Wedding lens and flash.. please help!

Just curious what do you guys use when your in vertical portrait mode to catchlight the persons face.

iplayazi wrote in post #5149147
Just curious what do you guys use when your in vertical portrait mode to catchlight the persons face.

Well, I've always used a bracket... But now Tim has me wondering about whether that's a good idea. If I didn't use one, I'd have the same question. I really think a bracket is a pain in the @ss but it seems like a necessary evil. I'd love to see Tim in action. If I could avoid using one, I would.

iplayazi wrote in post #5149147
Just curious what do you guys use when your in vertical portrait mode to catchlight the persons face.

I use a bracket on the primary camera but the shameless bounce card, of which I have 4, has velcro so it can be attached to any side of any of my flash heads, all of which have velcro.

cdifoto wrote in post #5148398
I have one of those too. Throws too much light forward most of the time tho, IMHO. I actually seldom use my shameless bounce card either. I should re-print it upside down.

what is that made out of??

Gurry wrote in post #5149712
what is that made out of??

What, that big sucker? Its some kinda foamy stuff you can get at craft stores. I didn't make it so I'm not sure exactly what it is...a fellow member was making and selling them cheap.

iplayazi wrote in post #5149147
Just curious what do you guys use when your in vertical portrait mode to catchlight the persons face.

Phil Light wrote in post #5149308
Well, I've always used a bracket... But now Tim has me wondering about whether that's a good idea. If I didn't use one, I'd have the same question. I really think a bracket is a pain in the @ss but it seems like a necessary evil. I'd love to see Tim in action. If I could avoid using one, I would.

I don't shoot with flash as main light often, and never in portrait with on-camera flash, so side shadow isn't important.

tim wrote in post #5149966
I don't shoot with flash as main light often, and never in portrait with on-camera flash, so side shadow isn't important.

Ah, ok. That makes more sense. I thought maybe you shot with on camera flash and just avoided portrait oriented shots... which would really have surprised me.

Gurry wrote in post #5149712
what is that made out of??

cdifoto wrote in post #5149903
What, that big sucker? Its some kinda foamy stuff you can get at craft stores. I didn't make it so I'm not sure exactly what it is...a fellow member was making and selling them cheap.

Yep, it's just called Foamy something. It comes in sheets of varying sizes, colors and thicknesses at craft stores. I got that stuff at JoAnn Fabrics. I got two sheets, one black and one white of the thinnest I could find. These were also self adhesive on one side. I stuck the two sticky sides together and cut it how I wanted. I think it ran me a total of about $2.00.

what would you use that for? on? off camera?

Phil Light wrote in post #5150368
Ah, ok. That makes more sense. I thought maybe you shot with on camera flash and just avoided portrait oriented shots... which would really have surprised me.

I mostly keep my light off the camera anyway, except when it's just fill.

Tim, I'm glad to see your response now about how you do not use on camera flash when using portrait camera orientation.

I was puzzeled at your response to my suggestion that the OP use a flash bracket. Since he has slow lenses, and would probably have difficulty many times bouncing the flash, I still think that a flash bracket is a good way to go for him. Bounce card, absolutely!

I know that a bracket is a pain to use at times. If you can't bounce, and you turn the camera to vertical portrait mode, the light will come from the side, producing shadows at times. I personally do not like the look of this lighting, without fill.

I keep thinking about keeping it very simple for the OP, and still have him get acceptable results.
Tim, I'm with you completely on using off camera flash and radio slaves, however this is WAY beyond recommendations for the OP.

Best wishes, Don

Gurry wrote in post #5150440
what would you use that for? on? off camera?

On camera - or when the flash is on a bracket. I don't have any of the fancy-schmancy radio triggered flashes.

Don Powell wrote in post #5150571
I was puzzeled at your response to my suggestion that the OP use a flash bracket. Since he has slow lenses, and would probably have difficulty many times bouncing the flash, I still think that a flash bracket is a good way to go for him. Bounce card, absolutely!

You can bounce no matter what aperture you select, you might just need to step the ISO up another notch.

Watch this video on youtube about Peter Greggs " A better bounce card"

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM

or check out his website http://abetterbounceca​rd.com/.

It tells ya how to attach the 3x5 card or his foamy better bounce card on the short side of the flash, then you can use the camera in landscape or portrait orientation by just turning the flash between 90 and zero degrees. Makes it so you dont have to have a flash bracket to change the orientation.

It is cheap...and works. Other stuff might work better, but havent tried brackets to compare it too.

Steve1096 wrote in post #5128637
I shot my sisters wedding in 2006 with an XT and a Sigma 18-200 lens with a Sigma 500 DG ST flash. The ceremony itself was outside with an indoor reception. It was both her and my brother in-laws second marriages, but I was very nervous about getting good shots with my not so best equipment, so I bought the Canon 50mm 1.8 for the formal portraits. I shot the wedding and reception with the Sigma 18-200 and used the Canon 50mm 1.8 for the portraits.

I liked the formal portraits with the 50mm 1.8 better than the rest of the photos as they seemed a bit sharper and clearer, but everyone loved all the pictures. If you are on a tight budget and worried about the formals, I would recommend the Canon 50mm 1.8 and an external flash if you have plenty of room for sneaker zoom. Here is a link below to that wedding shot with that gear... and it was my first wedding shoot. They are not professional quality shots....but I am not a professional .

http://sdurbin.zenfoli​o.com/p501916292

Since then, I have been upgrading equipment....and hopefully talent and making fewer mistakes..... but experience I would say is more important than difference in levels of equipment... and boy, do I still need some more experience .

These were great! I felt like I was there.