14.1 Shadow of a Doubt: Speed Challenge
By: dani photography
Tags: Challenge, Oregon, Portrait, Reflection, Salem, Self Portrait, Shadow, Strobist
Category: Photography
| Aperture: | f/5.6 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 18mm |
| ISO: | 200 |
| Shutter: | 1/125 sec |
| Camera: | NIKON D50 |
Last weekend was the third Salem Strobist meetup, and I’m totally excited about getting involved in the group. If you haven’t heard, Strobist is the term used when you light your scenes using small off-camera flashes, or strobes. The intention of the group is to get all these like-minded photographers together so they can practice and learn from each other. They also provide fun local locations and models looking for photography work, usually from Model Mayhem. Links to local groups at the end.
At first I was nervous about going to the meetup and being inexperienced and slow. There’s also the weirdness of shooting in front of other more experienced photographers, and working with real models. But after two sessions, I’m much more comfortable, have made a few friends, and learned a thing or two about ambient light and off-camera lighting. I know I’ve got a lot to learn, but I’m ready!
On to this week’s photo. During the Salem Strobist meetup, I got a few compliments from the other photographers about my weekly portraits. A few asked how I managed to hit the shutter while in the photo. And one suggested I take my weekly photo there, in the garage. So here it is. I worked on lighting and position for a while, moving the flash all around to try to bring out the reflection from the puddle. Thanks to the persuasion of Jeff Mawer, and help of Heather Jones, I got this image. Heather kept braving the puddle in her sandals, and had the great idea of holding the flash right down by the puddle. Thanks guys!
Strobist info: Shot with a Nikon D80, using 11-17mm lens. Lit with an SB-900, shot bare, low camera right. Triggered using Nikon CLS.
Now I’m totally inspired to go take more images with intentionally awesome shadows..
Salem Strobist Flickr Page
PDX Strobist Flickr Page
David Hobby’s Strobist.com
3 comments on “14.1 Shadow of a Doubt: Speed Challenge”
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I love it!!
Thanks Chris
[...] Week 14: Shadow of a Doubt This image was a test of speed! While attending a Salem Strobist meetup, some of the guys said they recognized me from the self portraits I’d been posting. Towards the end of the day, Jeff them suggested I do my weekly image right then. I thought about it and said… okay! I composed my image, zipped up my hoodie, and got to work. Heather helped me by holding the flash low towards the puddle, creating that awesome shadow. I learned that spontaneity is a great tool. [...]