brandon.r.foster

<div></div>

<div></div>

I agree with some of Mr. Kim's later posts. A 3/3 is bull, as much as a 7/7 is bull. I don't know who it was that had the ratings brainchild, but you sir are quite off your rocker, which might not be a bad thing. (Now how is that for non-offensive?) Everyone is a chicken. If it is a 3/3 ces't la vie. So someone doesn't like it. Deal. People are lazy, jealous, and blind. The idea that anyone could even honestly judge a photo on the net is ridiculous. Focus is subjective. Depth of field is subjective. Exposure is subjective. Color is REALLY subjective. Half of you are viewing on a Windows machine with a 2.2 gamma, and half of you are viewing on Mac to Other. My Mac is set at 1.8 gamma. End result is this. Images edited here, are 5%-10% darker on a Windows 2.2 gamma Machine. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars devoted each year to color perfection. I believe thusly:

At the end of the day, is your client willing to pay? If so, then you did your job. If not, then you might need to look to Burger King. When you come to PDN, leave your pride at the door. There is no room for that here. If it bothers you that you have not made "Photo of the Week" then look at all of those photos, and emulate the style. One day you will get there. I personally don't bother too much with Photoshop. I try to get it right in camera. The thing that you all have to realize is this: People rate as friends, people LIKE what doesn't look like reality. We are confronted with reality everyday. When we are looking at things for fun, we run from reality. I found a sampling of PDN's that wasn't even a photo. It was an illustration. I suggest this. A totally RANDOM sampling of the PAID members work. This way we all get our 15 minutes of fame. Of course as it is, a few Photoshop rockstars make me look good. So again que cerra cerra! My clients like seeing the sampling, and the like my work, so to hell with whatever anyone else thinks. PDN is on my business card.

 

Brandon Foster. http://www.photo.net/photos/brandon.r.foster I wear a 3/3 as a badge of honor.

I have an idea. Quit complaining about the fact that you got a 3/3. I have received many on images that typically got a 5/5 or 7/7. One mans trash is another mans treasure. I have a better idea. Anonymous and REQUIRED critiques. If you rate something a 3/3 you must write at least a 45 word critique that will remain anonymous. The reason that I say this is because it would still allow people to express their opinions without fear of retaliation, but express them with reason. Of course, I could just be being a moron. The outcome of this would be, no 3/3 ratings. Honestly, if I don't feel like leaving a comment on a 1/1 image, I will rate it 4/4. Don't take this to heart, but it is true. I also don't think that there is any rating fidelity anyhow. No one wants to hurt anyone's feelings. That is the problem. We are all petrified that we might wound someone. Well, I welcome the 3/3. It tells me three things. Foremost, there is still something to laugh at. I am just getting started, but I am damn good. I have the respect of my peers that I have met face to face, and they are helping me. Second, some of my shots suck. Fine. I won't post them. Third, there are some people that are jealous, and don't know what good photography is. Fine. They can stay in the dark. I am Brandon R. Foster, and I wear the 3/3 as a badge of honor. Please feel free to rate my work, my only limit is the limit that PDN imposes on me. it would all be available to rate otherwise. I will also add, that if we make a 3/3 be a known contributor, then there will be nothing but 4/4 ratings. Great! We are all average, even though that is not the truth. The fact of the matter is, this: There are people that don't belong here. Some of them will rate a photo 3/3 because that is what they have gotten. Some of them will rate a photo based on the hotness of the model that was in it, irregardless of the fact that the photo is NOT original. That is human emotion. If a photo can evoke that then it deserves a 7/7, even though it is not. That is what we as photographers are trying to do, EVOKE EMOTION GOOD OR BAD. Loose your pride, and accept it! You know it is good, and others know it as good. IGNORE THOSE THAT DON'T! Quit being a child. Besides, what do you think would happen if we had to leave a comment on a 3/3? They would stop! 4/4 would become the new 3/3, and soon after everyone would be complaining about getting a 4/4. Over time the scale would HAVE to be extended to 10/10. Get over yourselves. I have gotten more than my fair share of 3/3's. I even e-mailed Phillip Greenspun directly about it. I grew up recently. My vision is my vision. If you don't like it, close your eyes. People have bought my work, so your 3/3 doesn't matter. Work harder, and I will rate you higher.

 

My name is Brandon R. Foster. You can find me at http://www.photo.net/photos/brandon.r.foster

 

I wear the 3/3 as a badge of honor. So feel free!

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Brandon

If you look a little further, you will find that there is a built in Pocket Wizard in each of these units, and according to the information that I found, you should be able to use a PW transceiver on any channel, to trigger this unit. But, at 12v, you will need to purchase a Safe-Sync Regulator if you wish to use a sync cord instead of a PW.

Patrick,

<br />

Thank you for the prompt and concise response.

<br />

Brandon.

How does one contact the administration of PDN?

You can also take gaffer's tape and make a plus sign on the softbox to give the appearance that your light is coming from a window. It looks more natural in the specular highlights in someone's eyes.

Glenn,

<br />

Set your camera to it's highest sync speed. If you don't know what this is, then go with the 1/60th that Gary posted.

<br />

Once you have your lights pointed in the directions that they need to be in, walk over to the subject, and fire the flash(es). You will want to have your meter in the light that they produce. The meter will tell you some mess about 1/8th at 8.0. Ignore the shutter speed reading. Since you are going to do a studio (I am assuming, as I see that you are talking about softboxes.) shot shutter speed is irrelevant here. Whatever aperture the meter tells you, this is the one that you want to set the camera to.

<br />

Set the aperture, and shoot. If you don't want to use a lot of power on the flash, dial it down and re-meter. If you are using multiple lights, point the meter at the camera. I am guessing from the confusion indicated in your post, that you were thinking that the meter would tell you what power to set the flash at. The power of the flash is something that you have to decide upon. Less depth of field, less power, more depth of field, more power. Make sense? It should, because less power = less light = larger aperture = less depth of field. Conversely, more power = more light = smaller aperture = greater depth of field. This concludes my little lesson on light math.

<br />

Hope that this helps.

<br />

Brandon.

I have no idea, but my first guess would have something to do with his outright statement, "You don't need no stinkin' Modeling Lights...". If not this, then I would think that his general scorn of studio lights in general would have something to do with it...

It is possible that they did not disable it, and the unit is slightly damaged? Perhaps there is a fuse that could be changed? Just thoughts, I looked but could not find any information on the subject...

If you are going to go for one, I would go for the SB-28's. The 285HV's are clunky, and take some time to adjust in a pinch. However, they do produce a heck of a lot of light when they are on full power... I use mine only with my soft box. Marshall, would you be speaking of s t r o b i s t? I have had the same problem. Seriously though, on that very same blog the SB-28 is touted as better still.

<br />

Hope that this helps,

<br />

Brandon.

There are two ways to do this. For the first way, you have to work quickly. Step one, expose for the scene that you wish to shoot. Got that image? Good. Step two, expose for the very bright, and highly reflective ball in the sky. I forgot to mention, but for both methods, it is direly important that you shoot off of a tripod. Wouldn't want any axial aberrations, or spatial relation screw ups buggering with your beautiful image. Now, go home and open Photoshop. Cut said bright and highly reflective ball out of the image that you exposed for it, and paste it over the washed out version. Bingo! The second way is the one that Josh recommended. This will work too, but your ambient areas will be fooled around with. The first trick that I outlined is commonly used in architectural photography, where one wants a room with a big window exposed properly, but also wants the view out of said window exposed properly as well.

<br />

Hope that this is of some use,

<br />

Brandon.

If you want to rate my shot a one, two, three... GREAT! I don't care. But if you want to rate something below average, then at least have the decency to say what it was about the shot that made it below average. With the anonymous rating you can't even view the images that the person who rated you shot. So how do I even know if it is someone that is good rating me poorly, because I actually shot poorly, or if it is someone who is really, really good that is rating me poorly. Further more, what does a 1, 2, or 3 tell me? Why was is rated like that? When you take a shot that gets rated 5 and above by five people, and then rated three or lower by two people, you obviously know where the majority lies, but you still have no idea what turned them off. If you are going to rate below average, then please explain why you did so.

I bought mine at mpex.com, it however turns out that they were running a special, and I just caught them at the right moment. The price is back up to $186. Sorry for the false hope.

You could get cinder blocks, and place the legs of the light stand in them then tie it off, but the sand bag counter weight idea is better and less work. As far as what to shoot it through, I would use a shoot through umbrella. It will deflect wind, but if the stand is not anchored, then it will all just blow over.

Well, as far as my 2 cents go... I am thinking that the original guesses of a shoot through umbrella were right. If you look at the specular highlight on the building behind the model it is there. It could also be a silver umbrella, but a shoot through is way more likely. I am thinking that there is a huge possibility that this was shot with a large reflector and ambient sunlight. Of course they could be oriented in a way that the building is in the right place to only use sunlight. Meaning that the opening is oriented east, and they shot at around 11am, or the opening is oriented west, and they shot at about 4pm. Hope this helps.

Well, you can now purchase the PW Plus II's for $116 a piece, which does drop the price a little. I have tried the Cactus V2's (A.K.A E-bay thingies), and the PW Plus II's. I got rid of the Cactus V2 in like a week. I hated the thing. It never did want to fire when I needed it to, and it always had a knack for misfiring when the flash was pointed into my face.

If you are going to say that you have one of those Cactus V2's then you have a bad trigger. You need to get a new one. If it is another type, I would still look into getting a new one, or having the flash looked at.

Wesley,

<br />

Regarding the blue wall, I would almost certainly say that yes, it will affect your color. What with light being all tricky and difficult to rein in and such. The garage would not be a bad place perhaps, only it will most likely get drafty in the winter. I would opt to lay down some plastic and paint the walls gray or white. My personal preference is white, but I have seen more than a few people say gray. As far as the muslins, yes some bunching will occur, but as far as I have seen in a room with hard wood floors, they have to be taped to keep them from bunching. One could suggest taping them in the room with carpet, but then you have sag from the subject's body weight. One approach might be to put some plywood underneath the muslin, or a sheet of acrylic, or some very hard plastic or whatever. I will leave the brainstorming to you. I hope that in all of this rambling that I have been of some assistance.

<br />

Brandon.

According to them, in a word yes. Check <a href="http://www.slrtoday.com/articles/111/1/The-Metz-58-AF-1---First-Compact-Fash-Unit-with-a-USB-Socket/Page1.html">here</a> for more details.

 

Brandon.

Let's see, cardboard and gaffer's tape, tupperware, my personal favorite is a light stand and some pocket wizards. I have this contraption that works. take some ball bungees, and a speedring, attach soft box and light stand, and presto. Milo, as far as eroding client confidence, most people that will hire a photographer don't know enough about the process if the first place to be guessing about the quality or professionalism of something that you made at home, they just want results. People see a Digital Rebel K2, and assume that you know what you are doing. I am not knocking the camera at all. I have and have been known to shoot with an XTi. The point is that as soon as someone sees a lens come off, the immediately think pro. Even more boggling is the fact that the longer the lens you are using, obviously the better you are. I have used tupperware in a shoot, as well as homemade cardboard honeycombs, and cardboard snoots. No one has questioned it once, nor have they failed to pay me. I like money too much to spend it on junk. Take the time to make DIY look good and you don't have to worry.

Once again, Gary is on point. I would use a gel in the softbox. I like the 1/4 CTO tungsten. Works wonders.

Pocket Wizards man. They are the best wireless option available, except for the Elinchrom Skyports possibly. But I am still on the fence about those. With the Pocket Wizards, you can get about 1500 ft. of transmission power.

You can use an SB-16 on any of the Rebel XTI's. The trigger voltage on that particular flash is ~5 volts which is considered safe for your camera. To answer the original question that you asked, no TTL will not work on this particular set up. You will be better off shooting with the flash off of the camera using some pocket wizards, but that is up to you. Hope that this helps.