I had to repair a few the other day because a couple fell off a table.. I just ordered 2 “reflector assemblies” and changed the entire component out, vs a bulb.. just had to get old wires out an solder new wires in.. wrkd like a champ

 

 

which is this part here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-Speedlite-600EX-RT-Replacement-Flash-Reflector-Assembly-Free-Shipping-/370744043064?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item5652112638

 

please, just because I posted this.. Do not assume you can do this yourself without forethought on capacitors.. They will light your ass up if you do not know what you’re doing. There are 2 points you have to connect to with a analog test light with alligator clips to dissipate the capacitance (unload the charge) so you can work safely.

[iliketag]

You should start a “learning flash” thread on here dont.care. I would love to see some examples of setups. If you were going to recommend what to start with for portraits, what would you recommend? I, like Seth, really haven’t dabbled too much with flash and really, really ought to start diving into it.

Do you think we got to him? I think it’s amusing he started name calling. My images are in threads and they’re where others here have had access to them. No need to try an “defend” myself. Silly, silly man.

Holy cow, nesgran, that image was downright creepy! Who on earth thought that was a good idea!?
So can we agree we feel for that poor baby a few pages back? I’m still sad about it. Poor guy.

 

[fstopper89]

dont.care has posted links to work many times here and it is very nice from what I remember. Certainly professional work. DC gets a lot of good clients because he markets to that demographic and has the quality and the right gear to back it up.

Warren, your photos themselves aren’t fauxtographer-ish, but your attitude is. Like that lady who told me, “I don’t need to waste the  oney on fancy gear or school, and my photos are amazing!” and her work was horrendous.

[Worst Case Scenario]

 

I also don’t know any pro that’s using kit lenses.

*hides in the corner* but then my kit lens is a zeiss designed 28 – 75mm  2.8 full frame.

[nesgran]

Lots of pros own but maybe don’t use the canon 24-105 lens which could be called a kit lens, sort of 🙂

dont.care, how much did CPS want to fix them or did you not bother calling them even? I remember seeing a guy with a 1DSII that developed some kind of weird error, he was quoted nearly $3k to have it fixed. Last I saw one go on the used market it was £850.

WCS, is that the sony?

Iliketag, yes, that was a couple of horrendous baby pictures.

Wish me luck all, I’m off to unclebob a wedding this weekend which should be fun.

[-stills-]

Have we gone a little off-topic? :/

Over the past couple of weeks, a friend of mine has pointed out a lot of ‘fauxs’ and ‘semi-fauxs’ in my area. (if that’s what they’re called?)

Most of them are wives of service members. I think a new one pops out everyday..charging as low as $25 for an hour (including 35+images on a disc with rights) I also believe a lot of them are doing business,without a license :/?

Let me know what you think! Are they ‘faux’ material? Do some of them belong on the main page?

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[dont.care]

Didn’t bother with CPS .. Things like speedlites that aren’t really exceptionally sensitive to dust and being open to the environment, I don’t worry about too much. You just have to be extremely careful with soldering to the terminals.. It’s more of a ribbon than a breadboard; but it’s extremely easy to swap out the reflector-assy, if you’re confident with small electronic repair. As before–Don’t do anything until you discharge the capacitor 😛

[Author]

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