keith_fuller

<p>@David - i've already heard that they do indeed fit, but i was concerned about that as well.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback so far, i appreciate it.</p> <p>@Craig - i understand that Lee is known to be the best, but it looks like that just isn't the case anymore when compared to the Firecrest series, which look to be entirely different than anything they've (on anyone) has had before.<br> i've only found a handful of reviews, but every single one of them said they got rid of their big stopper after using it, so i'm not going to solely base my decision on past greatness.</p> <p>@David - if i already had a set of filters i'd be like you - wait it out a bit. however, i don't have any currently, so i really want to make sure i get the best i can. i'm thinking about doing a lee holder and grads with some of the firecrest nds.</p>

<p>i've been getting ready to invest in a 100mm square filter system, and since they are pricey i've done tons of research. everything was pointing towards the Lee system. i've heard tons of people complain about how their holder falls off sometimes and their Big Stopper leaves a horrid blue cast - but i couldn't find anything better.<br /><br />by chance, i started looking into the Hi-Tech Formatt Firecrest filters and they look amazing. even the reviews (i've only found a few) say that they prefer them to their Lee stuff, because they have nearly no color cast and aren't easy-to-break glass. however, i almost find this too good to be true seeing as i've only just now heard of them.<br /><br />so have any of you used both or at least the firecrest stuff? have any of you used both the lee and hi-tech 100mm filter holder? or have any of you have any experience with this stuff to give me some advice?<br /><br />thanks,<br /><br />-Keith</p>

<p>@Rodeo Joe<br> First, thanks for your input. I am not offended in the least, in fact, I am grateful that you gave your honest opinion. Getting honest feedback is the best way to figure out what needs to be worked on.<br> ---<br> 1 - The only reason I had the mic like that was because it was the only way I could record useable audio. I would much rather have used a better mic or a hidden one, but unfortunately this was the only way I was able to do it. If I'm able to get my hands on a lavalier mic I will do it right away.<br> And I actually did try a plain gray background at first, but it seemed so boring that I decided to try something different. I will experiment with different setups in the future.<br> 2 - I understand that certain things could have been done better. I was trying to make this as simple as possible to edit, which is why I did the single take method. I am doing all of this on my own, so it's a huge PITA to setup the camera and lights on yourself. I don't really have any constant lights, so I'm shooting at a fairly wide-open aperture, so changing things is hard.<br> I agree totally about the diagrams. I should have put the height on there. I probably should have gone into ratios as well, but I only metered my key light and did the rest simply by eye. Next time I will do a better job of painting the entire picture.<br> 3 - I agree with you here too. This was the first time I did something like this, and let me say - it is a weird/uncomfortable feeling sitting in a room talking out loud to yourself. I think that I will get more comfortable with time and get better about it.<br> 4 - Next time I will try and be clearer with the storyline. Like I said in #3, this was my first time doing something like this and it felt weird. It's amazing how you lose your normal personality in situations like this - very similar to talking in front of large audiences.<br> 5 - I thought about just showing pictures of the equipment as opposed to putting it in the video, but I really wanted to show the scale of things. I find it frustrating in videos when I can't get a feel for the equipment, but I agree that I could have done it better.<br> ---<br> But seriously, thanks for the response. I really do appreciate it. It's hard to see the areas you need to improve on by yourself, so it's great to get some feedback.<br> Thanks,<br> Keith</p>

<p>Well, look at the catchlight. It's a huge umbrella, probably a parabolic, facing her. You can see the photographer's head blocking the light in her eye.<br> Slso, look at her hands. There isn't much of a shadow until you get the point where her fingers connect to her hand - that means that the light is more direct than above.<br> Then, there are kickers on each side of her face, which are most likely caused by strip boxes slightly behind her.<br> Finally, there are lights hitting the background to make it white. That can be done with anything.</p>

<p>@Len Marriot -<br /> I had a similar response from someone on another forum (almost identical), so I basically copied and pasted what I wrote in the other one:</p> <blockquote> <p><br /> <em>I guess the intended audience is for people like me who have some equipment and are looking for ideas.</em><br /> <em>I think I'll do my next video about doing the same sort of thing with more common equipment:</em><br /> <em>-50D</em><br /> <em>-28-135mm kit lens</em><br /> <em>-No backdrop, just a wall</em><br /> <em>-Only Speedlites (No TTL)</em><br /> <em>-Umbrella and those super cheap softboxes</em></p> </blockquote> <p><em><br /></em>Maybe something like that would be more beneficial to a lot of people, because I agree - it's what you do with your equipment. In this case, I have it, so I used it. However, it certainly isn't necessary.</p>

<p>I would think that a large softbox with reflectors on either side would do it. either way, the light is coming front slightly camera right (you can see the shadow it's casting).</p>

<p>Hello everyone. I've learned a ton about photography on the internet - mostly from forums and YouTube, so I thought I'd help contribute to the wealth of knowledge out there with a tutorial - <a href=" /><br />It starts by using one light for a portrait and then slowly buildings up until there are four lights and two reflectors. It's a very versatile progression of lighting setups that can be used in a great deal of situations. <br /><br />This is my first video like this, so I know there is plenty of room for improvement (including audio). Any constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks.<br> <br> </p><div></div>