Simple "every-day-emergency" location lighting

[PhotosGuy]

When you're running up & down the steps of a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, you don't want to carry a lot of baggage! So I always had two Vivitar 283s with me for "all-around every-day emergency" use. There were (actually "are", you can still get them & I still use mine) amazingly versatile units. Accessories include filters for WA & telephoto coverage, a remote cord for moving the sensors off the flash, and a VariPower sensor that can seamlessly dial down the power 5X. I love them!

This office was typically small with typically crappy green fluorescent lighting. I used flash on-cam set at the “right” exposure and 1 high to the right as a hot, accent light.
The pic below is a dupe of a cull slide, one where the lighting wasn’t just right, but the only one I could find in my files. Still, it illustrates the point that you don’t have to go elaborate lengths to improve the situation by a few hundred per-cent.

EDIT: There's a lot more added to this thread, so be sure to read the whole thing!

20mm f/3.5 Nikkor & 2 Vivitar 283s.

6668

You might still be able to find filter packs on eBay. There are two & they come in color & light modifying.

336422

[PhotosGuy]

Did you HOLD the main light with your hand? Looking at it, I may have had it on the cam & bounced it straight up. There's no way that it would cover the 20mm angle of view.
It's not a scan. My scans always came out crappy, which is why I made my trusty 300D slide duplicator. ;-)
Do you Cobble? (Slide duplicator) (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58609&highlight=cobble)

[PhotosGuy]

More on accessories: Post #10 - Location brackets.

I'm including a shot of the Varipower replacement for the sensor which allows minute adjustments to the output & also reduces the recycling time.

These units also have a cord which allows you to place the on flash optical sensor anywhere you want it! It's a great option.

"Black wrap", which is a black foil, takes the place of barn doors, flags, & other light modifiers.

Also, in this thread I put some info that will help you figure light fall-off in your head + many more links:
Fill light at sunset (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66353)
.

[dietcookie]

such a rad shot

[PhotosGuy]

Here are a few more examples.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/PhotosGuy/Architecture/Architecture-4up_012.jpg


Just found a great link to Strobist - "Less Gear • More Brain • Better Light" (http://strobist.blogspot.com/):
David (?), a working photographer promotes more effective use of small, shoe-mount flashes with pics & examples:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/02/welcome-to-strobist.html

NOTE:
Be sure to check out his link to this: Strobist "On Assignment - learn how to light." (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/on-assignment.html)

[verty]

i am so confused!
thoes pics look like they were taken in the 1960's!? even 70's
so old n retro looking! AHAHAHA very funky!

[PhotosGuy]

thoes pics look like they were taken in the 1960's!? even 70's See post #2 again.

Some other threads in no particular order:

Vivitar 283 & 285HV (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=475779)

Favorite non-Canon flash units (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=120840)

Suggestions for a decent budget flash for 300d... (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=120087)

Vivitar 283; History & comments (http://www.theothermartintaylor.com/moveabletype/archives/cameras/000156.html)

A Day in the Life of the Vivitar 283 (http://www.uscoles.com/bf283day.html)

A review and appreciation of a great design (http://www.trainweb.org/vermande/5/703.html)

High speed freeze (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=874029)

Will Crockett DVD - digital ON CAMERA FLASH (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=290737)

Lighting 101: Cross Lighting (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/04/lighting-101-cross-lighting.html)

Lighting 101: Hard Light (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-hard-light.html)

Low cost off camera flash tutorial for beginners (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=426102)

Joel Grimes on Lightweight strobe solutions (http://web.me.com/joelgrimes/Joel_Grimes_Photography/Blog/Entries/2009/12/10_Canon_Speedlites_on_location.html)

1 light = 10 different looks.pdf (http://www.popphoto.com/assets/download/PP1204_10differentlooks.pdf)

[Sgt.]

When you're running up & down the steps of a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, you don't want to carry a lot of baggage! So I always had two Vivitar 283s with me for "all-around every-day emergency" use. There were (actually "are", you can still get them & I still use mine) amazingly versatile units. Accessories include filters for WA & telephoto coverage, a remote cord for moving the sensors off the flash, and a VariPower sensor that can seamlessly dial down the power 5X. I love them!

This office was typically small with typically crappy green fluorescent lighting. I used flash on-cam set at the “right” exposure and 1 high to the right as a hot, accent light.
The pic below is a dupe of a cull slide, one where the lighting wasn’t just right, but the only one I could find in my files. Still, it illustrates the point that you don’t have to go elaborate to improve the situation by a few hundred per-cent.

20mm f/3.5 Nikkor & 2 Vivitar 283s.



Hey is that the" Bat Phone" LOL.

[PhotosGuy]

Some things to think about for inspiration: My Lighting Tools At Work (http://www.honlphoto.com/servlet/StoreFront) video.

[PhotosGuy]

These are some of the brackets I used to position the strobes. Most of the time I used a Vivitar SL-2 optical slave. They're so reliable that I'm still using the ones I bought over 30 years ago.

Attachment #1

1 & 2/ http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/61596-REG/Vivitar_237019_SL_2_Remote_Flash_Trigger.html These optical slaves are no longer available, but might be found on eBay.
Here's a page from B&H: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Optical-Slaves/ci/1736/N/4289244511
These ball heads have a standard 1/4"-20 hole in the bottom which is the same size as a tripod mount.
The Vivitar slave also has a 1/4"-20 hole in the bottom, which makes them very versatile.

3/ This small attachment fits on a light stand & has a 1/4"-20 thread. I wish I'd bought a dozen of them.

4/ This is a workaround for when you lose #3. It's just a piece of a 1/4"-20 rod with a nut to keep it from falling down into the light stand.

Attachment #2

5/ A bracket designed to hold a arm for a flag or hairlight. I've epoxied a flat head 1/4"-20 bolt to it & added a wing nut to keep the strobe tight.

6/ This hardware clamp has quick adjustable 0-" jaws & I've drilled it for a 1/4"-20 bolt.

7/ Not something I carried around much, but this microphone base is easy to adjust any way you like & makes a good low strobe support, especially for a back or background light.

8/ Same as #5.
.

[hauff]

Well I'm not sure about the flashes but the gamma ray looks dirty and the induction curve looks wet.....lol

[yogestee]

i am so confused!
thoes pics look like they were taken in the 1960's!? even 70's
so old n retro looking! AHAHAHA very funky!

Yep,,,possibly the 70s or 80s.. Shot on film using Nikon/ Nikkor 20mm F3.5 which at one stage was one of my fave lenses..

[PhotosGuy]

20mm F3.5 which at one stage was one of my fave lenses. They were taken about 1974-6, & the 20mm is still my favorite full frame lens along with the 105, 2.5. I even use it on my Canon sometimes.
'66 Ford Shelby GT-350 clone (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=108555)

[PhotosGuy]

You need to work within their limitations (less power & slower recycling time), but small, inexpensive strobes work fairly well for portrait, too.

Simple 2 Light Portrait Set-up (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=128857)

[PhotosGuy]

Old fill light trick when bouncing off the ceiling just isn't good enough:

355148

[Electrical]

Old fill light trick when bouncing off the ceiling just isn't good enough:

355148

see the specs of the SL580EX II :)
(it has a built in bounce card)

[PhotosGuy]

see the specs of the SL580EX II When I have an extra $400+ to throw away, I suspect that I won't be spending it on that + it's back-up? ;)

[Electrical]

When I have an extra $400+ to throw away, I suspect that I won't be spending it on that + it's back-up? ;)

flash photography opens a whole new dimension to photography, not one lens in this world can produce the same images that a flash would. seeking "the lens" will eventually cost you more than you think.

having an awesome/the right flash makes an amazing difference.

[MR do little]

flash photography opens a whole new dimension to photography, not one lens in this world can produce the same images that a flash would. seeking "the lens" will eventually cost you more than you think.

having an awesome/the right flash makes an amazing difference.


I dont really understand how the two compete with each other?

Eitherway shelling out the extra cash just to get a build-in bounce card seems pretty stupid to me. If you shoot manual there really isnt any need for Canon 580ex, regardless how awesome or right you think it is. :-)

[Electrical]

I dont really understand how the two compete with each other?

Eitherway shelling out the extra cash just to get a build-in bounce card seems pretty stupid to me. If you shoot manual there really isnt any need for Canon 580ex, regardless how awesome or right you think it is. :-)

well yeah, getting a bounce card for 400 bucks is a bit over the top for most.

what i wanted to say is that a flash can yield effects which ambient light cant. (example: black background to perfectly exposed subject in the foreground, like many b/w portraits you can find on the net.) and no matter what lens you use and how ever much it may cost, no lens in the world can replace what a flash can do to the image.

[MR do little]

well yeah, getting a bounce card for 400 bucks is a bit over the top for most.

what i wanted to say is that a flash can yield effects which ambient light cant. (example: black background to perfectly exposed subject in the foreground, like many b/w portraits you can find on the net.) and no matter what lens you use and how ever much it may cost, no lens in the world can replace what a flash can do to the image.

Yes it its, and its just plain stupid. While the Canon flash is a ok flash it wont win any prices for innovative design or for its brain.

Actually here is the pitfall many people do when they jump on the "strobist" bandwagon. For some reason they think the light omitted by a flash is magical and thats its totally diffrent to ambient light. So instead of seeing light as light, they sepparate the two and dont really learn to see the light, instead they learn to "mimic" light pattern.

A "perfectly" (kind of vauge, and highly subjective) exposed subject in the forground and a black background is quite easy to achive with ambient light. If you know how light behaves, regardless if its flash or natural.

I still dont see the logic, its correct the choice of lens wont affect the (shape) the light, just as a flash wont change the perspective, dof of the image.

Kindest

[Electrical]

Yes it its, and its just plain stupid. While the Canon flash is a ok flash it wont win any prices for innovtive design or for its brain.

Actually here is the pitfall many people do when they jump on the "strobist" bandwagon. For some reason they think the light omitted by a flash is magical and thats its totally diffrent to ambient light. So instead of seeing light as light, they sepparate the two and dont really learn to see the light, instead they learn to "mimic" light pattern.

A "perfectly" (kind of vauge, and highly subjective) exposed subject in the forground and a black background is quite easy to achive with ambient light. If you know how light behaves, regardless if its flash or natural.

I still dont see the logic, its correct the choice of lens wont affect the (shape) the light, just as a flash wont change the perspective, dof of the image.

Kindest

very well said.

thank you for your contribution...

[PhotosGuy]

what i wanted to say is that a flash can yield effects which ambient light cant. Yes, that's true. It's also true that ambient light can yield effects that flash can't in "every-day-emergency" situations. "strobist" bandwagon... So instead of seeing light as light, they sepparate the two and dont really learn to see the light, instead they learn to "mimic" light pattern. I agree, & I see it all the time in Transportation. Which is why I posted the links in my Sig, "Find the light... A few Car Lighting Tips, and MOVE YOUR FEET!" ;)

I think I've posted the link earlier in here, but it's a great education on using a flash to help out when you're running & gunning on location as an editorial photographer:
Strobist "On Assignment - learn how to light." (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/on-assignment.html)

[ErrolEPhotography]

nice!

[c2thew]

Good thread

[ErrolEPhotography]

cool

[sfaust]

Those Vivitar flashes were a work hose in their day (we are dating ourselves aren't we Frank), and still valid choices even today. I remember shooting with these way back when using multiple PC sync cords to fire them all in sync. I so love wireless sync, even though its expensive! :)

I originally bought three Canon 580EXII's with the intention of using the wireless features, but in the end mostly used them in manual mode firing with Pocket Wizards. Since then, I've augmented the three 580's with 3 SB24's I picked up at a reasonable price. This gives me 6 flash heads that gets packed away in a very small lightweight kit.

Here is a post on the contents of the kit with photos (http://stephenfaust.wordpress.com/2007/01/15/grab-and-go-lighting-kit/), descriptions, etc. This is the kit I take with me all the time, even when I don't think I'll need any lighting. It also serves as a backup just in case the airline misplaces my studio strobe kit on trips.

The 580's and SB24's are quite powerful and can do a lot. I run into issues in direct sun, but for most any other situation mixing with ambient lighting is well within its capabilities.

Here are a couple other related posts to my blog on contents of the kit and their use.

Putty knife strobe mounts (http://stephenfaust.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/portable-flashes-mounting-options/)

Black magic :) (http://stephenfaust.wordpress.com/2007/10/23/black-magic/)

[PhotosGuy]

Those Vivitar flashes were a work horse in their day (we are dating ourselves aren't we Frank), True, but only because they're so tough that they still work today! Otherwise I'd have to use a newer strobe for an example. ;)

Thanks for the update on your current kit!

[cccc]

Those Vivitar flashes were a work hose in their day (we are dating ourselves aren't we Frank), and still valid choices even today. I remember shooting with these way back when using multiple PC sync cords to fire them all in sync. I so love wireless sync, even though its expensive! :)

I originally bought three Canon 580EXII's with the intention of using the wireless features, but in the end mostly used them in manual mode firing with Pocket Wizards. Since then, I've augmented the three 580's with 3 SB24's I picked up at a reasonable price. This gives me 6 flash heads that gets packed away in a very small lightweight kit.

Here is a post on the contents of the kit with photos (http://stephenfaust.wordpress.com/2007/01/15/grab-and-go-lighting-kit/), descriptions, etc. This is the kit I take with me all the time, even when I don't think I'll need any lighting. It also serves as a backup just in case the airline misplaces my studio strobe kit on trips.

The 580's and SB24's are quite powerful and can do a lot. I run into issues in direct sun, but for most any other situation mixing with ambient lighting is well within its capabilities.

Here are a couple other related posts to my blog on contents of the kit and their use.

Putty knife strobe mounts (http://stephenfaust.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/portable-flashes-mounting-options/)

Black magic :) (http://stephenfaust.wordpress.com/2007/10/23/black-magic/)

After viewing your blog and website, I will take all of those lighting tips to heart. You have captured some fantastic images.

[sfaust]

After viewing your blog and website, I will take all of those lighting tips to heart. You have captured some fantastic images.

Thanks cccc, appreciate it and hope you find useful info.

True, but only because they're so tough that they still work today! Otherwise I'd have to use a newer strobe for an example. ;)

I have two Speedotron Brown line strobes from the 1970's. They still work and I can get parts and modifiers for them. For the longest time, I was secretly hoping they would fail so I could upgrade. After 10 years of waiting, I just parked them on the shelf and upgraded anyway. I still have them, and use them on occasion when I need lots of light sources.

Isn't it nice when things just work :)

[RPCrowe]

I bought a Vivitar 285 and a 283 each for ten U.S. dollars at a garage sale. I have a/c power supplies which I paid $5 USD for. The flashes work great! I also have some peanut slaves which make the flashes into slave units.

So much for fabricating a flash. You cannot get much cheaper than ten bucks...