Michele

[drisley]

I got a chance to photograph my friend's 2 month old baby, Michele, this Christmas.
I tried using my 420ex bounced, with some aluminum foil attached with an elastic to push some light forward (instead of a white index card).
I'm going to use this method much more often, as the foil gives subjects a really nice glint in the eye that really makes the images pop, imho.

Taken with the 20D, 50F1.8II

ISO800:

http://www.fotop.net/albums/sharpnsmart/xmas2004/IMG_4443.jpg

ISO1600:

http://www.fotop.net/albums/sharpnsmart/xmas2004/IMG_4563.jpg

ISO800
http://www.fotop.net/albums/sharpnsmart/xmas2004/IMG_4596.jpg

[schmoelzel]

Hey Drisley....cute baby and good shots!! I really like the third one........they are easiest to shoot when they are sleeping!! I wish I could get that sharpness out of my 50f1.8 but I hardly ever use it anymore. After getting the 135f2, nothing seems as sharp and as nice to use.

oh yeah, keep drinking LOTS of tea so I can order that new camera in 2010!!:lol:

[drisley]

Thanks Schmoelzel.
Believe it or not, it was your posts of your daughter that inspired me for these.
I too like #3 the best. The lighting in #2 wasn't the best, and now that I look, it has a slight yellow cast.
I was using F2.8 and F4 for the above. I find that the 50F1.8II really shines at F2.2 and greater.

[Btw, I'm up to my ears in tea. I got some for xmas, but I'm so spoiled by your "real" tea, I dont know when/if I will drink that store bought stuff] ;)

[ignite]

Man, that is awesome colour and clarity. I like the last one best of all - its a different angle to the norm. People have recommended that lens to me and now i know why. Nice trick with the foil too - how much are you hanging off the top (i assume its off the top)?

Anthony

[Mills]

All good... The third is fantastic! :D

[D LeBlanc]

Great pictures. I like the second one the best.

[sparker1]

All are very sharp with great color. I need to use that lens more.

[drisley]

Thanks guys :)
I used the "foil" trick on most of my xmas shots last week, and wow, what a difference it makes.
That little glint really does make the image pop.


http://www.fotop.net/albums/sharpnsmart/miscellaneous/IMG_4674.jpg

[drisley]

BTW, have a look at this large, 1024x768 picture (http://www.mts.net/~lftbrain/20d/michele.jpg) of #1.
I love the detail in the eye.
Here is a full size crop of the eye (http://www.mts.net/~lftbrain/20d/eye.jpg).

[dsze]

....nice shots! I have a question; why did you decide to use such high ISO settings for these shots? Since you were using flash and the background seems unimportant anyway, I would have used a lower ISO, wide open apert......just curious what made you decide to shoot ISO800 & 1600.

...daniel

[drisley]

I like to get an exposure that is as close to optimum as possible without considering the flash.
Then I use the bounced light as a fill. This gives more natural lighting, uses less flash power and lowers flash recycle time.
Plus, as you can see from the above examples (including the large picture links I just posted), ISO800 and ISO1600 are virtually noise free, so there is no reason not to use them.

[dsze]

I don't know, I see some noise in those images. Its certainly not anything that I would call unacceptable, in fact, its amazing for ISO1600, but there is some noise. I agree about the natural lighting though. However, bouncing it like you did shouldn't make for too harsh of a light. You're right, using available light is preferred though. I guess its a toss-up either way... ISO w/ digital is really just amplification of light that hits the photosites....so there is bound to be some noise and/or softening w/in-camera noise reduction. Anyway, I was just curious as I probably would have gone about it with a lower ISO and more bounced flash... you got great results though, nice work!

-daniel

[NJPDDC]

Great Photos! I take alot of my grandchildren and look forward to using your technique to improve my photos. In fact, I'll start on New Years Eve!

[drisley]

Thanks for the positive comments! :D

DSZE, you see noise on that?! :shock:
You must have amazing vision man! :lol:
I can't even see noise on that image at 50%, and barely at 100%, and that is on a very good 19" flat crt.
But, even if there is a little grain, that isn't a bad thing at all. When printed at 8x10, the image is very very clean. I would take a little noise to get the lighting I like any day.
Because the ceiling was rather high, and I was rather low (the baby was on the bed) I didnt want to rely on the flash to light the scene. I'm sure using a lower ISO would produce an equally nice picture, but I have the mindset to get as close to a proper exposure without including the flash. And since the 20D produces such low noise at all ISO's, I like to use all the features of the camera as much as possible.

[nat869]

Great shots as usual. I see no noise at all in the pics. You just have a great knack for getting great high iso shots.

[Korr]

Nice pictures!

[schmoelzel]

I must say I wish my DRebel could produce noiseless shots at these high ISO numbers!! I normally do not go over 400 ISO and then if I want to print it, it must be put through processing (re: noiseninga). Drisley, you've inspired me to take that 50f1.8 out of the bag for tonight (New Year's eve) and see if I can be 'happy' with the results!!

[charlesu]

Prescious!

[dsze]

Well, I had another look this morning as I thought maybe it was just the sour mash last night...but no, I definitely see some noise in the background of all those images. I don't think its bokeh because I shoot alot with that lens and the bokeh is much smoother...so, I think its noise. Like I said though, its certainly not bad. ...quite amazing for ISO1600! I'm very impressed. I think that you're correct exposure has alot to do with the incredibly low noise.... maybe the darker background shows a little of the under-exposure noise? Anyway, I wasn't putting down your images. They are wonderful....I was just curious because some people do what they can to stay below ISO400 on any camera and others, like yourself prefer to nail the exposure using all available tools.... and like you said, with the 20D's noise levels, why not.

You might experiment with putting a little more faith in the 420EX though...I've been pleasantly surprised by mine. The ceiling in my living room ranges from 9ft to 15ft and I often shoot my 2 girls playing in here by bouncing the 420 straight up.... The results aren't "studio" but they are descent. I'll see if I can find some to post in a new thread.

-daniel

[drisley]

Thanks guys.
Schmoelzel, your DRebel can produce wonderfully clean images even at ISO800.
Just make sure not to underexpose. but, as you mention, noiseninja can be used, and it does a wonderful job.
I'm sure you've seen this image (http://www.mts.net/~lftbrain/iso1600crop2.jpg)I took with the DRebel at ISO800.

[mkitson]

Could you explain the 'foil trick'in a bit of detail for me. I am doing pretty much the same thing as you i.e. using my newly aquired 420EX bounced off the ceiling to take pictures of the kids.

Doh!.......sorry, just worked it out for myself. The main flash goes to the ceiling but the foil reflects a small highlight directly. Thanks for the tip.
BTW the 3rd shot is lovely. I also liked number 2 of the Christmas shots of your children.

[drisley]

Thanks alot. The baby isn't mine, but sure is cute.
You are right, the main flash bounces off the ceiling, and the foil pushes some light forward.
When I look close at the eyes, I'm not sure exactly where the glint in the eye is coming from, but it was much more noticable this time using the foil than it ever has been using any other method.
It's definately something I'm going to use from now on.
Btw, I used the shiny side of the foil. I'm not sure if there would be much difference, or if the dull side would be better, but I liked the results anyway.