Pack's Hacks, lighting for photographers

Do Plastic Flash Diffusers Really Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Wed, 31 May 2023 17:06:00 +0000

If your Speedlites or hot shoe flashes were not supplied with a white plastic flash diffuser there are plenty of after market examples available.

But do they really work and if so how? I'll not go into too much detail as David Bergman on Adorama TV has the best explaination.

Basically:

They reduce light output decreasing battery life.
They are useless outdoors or where there are no surfaces close by to reflect light.
They are still a small light source relative to the subject so any direct light will have a hard shadow edge the same as the bare flash tube.
They're fine pointing up indoors where there's a ceiling that is not too high and wall close by to bounce light back into the shadows. This is fine providing the walls are white or a very pale tint. Stronger colour will reflect and contaminate the shadows.

My favourite use of the little white plastic box diffuser is to spread the light inside umbrella and other light modifiers.

If it's softer light you're looking for then it's best to enlarge the relative size of the light source by using a bounce card such as the Rogue FlashBender v3 Large Reflector.

Rogue FlashBender v3 Large Reflector

A Rogue Flash bender v3 larger reflector on camera creates beautiful flattering
butterfly lighting. In this frame a foam core v-flat reflector (aka the Brooklyn reflector) was used to fill the shadows.

To quote the Rogue Flash website "The FlashBender design also conserves energy because it directs the light from your flash towards your subject instead of scattering it everywhere. This has the benefit of allowing you to shoot on lower flash power settings with faster recycle times, and results in fewer overheating problems and longer battery life.

Simple flash diffusers on the other hand just do one thing, scatter light everywhere. This can work when you're shooting under an 8' white ceiling, but not so much when you're shooting outside, or under an off-colored ceiling (yellow, orange, etc)".

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and information use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

You can see more of my work in Amateur Photographer magazine in print and online where I write about improving your lighting, lighting techniques and review lighting gear.

Keep safe and remember your health is important.

That's it for now and don't forget if you really enjoy lighting visit and join The LIGHT Side, Part 2 - a place to learn, be mentored, nurtured and learn about lighting and photography, whatever your level or experience.

Hoodman Hoodloupe 3 - thirteen years of service

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Fri, 26 May 2023 12:37:00 +0000

Allium Hollandicum Purple Sensation

My 13 years plus Hoodman Hoodloupe 3

Thirteen years or more have passed since I began using my trusty Hoodman Hoodlope 3. It's an invaluable aid to viewing the liveview display on any digital camera and especially useful on bright sunny days when shooting low angle or viewpoint images.

The current version fits up to 3.2" liveview displays, and like the original has a neck lanyard so its always to hand.

Here's my review from march 2010 http://ianpack.blogspot.com/2010/03/hoodman-hoodloupe-3.html

This is testament to the quality of Hoodman products and proof that spend more and you only need to buy once, rather buy cheaap and buy many which long-term is usually more expensive.

Photography Notes
Fujifilm X-T5
Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Lens for Fujifilm X
ISO 160
White Balance daylight
Aperture priority ƒ/8 1/125s no exposure compensation. IBIS on. No flash.

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and information use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Godox and Pixpro lighting repairs in UK

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Thu, 25 May 2023 10:25:00 +0000

If you have broken or non-functioning Godox and or Pixapro flash or lighting, Essential Photo PIXAPRO have announced extended lighting repair services for Godox and Pixapro flashes and LED units:

https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/blogs/news/were-expanding-our-repairs-department

https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/blogs/news/what-godox-flash-do-we-repair

https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/blogs/news/what-godox-led-do-we-repair

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and information use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

10 Ways to Mount Your Speedlites Off-Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Mon, 22 May 2023 15:10:00 +0000

10 Ways to Mount Your Off-Camera Flash

Whilst we like to review lights and flashes the essential gear for mounting them is largely overlooked, especially as light stands are designed for lights with ⅝ in 16mm female receptors and generally not suited to directly mounting Speedlites.   The ten products reviewed here will enable your on-camera Speedlites to be used off-camera and create new possibilities to take your lighting to new heights.

Here I look at alternative ways to mount your on-camera flashes off-camera.

Manfrotto Cold Shoe Spring Clamp

https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/cold-shoe-spring-clamp-175f-2/
Price: £105.00
Weight: 350g 
Fixings: ⅝ in female, 40mm clamp, cold shoe, ⅝ in male, ⅜ in female thread  

Originally conceived by Joe McNally and Justin Stailey as an amalgam of parts from the Manfrotto catalogue. Basically, a mini ball head and plastic cold shoe adaptor were screwed to a 175 Spring Clamp. In time it became known as the Justin Clamp or 175-F. The original plastic cold shoe wasn’t durable, as I’ve found out to my cost. Manfrotto introduced the 175-F2 with a secure locking screw collar cold shoe clamp. The ball head locking lever needs little force to secure the ball head and is designed for easy use with gloved hands. The spring clamp has a capacity of 40 mm (1.5in) and will take most Speedlites, outdoor battery flash up to 200Ws or small LED lights, up to and including units such as the Rotolight NEO 3 PRO which weighs in at 740g (26oz) .

Manfrotto Cold Shoe Spring Clamp

Kupo Grip produce a similar product the KCP-390 Off Camera Flash Alli Clamp

https://www.productiongear.co.uk/kupo-kcp-390-off-camera-flash-clamp.html
Price: £50.00
Weight: 390g 
Fixings: ⅝ in female, 40mm clamp, cold shoe, ⅝ in male, ⅜ in female thread  

Kupo Camera Flash Alli Clamp - as you can see I've used this one a lot.

Kupo camera Flash Alli Clamp in use.
Great for those times when a light stand can't be used.

SMART Speedlite Adapter Bracket 

https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-smart-speedlite-adapter-bracket-bowens-s-type-fitting/
Price: £23.90 
Weight: 560g 
Fixings: Umbrella, Bowens S-Type, 150mm (6in) flange for pop-up soft boxes  

This the bulkiest of the products reviewed. It’s suitable for mounting rectangular and round head Speedlites along with outdoor battery flashes from 100Ws to 400Ws. It will accept Bowens S-Type mount light modifiers and shapers, umbrellas with a 8mm shaft. It does not take umbrellas with a hexagonal shaft such as the Double Fold from F J Westcott. The 6 inch/150mm flange is suitable for pop-up soft boxes up to 32 inch/80cm. The SMART Speedlite Adaptor Bracket is the Godox S2 Speedlite bracket rebadged by Pixapro in the UK.  

Whilst this a bulky piece of kit, it's also very versatile. Although it's stated that it can be used with the AD400 outdoor battery flash, it's not something I'd recommend as the AD400 is back heavy and has a dedicated Bowens S-Type mount ring available along with numerous others including Elinchrom EL mount.

Godox S2 aka Pixapro SMART Speedlite Adaptor Bracket

Frio

 https://colorconfidence.com/collections/frio 
Price: £48.00 - £90.00 
Weight: 70g - 340g 
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female receptor, suction, clamp, cold shoe, ¼ in male thread.  

The Frio cold shoe was created in 2010 by photographer James Madelin. The brand is now owned by Color Confidence and range has expanded to include a variety of mounts for off-camera flashes.  Under the Frio brand there are a number of well made compact and lightweight products perfectly suited to mounting your on-camera flashes off-camera. They include Frio Hold cold shoe adaptor, Frio Arch ball head umbrella swivel, Frio Stand for 16mm ⅝” light stands, Frio Cling vacuum pump ball head cold shoe mount, Frio Grasp Big and Mini articulating clamp for attaching to almost anything round or flat, including table edges, stair railings, poles or anywhere where space is tight.  

If you’re someone who likes to pack light for their photography adventures or work the Frio range is well suited to outdoor and mobile photographers, especially where size and weight are important. The Frio Hold cold shoe adaptor is easy to use, the flash hot shoe slides in and is held in place by a spring clip which is an integral part of the design. The Frio range is designed exclusively for use with hot shoe flashes. I’ve used the Frio products for sometime and was one of the early adopters of James Madelin’s original Frio in 2010. This range is intended for smaller, lightweight light modifiers such as Rogue FlashBenders, grids, gels and umbrellas.  

Frio Arch ball head umbrella swivel, Frio Stand for 16mm ⅝” light stands, Frio Cling vacuum pump ball head cold shoe mount, Frio Grasp Big and Mini articulating clamp

Frio Cling vacuum pump ball head

Frio Arch ball head umbrella swivel in use with a
Rogue FlashBender light modifier attached.
This image was published in my Ultimate Guide to Flash
in Amateur Photographer magazine.

On a side note, I wonder if the Orbis Ring Flash adaptor (invented by James Madelin) will ever be available in the future? Of its time it was and still is a very useful light modifier. For more power I’ve tested it on the Godox AD200/Pixapro PIKA 200 with the Speedlite/fresnel head. It’s good, with classic halo type shadow around the subject with softer edges.

The Orbis Ring Flash Adaptor slips onto the head of a Speedlite

Orbis Ring Flash in use

Manfrotto Lite-Tite Swivel Aluminium Umbrella Adapter 

https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/lite-tite-swivel-aluminium-umbrella-adapter-026/
Price: £38.00 
Weight: 330g
 Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female, ⅜ in female thread, ¼ in female thread, ¼ in male thread, umbrella receptor. Cold shoe adaptor extra.  

The Manfrotto 026 is long established adaptor for mounting reflective and shoot through umbrellas to lights of all kinds including off-camera flashes with the aid of a cold shoe adapter. The umbrella receptor canbe used with hexagonal shaft umbrellas.      

One of my many trusted Manfrotto 026 swivel umbrella adaptors which has seen action over decades.

Kupo Roly Poly Counterbalanced Umbrella Swivel Bracket 

https://www.productiongear.co.uk/kupo-roly-poly-counterbalanced-umbrella-swivel-bracket.html
Price: £57.00
 Weight: 400g 
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female, ⅜ in female thread, ¼ in female thread, ¼ in male thread, umbrella receptor. Cold shoe adaptor extra.  

The Kupo Grip Umbrella swivel is particularly well designed as it has a large grip area with ribs which press into an aluminium washer when tightened. In use I’ve mounted a 72 inch/183cm umbrella without any evidence of drooping from the weight of the umbrella. The umbrella receptor will fit
hexagonal shaft umbrellas.  

Kupo Roly Poly Counterbalanced Umbrella Swivel Bracket 

Manfrotto Cold Shoe Tilt Head 

https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/cold-shoe-tilt-head-mlh1hs-2/
Price: £51.00 
Weight: 200g 
Fixings: ⅝ in 16mm female, cold shoe clamp, umbrella receptor.  

Manfrotto’s Cold Shoe Tilt head is suited to Speedlites, off-camera flashes and smaller LED luminaires. The umbrella hole is positioned so a flash is positioned closer to the centre of an umbrella, although it’s not suited to umbrellas with hexagonal shafts. The pivot is spring loaded with increased locking torque to prevent movement during use and potential damage to attached gear. With a maximum load of 2kg the Cold Shoe Tilt Head will support a Speedlite, average weight with batteries 700g, plus a modifier.

One thing that should be supplied with this product is a ⅝ in/16mm male to female 1/4 in - ⅜ in adaptor for use with camera tripods.

Well designed, well built with knobs that are easy to adjust.
The swivel is spring loaded to prevent damage to your Speedlite.

Cold Shoe Adaptor vs. Frio Hold

The classic metal screw lock cold shoe adaptor has been around for as long as I can remember and was the main way to fix your hot shoe on-camera flash or Speedlite to other lighting grip for offcamera lighting. In 2010 James Madelin introduced the Frio Cold Shoe (as it was then known) to the market. It received mixed reviews because it's made from plastic or nylon with no locking screw, instead relying on a clip to keep the flash in place. I found some people saying that the Frio Cold Shoe was not secure, this is because they were not locking their flash to the Frio!

Metal cold shoe adaptor

Frio Hold cold shoe adaptor

Pros and Cons

In the event of a fall the chances are the Frio will break saving the flash hot shoe mount. With the metal cold shoe it's likely that the flash hot shoe will break needing an expensive repair!

Metal cold shoe adaptors are available for as little as £3.00 each, whereas the Frio Hold is sold in packed in threes for around £30.00.

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and information use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Photographing Allium blooms with Pixapro PIKA 200 Godox AD200

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Wed, 17 May 2023 11:41:00 +0000

Here in sunny Sussex the Alliums are coming into bloom. One of the best ways that I have found to to create the best photos of these glorious blooms is to light them with battery outdoor flash.

Allium hollandicum Purple Sensation

This bloom was lit with the GODOX AD-S7 Folding 48cm 19" Multipurpose Softbox and Folding Beauty Dish with the opaque matt silver deflector in place. The modifier was feathered away so the light reflected from the camera right side hit the hit the bloom for a backlit sidelight look.

Without the flash the image was flat and lacked punch.

A Canon 100 mm ƒ/2.8 macro IS L Series lens was used on the full frame Canon 5D MkII. The aperture was set to ƒ/11 to keep the bloom sharp whilst maintaining a pleasing defocussed background which was about 2m away.

Camera settings
ƒ/11
1/100s
ISO320
WB daylight
Av aperture priorty TTL metering
Flash trigger TTL

I was able to darken the background by slightly under exposing the camera exposure.

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and informational use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Fujifilm X-T5 Subject Detection Animal

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 17:13:00 +0000

Whilst sitting waiting for for a call centre to answer my call, I decided to photograph the activity on the bird feeders outside of my studio window. The lighting was less than ideal so I rigged a Rotolight NEO 3 PRO hybrid LED flash to act as a fill light.

The light was attached to the window with an Avenger F1000 pump cup with swivel 16mm baby pin and Manfrotto 196AB-2 articulated arm. The colour temperature was set to 4300K as that's in the region where the luminaire is at maximum output.

As the major activity on the feeder was squirrels, I decided to test the Animal Subject Detection on my Fujifilm X-T5 with 50 - 140mm ƒ/2.8 zoom lens. It was flawless, the face detection picked up the eye closest to the lens with every frame. I did crank the ISO to 640 as there are few grain issues with the Fujifilm X-Trans CMOS sensor in this camera. The IBIS In Body Image Stabilisation and OIS Optical Image Stabilisation in the lens provided sharp frames with resorting to any addition support. When I shot similar images with my Canon 5D4 and 200mm ƒ/2.8 prime I needed additional support as there was not IBIS or OIS.

That's it for today. Keep an eye on Amateur Photographer magazine soon for my article talking about my expereince with the Fujifilm X-T5 so far.

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and informational use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Alligator or Justin Clamp for Off Camera Flash

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Tue, 31 May 2022 12:02:00 +0000

The Speedlite is a staple for many photographers on the move. There are many ways to attach a Speedlite or hot shoe flash to a light stand or surface. One of the most useful has to be the incredibly versatile Alligator or Justin Clamp with a cold shoe adaptor which clamps to the hot shoe of the flash enabling use off camera - hence the term “off camera flash”.

The Justin Clamp or Manfrotto 175F was conceived by photographer Joe McNally and Justin Stailey. Read more https://joemcnally.com/2021/02/01/the-evolution-of-a-flash-clamp/

Alligator or Justin Clamp with locking cold shoe for small flashes

Attached to a 5/8" female receptor on a light stand

Clamped to a vertical pole or post up to 40mm (1 7/16")

Attached to a standard 5/8" 16mm c-stand boom

Standard male 5/8" 16mm light stand

Clamps to tables, work tops and benches up to 40mm

Don’t forget to download, print, save (or whatever) the Speedlite Manual Exposure Guide - you never know when you may need it!

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and informational use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

That's it for now and don't forget if you really enjoy lighting visit and join The LIGHT Side - a place to learn, be mentored, nurtured and learn about lighting and photography, whatever your level or experience.

Garden Birds lit with Pixapro/Godox PIKA/AD200

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Mon, 23 May 2022 15:22:00 +0000

The view from my studio today. Adult and fledgling blue tits from the nest box on the studio exterior wall.

Images photographed on a Canon #90D with 100-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6 IS L zoom. Effective focal length 640mm with 1.6x crop factor. ISO 1600 to maintain a shutter speed around the 1/160sec with the aperture ƒ/8. Av -1. PIXAPRO #PIKA200 to boost saturation as wet and overcast flat light.

The flash was protected from the rain with a ziploc clear polythene bag. A green camoflage scrim net is hung inside my studio window to create a blind or hide.

Selected frames processed with DxO #pureRAW2 to remove noise, then tweeked with Adobe Camera Raw.

Lighting a Brown-Lipped Snail with the Ianiro Pocket LED

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Tue, 17 May 2022 12:01:00 +0000

Brown-lipped snail Cepaea nemoralis photographed with a Canon 90D, 100mm ƒ/2.8 L IS macro lens and lit with a the deminutive Ianiro Pocket LED.

As you see from the wide shot, the Ianiro Pocket LED creates a broad pool of soft light when used close to the subject. The light was mounted with a mini magic arm screwed to a PlatyPod Max. If you've not seen Platypod products, I urge you to take a look.

The snail shell is 18 mm across. The lens aperture was ƒ/14 - for more depth of field I should have stopped down to ƒ/20 or ƒ/22 and increased the ISO. Although grain/noise would increase, this can be reduced by processing with an app such as DxO PureRAW which is surprisingly effective.

Working so close to the snail with a macro lens on a camera with a 1.6x crop factor increased camera shake. As the aperture was so small, the shutter speed was in the region of 1/25 sec. At this level of magnification, photographing handheld is close to impossible due to up/down and backward/forward movement, so a tripod was essential.

As a comparison, I shot a few frames using the Pixapro MF12 macro flash. This unit has multiple 12 Ws mini flash heads attached to a ring surrounding the lens. Even though the light was diffused, it is still very harsh with short fall-off. The flash heads can be removed from the lens ring. I think that experimentation is required with the MF12 to get satisfactory results.

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and informational use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Lighting for close up photography with the Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Wed, 11 May 2022 17:10:00 +0000

The Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 is one of the new small panel LED lights that all photographers should have as part of their lighting kit, it's bright, bi-colour with a colour temperature range from 3500K to 5700K adjustable in 100K increments. Output is 15W (equivalent to approx. 150W filament bulb) with a CRI of ≥96.

It's relatively inexpensive as it doesn't have facilities such as RGB colours, fancy lighting FX or act as a power bank. It fixes to standard lighting grip by means of two female 1/4 inch 20 TPI threads. In the UK it's available from NAM Grip for £59.00. It will run for 1 hour at full poweer and takes 3 hours to charge from a standard USB charger via the supplied USB-C lead.

Today I want to show how a small panel LED light 3 x 5 inches can be used for close-up and macro photography.

The Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead without diffusion acts like a soft box on a smaller scale when used close-up.

The Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead with diffusion from full white grid cloth. LEE Filters 430 or Rosco 3030.

The Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 from camera left as an undiffused side light creating contrast with split light and no fill light to open the shadows.

The Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 just out of frame providing soft box style soft light for an image approximately one third magnification.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with slit gobo.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with slit gobo, Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead at 25% output, 5300K for shadow fill.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with slit gobo, Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead at 50% output, 5300K for shadow fill.

Yes, that's right, I'm using a continuous light to fill the shadows created from a gobo'd flash light source. The shutter speed controls the ambient light and the Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 at 50% output in this scenario equalled my flash shutter speed.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with slit gobo, Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead at 50% output, 5300K for shadow fill.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with spiral gobo, no fill.

BTS frame showing the position of the Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead to provide shadow fill.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with spot gobo, no fill.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with spiral gobo, Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead at 50% output, 5300K for shadow fill.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with Venitian blind gobo, Ianiro Pocket LED FS-LD 162 overhead at 50% output, 5300K for shadow fill.

Pixapro Gobo Spot Spotlight with Venitian blind gobo.

With an understanding of exposure, it is possible to combine flash and continuous lights.

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and informational use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

70cm Speedlite Octa Softbox Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 14:06:00 +0000

This review is based on the item I purchased from Pixapro on 26 January 2022. Purchase price £34.99 plus postage/shipping. Original price £49.99.

I received an email as I’m one of those weird types that actually reads marketing messages. In this case, I felt that it was a success. Pixapro mentioned a 70cm Octa softbox suitable for Speedlites with rectangular or round head. I opened a WebChat and asked which Speedlites or flashes the https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/70cm-speedlight-softbox-with-fixed-round-head-bracket/ would be suitable. The response was quick and concise. Most Godox/Pixapro round head Speedlites, older rectangular head Speedlites, the Godox AD100/Pixapro CITI100 and Pixapro PIKA200/Godox AD200.

I’m a fan of the Pixapro PIKA200 aka Godox AD200 which has dimensions similar to a Speedlite with more than three times the flash power. This review features the Pixapro PIKA200/Godox AD200 with the bare bulb which is close to a studio flash in use.

First impressions are positive. The easy open mechanism is just that, whilst not as quick as an umbrella mechanism, there are no umbrella ribs giving a clean and uninterrupted light modifier. The interior is a bright silver coating on black RipStop style nylon. The ribs are steel and do not need pre-assembly. When pulled into place, the ribs are securely seated in the mounting ring.

In the photo above red arrows indicate the rib release buttons - the ribs need to be pulled inward to the mount and button pushed to collapse the ribs for packing. With practice this can be done with one hand.

The mount bracket is similar in design the S2 bracket although made from cast aluminium.

Inserts are provided to accommodate flashes with different size heads. Flashes are secured by tightening the screw at the top of the mount.

Viewed from the front of the modifier there is inefficient space around the head. I’m using the Pixapro PIKA200, but the same applies to any Speedlite. I can’t comment about the Pixapro CITI100/Godox AD100 as I do not own one.

To improve flash efficiency, I add an adaptor plate to give a continuous reflective surface. In previous tests use of a shiny disk plate improves flash efficiency by ⅔ - 1 stop. When using a Speedlite or flat front flash, I recommend that a diffuser box, dome or whatever is fitted to the flash in order to spread the light inside of the modifier. Flat front flashes project rather that spread light in modifiers creating uneven illumination and hot spots.

When viewed in profile, the Speedlite softbox is similar to the Elinchrom 70cm Deep Octa. I suspect the light emitted will be similar. The price difference between the two modifiers is considerable. I suspect this inexpensive light modifier will emit light similar to other (more expensive) brands.

The softbox is double diffused with inner and outer diffusers made from white RipStop material.

The supplied egg crate grid, considering the price is very good quality materials and construction. The egg crate grid provides directional control to the light.

As you can see from this photo of Fred, the egg crate grid gives directional and contrast control whilst maintaining softness. The softbox was positioned about 1 metre/40 inches from Fred. In this case the softbox had both inner and outer diffusers in place.

In this image the egg crate grid has been removed. Contrast has been reduced (flatter look to the light) and background light saturation reduced as the result of spill from the softbox.

Removing the front diffuser increases contrast. It’s best to experiment to see what diffusion suits your style or interpretation.

Removing all diffusion creates a broad hard light - notice the hard edge nose shadow and background shadow. See the distinct line to frame left above Fred where the red colour desaturates.

Pros and Cons

PROS

- Inexpensive

- Can be used with a number of flash types

- No umbrella mechanism to break up the lighting pattern

- Mount and ribs are made from durable materials

- Relatively quick and easy set-up and break down

- There’s enough space in the bag to carry a light stand, the flash with remote head and reflector plate

- Light quality could be similar to the Elinchrom 70cm Deep Octa - I will test and compare one I get a gap

CONS

- Mount internal diameter could be increased by 12-14mm to accommodate larger flashes such as the Pixapro CITI300 or 400/Godox AD300/400

- Screw clamp pressure area small compared to S2 bracket

YES, I will use and continue to recommend this versatile flash modifier. For the price, it’s a steal…

Disclosure
This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational and informational use.

Training
I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

One Light Off Camera Flash Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 14:56:00 +0000

Off camera flash describes the use of hot shoe flash mounted away from a camera and triggered remotely by a wireless trigger placed in the camera hot shoe where a Speedlite would normally reside.

Great portraits can be created with relatively inexpensive and simple gear. Most photographers have a hot shoe flash or Speedlite. Taking the flash off camera and modifying the light opens so many creative options.

This one light portrait was published in Amateur Photographer magazine issue 25 June 2021 as part of the feature “Successful portraits on a shoestring”. The portrait was lit with a bare Speedlite or hot shoe flash off-camera, diffused with a 40 inch/100cm white transluscent or shoot through umbrella with the flash zoom set to 20mm. Due to space constraints I couldn’t mention flash coverage or additional diffusion which can directly affect the quality of light falling on your model.

With Speedlites we must consider that the flash tube is zoomed to adjust the flash beam coverage. Adjusting the flash beam does not soften the light, just the area covered. A concealed flash tube projects light, potentially creating hot spots and uneven coverage. This also applies to certain outdoor battery flashes.

Adding a white diffuser to a Speedlite improves coverage when working with shoot through umbrellas giving more even illumination on the subject, although reducing effective output by about 1 stop.

For even coverage with light modifiers the flash tube needs to be open and designed to sit within the modifier for a good even spread. With round flash tubes there will be a hot spot, but not as noticable as flash heads with a concealed flash tube.

The set-up was just about as cheap and simple as flash photography can get. A black pop-up background, 1m/40inch white shoot through umbrella, clamp bracket, a Speedlite/hot shoe flash and wireless trigger, light stand and an A1 sheet of white foam core board cut through the outer cover on one side to create a v-flat fill board. Excluding the pop-up backdrop, the gear cost about £300.00.

A note about the flash bracket. This is the new Godox/Pixapro S2 flash bracket which has been designed to fix Speedlites and flashes up to 400 Ws to light stands. It has an integral Bowens S-Type mount for light modifiers and shapers, plus a spring lock umbrella mount.

Discloure

This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational use.

Training

I offer one to one training for selected photographers, bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house and establishing in-house studios with flash or low-energy LED continuous lighting.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

That's it for now and don't forget if you really enjoy lighting to visit and join The LIGHT Side - a place to learn, be mentored, nurtured and learn about lighting, lighting and photography, whatever your level or experience.

Location Reflector Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 13:01:00 +0000

Earlier in 2021 I wrote an overview of reflectors for photographers and video film makers for Amateur Photographer magazine in UK. The scope was limited due to space. Here I review in depth four of the reflectors included.

5-in-1 - Generic

Specification:
Open: 0.82m diameter
Surface Area: 0.53m2
Packed Size: 0.3 x 0.009 x 0.005m
Weight: 0.354 kg
RRP: £25.00 - £30.00
Rating: 4****

Relatively inexpensive. Great general purpose light control tool. Available from many manufacturers, sizes and shapes will vary, as does the quality of materials.

Easy to open and stow away. Folds away to 1/3 open size.

Can be mounted to a light stand with an A clamp or for more versatility a special articulated arm which are relatively expensive.

Reflective efficiency varies due to quality of surfaces and relative lack of tension in reflective surfaces. Gold surfaces can vary and give an over the top orange warm skin tone. The black surface is better used as a flag than a negative reflector as it’s quite shiny.

Changing reflective surfaces during a shoot can prove tricky - best to have two or three in difference configurations.

Various sizes available from 0.5m to 1.2 x 0.9m and larger.

Micro Mini - Sunbounce

Specification:
Open: 0.88 x 0.50m
Surface Area: 0.44m2
Packed Size: 0.76 x 0.011 x 0.011m
Weight: 0.686 kg
RRP: £130.00
Rating: 4****

Rating based on price, otherwise a great light control tool built to last with the large diameter tubular aluminium frame.

Set-up and break down are slow compared to a pop-up.

Built-in cross bar for ease of use, needs additional grip to mount to a light stand.

Excellent reflective efficiency due to tension of material - rectangle shape can be orientated vertical or horizontal depending on situation. Light can be aimed and feathered with ease.

Smallest in the Sunbounce range. Silver/white or silver gold surfaces give subtle spectral reflections.

TriGrip - Manfrotto Lastolite

Specification:
Open: 0.9 x 0.74 tapering to 0.37 m
Surface Area: 0.50m2
Packed Size: 0.36 x 0.005m
Weight: 0.52 kg
RRP: £79.00
Rating: 4****

Ideal for wedding and outdoor portrait photographers on the move where speed and convenience are paramount. Easy to open and stow away. Folds away to 1/3 open size.

Built-in handle for ease of use, needs addition grip gear to mount to a light stand. A Super Clamp and knuckle joint (shown) are a sound solution costing about the same as the specific mount sold for mounting to a light stand. I opt for the Super Clamp and knuckle joint as they have more than one specific use.

Excellent reflective efficiency due to tension of material. Light can be aimed and feathered with ease. Available in three sizes - 45 cm, 75 cm and 120 cm.

Halo Compact - Manfrotto Lastolite

Specification:
Open: 0.82m diameter
Surface Area: 00.53m2
Packed Size: 0.3 x 0.009 x 0.005m
Weight: 0.354 kg
RRP: £75.00
Rating: 4.5****

Overall best value for compact packed size, open surface area and handling. This is the reflector in my EDC (Every Day Carry) or go bag. Smallest size when packed - the size of a medium telephoto lens. Light weight, an ideal match for a Godox AD200 or AD300 as similar packed size.

Largest surface area open in use of the samples reviewed.

Built-in handle has 1/4in 20 TPI female thread. A Super Clamp and articulated ball joint will add to versatility when mounted to a light stand.

Set-up and break down are slow compared to a pop-up as there are 12 clips to secure the reflector to the frame. The clips could be tricky for some to secure with gloved or cold hands. Care is needed as the clips can pinch skin!

Variety of reflective surfaces and diffusion available, including difflector which is a clever reflective and diffusion scrim giving a 3-in-1 from two surfaces. Excellent reflective efficiency due to tension of material. Light can be aimed and feathered with ease. Silver/white or silver gold surfaces give subtle specular reflections.

A larger size is available.

Relative packed size of the reviewed reflectors

Discloure

This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for education and informnation. I own the reflectors reviewed and have used them for a number of years.

Training

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Homemade Lighting Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 18:51:00 +0000

Ade Parker over in my Facebook group, The LIGHT Side suggested to a fellow group member that using kitchen utensils such as collanders etc as cookies to break up light for a more interesting effect.

Here are few frames lit with an Ianiro LED Pocket Light FS-LED162 from namgrip.tv a AA COB LED torch/flashlight from a local supermarket, plus a few kitchen utensils.

The table-top set-up using simple and inexpensive gear. The pink rubber duck was the first object to hand. The white work area is a white foam core v-flat. The colour is provided by A4 sheets of craft paper.

Ianiro LED Pocket Light FS-LED162 is about the same size as an average mobile phone. Direct with no diffusion or fill to the shadows.

White foam core fill card added to camera right to reduce shadow density.

White RipStop nylon diffuser added between the Ianiro LED Pocket Light FS-LED162 and duck. Fill card in place to camera right.

Kitchen collander added between the Ianiro LED Pocket Light FS-LED162 and duck. Another light is needed as the collander has reduced the amount of light reaching the subject.

Kitchen collander added between the Ianiro LED Pocket Light FS-LED162 and duck. Fill card removed, hence shadow density. AA LED torch/flashlight added at about 8 o'clock for a hard point light spot light effect.

Slotted serving spoon between the AA torch/flashlight to create a cookie effect.

Balloon whisk cookie.

Course Micro plane grater held closer to the subject gives a more defined effect.

Course Micro plane grater held closer to the AA torch/flashlight gives a softer effect.

A collander...

Stretched steel sheet from a DIY store.

Stretched steel sheet positioned between both light sources.

Metal sheet with perforated 6 mm holes.

BTS showing the white v-flat reflector in place.

Discloure

This post is not supported by any of the brands named herein. It is purely for educational use.

Training

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Daylight Product Photography with Manfrotto TriGrip and Skylite Rapid

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 19:20:00 +0000

During the summer of 2021 I was asked to photograph Brighton Gin's new range of RTD Ready To Drink pre-mixed cocktails. Along with the usual white background packshots I shot a series of outdoor images using daylight and flash.

On the day I decided to photograph this set-up clouds were moving across the sky creating an ever changing lighting scenario. I order to create consistency I decided to use a Pixapro CITI600 TTL/Godox AD600 with a deep 10 inch/25cm reflector as my undiffused key light. Shadows were filled with a Manfrotto (Lastolite) TriGrip difflector. The difflector is a clever design - a white diffusion fabric with soft gold metallic strips printed on one side - a 3-in-1 soft gold or white reflector and 2 stop diffuser.

The Manfrotto (Lastolite) Skylite Rapid 1.1x1.1 metre frame was fitted with a 0.75 stop scrim which provides minimum diffusion without the milky effect of a 2 stop scrim. This reduced the light on the background without blocking the shadows.

The pebbles on Brighton Beach needed to feature in some of the shots, but budget and convenience precluded me shooting on Brighton or Hove beach. The solution was simple, a bag of beach pebbles from the local builders merchant, bucket of water and jug.

The day I chose to photograph this presented clear sky and bright consistent sun light. The sun needed diffusion, but not too much, so I opted for an 0.75 stop scrim on a Manfrotto (Lastolite) SkyLite Rapid. When working outside I prefer the rigid frame of a decent scrim.

Once clamped securely to a c-stand and weighted down it takes a lot of wind to move them. Pop-up reflectors flex and blow around meaning inconsistency and wasted time. Fill was from the white side of my Trigrip soft gold difflector secured to a c-stand with a clamp I designed. I could have used a Super Clamp, but my device held the TriGrip more securely.

The camera was positioned overhead on my Manfrotto 755MF3 carbon fibre tripod (now discontinued) with MH804-3W pan/tilt head. The legs of the tripod were secured into the lawn with tent pegs and paracord. The camera was trigged via a remote cord in on hand and jugs of water artfully thrown to simlaute wave splash with the other.

Discloure

This post is not supported by any on the brands named herein. It is an illustration of my working practices and the gear I use.

Training

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Godox S2 Modified for Elinchrom EL Light Modifiers

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 15:29:00 +0000

I've solved the issue of not being able to use my Elinchrom hard reflectors with the new and improved Godox S2 flash bracket. In my box of bits, I found an EL fit adaptor from a Speedlite bracket similar to this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Photography-Speedlight-Speedlite-Elinchrom/dp/B01AGGM1A4/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=elinchrom+flash+bracket&qid=1635525537&qsid=262-5577603-6976166&sr=8-8&sres=B078NV66DJ%2CB00Q2RHMPQ%2CB079BYWGDN%2CB074QLP1C3%2CB01AGGM1A4%2CB00JS3MINC%2CB07317T52Q%2CB072JRNNTG%2CB07YMZZY68%2CB00JAAXH1A%2CB07YCC1P18%2CB01M8QEA3X%2CB07ZJ3DBTK%2CB00UTPA09C%2CB01N10PLMM%2CB00OCDZLJG

I removed the EL adaptor from the rail, drilled M3 holes in the S2 bracket to match the EL adaptor and fixed the adaptor in place with bolts and Nyloc nuts so they do not work loose.

An original 1980s Elinchrom 44cm light shaper without the honeycombe grid and diffusion showing the AD300 in position

The 40cm Elinchrom Maxispot with a Godox AD360/Pixapro Hybrid 360 gives a gorgeous board hard beam not dissimilar to sunlight with 2 stops (approx.) gain in efficiency equivalent to 800 Ws

The Godox AD300PRO TTL/Pixapro CITI300PRO TTL outdoor flash is a perfect fit with this modification. There is a degree of movement which places the flash tube in a position not dissimilar to that of the original AC mains Elinchrom flashes.

Summary

The S2 Flash bracket meets my two criteria with lighting gear, versatility and adaptability.

This post has not been made in conjuction with either Godox or Pixapro. It is to show how products can be adapted and improved. I sincerely hope Godox see this and consider a Shiny Disk Thing as an accessory for the S2/AD200 combination.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Godox S2 Flash Bracket and the Shiny Disk Thing Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 15:16:00 +0000

A few years ago I was introduced to the Pixapro PIKA200 (Godox AD200) and began a new direction with outdoor lighting. Whereas before I'd used Speedlites or Metz hammerhead flashes (now no more, an ex-flash manufacturer) for off camera lighting with all the limitations bought about with limited battery life, sync cables and optical or IR triggers with limited range or line of sight activation.

Godox have developed a true flash ecosystem where all the flashes from Speedlites to 1200Ws battery beasties and AC mains studio flash all fire with the same trigger.

What attracted me to the PIKA200/Godox AD200 were not stunning good looks, but size and power output relative to Speedlite flashes. The PIKA200/Godox AD200 pocket flash is not much larger than the average Speedlite and boasts nearly three times the output. It's also a system tool in its' own right with dedicated heads and modifiers.

If you wanted to use Bowens S-Type modifiers or umbrellas there was the S Bracket with the difficult to use click stop tilt - originally designed for use with Speedlites.

With advent of the AD400PRO TTL and soon after the AD300PRO TTL Godox introduced the S2 Flash Bracket, which is a vast improvement on the original product.

The tilt pivot now uses a friction washer to hold things in place with a smooth movement lacking click stops

There are removable blocks which allow the various flashes to be secured. I wonder how long it will be before I loose the plastic blocks?

It will still accommodate the expected range of S Type light modifiers etc, and now it will allow you to use a wide range of flashes from Speedlites, AD100, AD200 with the various heads, AD300 and AD400.

For me there are only two failings - when using a Speedlite or AD200 there's a lot of light wasted to the gap between the bracket and flash. Plus, Godox have yet to introduce an Elinchrom versio of the S2 Fllash Bracket for people like me who have a fine collection of Elinchrom hard and collapsible light modifiers and shapers.

I have resolved both of these issues. Forget Speedlites for now, I do not use Speedlites with larger light modifiers now the AD200/PIKA200 in available.

Light lost to the rear of the S2 Flash Bracket

Lost light means loss of efficient flash output. The power remains the same, but the light is not being directed where it's needed, especially when using a beauty dish with a deflector in place which relies on there being a reflective surface to the rear of the modifier, not non-reflective space to the rear of the bracket.

Mind the gap - a shiny disk thing in place improves flash efficiency by 2/3 - 1 stop depending on the flash tube position relative to the modifier

There are number of simple and relatively inexpensive solutions to fill the gap.

The Shiny Disk Thing - I have John Aldred at DIYPhotography.net for the handle
Also known as the Adapter Ring for Quickbox Softboxes available from Pixapro. I understand that they limited stock available https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-hybrid360-adapter-ring-for-quickbox-softboxes/

Alternatively, there's the white dome diffuser which has the dual purpose of softening and spreading the light within the modifier and preventing spill to the rear. If you don't want or the need the softening effect the dome can be removed from the metal plate by removing the crosshead screws https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-12cm-180-diffuser-globe-for-hybrid360-bare-bulb-flash/

Once the white dome is removed you'll see the vents which dissipate heat from the enclosed dome. I cover these with aluminium tape of the type used to join HVAC ducting. The tape also makes a great reflective surface, including scatter reflectors which give more natural effect than a flat reflector board.

When using using hard open face reflectors I've taken a 14cm umbrella reflector and trimmed 20-23mm from the circumference with metal shears to give me a plate which not only improves the flash efficiency, but a more consistent beam.

Summary

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Millennium Window - a case study

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 09:27:00 +0000

This is an image I created of a celebratory window for The Church of St. John The Baptist, Clayton in West Sussex, England. On the surface it looks like a straight forward photo, the reality is different.

The base of the window is about 15 feet above the floor. When photographed from below images exhibit convergence and the sky background gives insufficient contrast to show the etched design on the glass. Lighting was not an option so planning was essential to ensure the elevation and direction of the sun cross lit the etched design. This can be done with any number of sun direction apps or The Photographers Ephemeris.

In order to get a dark background I needed to decrease the angle between the camera and window. To achieve this I needed to be further away. Outside in the churchyard there are dense conifers which provided the dark background. The church is Saxon in origin so not very big, seating a congregation of around 80.

From the Altar wall to the Millenuim Window is about sixty feet. The Altar is raised about two feet above the floor. To reduce the angle more I put my Canon 1Ds with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM on a vintage Gitzo Geante tripod which extends to about nine or ten feet tall. As you can see in the above image, with a 50mm lens there is little distortion from a distance and the trees provide contrast with the white etched glass.

The final frame was processed with Adobe Camera RAW to boost contrast, saturation, optical distortion etc. Ultimately, the final image was used as a postcard to raise funds for the Church.

That's it for now, I hope this is of help in understanding the processes behind what on the surface looks like a simple image.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Stabilise your tripod or light stand with these simple DIY hacks

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 15:47:00 +0000

The ulitmate in stability for critical applications has to be the studio stand. For those not fortunate enough to own a studio stand here are a few ideas I use when I don't have my studio stand and for lighter weight light stands.

This is a low cost hack involving a 20kg bag of beach pebbles from a builders merchant or DIY store and a length of 550lb paracord. I use paracord as there is no stretch under tension. 550lb denotes the Mil Spec tested breaking strain. Using a loop gives 1100lb and more cord to bite into. Paracord is available from many outdoor suppliers from the popular online markets.

This is my trusty vintage Gitzo Geant tripod with Gitzo No.4 pan tilt head, a legacy from the days I used to shoot sheet film. In the yellow bucket is 20kg of beach pebbles which serve the dual purpose of a background and ballast. I also fill sandbags with pebbles as they don't create dust as does sand when dry.

The first loop of paracord is secured to the top of the tripod.

The second loop is secured to the handle of a bucket.

The loops of paracord are joined by a Prusik knot which under tension locks tight and will not move. Release the tension and it slides freely.

Click on image to view larger

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of resources showing how to tie knots. I recommend Animated Knots as the illustrations are easy for knotting novices to follow - that is unless you're a Boy Scout, sailor or climber! https://www.animatedknots.com/prusik-knot

Another option is a ground screw, the type of thing used to tether dogs, goats or whatever.

The same principle applies, attach one loop of paracord to the top of the tripod, the other to the ground screw. The ground screw can be twisted to increase tension and stability.

In the absence of a ground screw or when moving around it's possible to put a foot into the the lower loop to improve stability to for long exposure photography. In my expereince it's a better way than hanging a camera bag from the tripod which can swing and cause camera shake.

It's possible to secure light stands in position using a ground screw and two lengths of paracord. This is especially important with carbon fibre lights stands such as the Namgrip LS-255C which weighs around 550g.

With light stands it best to secure the first loop of paracord to the top of the first riser which helps give extra tension.

One advantage of the ground screw it can be screwed into the groind an extra turn or two to increase the tension on the paracord and in turn stability of the light stand.

This ground screw is about 500mm long and can be purchased from pet stores on the highstreet or online.

Another favourite with light stands is to use 2 litre bottles of water in place of sand bags, especially on location. You don't need to carry the bottled water, just a tote bag or similar. Buy a couple of cheap super market bottles, in UK I've founf them for as little as 17p for 2 litres. I keep a couple in the car for this purpose and radiator tops-ups etc.

If you work with battery flash that has a remote pack, a strip of duplex hook and loop (Velcro) will secure the pack for added stability.

I also use my bag for ballast, just feed the light stand riser through the carry handles or attach with a loop od paracord.

That's it for now, I hope this inspires you to try accessible alternatives to keep your tripod and light stands stable.

I offer one to one training for selected photographers and bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house. Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

DxO NIK Collection 4 - it's worth upgrading NOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 12:25:00 +0000

Early in June 2021 DxO launched a significant upgrade to their NIK Collection of eight plugins for for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, DxO PhotoLab and Serif Affinity. I’ve been using a pre-release version for a few weeks now, I’m impressed with improvements overall, especially to layout and workflow. Adobe Lightroom users can replicate adjustments using the Last Edit command. Photoshop users have new Meta Presets which combine setting from multiple NIK plugins into a single action.

The suite includes a range of 200 exclusive presets and creative effects and a number of retouching tools covering every aspect of creative photography from colour and white-and-black photography to analog simulation. It also features exclusive U Point™ technology allowing local adjustments with absolute precision by placing control points in selected areas of your photos. All presets can be adjusted, modified and saved to create your own looks and styles.

The original RAW file straight out of camera converted to PSD

Analogue Efex Pro 2 provides eleven Tool Combinations and fourteen Tools, plus Build a Camera allowing you to create your own looks from the supplied Tools.

Analogue Efex Pro 2 Wet Plate Camera
Within the module the plate style, vignette and scratches etc can all be adjusted

Color Efex Pro 4 has the most extensive range of presets in the whole NIK Collection. If you look carefully there is Film Efex: Modern (Branded) covering many popular C41 and E6 emulsions from all the major film manufacturers. I’d invest my money purely for this plugin and Silver Efex Pro 3 (see below).

Beautiful exaggerated and saturated colours from the Color Efex Pro 4
Film Efex: Modern (Branded) Fujichrom Velvia 100 - once the staple stock for landscape photographers

Dfine 2 reduces digital noise. I’m not sure how much use this feature will get from me in view that I now use DxO PureRAW to pre-process RAW files shot at higher ISO settings before even opening any other post-production application.

HDR Efex Pro 2 creates an adjustable HDR look or non-destructive exposure adjustment from an existing file.

Perspective Efex is a new addition the NIK Collection and allows corrections to vertical lines in architectural photos, straighten horizons, cropping and a miniature effect. Remember to duplicate the layer as this app is potentially destructive in that it does’t create an effects layer.

Sharpener Pro 3: RAW Presharpener is designed to compensate for the loss of sharpness in your image during capture, due to the presence of a low-pass filter in front of the camera sensor, but it can also be used in a complete sharpening workflow, from capture to creative processing to output when combined with Sharpener Pro 3: Output Sharpener.

Sharpener Pro 3: Output Sharpener is a powerful tool for sharpening final images whether end use is a computer display, inkjet print, continuous tome, half tone or hybrid. The inkjet and half tone options have selections for different papers, viewing distance and printer resolution. Most photographers will most likely use the inkjet option most. The half tone option is the domain of reproduction for offset sheet and web fed printing.

Silver Efex Pro 3 for black and white conversions with accurate film emulation, realistic grain structure and DxO’s ClearView control to cut through haze. I used the default Ilford Pan F 50 conversion for a forthcoming AP feature “Successful Portraits on a Shoestring”.

I selected Kodak Plus-X 125 from Silver Efex Pro 3 as it's a stock I'm familar with from the days when I shot so much black & white film commercially. The emulated tonality and grain structure seem so close to the original. I added a red filter effect in the module to enhance the contrast of the sunlit scene.

100% view of grain from Silver Efex Pro 3 Kodak Plus-X 125 emulation

Viveza 3 allows precise control the colour, hue, brightness, and contrast of your photos.

With practice and experimentation each user will develop their own workflow which suits their personal style.

I strongly recommend bookmarking or downloading the NIK Collection 4 User Guide. This can be accessed under HELP in the lower left corner of each module or via this link https://help-nikcollection4.dxo.com/home

A free 30 day trial is available and there are special purchase and upgrade pricing until 30 June 2021 https://nikcollection.dxo.com/download/

Pricing
BUY
Until 30 June 2021       From 1 July 2021
Europe €99.99       €149.00
US        $99.99       $149.00
UK       £89.99       £133.00

UPGRADE
Europe   €59.99   €79.00
US       $59.99       $79.00
UK       £49.99       £69.00

DxO Pure RAW - RAW file Pre-processing software

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 13:22:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I attended an online press conference for the new DxO PureRAW RAW file processing app. 

DxO PureRAW has been designed to bring new life into RAW files, some of which were previously unusable or taken with gear which is now obsolete. It’s now possible to shoot images using high ISO settings and process the images with PureRAW. 

DxO DeepPRIME technology is an artificial intelligence designed for developing RAW photo files. Trained through deep learning using millions of images analysed by DxO's laboratories, it delivers a revolutionary improvement to digital noise reduction while also de-mosaicing photos more effectively.
 PureRAW uses smart technology and a library of over 60,000 camera and lens combinations to remove noise and grain from images. It even differentiates between ultra-sharp areas and bokeh effects. Pure RAW accurately reveals details in files allowing images to be enlarged without worrying about decreasing the quality.  

Click image to view larger

DXO Pure RAW is used to process your RAW files before further processing in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, DxO PhotoLab 4 or any other photo-editing software, allowing you to maintain your usual editing environment. Output is via JPEG or DNG files. The interface is simple with no sliders or complicated settings, just drag and drop your images and DxO PureRAW will analyse and if necessary download appropriate camera and lens combination settings file.  

From the few tests I’ve run over the last few days DxO PureRAW will become part of my image processing workflow from today. It’s running on a Mac with M1 processor so can’t be described as pedestrian. From my initial tests DxO PureRAW will be especially effective on images shot in low-light conditions, preserving colour detail, reducing noise and giving more natural tonal transitions.  

Click image to view larger

As you can see from the images here, the detail revealed, noise and grain reduction is impressive.

DxO PureRAW (Windows and MacOS) is now available for download on the DxO website https://shop.dxo.com/ for a special launch price of £79.99 instead of £115.00 until 31 May, 2021. A free 30-day trial version is also available : https://www.dxo.com/dxo-pureraw/download/

Location lighting with Pixapro (Godox) Flash

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 14:02:00 +0000

My thanks to Amateur Photographer magazine for including one of my images in the feature “Exploring lighting options with the pros” Tuesday 17 November 2020 edition. This prompted me to expand this and a another image from the assignment.

Background

www.ditchlingcabin.com is a secluded cabin on a private lake in the South Downs National Park about 10 miles from Brighton and close to rural Ditchling village.

The owner needed a series of images to show the cozy, idyllic lakeside retreat on their website and on various booking portals.

Photography

The brief was broad from exterior lifestyle sunlit images, people enjoying being on the water, lit interiors and evocative exteriors.

The two images featured here are worthy of mention as they show with knowledge and experience what can be achieved. They did not happen by chance.

I enjoy the challenge of location shoots, previsualisation and planning are essential. Time of day, camera and lighting positions all need consideration. As do models, props and appropriate equipment.

For some time now I’ve chosen to use Pixapro’s portable battery flash. I took a brief sojourn with a Swiss brand of portable flash and ultimately decided that the Pixapro system offered the best solution for me based on versatility, size, output and price. All Pixapro battery flash from 60Ws Speedlite to 1200Ws will work together from one wireless trigger without messy work arounds.

The Couple

I had an idea in my mind how this couple look and planned my arrival in order to give me time to shoot a few fillers and then this sunset image. I needed to work fast as the sun would drop below the tree line in about ten minutes of shooting this.

I set up a Pixapro CITI400PRO TTL battery mono bloc flash with a 60cm octa soft box without any diffusion so it became a large open face reflector. From a previous recce visit I knew roughly the colour of the sun on a clear(ish) day so selected a LEE Fiilters 775 Soft Amber Key 2 gel from the Master Location Kit I carry as part of my car based location kit.

Ambient exposure, no flash. Straight out of camera

The gel was clipped inside the light with wooden clothes pags and positioned approximately in position relative to where the couple would sit.  

The camera as set to Manual after establishing my base exposure using Aperture priority auto exposure. I used a Pixapro ST-IV wireless flash trigger and ensured that both the channel and group matched on both the trigger and flash! Initially the flash was set to TTL auto is establish the flash exposure for the scene.

Once I was happy with the result, I used the TCM - TTL Convert to Manual button on the flash controller fix the flash exposure to manual. That was during the short shoot the both the flash and camera exposure would remain constant and I could concentrate on directing the talent. I had to pan the light slightly toward the camera to achieve a natural look and mimic how I visualised the sunlight falling on the couple.

Camera Settings

Canon EOS R (handheld)
Canon EF 50mm ƒ/1.4 ISO 320, ƒ/3.5, 1/2500 sec The manual exposure was based upon a TTL reading of -2 stops as the key part of the scene is against a dark area and the camera would have over exposed making the area too bright
White Balance Daylight

The Cabin

On the surface this looks like a straight forward image, logistically not. First of all I knew the shot I wanted, camera position, lens focal length, tripod etc and approximate time of day. I did have to test before the actual shoot whether or not the Pixapro ST-IV controller had the range to trigger the two PIKA200 flashes positioned in the cabin.

  I worked close the the extreme range of the ST-IV controller and had to take into account that the cabin is heavily insulated. The insulation has a aluminium or similar coating which created what is in effect a Friday Cage. This meant that positioning of the PIKA200 flashes was critical - they needed to be close to line of sight yet out of view.  

Ambient exposure, no flash. Straight out of camera

This was one of the few occasions I decided to work with an assistant. It was a five minute walk each way from the camera position to the cabin with rapidly changing light. Josh who was assisting had one of two walkie talkies to enable quick communication.  

Before I went to my predetermined camera position, Josh and I positioned the PIKA200 flashes roughly where they should be. This meant thinking about what the camera would “see” and positioning the lights so the flash reflected of the objects and surfaces toward the camera position.

Each PIKA200 was fitted with a 48cm folding octa, deflector, ½ CTO LEE Filters 205 and 430 Grid Cloth for diffusion. There are time I use Grid Cloth (which is in effect RipStop nylon) instead of the front diffuser on soft boxes as it can be layered to increase the diffusion effect.

Once the lights were set and I reached the camera position, we had no more than ten minutes to complete the shoot before we lost the light and the weather changed.

Camera Settings

Canon EOS R (tripod)
Canon 24-105mm ƒ/4 IS L ISO 160, ƒ/8, 1/30 sec
Manual exposure on the camera and the PIKA200 flashes TTL
White Balance Daylight with grading in post-production

Flash Equipment List

48cm Octa
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-48cm-foldable-octagonal-softbox-for-hybrid360/

PIKA200 (Godox AD200)
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-pika200-portable-battery-powered-ttl-mini-flash/

 
60cm Octa
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-60cm-collapsible-portable-silver-beauty-dish-s-type/

CITI400PRO TTL (Godox Wistro AD400 PRO)
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-citi400-pro-ttl-battery-powered-flash/

Light stand for CITI400
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-heavy-duty-portable-foldable-light-stand-220cm/

Light stand for PIKA200 
Phottix Padat 190 carbon fibre. I use these with my PIKA200 flash as they have a lower folded profile than the Pixapro 220cm folding light stand and weigh a measly 600g, compared to 1200g or more for the Pixapro 220cm folding light stand. You do pay the price, literally! They sell for about £130 each and have a maximum load of 1.5kg
https://www.theflashcentre.co/phottix_padat_carbon_fibre_compact_light_stand_198cm_78_inch.html

ST-IV Flash Trigger Controller (Godox XPRO)
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-pro-st-iv-2-point-4ghz-flash-transmitter/

LEE Filters lighting gels
https://leefiltersdirect.com/collections/lighting/products/master-location-pack

C47 Clothes Pegs 
Any reputable hardware store or supermarket

Amateur Photographer Magazine
https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/about

The Location, Ditchling Cabin
https://www.ditchlingcabin.com/

I offer one to one training for selected photographers and bespoke training for businesses who need to keep their photography in-house. Feel free to contact me to discuss your requirements.

Keep safe and remember your health is important in these strange times.

Lighting Boom Counter Weights

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 14:52:00 +0000

Anyone who uses a boom to position lights will understand the importance of a counter weight to prevent things falling to earth.   In the studio I utilise ankle weights which are used during exercise. They are accessible and relatively inexpensive. They can be used to slide and and down the boom to achieve balance or hung from the end.  I’ve added a length of paracord for ease of handling and hazard tape for visibility.  

Ankle weights may be purchased online from Amazon, Ebay and many high street sports stores for less than £10.00 a pair, depending on weight & quality. The pair I use state 6kg, in fact each weight is 3kg.

That's it for now. Happy Christmas 🎅

If you really enjoy lighting to visit and join The LIGHT Side - a place to learn, be mentored, nurtured and learn about light, lighting and photography, whatever your level or experience.

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PIXAPRO CITI400 PRO TTL

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 14:39:00 +0000

As Black Friday approaches I decided that it's time to try the much talked about Pixapro CITI400 TTL.

First impressions are very favourable - build quality is good. Aesthetically pleasing design including a circular flash tube with a reflector reminiscent of the Profoto OCF off camera flash heads. The Godox mount reflector can be removed and a Bowens S-Type mount fixed in place with four hex screws. Mounts are also available for Elinchrom, Profoto & Broncolor light modifiers & accessories.

The CITI400as supplied with the protective cover in place.

The protective cover removed to reveal the flash tube and built-in reflector.

The built-in reflector removed reveals the Godox bayonet mount which is a smaller diameter that the Bowens S-Type adaptor which is fixed in place by four fine screws (supplied).

The Godox mount reflector can be removed for use as a protective flash tube cover for the other brand mounts. It's not obvious how to separate the two parts and the supplied instruction book currently doesn't illustrate this.

You'll need to take a firm grip on either end of the reflector and give it a firm pull to separate the two parts.

Once separated, the left part (above) has the Godox mount. The other part on the right is an extension rim.

With the Bowens S-Type adaptor in place, the reflector fits directly into the Godox mount.

That's it, protective cover in place.

The supplied carry case has been designed to accomadate the CITI400 PRO TTL with a mount for other flash brands in place.

That's it for now. I will post updates as soon as I have content available.

If you really enjoy lighting to visit and join The LIGHT Side - a place to learn, be mentored, nurtured and learn about light, lighting and photography, whatever your level or experience.

My thanks to Yang Wu, Ling Tan & team at Pixapro for providing such great service. If you're in the UK do support them as they do offer a 2 year warranty on their products and it really does save a pile of hassle by not dealing with a overseas supplier of potentially unknown provenance who may not be there when you need them . . .

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Protect your photography gear - don't let rain stop play

noreply@blogger.com (Ian Pack) — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 17:32:00 +0000

For those of us that live and work in the UK, the weather will almost always feature in conversation during the day, especially rain!

There are any number of protective covers designed specifically for your gear. Personally, I opt for nothing more than transparent heavy-gauge rubbish bags. Those sold by DIY stores or builders merchants are ideal. I carry a couple which have been cut to fit cameras and portable battery flash with a beauty dish.

But what if you don't have any protective cover with you, which recently happened to me when I took off in a hurry? Gaffers tape is the answer. I wanted to shoot with flash outside to give the shots some punch. In order to protect the flash I sealed all the joints with gaffers tape to reduce the possibility of the ingress of water!

We all know that gaffers tape comes on large combersome rolls, so I transfer a few meters onto a till roll core - ask at your local store or supermarket. They recycle dozens every day.

The finished image isn't available as I'm waiting for it to be published . . .

So here's a BTS (Behind The Scenes) image from the shoot. The Elinchrom ELB500 TTL flash was mounted on a painters extension pole by means of my SPIG, currently out of production whilst I work on the next interation.

The painters pole was attached to the vineyard trellis wire by means of a reusable cable tie.

This is how the gear looked after about an hour in torrential rain. I don't make a habit of getting my gear soaked and do not recommend it. Please not that the Elinchrom warranty DOES NOT cover ingress of water.

Once back at the studio the gear was throughly dried over a warm radiator, about 15ºC for at least 12 hours. Too hot and the gear would be gently cooked and rendered useless.

If you’re in the UK contact The Flash Centre for further information and a demonstration https://www.theflashcentre.com/our_stores.html Outside of the UK there’s a complete list of distributors on the Elinchrom website https://www.elinchrom.com/distrib.php?tab=0

Credits

Lighting Equipment: Sunbounce, Elinchrom & more from our friends at The Flash Centre - I don't recommend businesses unless I have direct experience of the products and people - when contacting The Flash Centre call Brian Collier at the Birmingham branch.

Photography lighting equipment in association with

The Flash Centre and Elinchrom Ltd