The Universal kit comes with 20 tabbed filters and a band to attach the gels to any sized speedlight. The kit includes various dramatic colors for effect, and a set of color correction gels to match your light with just about any available light from tungsten to florescent. A really cool feature of these gels is that each one comes printed with the actual color and the number of stops of light each gel uses. This can be really handy when determining how much light to use. These gels also attach very easily to any speedlight with the included band.
The Rogue Grid kit is designed to be used with the new Rogue Grid and these fit easily in to the Rogue Grid holder. This kit comes with the same tabbed 20 filters as the Universal kit and each gel is also marked with the color and number of stops of light each gel uses (I love this feature). If you already have the Rogue Grid then this is a must have addition, and if you don't have the grid, go out and pick one up, its priced right and easy to use!
Both kits come with their own carrying pouches which if you've used gels at all, you know how cumbersome it can be to keep these organized and stored for quick use. Also, both kits have tabbed dividers inside that tell you what gels it contains and information about each gel ...again this is an awesome feature! ...did I say that already?
I use gels all the time in my photography and you can never have too many. The new Rogue Gel Kits make it easy to have a broad selection of colored gels, organized and ready to use at a moment's notice. I included a short video below that shows you how to attach both sets of gels to your flashes.
After reading a thread in the Flickr Strobist group about a shot of two iPhones done by photographer Peter Belanger, I decided to see if I could recreate his photo, but instead of using studio equipment, I wanted to see if I could get similar results using just a single speedlight and reflectors.
I decided to light the phones from the back (as I often do with food photography) and use reflectors to the sides and to the front to throw subtle fill/highlights back on the phones. So for my keylight, I used an SB-800 in a 24" softbox almost directly behind the phones and at about a 45 degree angle. This might seem like nowhere near the size of the light source that the photographer used in the video, but a 24" softbox used in close to the phones appears to the phones as a HUGE light source which created a nice soft light. I triggered that flash with my D300's on camera pop-up flash.
Next I added my fill lights (or fill sources). Since my softbox was so close to the phones and I was shooting on a piece of white foam core, which is relatively reflective, all I needed to do was add a few more pieces of white foam core around the phone which would reflect the light from the softbox back on to the phone. I simply added these to both sides and held one in front below the camera lens.
To get the right amount of light I wanted from the reflectors, I simply took a shot, chimped a little, then moved the reflectors either closer or further away.
You can see in the setup photo (click on it for a larger view), my position of the reflectors except for the one in front. I was holding it, so I had to put down to shoot the setup folder. Also, I almost never shoot on a tripod but when doing product photography, I've that its really useful to use a tripod so you can keep the same framing, then adjust your subject(s) as necessary. If you do use a tripod, be sure to turn of the VR (vibration reduction) or IS (image stabilization) on your lens, otherwise it could create a little vibration and not give you the sharpest photo.
This is the image from the camera that I used for my final image. I knew going in, that this would be a more labor intensive photo in post production than I normally do but I still wanted the best image I could get to start my post work from. After watching Peter's video, I decide to use the same method he did, and shoot the phones while they were off, then add the desktop views afterwards in Photoshop. This is definitely not my strong suit, but I took a test photo with the phones on, and my key light reduced the contrast and color of the iPhones' desktop screens, so I thought adding them in post would be the best option for the best looking finished product.
If you look closely at this photo, also you will notice that we use protective screens on our iPhones which leave bubbles and scratches but actually does a pretty good job of protecting the face. I also had plenty of nicks and scratches to remove in post as well.
To get the screen capture, I simply did a "screen shot" of the home page on our iPhones and texted them to my main computer to use in this composition. This probably would not be the best way to do this for a client as the screen shot is not that good of quality, but for just posting a photo on the 'net, it worked out fine.
After adding the home pages to the phone, I boosted the overall contrast and brightness a bit with a curves adjustment layer, then added the blue, vignetted background in post. I had a pure white version but I think the blue background just works better and adds a little color to the shot.
So as you can see, this is actually a pretty easy setup to do, but did require a little more post work than I usually prefer to do. However the post work really made a difference with this particular image imho. Another reason I shot this the way I did was to illustrate the fact that you can create pretty nice product photography without having a studio full of expensive lights and modifiers.
Hope this was helpful and if anyone has any questions, please sound off in the comments!
ExpoImaging has come out with a cool new modifier for speedlights called the Rogue 3-in-1 Grid. These are the same guys that brought us the Rogue Flash Benders for speedlights which are essentially snoots, gobos, bounce cards and flags all rolled in to one customizable shaped modifier. For photographers who like to pack light, you can't beat the small size and portability of this latest series of flash modifiers.
The Rogue Grid is a really nice system because it has three different grid sizes in one small package. These grids come in 45 degrees, 25 degrees and 16 degrees spreads that have a somewhat soft-ish fall off to the edges, unlike using a snoot. This system comes with the two grids (stacking them makes the third grid), the grid holder and a cool little bag to carry the system in.
These guys are made of a very hard composite plastic that seem very durable and can probably take a good beating ...or at least a lot wear and tear. These grids are attached to speedlights with the included grid holder. You simply take the grid holder and strap it around the head of your speedlight. It has a pretty unique system in that it will stretch and can be velcroed in to place which makes a pretty secure connection. You don't need anything like a speed strap or extra velcro to attach these to your speed lights and by design, the grid holder can be adjusted for different size speedlights.
Once you have the grid holder fastened to the flash, simply choose which degree grid you want to use, and fit it into the end of the grid holder. This is the only part of this system that I'm not exactly wild about because the grid takes a little work to slip in to the holder and then its only held by the tension of the holder itself. So far I haven't had any problems with this, but I do use an extra speed strap wrapped around it to make sure it stays secure. This is really just more of an annoyance than an actual ding on the system.
The internal grid pattern is slightly hexagonal but you can see in the photo below that it produces a circular style spread of light. Another cool feature about these grids is the really tight 16 degrees pattern you get. As far as I know, this is the smallest light spread by a grid for speedlights that you can get. To get the 16 degrees grid, you simply stack the 45 degrees and 25 degrees on top of each other and place in the grid holder. These go together quite easily as well because each of the grids are notched so that there is only one way you can stack these together. The 16 degrees grid makes a really small spread of light, especially when used in close.
The photo below shows the various light size spreads of the three different grids. The flash head is approximately three feet away from the wall, and I have an X and Y axis graph diagram in inches taped to the wall so that you can see the approximate sizes. Keep in mind these sizes will vary based on your flash to subject distance.
I have enjoyed using the Rogue Grids thoroughly and can without a doubt recommend them to anyone who uses speedlights. They do the job nicely and are compact. These are definitely worth the money in my book! You can pick up the Rogue Grid at Outdoor Photo Gear along with all the other cool products by ExpoImaging.
A quick word to the wise... when you first buy these and take them out of the box, it would appear that there is only one grid in the box. That is because they come stacked together. :) I figured this out only a few minutes after a little frustration.
Well, well, turns out there IS a sun, (we haven’t seen it much this spring) and it was out the other day. I got out early to beat the wind. Once that sun gets up and heats up the air, it starts the wind moving.
Depending on what I’m shooting, I may use the sun for some backlit images. Not a lot of plants up yet, but have enough Skunk Cabbage and May Apple plants to work with.
Here is the patch of Skunk Cabbage that I’m working. In another few weeks when these plants are full grown you won’t be able to see the ground. They grow in swampy and river bottom areas, and you can see a little bit of the swamps water in the background of this image. You can see the low angle sun touching some of the plants.
I usually walk towards the sun studying the leaves to find the best looking backlighting.
The sun needs to be at a low angle to get good backlighting on the leaves. Below, processing was done first with the Solarization filter in Nik Color Efex Pro, and then some fine tuning in Nik Viveza 2.
The more deeply furrowed the leaf is the more highlights and shadows you get. I shot this at f/32 for full depth of field.
Here is a horizontal version:
This is a May Apple leaf and they typically are not at an angle that catches the sun for backlighting, but this one had the right tilt that offered this view.
Backlighting really makes the veins pop in these leaves, so give it a try next time you’re out in the early morning or late evening sunlight.
You can visit Mike's blog and learn about his workshops here: Tiny Landscapes
Mike's eBooks are available in the OPG store here: Mike Moats
Our model, Rachael, under overcast skies at the DPE Learning Weekend in Atlanta, GA
Overcast skies may be bad for landscape photography, but they are great for shooting portraits. When shooting under cloudy skies you’ve got a giant overhead softbox to work with. This creates soft light that wraps around your subject and makes it easy to capture a proper exposure without blown highlights or harsh shadows. This soft light is also a great base for adding off-camera flash.
A few tips for success on an overcast day:
•Set your white balance to ‘Cloudy’ to add a little warmth to your colors
•Don’t include the sky in your photos. Unless the clouds are very dramatic, an overcast sky doesn’t make a good background.
•Use off-camera flash (speedlights or strobes) to create more interesting or dramatic lighting. Use the ambient light as your fill and build the main light with your off-camera flash.
•You may need to bump up the contrast (I like to use a curves adjustment) in Lightroom or Photoshop.
Learn more about Rob, view his images and check out his workshops at his website.
Here’s the first installment in a series I plan to post on quick lighting tips. Let us know if you want to see more stuff on lighting – indoors and out.
In the top photograph, a remote flash, mounted on a stand and placed in a softbox, was used to freeze the action of the model jumping. Compare the contrast and detail in that image to the second image. That image looks flat, because the day was overcast, and overcast days produce flat lighting.
The pictures below (clockwise, from top left) show:
I’ve been using flash modifiers literally since I was a teenager. I’ve made my own and bought just about every conceivable retail modifier made – but as of this year, I’ve dumped almost everything but my HonL stuff. Here’s why…
The HonL system starts with a brilliant device known as the HonLPhoto Speed Strap. This strap is the base of the HonL system and all their other accessories attach to it. Instead of having to attach rubber bands, tape or adhere sticky velcro tape to your flash, you simply use a Speed Strap. This means you can use the strap on any flash you own. You don’t have to buy additional velcro tape and adhere it to each flash.
The system looks like it was designed by a photographer and it was. David Honl certainly knows that controlling light is important.
One other thought – you’ve read the word system twice already. That’s not by accident. This isn’t just a ramshackle group of accessories you can use on your flash. This is indeed a system. Everything is designed to work within a system format and it makes the gear more valuable.
There are snoots, gobos and grids that can work together to everything from diffuse, direct and pump out the light from any traditional camera-mounted flash. There are even gel kits available.
The products are very well made and look like they will stand up to lots of abuse.
I tested the HonL system recently while leading the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop. I found the system extremely flexible, yet very portable. I opened up the 8″ speed snoot and used it as a giant bounce card on the back of the flash. It worked well on the portrait above, especially when combined with some fill.
Upon working with the system for a while I was really shocked to see you could combine parts (two gobo bounce cards) to create barn door effects and the grid spot look coming from my SB-900 after I added the HonL Speed Grids was amazing. I’ve never seen any other light modifier that can do this.
For less than $175 you can buy just about everything HonL makes and consider yourself covered for 95% of the situations you might encounter using portable flash.
At the end of the day I cannot say enough good things about David Honl’s products. They are portable, light weight, easy to pack, effective, easy to use and affordable. Highly recommended.
For more information, check out HonL products at the OPG Store: link
Copyright Scott Bourne 2009 – All Rights Reserved
