Video: Lighting Gear

Hey folks, so here is a video on what lighting gear I use.  I thought I would make this video since I haven't actually reviewed any of my lighting equipment other then my speed lights and my beauty dish.  So here is a video with all of them together!  Hope it helps.

http://youtu.be/UNrIhfw3eqE

Video: What's In My Bag

He folks,

Just made a "what's in my bag" video recently because of the shift in gear I have done recently so this will be the most up to date gear.  It is all the same as my last gear review video however this is all of the gear I use.

Hope you like it,

Tom

Video: Comparison between the SB-600 and the SB-900

Hey, 

Here is my video for my comparison of features that were important for why I upgraded as well as why I would buy each flash.  Hope you like the video!

http://youtu.be/po0uljhsxyo

Video: SB-600 Review

Hey folks,

Here is the link to my video for my review of the SB-600!  Hope you enjoy it.

http://youtu.be/8exOoIyITE4

Photos: Cave Photo Shoot is Up!

Hey folks,

Just did a very interesting shoot in some cool caves and got some great photos.  I just posted them up on my site and you should check them out!  Here is one of the photos, hope you like it:

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8G

Check out the rest at www.tomhoustonphotography.ca!

Photos: Sneak Peek

Hey,

Just did an amazing shoot on tuesday, had a lot of fun and here is the sneak peek from the shoot.  Below is one of my favourite shots form the shoot and there are two others on my website at www.tomhoustonphotography.ca in the new arrivals gallery.  The model was great and did a very good job even though by the end of the shoot her heels were soaked from standing in puddles for most of it.  Really like these shots, hope you do too!

Portrait - 17-55mm

Don't forget to go see the other photos on my site and I hope you like them!

Photos: [M.H] Sneak Peek

Hey,

Just did a shoot last week that was a lot of fun.  First time in a while I had to actually elevate myself on stools and other things so I wasn't shooting up at the model.  All and all a very great shoot with the quite tall and lovely model.

Here is a sneak peek so stay posted for the rest!

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

Photos: Nat's Flower Series Extras

Photos: Nat's Flower Series Extras


So I was able to fit in another shoot and do another flower series shoot in my studio.  I really liked this one because I kind of got to build the shoot from the ground up.  I went out and bought a bed sheet and used pins to make a dress with it.  Got the flowers and used my studio.  The model was a great help and was also able to get the large lily I have ever seen to stay in her hair which, was an impressive feat.


I can't wait to have enough of these photos to call them a series.  I have three currently and hopefully will get more over Christmas break.


These are two extra photos from the flower series however the one shot I will use for the series is not posted yet.  So without further adieu here are the Flower Series Extras from this shoot:

Portrait - 105mm

Portrait - 35mm

Thank you for looking!

Photos: Sarah's Flower Series Extras

Photos: Sarah's Flower Series Extras


Just did a shoot with the lovely Sarah and the shots turned out really well.  It was the first real studio shoot I've done in my studio (unless you count me sitting in front of my magazines as one).  I was really impressed with the photos and since my review of the 35mm DX f/1.8 lens is so popular, everyone should be happy to hear the 35mm will be my new studio lens for full body shots.  Personally I want my 50mm to be my main portrait lens but it is not wide enough to get the full body in the frame so the 35mm it is.


I was really happy with these shots and I hope you are as well.  I will start showing my Flower Series photos when I have enough of them to be called a series.  Two doesn't count as a series yet.  So in the mean time here are some other shots form the shoot!

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8 G 

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8 G

Thank you for viewing and I hope you enjoyed them!

Photos: Studio Self Portrait

Hey,


So personally when I get something exciting I usually try to use it as fast as I can.  This case I wanted to use my studio after I had it setup so... I did.  I had this idea after thinking I wanted to review magazines I read since I find some are better than others and thought I would share said info.


As I was thinking about reviewing magazines I thought about doing a photo like this and so here it is.  I will write a review of the magazines I have read probably tomorrow if not for sure this week sometime.

But before I do the magazine reviews I thought I would toss up this photo since I liked it:

Self-Portrait - 17-55mm

Hope you like the first photo up that is taken in my studio.


Just a warning I will probably toss this photo at the top of my magazine review since it is me and all my magazines to date.

Update: Studio IV

Hey,


Amazing news!  The studio is up and functional.


So I wanted to make a studio with the least amount of money spent and pretty much all DIY.  So I tried duct taping (inexpensive I know) the paper to the ceiling.  I had a feeling it wouldn't work but I wanted it away from the far wall because I wanted to keep the heater on.  The paper didn't stay up so I went to plan B.  Turn the heater off and then tap it to the wall itself and not the ceiling.  This will then give better odds of the paper staying up since the force being exerted is perpendicular to the tape instead of how it was set up being taped to the ceiling.  So far so good haha.  It could fall but I don't think it will.


I put some tacks into the tape just as a precautionary thing so that they might hold it enough if it is falling to give me time to notice.


Since I have a studio now (unless it falls down on me again) I will start doing more photography as well as I will change my Model Mayhem profile.  I decided that since I have a studio I could help models with their portfolios as well as building mine own doing shoots.  I have been contacted by a couple of models to do shoot however they have not had ideas of what to do.  So I think I will set it up that if they want Time For Print (TFP) then I will decide on the ideas unless the ones they have are going to build my portfolio. If their ideas wont build my portfolio I will charge for building their portfolio.


Additionally I might do graduation photos to make back some money form building the studio (which wasn't that much) however making money back form photography is never a bad idea.


I thought the construction of the studio would be a little more complex however it wasn't haha.  So my Updates did not have as much detail about the construction as I wanted but oh well.  C'est la vie.  If you have specific questions for me about the studio please do not hesitate and send me an e-mail at tomhoustonphotography@gmail.com.  Or you can comment on a post and I will respond via a comment.


So here are two photos from of the studio however it is hard to capture all of it with my 17-55mm.  Just to give some dimensions, the paper is on a 8'x8' plywood floor.  So it is roughly 9 feet tall and about 9 feet long by almost 9 feet wide.  So a fair size if I want group shots or even someone laying on the floor.

My studio.

My studio from a lower angle.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this.  So yes, one can build a studio in their spare room quite easily.  I spent less than $500 for sure on the materials to build it (excluding flashes/stands/umbrellas).  Now I shall get some flower series shots done hopefully!

Tom

Update: Studio II

Hey,


So I got the seamless paper as I believe I have said.  The roll is now sitting on the floor until I have the floor build.  But I can do another step until then, which is bring in some lights:

Studio, Check.  Seamless Paper Check.

Lights... Check

So I decided to take some photos to play around with the room even though I don't have the flooring or the paper up but... you don't need that to get good shots anyways.

When no one is around to model for you sometimes you must grab a tripod and your remote and do it all yourself...

Self Portrait - 17-55mm

And then if you really want to get all fancy and bust out two flashes with two homemade snoots...  Which can get some cool lighting:

Self Portrait - 17-55mm

So, here is the beginning... I am definitely looking forward to not being the model/lighting assistant/photographer all at once but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Hope you are as excited as I am about the potential of this room/studio.

Review: SB-900

Review: Nikon SB-900

Thoughts and Opinions:

The SB-900 is a tank of a flash.  It is very robust and very well designed.  So far after having it for a while now, I am very impressed with it.  Since my initial review, I have used it at around 4 shoots now.  It has worked flawlessly all but once.  However I will go into that in the Usage section.  

I think Nikon accomplished a lot with this flash.  And my opinion of this flash is very high which may be from my only comparison is the SB-600 which is not even in the same league.  So the SB-600 is really not comparable to the SB-900.  Sure they are both speedlights however the SB-900 towers over it in both size and functionality.  

I still love the diffuser and gel holder that comes with the flash, as well as the ease of use in terms of the settings and such.  The button locations are good and the flash is easy to use and navigating through the menus and settings is easier that the SB-600.  I am still getting used to it but it is just getting it to be second nature.   

This flash is good enough that I will probably sell my SB-600 and get another SB-900.  The only thing holding me back is the SB-600 is small and compact.  It fits in my Nanuk case and the SB-900 due to how much I already have in the case wouldn't fit right now.  So the SB-600 still gets a lot of points for being lightweight and compact.  The SB-600 is very good for starting out with since its does the minimum of what you need with a flash which is all you need if you are just starting out.  I upgraded and got a SB-900 as another flash because I wanted another flash. I was thinking about the SB-700 or a used SB-800 however I knew that a year after that I would want to upgrade and get a SB-900 so I just decided not to have to upgrade twice.  And I am very glad I did.

Usage:

I have, as I said, used this flash in I think four shoots now and it has performed almost perfectly.  In my last post I focused on nighttime portraits and I almost exclusively used my SB-900 during that shoot.  This was because the SB-600 started making a weird beeping sound which I assume was due to the cold temperatures.  The SB-900 was fine and held its own.  It worked just fine and produced some great photos. 

The size of it does slightly effects usage just because I do have to take extra care not to smoke it off a counter or anything while it is on my camera.  But that is what you trade for with you get the biggest flash Nikon makes.  

I did have a weird experience with it while I was shooting outside.  It was fairly cold so personally I was not worried about overheating the SB-900.  I was not taking a lot of pictures quickly or at a huge power level I thought but the temperature gauge said it was too hot and shut off on me.  Thankfully I had my SB-600 on me and switched to that for awhile which was fine.  After a couple of minutes I switched back to the SB-900 after it had a chance to chill.  It was weird because I felt the outside of the SB-900 when it claimed it was overheating and it was actually pretty cold.  I think it was shooting in TTL that caused it to shoot at a high power and I guess that did it.  Again I wasn't shooting that quickly because it was group shots so they took a while to decide how they were going to pose and such.  Oh well, I guess that is why you have backups.  I have not had this happen again since then and I have used it outside three other times since then and it has been fine.  So I guess if you don't want to risk the chance of overheating just shoot in Manual.  I believe I have also read or heard that somewhere else as well.

So it has not been perfect but perfect enough that I wouldn't want any other flash.  Everything can behave strangely here and there so I am not to worried about it heating up too much in the cold that one time.  There has been nothing to say is a major issue with this flash or any issue really.  It is hard for me to describe how great it is since a lot of it is just how well and easy it works.  So I hope I conveyed that here that it is an outstanding flash and just works amazingly for what it is and how much it costs.  

Pros:

- Ease of Use (especially when you are used to it)

- Power

- Functionality

- Build Quality

- Zoom ability

- Accessories (Diffuser, gels and gel holder) 

- Portability (Still better than a studio light setup)

- Versatility 

Cons:

- Large (But that comes with the flash and compared to a studio light it's nothing)

- Heavier than a SB-600 (However again, very light compared to any studio light)

Sample Images:

Portrait - 50mm - SB-900

Portrait - 50mm - SB-900

Portrait - 50mm - SB-900

Conclusions: 

This is a great flash hands down.  I have it overheat once for what I thought wasn't a great reason but it has not done that since so I am not too concerned.  The functionality and ease of use is great and the build quality inspires confidence.  The usage thus far has been great however to be honest, it is only as good as my skill level.  I am sure a better photographer than myself could get even more better lit photos.  So the usage does come down to who is using it.   But in terms of the flash itself, I wouldn't go to another flash.  Almost so much I will eventually get 2-3 of these depending on my wallet and how much portraiture I get into.

All and all this is a awesome flash.  If you have a SB-600 and want another flash and have the cash, get a SB-900.  Or if you are looking for a first flash and have money to burn, then why not.  But it is very obvious why this flash is #1 from Nikon.

Lastly I just thought I would touch on the fact I brought up studio lights a little in this review.  When you compare it to an SB-600 it is a little unfair since as I said it is in a different league.  Something that is more comparable is a studio light.  The SB-900 is much more versatile than a studio light and way more lightweight and compact.  So yes, against my SB-600, the SB-900 is larger and less compact however to something that is a better substitute (Since SB-600 are not often the go to lighting option for a studio), a studio light, it is still much better in my opinion.  

If you are debating a flash, and a SB-900 is on the list... get it even if you have to save up for it longer.  

Focus: Nighttime Portraits

Focus: Nighttime Portraits

I decided to write this after my experience with doing a portrait shoot at night.  I wasn't planning on the shoot being at night however by the time the makeup was done and we got to the location, the sun had already punched-out for the day.  I just want to go over some of the things I learned and maybe you have already learned these things but if not here you go.  So, my setup.

So I had one light stand and umbrella with me since there was a lot of walking involved.  Because of this I had my SB-600 on the stand and the SB-900 on my camera as a master/flash.  I used my 50mm, 105mm and the 17-55mm during the shoot.  

First off I was using my SB-900 for a AF assist light with the IR light or however that sensor works.  You can use your external Nikon (maybe other brands but I only have Nikon flashes) flashes to shoot a beam or red light at the subject to have your camera focus in darkness.  It is a great function and tool to have however it still is very hard to pin-point someone's eye through your viewfinder in the darkness.  The red light helps but it is still difficult however I got much better with it from practicing.  

After a couple of shots my SB-600 started making some funking beeping sound that didn't sound so good.  So I assumed because it was the very cold that night getting to it, so I turned it off and just used my SB-900 on camera.  This worked and I didn't need the SB-600 for what I was doing anyways.  Nevertheless I was still disappointed in the SB-600.  Moral of story, I'm glad I bought the SB-900.

Something that I didn't have that could have been nice was a flashlight.  Since I wasn't planning on it being dark I didn't bring one however I am sure it would have been nice.  I didn't need it per say however if you do not know your kit well and need help finding things then a flashlight of some kind would be good.  I am lucky enough that I know where everything goes and have a good routine of where I place lens caps and batteries and other small easily lost pieces.  

As for things I learned shooting was one to use the lights in background.  I am sure if you have seen other nighttime portraits you have probably seen the out of focus lights in the background.  It creates a very cool effect that I have always liked however this was the first time I had done it in a portrait.  When I first saw the effect of my 50mm at f/1.4 and the bokeh, I loved it.  Here is an example of what I mean from one of the photos I took that night:

Nighttime Portrait - 50mm - SB-900 on D90

Personally I have seen this effect a lot in many photos from christmas trees to street lights but I have never done it in a portrait and I loved it as I mentioned.  So because I knew my model was a creative person I decided to try something fun that I thought would look cool.  So I got her to blow "bubbles" with the out of focus lights being the bubbles.  

Blowing "Bubbles" - 50mm - SB-900 on D90

Another thing I learned is pick someone who trusts you to take photos of at night in the fall.  I say this because it was absolutely frigid that night and I was very lucky that a) I got the model to bundle up in a warm outfit and b) that she was a trooper and didn't mind walking and standing outside in the cold to get these shots.

Now for just personal points, I loved the effect of the lights in the background at large apertures.  However be careful because if I was at f/2.8, the circles turned into octagons (or however many edges it had) and had edges to them... therefore not as cool looking.   I personally really like being in control with the light.  Yes, it was very hard to see what on earth was in your viewfinder but very worth it in the end.  Also I got used to making out the model in the dark with the red light from the SB-900.  I liked the pitch black background you can get with shooting at night.  This shoot was at a park where there was enough open space to not have my flash's light hit anything.  For this shoot I wanted the model in a normal black peacoat however it didn't contrast with the black of the environment.  If you did want to have a strong contrast between colours of your subject and background this is a easy way to get that.  If I got my model to wear a red peacoat for example, she would definitely stick out a lot more. 

So yeah, I just wanted to share my experience with shooting portraits at night because I found I learned a lot in the process.  Therefore why not share what I learned and experienced.  

I hope this helps! 

Update: Sneak Peak [J]

Hey,

So I just did a shoot yesterday and I am just editing the photos now so I thought I would toss up a sneak peak for my followers on my blog and Facebook.  I did this shoot just before I got my SB-900 in the mail so this is potentially my last shoot with a single SB-600.  Well I hope you enjoy the sneak peak and stay posted for the rest of the photos!

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Update: Photos:

Hey,

So I managed to make a contact at a local flower store.  This means I can get scrap flowers as well as they may want me to take photos for their website.  I call that a good day.

I got some more flowers and one of them was a very nice orchid.  Also I decided to add some water drops into the scene.  I like the extra detail as well as the reflections in the droplets. So without further adieu:

Orchid & Water Drops - 105mm VR Macro

 And I like trying black and whites so this was my B&W one.

Orchid - 105mm VR Macro

Hope you enjoy!  And don't forget to check out these photos are more on my Flickr.  Lastly if you have any questions please don't hesitate to e-mail me at tomhouston7@gmail.com.

How To: My Macro Shoot

How To: My Macro Shoot

I was wanting to take some photos so I went out and bought a Daisy to do some macro photography with.  This was the first time I have done "serious" in-door macro shoot and I like my results.  so I thought it would be helpful to explain how I got the shots that I did.

So the gear I used was:

- Camera (Captain obvious)
- Tripod
- Macro lens (105mm VR Macro f/2.8)
- SB-600 (Since I lack a Macro flash/ring)
- Light stand (To hold said flash)
- Wireless Shutter Release

- Stool
- Flower (Gerbera Daisy)
- Vase

So what did all that look like?  Well I decided to take a photo of the setup with my phone to show yeah.  However as I mentioned there, it was with my phone so sorry for the quality:

My Macro Shoot Setup

So I had my SB-600 left of camera pointed at the daisy which was mounted on my light stand.  The D90 with the 105mm VR Macro lens on my tripod.  I had a lamp lighting the flower however I had my flash set to overpower the lamp so it didn't effect my photo.  The lamp was just so I could see the flower so I could focus on it.

To the right side of the photo you can see the light getting by my black curtain which is what I used as a black background to get this effect:

Gerbera Daisy - 105mm VR Macro

Where as I used my wall for the white background however it wasn't white enough for what I wanted so I used a sheet of printer paper.  So I held a sheet of printer paper behind the flower to get a white background as seen here:

Gerbera Daisy - 105mm VR Macro

As for other details, you mostly get the shots you want after experimenting.  I didn't really have an idea of certain photos I wanted, I just tried different angles, lighting and backgrounds.  As for camera settings, you have a lot more control over them inside than you do out in a garden.  I was continually changing my aperture and shutter speed to see what effect it had on that on the photos.  Usually I am restricted by aperture when I do shots outside since I want a very fast shutter speed to freeze any motion from wind or my hand shaking since I mostly shoot handheld.  Another tip I can give is keep checking your histogram to make sure nothing is too far off the left or right side.  As well it helps to have the most information in the centre of the histogram and as close to the top of the of the chart as possible without going off the top.  The larger the area in the histogram the more information in the photos usually.  

Also I just thought of one thing I did that was extra was I washed off some pollen of the petals.  I was doing some 1:1 shots so I wanted to make sure I didn't have extra pollen on the flower. 

I hope that helps and again any and all questions are welcome.  Just send me an e-mail at tomhouston7@gmail.com and I will gladly answer your questions.

Photos: Macro

Hey,

So I was doing more writing in my blog than I was doing photography lately so I decided to change it up a bit.  I went out and bought a Gerbera Daisy and decided to do a macro shoot.  Usually I am crawling around in my mom's garden when I am home taking photos of flowers.  However this time I wanted to control all the variables.  So here is a sneak peak and then I will put of the flowers and how I got the shots:

Gerbera Daisy - 105mm VR Macro

Gerbera Daisy - 105mm VR Macro

Stay posted for more photos as well as how I setup the lighting and such.  Hope you enjoy!

Update: New Shoot

Hello,

I did a shoot today and it went really well.  The rain held off which allowed us to take photos outside which was nice.  It was the first time I have used my flash outside and it was great.  It was a cloudy day so that was nice and it was great to have the extra fill light of my SB-600.

The shoot went well I thought and I am pleased with the photos.

Portrait - SB-600 - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - SB-600 - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - SB-600 - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - SB-600 - 50mm f/1.4 D

More photos are on my Flickr Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomjbh/sets/

Hope you enjoy the photos,

Tom

Review: SB-600

Review: Nikon SB-600 Flash

Thoughts and Opinions:

This is a useful tool that I have used with my photography.  It is not the fanciest flash but I personally find that it does the trick quite nicely.  I use it with the Nikon CLS system most of the time so I can have the flash off my camera.  The flash is fairly easy to use however it is not that user friendly.  But I don't have enough money to justify buying a new flash just so that it is easier to use.  

The flash pumps out enough power for my use but I am not doing anything too crazy with it.  The ability for the head to swivel and tilt up is useful.  However I believe that usually comes standard with flashes of that level of flash.  

The SB-600 is no longer being manufactured sadly, however it was a great starting flash.  I personally do not do enough flash work that I have a need for a SB-700/800/900 yet.  For my flash work I just want the ability to have good lighting that I can control however I have not tackled anything to large that I need more than just my one SB-600.  

Usage:

I use the most basic Opus lighting system with a light stand, adaptor and umbrella.  I also have a simple diffuser for it as well.  This is how I help create a larger light source to create better lighting for my portraits.  


The flash comes out for all my portraits now for the most part.  Any portraits inside I will have my umbrella setup out.  I use my flash for events as well which gives nice lighting if the venue doesn't have good light.  


Also having a flash around is nice because then you can stop down a little to get more depth of field which is nice.  A group shot is a good example when it is nice to use a flash. It is good to gain more depth of field so that people are not out of focus in the shot.  


It is nice to use rechargeable batteries for the flash.  I have 2 sets of 4 AA's with a charger for them.  I just swap out the batteries with charged ones.  Usually a good idea to have back up batteries.


Pros:


- Not too expensive
- Simple
- Good build
- Reliable (I've had no issues with it)

Cons:

- Controls are not that user friendly 
- Doesn't have much of a range for focusing the light (zoom)
- Not being made anymore


Sample Images:

Portrait, SB-600

Portrait, SB-600

Conclusions: 


The SB-600 is a very useful tool I have found for my photography that I do.  I would suggest investing in a flash if you do a lot of portraits and you want to control your lighting more.  Also I would suggest a flash instead of going all out with continuous lighting with studio lights.  Personally I like the versatility of a off camera flash.  It is small, light weight and you don't have to lug around the studio lights and batteries around.  Also the off camera flashes fit into camera bags easily.  


All and all if you have the money it is a useful tool if you think you will use it.