May 27, 2013

Tenba Messenger Large and ThinkTank Retrospective 20


Tenba messenger is my day-to-day bag for the last three years.
Pros:
  • Discreet - does not look like a photo bag
  • Quick access top zipper
  • Large enough for a day trip
  • Packs large laptop, camera, 2 more lenses and a flash. Nanostand can be attached externally
  • Fit and finish of decent quality
  • Durable - no signs of tear after 3 years
Cons:
  • Exterior is too busy to my taste - exterior pockets are not really needed

May 3, 2013

Zeikos ZE-260F Deluxe DSLR Soft Case Review

Here is my old video review which I managed to publish on YouTube only recently.


In a nutshell this is a great value case offering little to no protection from the elements.  I use it to store and transport my video camera and audio recorder with accessories.

May 2, 2013

Seamless White


Recently I did my first full length portrait on a seamless white.  I like simplicity and uplifting spirit offered by seamless white.  I hope it will offer my customers a timeless look which is not likely to go out of fashion anytime soon.  It is also simple to implement.  I wish I had seamless paper roll.  In that case grey would be in option as well.  In my case I just used a king-size bedsheet - good enough if you want to just overexpose it, but not for anything else.
But first about my model.   Leif Hansson was pretty awesome - bright, inventive, easy to work with.  Extremely easy to direct.  I look forward to opportunity to shoot more images of Leif.
Now back to technique.  Here is Zack Arias' definitive Seamless White Tutorial.  Almost immediately I ran into the need to prevent  background flashes (2xSB800) from lighting the subject directly.  Zack uses folding doors for that.  I used the same material I used on the floor to create a V-flat which I used for this purpose.
My key light was a small flash (SB600) in a beauty dish - I discussed the dish in this blog before. For a catchlight I used another SB800 which also driving other flashes through CLS.