There are a lot of photography books out there. There are a lot of books about lighting. But if you really want to know about the lighting set up, not a lot will help you in that department.
Thankfully, there's Kevin Kubota's Lighting Notebook. The book shows the diagrams for the different shots and the budget and number of hands necessary to make each.
I got so inspired that, when I got my Westcott Umbrella, I made these portraits. Of course, in the spirit of the book, I would like to include my diagrams also:
But of course, Kevin's pictures and subjects are prettier. If only the wife were available when I took these shots... :)
I got so inspired by the book that I want to try out the different set ups on my own. Kevin's set ups would be a good starting point for anyone who wants to improve their portrait photography.
So, if you want to improve your photography, as I am, based on your budget and on the number of hands, or stands, available to you, Kevin's book would be a very big help.
So get your copy of the book by clicking on the link below!
Funny thing happened while I was taking my photos. Since I was crouched really low because of the Gorillapod, an elderly couple asked me if I was taking photos of feet. I had to explain to them that I angled my camera upward so I wasn't just taking photos of feet.
A not-so-funny thing also happened. Because I was crouched so low, I almost got trampled on in several occasions...
Want some form of stability in your photography but do not want to carry the bulk? Then consider the Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom.
If you are not familiar with the brand, the Gorillapod is a short tripod with flexible legs. You can wrap it around objects, like a tree branch, a chair, anything that can serve as a stable platform for your camera.
You can bend it to your heart's content, though bringing it back to its straight configuration can be quite tricky.
Paired with the ballhead, this is a perfect system if you want to have the option to stabilize your DSLR and yet do not want to risk breaking your back by carrying a full-size tripod.
The tripod-ballhead pair can carry my Canon 7D with a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens. However, I cannot put my camera in a portrait orientation - the base is not wide enough so the system tends to topple and the ballhead starts to sag down.
If you're system is heavier than mine, Joby recommends that you upgrade to the Joby Gorillapod Focus.
But, all-in-all, I am very happy with the Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom. I now have a tripod that I carry with me almost everyday.
Here is a video, taken with an iPhone4, of how I attached the tripod on the back rest of a bar stool.
The wife and I attended the Sinulog Festival. (If you are not familiar with this, check out this wikipedia entry about it.) This is an annual event celebrated by the Filipinos near and around Chicago but, for the wife and I, this is the first time we have attended one here in the US.
It was a very colorful event and all of the performances were done gracefully. Of course, I took this as a great opportunity to whip out the camera and capture the drama unfolding before me.
For the rest of my photos, check out the slide show below:
Want to take your photography to the next level? It requires a minimum of two steps:
Get your flash off camera.
Use a light modifier.
I got lucky I chanced upon this kit. I say kit because it comes with its own stand and speedlite holder. You can either use it as a shoot-trough umbrella or you can use the black cloth that came with it and use the umbrella as a reflector.
Your speedlite and umbrella are attached to the included shoe mount bracket. The black cloth is easily removed and put back.
Now, I said there are a minimum of two steps. Why two?
Well, if you just remove the flash, then this is what you can get:
Ooh! Ouch! That's blinding light! But with the light modifier:
What is produced is a nice, soft, very flattering light. (Now, can you tell which is the shoot-through shot and which is the reflected-light shot?)
So, if you want to improve your photography without having to spend so much, get your umbrella here.
On a below-freezing but a quite gorgeous day, I went to Chinatown in the South Loop and participated in the Chinatown centennial and Chinese New Year celebration. The colorful parade and the general happy feeling made the venture outdoors, despite the frigid conditions, very much worth it.
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