john michael white
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Gorgeous country Aaron! You continue to change my thoughts about what Arizona looks like…..it’s not all desert! 😀 Kind of like what people think about Texas I guess. Great Photos as always.
I can’t add more than what the others above have said, but I fish an indicator, shot, and three fly nymph set up a lot, and have no problem casting it (although I still remember the early days of learning to cast this with only a two fly rig and getting tangled
Well guys, you have all given me much to think about. Thank you for taking the time to break it down for me. Multiple artifical light sources is all new to me. So far, all I have had to work with is a 380EX speedlight on camera, Stofen omnibounce flash diffuser, and homemade bounce reflector panel.
It is good to know that if I want to try to do the professsional route in the future, I should aim my gear choices towards that now.
Honestly, I thought I was learning good info from the strobist site, and the books I was reading also seemed to present it such that multiple speed lights were just fine. Glad I posed these questions so y’all could weigh in, and hopefully save me some grief and cash.
Right now, I would have to clasify myself in the hobby/amateur catagory, but in the last year or so I have tried to step out and try to really take it seriously, and see if I could sell any of my work, get published, etc. In the process, I have become more interested in lots of areas of photography, even portraiture. This in turn, has led me to start studying lighting more in depth, (and particularly artificial).
Unfortunately, where I am right now, I am having to take things slowly due to limited budget and learn what I can on my own and with the help of others. I just don’t have the big bucks to drop on photography seminars, and expensive gear all at once. I hope I can build up over time, and see where the journey takes me and what doors open.
Whatever happens, I want to make the best images I can with whatever resources I have at my disposal, and I want to continue to learne and improve.
For now, after reading your reponses, it sounds like a good off camera flash chord, one updated primary speedlight (580EXII) with manual control, Stofen omnibounce flash diffuser – which I am already using, and natural light shaping equipment is the way to go. Then if/when I am able/need to get into multiple artifical lighting sources, get a pro setup with one or two lights that David mentioned?
This leads me to asking, what does your typical pro lighting setup consist of (if this isn’t top secret info 😉 ?
My thoughts are that I will not have the budget for studio gear, nor a studio. For what I think I want to do, it would be mostly outdoors, traveling light, and trying to add some creative flash. Now granted, I am also interested in trying to learn the techniques and create interesting portraits, or small obejcts which I could do indoors, etc. with what I can afford for not a lot of money.
I read through Joe McNalley’s book, and it was very interesting. It seemed that he uses what he needs at the time: sometimes that was a full grip truck of gear, but other times it was just a speedlight or two and some gels and snoots etc. So, this is what has kind of gotten me to thinking and interested in learning as much about lighting as I can with tools I may have access too. Speed lights, bounce cards/reflectors, natural light, diffusion (bed sheet/white shower curtain/window light), etc.
Honestly, I am learning, and especialy the flash lighting thing is all pretty new to me. Studio lighting is still over my head, but I am learning.
Much of what I am reading on Strobist and the book Minimalist Lighting, is all about getting the flash off camera – just using strobes and light stands (and some umbrellas and soft boxes if you have the money)to do it.
Good discussion though. Can you maybe expand on the differences/advantages in quality of light you are talking about with the studio eqipment, David? Obviously, it makes sense that studio lighting is going to give better results, but the how/why of it I am still a little fuzzy on. And of course for some places, as you already mentioned, it is not practical to drag out all that heavy gear.
So, that is where I am coming from, and the basis for my questions.
