5D CLASSIC admirers, assemble! (2)

How's the grip working out for you Bruce?

TaDa wrote in post #7497662
How's the grip working out for you Bruce?

Great Peter. Haven't pressed it into much service yet though.
-Bruce

RiKaN HaVoK wrote in post #7497363
perry is there anyway you can post your studio/lighting for these shots you posting?

totally awsome and like I mentioned before .. Im going to be running your favorite camera and favorite lens as of Friday ...

thanks!

Well I can't exactly post a picture but basically I have one ginormous umbrella camera left or right from above her as my main light in both (it should be obvious from the shadows and catchlight whether it's camera right or left). I think I only used one light in the first one, I'm not sure. In the second one, I...you know I can't remember how I lit that. Either a slightly directional clamshell with a small umbrella from underneath for fill or a reflector...430EX for hairlight from above and behind her...something like that. Lol I should write this stuff down when I shoot, I change my setup around quite frequently during shoots.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #7497501
Perry I hope you have that young lady under some kind of retainer / management / percentage of gross deal...

She's stunning (and your work makes her even more so...)

Please let her know she has a stalk...er, huge fan in Arizona!!

Thanks Jay! I knew you'd like these - there are many more I've yet to process, a few saucier ones. This shoot was absolutely stellar and I'm floored by the results.

TaDa wrote in post #7497539
That shot is killer Perry

Thanks Peter (see? I can tell you two apart) . In the second shot, I took your advice and burned in a shadow on the bright side of her nose to give it some definition. A little more chiaroscuro on this one too with the directional light, while the last beauty shot (the one you said was hot) was definitely clamshell for shadowless light.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #7497607
Abso-freakin-loverly...

Thank ya!

Ballen Photo wrote in post #7497642
Number three is very innovative. I like the concept.
Perry, Just saw your last shot. Well done!
-Bruce

Thanks Bruce .

Excellent stuff, Perry. You and Manish should go into business together!

genodm wrote in post #7497775
Excellent stuff, Perry. You and Manish should go into business together!

I don't think the world is ready to handle that level of awesomeness yet. Plus Florida is too far away .

Perry how about just shooting your studio .. man you are really killing for real . I never shoot with flash before just ambient light .. now you have me changing my entire style of photography ... shooting a lot more portraits .. trying to play with light etc etc etc

I have began my quest into a portable studio or strobe kit or something where I can take around where ever I go and take portraits whether it be like yours or on the streets . thats the reasons for all my questions ..

these are a couple I did of a friend of mind that I never posted in here but I am now .. they where taken handheld and believe it or not .. a damn flashlight directly at somewhat of and angle towards him ...

So yes, nothing as sharp or as good as yours but I def want to improve on it ..

P.S. Might be out of line since it was with the 50D not the 5D

https://photography-on-the.net …read.php?t=5783​05&page=62

Shooting someone from below is very hard to pull off well. I'm damned fond of the first shot though

50D? KILL IT!!! (Seriously though those aren't bad).

My studio is really portable, I use Vivitar 285HVs, and won't upgrade until next year, when I settle down a bit. Plus it's great for shooting on location. You can see what I use in my gearlist. Most of it can fit into a backpack, except the backdrop, but even that can fold down into a bag.

RiKaN HaVoK wrote in post #7497897
Perry how about just shooting your studio .. man you are really killing for real . I never shoot with flash before just ambient light .. now you have me changing my entire style of photography ... shooting a lot more portraits .. trying to play with light etc etc etc

I have began my quest into a portable studio or strobe kit or something where I can take around where ever I go and take portraits whether it be like yours or on the streets . thats the reasons for all my questions ..

So yes, nothing as sharp or as good as yours but I def want to improve on it ..

I'll try to remember to take a picture of my studio when I get a chance - in the meantime, it's worth reading up on the main types of lighting - broad, short, butterfly, rembrandt, clamshell etc and how to position lights for catchlights, backgrounds, rim lights, main:fill ratios etc.

TaDa wrote in post #7497923
Shooting someone from below is very hard to pull off well. I'm damned fond of the first shot though

So you like the 1st one but not the second? Those were my very 1st tried at a real portrait ..

perryge wrote in post #7497939
50D? KILL IT!!!

Don't worry after Friday anything concerning portraits will be done with 5D + 85 .. right now the only prime I have is Sig 30mm

Also, so I should be good with a couple of Flashes maybe 580II and 430II with a couple of stands and triggers? I'm completely lost when it comes to all this lighting thing man .. but I will research those methods you wrote out!

I just sold my gripped 40D

5D here i come

RiKaN HaVoK wrote in post #7498017
Also, so I should be good with a couple of Flashes maybe 580II and 430II with a couple of stands and triggers? I'm completely lost when it comes to all this lighting thing man .. but I will research those methods you wrote out!

I'm not a fan of multiple Canon flashes. They are too expensive and off-camera, ETTL is worthless anyway if you want the right amount of control, so you need to be using manual mode anyway. I like having one canon flash for ETTL for events and stuff, but otherwise, the Vivitar 285HV or Sunpak 383 give you superb flashes at a fraction of the price. Of course you could go the ST-E2 route and use the Canon flashes in manual, but that's expensive and radio triggers are better than infrared.

perryge wrote in post #7498129
I'm not a fan of multiple Canon flashes. They are too expensive and off-camera, ETTL is worthless anyway if you want the right amount of control, so you need to be using manual mode anyway. I like having one canon flash for ETTL for events and stuff, but otherwise, the Vivitar 285HV or Sunpak 383 give you superb flashes at a fraction of the price. Of course you could go the ST-E2 route and use the Canon flashes in manual, but that's expensive and radio triggers are better than infrared.

Good looking out Perry ..

So I should be looking for at least one Canon flash and everything else Vivitar or Sunpak with a radio trigger and I should be straight? Cool man .. I wish I could build my entire set up right now and purchase it for this weekend .. lol .. I feel like paying someone to come and shoot after I get the 85L but without the proper lighting I cant even begging to work with it ..

The one Canon flash is just really nice to have for non-studio work, event work in particular. In studio there's no reason to fork out that kinda money. The flashes I suggested are good, as is the Nikon SB-26/SB-24, so any of them will do the job, like I said, I use the 285HVs. As for triggers, make sure you get the right cables to use with the flashes - and the Cactus Triggers or Cybersyncs are the most economical way of doing it. Cactus triggers are the most ghetto but they don't require extra cables.

Umbrellas are a cheaper and easier way of using these kinds of lights than softboxes are, so I think they're a good way to start. You won't need more than 3 lights - I rarely need more than 2 but a reflector is good.

When you get them, play with one light first, get used to it, before you start adding extras. A light meter is useful but not essential IMO.

So...lightstands, umbrella holders, umbrellas (45 inches is more than enough for the main light), triggers, lights, and if you want, a background, and you're good to go. My whole studio setup cost about $400 if you don't include the 430EX. The important thing is to learn how to use it well (and I assure you I am still learning!!!). The BIGGEST drawback of small flashes is the lack of a modelling light, but as you can see, I get by OK.

RiKaN HaVoK wrote in post #7498176
Good looking out Perry ..

So I should be looking for at least one Canon flash and everything else Vivitar or Sunpak with a radio trigger and I should be straight? Cool man .. I wish I could build my entire set up right now and purchase it for this weekend .. lol .. I feel like paying someone to come and shoot after I get the 85L but without the proper lighting I cant even begging to work with it ..

If you're only going to get one Canon flash, I'd recommend the 580ex v1 or v2. It's just an awesome flash for when you're shooting on camera