paolo_saccheri

Yes I will, I have talked to a professional photographer who will do some tests for me replicating my settings and hopefully soon he will tell me what he found using his strobes, so I will write here my findings and my final choice.

Thank you, first time tomorrow I will be looking for them. Here you find many things, true and mere opinions. Some place to start with was this forum, where there are also professionals with knowledge, and knowledge is exactly what I am looking for like you say, even if I really am a rookie as per professional studio lighting. Thanks again!

Thank you, I believe I will be forced to that solution. Someone measured the power I need and it is 2 Ws but to go so down there are only a couple professional strobes which are more than 1700 euros! Because the less powerful strobes only reduce to 1/16 or 1/32. Someone here in the previous answers said that there could be a risk for the ND gel to melt on the lamp and suggested to use some thin white cotton cloth in more layers, as much as needed. What's your experience on that?

I read that the optimal distance where to put a beauty dish is around 1 1/2 times its diameter. I will have to decide between 40 or 50 cm so the distance of my strobe from the subject won't be greater than 80 cm or 1 meter. Very little in relation to power emission.

Thank you I have revised that lens and I think it is a very good one, I think that manual only lens is great for my landscape photography and possibly also for portraits on a tripod, nonetheless the AF feature is something I would use probably when in studio using one strobe with its modeling light.

I met once one guy in his 20's with a Leica and a noctilux f/1 just having a walk in town the way you do when you spend time with friends... But with the prize camera+lens hanging from his shoulder! I am not that type of guy ;) I like the shallow depth of field in head and shoulder portraits, even those when only one eye is in focus. I love when the shoulders melt away but that effect can be achieved with a tilting lens in a large format camera! Having a full frame digital camera and only a 105 f/4 macro lens I think I will start with that to train my eye on lighting and composition while I will decide which lens to buy, unfortunately my business is not based on welthy people willing to pay very much for portraits, I live in Lanzarote and most of my clients are tourists (among which also few with economic resourses). So a used lens, quite fast I would say, from 1.4 to f/2 (I am considering the 105 f/2 DC nikkor), while from 3 meters I could opt for a 135 mm giving more space to the subject. I haven't still figured it out while I wish not to buy a wrong flash/strobe. Another point is the distance you need to put a beauty dish and if this could come inside your view so to need a boom support and not a simple straight tripod. So many doubts when you start something and can't waste any noney. So thank you for the help found here!!

Hello, thanks for the answers, unfortunately I never received mails alerts so I looked in here and found many answers! I have a room with a dedicated space of let's say 4x3 meters and the sitter will be in the short side of it. I like the effect of the beauty dish because the light has a nice fall off from the face to the shoulders, so aiming to do head and shoulders images I think it is my preferred choice, anyhow they are sold with a white "cloth" to put over transforming it in a light box and also with a grid for a more directional light... As a matter of fact I still have an old Metz 32 CT flash (old stuff from film era, no AF) that could work with a remote trigger using the camera small flash to fire it (I use a Nikon D750) but may be I would prefer to have a strobe with a modeling light to be able to make adjustments in the shape of light and shadows.

Sorry for this late reply, I thought I had email alerts but none arrived. My objective is exactly to obtain what you think could be not looking good! The world is so full of variety! ;)

I would use the lowest 100 ISO of my Nikon D750 ff camera. I decided for strobe for two factors, they are not annoying the model with continuous light into their eyes, they can mount modifyers like a beauty dish. I don't know if 200 watts of a led light are the same 200 W/s of a strobe... Could you do an exposure test using your lowest ISO, the widest aperture you have, 1/250 sec shutter speed, and light fixture at 1 m (3 feet) from your subject to see how low you must go lowering the power of your light? I would appreciate it!!! Thank you

Hello, I want to buy one strobe and (possibly) a beauty dish to begin taking portraits in a specific area left empty in my living room. I print in alternative photographic techniques and wish to get the look of old (and modern) ambrotypes ot tintypes. Being conscious that the old style can only be achieved with a large format camera, nonetheless I want to use my lenses wide open (f/1.4 - 2) to have a very shallow depth of field. I have the ability to block the ambient light from the large window of my living room, so the strobe will be the only source of light. I don't exclude nonetheless the possibility to shoot with natural light from outside and strobe to fill in. My question is: what power must have my strobe to be good to shoot at 1.4 and 1/250 sec max speed? I think very low but I don't know how low, and how low the settings of 1/8 ot 1/16 can go. No previous experience! I know there is a new technology for shooting up to 1/8000 sec but those strobes are very expensive and now I want to check if this project of mine can start with a lower investment. As per the modifier I was thinking to a beauty dish, some of them also come with a grid and a front diffuser. I think I have read there is a proportion between the diameter of the modifier and the distance you have to put it from the subject (more or less of course). Not having a lot of room, 4x3 mt (13x10 feet), I ask also how large that beauty dish you suggest me to buy. Thank you very much

Yes thank you, I have been reading about it just yesterday, but it's not useful for my aim that is head and shoulder portraits, I won't work with models so an average client wont be very comfortable staying put while I take the series of photos from close distance... It can be useful for ambient portraits where you can shoot the head with one photo and the rest of surroundings will go with no need for the subject to mantain total stillness

Hello, I understand that I won't ever be able to have a real ambrotype effect on a portrait using a digital camera and printing in cyanotype. That said, I have considered that buying a LF 8x10" camera and films + developing cost is not worth my business here in Lanzarote where I actually live. Nonetheless I am keen to start a new project with 30x40cm portraits handprinted in cyanotype and toned in cochineal. I have a FF camera (Nikon D750) and have guessed how I could get close to the look of an ambrotype (or tintype) studio portrait (head and shoulders). I like their super details and the super shallow depth of field, also the darks and highlight being a little blocked out. So far I thought I could keep my camera on a slightly raised position from the subject so to have eyes and lips in the same focus plane (tilted back plane) and hopefully get the shoulders the most out of focus as possible. For this I think I would need a very fast lens, not too short and now I only have a 50mm f1.8 and a 105mm f4 micro (manual focus) + a 24mm. I don't have studio experience, I guess I won't work very well with the 50 unless I go very close annoying the subject. The 105 is may be too dark at f4 maximum aperture to give me the dof I wish. Then, how do you focus your subject so close, you rely on the camera face/eye detection or you manual focus? I would use a tripod. For the lighting I was thinking to buy a beauty dish (with front diffuser for some portraits) or cheaper umbrellas. I believe that for a very small studio with only head and shoulder business and very shallow DOF I need a non powerful strobe (which power is a mistery to me). I hope you can help me answering to some of my questions (I need a sort of studio photography course I know) with your professional experience, on how to give a LF camera look to my portraits! Thank you in advance Paolo

<p>Hello,<br> The annoying problem of the broken plastic lever can be solved again!!<br> <br /> I did an agreement with the mechanical workshop in Italy where I used to make the levers. They will do them on request. So if you need a new black brass lever, just ask me.</p><div></div>

<p>Hello,<br /> <br /> due to life circumstances I am going abroad to look for work.<br /> <br /> I am communicating this because the facilty I used to make the spare brass levers won't be handy where I go and I don't know if I will ever be able to make new ones in the future.<br /> Since Mamiya 7II levers carry on braking (I, from time to time, get orders) I write here to say that I have just few more on sale on ebay, sorry for this but it shouldn't be considered as an advertising, but a way to alert people who desire to carry on shooting happily with their Mamiya 7II and an unbroken lever.<br /> Few ones left, sorry.<br /> <br /> Thank you<br /> Paolo</p>