Just before the start of FotoWeekend 2011 in Dubai, I had the good fortune to join Bobbi Lane for a sunset shoot at the Bab Al Shams Resort resort. Bobbi is a GPP-veteran — who mercifully shared her secrets about such things as dealing with a 12-hour time shift and also hauled me out on many great adventures in Dubai. Joining us for this shoot was Issa Saleh AlKindy, a talented Omani photographer (site here), who fortunately knows how to drive on highways that have many warning signs about random camels crossing the road. I have to say, that even though I grew up in the desert of Arizona, I learned loads about desert shooting in the sands of Dubai.
I learned this morning that a number of my blogging friends have discovered that a site is publishing entire posts from their sites. Three years ago, I ran into this same problem on my original blog, PixSylated. So, for the benefit of those who’ve just discovered that they’ve been ripped off, I’m republishing my story about fighting a web pirate in 2009. It was a quick fight. Within 24 hours the site was taken down entirely.
The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) provides very clear steps on what you should do. SOPA and PIPA are entirely different creatures. The DMCA has been alive and kicking for over 12 years.
To file a DMCA Take-Down Notice, you have to contact the ISP that hosts the offending content. Every ISP has their DMCA procedure buried somewhere on their site. Look for “Legal” in the page footer of the ISP’s homepage. If you follow the steps precisely (as defined by the ISP), a US-based ISP has no choice but to take down the material. If several offenses are reported, it is possible that the entire site will be taken offline.
Finding the ISP that hosts the offending site is the key. I detail the steps and provide search links below. For me, it started with a WhoIs search to determine the IP address for the offending site and then a search for the host of that IP address.
If you have additional resources or insights about fighting web pirates, please add them as a comment. The more that we all know about this, the better the web will be.
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Gels are an inexpensive way to turn a boring set into a space filled with ambiance. Three Speedlites, two gels, a random mirror, and a mini softbox enabled me to turn a small, unfinished cellar (above left) into the colorful set for a model’s portfolio shoot (above right).
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to gelling flash for dramatic effect. Most of the time, I start working towards an idea that I have in my head and then explore new opportunities as they appear along the way. So, I’ll walk you through the shoot I did for my friend Arian — one of my favorite workshop models here in Paso Robles – as a tour of my approach to creative gelling.
^ The entire shoot spanned 74 shots over 25 minutes. My hero shot happened at frame 69 — bottom row, second from left. As you’ll see, there were many turns in my visual journey.
My camera gear was my trusty Canon 5D Mark II with the Canon EF17-40mm f/4L lens, parked on my Gitzo tripod. Even though I can handhold 1/30″, I often lock my camera down in this type of shoot so that I maintain consistency of framing from shot to shot — which enables me to concentrate on the changes that I’m making to the light.
I fired three Speedlites – all Canon 580EX IIs – one in the hotshoe as the wireless master and two as off-camera slaves. You’ll find the details about my gel kit at the end of the article. I softened the blue-gelled Speedlite with the Lastolite Ezybox Speed-Lite mini softbox. The camera and flash were both run in manual mode for consistency from frame to frame. In fact, you’ll see that the only camera setting I change is the ISO.
^ Let’s head through the details of ten frames so that you can see the progression of my thoughts. (Tip: click through on any of the pix in this article to see a higher-res version.)
The next three months offers a wide range of photo expos, festivals, and conferences. Here’s a quick survey of eight of the larger events.
PhotoPro Expo – Feb. 2-5, Cincinnati, OH This has to be the greatest value of all the winter events. $159 gets you 16 speakers, including Yours Truly. I’ll be doing Speedliting clinics on the tradeshow floor Saturday and Sunday. Plus, if you’re an early-bird, I’ll be giving away some special door prizes during my Sunday session at 7am! In addition to the great lineup of speakers and the tradeshow, there will be a print competition and, since it’s Super Bowl Weekend, parties every night.
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The other events are:
Photo LA – Jan. 12-16, Santa Monica, CA
Imaging USA – Jan. 15-17, New Orleans
FOTOfusion – Jan. 24-28, Palm Beach
Gulf Photo Plus – Mar. 5-10, Dubai
Photoshop World – Mar. 24-26, Washington, DC
Lighting Persona, the second of my two December presentations in the Event Space at B&H Photo’s NYC superstore, is now on YouTube. In this video, I go through a number of shoots and the ways I shaped light to create the persona of the subject. Although my first session, Multi-Flash Speedliting (here on YouTube) was specific to Canon Speedlites, the concepts in Lighting Persona apply to all types of light — large and small, flash and continuous.
Click here for the HD version.
Click here for a standard-def version.
In the presentation, I talk about:
- Deciding Whether You Are a Pictorialist Or a Documentarian
- Why Lighting Is Really About Shadowing
- Controlling Ambient Light For Creative Effect
- Hard and Soft: Shaping Light To Match Your Vision
- Using Gels For Color Correction and Dramatic Effect
For a more detailed look at how I shoot with flash, including footage from a number of studio and location shoots, check out my Multi-Speedlite Course on Kelby Training.
I had the good fortune to give a two-hour presentation on Canon Speedliting with Multiple Flashes a few weeks ago in the Event Space at B&H Photo’s NYC superstore. Thanks to the great gang at B&H, you can now watch my presentation on YouTube.
Click here for the HD version.
Click here for a standard-def version.
In the presentation, I talk about:
- the details of using Canon’s built-in wireless system (which is the backbone of my multi-flash technique)
- other ways to trigger multiple flashes
- favorite modifiers for small flash
- the set-ups I used in a number of my favorite shoots
For a more detailed look at how I shoot multiple flashes, including footage from a number of studio and location shoots, check out my Multi-Speedlite Course on Kelby Training.
One of the most important concepts in flash photography is sync speed. This is the fastest shutter speed that your camera can use with normal flash. For most DSLRs, the sync speed is 1/250″. Your camera’s sync speed may be faster or slower — so check your user manual if you don’t know.
Why can’t I use flash at any shutter speed I want? This is a fair question. It has to do with the design of your camera’s shutter. If you use a DSLR or an old-school 35mm film camera, your shutter mechanism has two curtains in front of the sensor/film plane. During the exposure, the 1st/front curtain opens and then the 2nd/rear curtain closes. The difference in timing between the movement of the two curtains is your shutter speed.
At many shutter speeds, the 1st-curtain will completely clear the sensor before the 2nd-curtain begins to close. If your flash fires at any of these speeds, the entire sensor will see the flash — which is what you normally need to make a flash photo. Your sync speed is the fastest shutter speed at which the 1st-curtain completely clears the sensor before the 2nd-curtain begins to move.
At faster shutter speeds, the 2nd-curtain begins to close before the 1st-curtain is completely open. The shutter literally becomes a slit between the curtains that moves across the sensor. So, there is no point at which the flash can illuminate the entire sensor.
Syl’s Portfolio
Long Off-Camera Flash Cords
Syl On The Road
Syl Teaches Speedliting Online At Kelby Training
Speedliter’s Handbook
Nearly 400 pages of Syl Arena's how-to and why-to on lighting with small flash. Shoot Canon? The Handbook shows you the details of how to work the buttons and dials of Canon Speedlites. Shoot Nikon? Nearly 2/3 of the Handbook applies to all types of small flash.
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Syl Writes About Speedlites on Europe’s Canon Pro Network
Rebates On Canon Gear
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Recommended Books On Photography
Light: Science & Magic
Lighting Essentials
Lighting Notebook
Sketching Light
Speedliter's Handbook
Visual Stories