Shooting on a Free Weekend

I finally don't have school work to have to do on the weekend. I've just been chillin and taking a few pics here and there. I convinced Ben I needed to practice on my portraiture before the start of the semester in order to stay sharp. It was nearing sunset, so we went across the way to an empty parking garage to shoot. Here's what we came up with in the newfound free time:

Ben doing the Barack Obama. Nikon D300, 44mm, 1/250 at f/7.1. ISO 200, D2X Color Mode I +3 sharpening, WB incandescent, remote flash with warming gel 1/16th power on light stand. PS CS3 Level edit and color correction.

Trying to get serious with the hard lighting across one side of the face. Nikon D300, 29mm, 1/125 at f/7.1. ISO 200, D2X Color Mode I +3 sharpening, remote flash on 1/8th power on light stand. PS CS3 Level edit and black and white conversion.

Soon after this shot, we were approached by security and asked to leave. At least they gave me ten minutes.

Earlier in the day I finished making a strip light out of a leftover Cinnamon Toast Crunch box for my SB-600. Time for some macro work on a RZ RIDE I had at the apartment.

Sinister Dodge Viper. Nikon D300, 200mm, 1/60 at f/11. ISO 200, D2X Color Mode I +3 sharpening, WB auto, remote flash with light strip with 1/16th power on light stand. PS CS3 Level edit and color correction.

From above. Nikon D300, 200mm, 1/60 at f/11. ISO 200, D2X Color Mode I +3 sharpening, WB auto, remote flash with light strip with 1/16th power on light stand. PS CS3 Level edit and color correction.

Behind the Shots:

I knew I wanted some softer light to descend onto the car, so I set my light stand up and pointed the flash down with light strip attached. The black backdrop is the back of a black shirt from my closet. I used the table to elevate the car so I had more room to work with the light setup.

Another angle of the strip light. The light opening is covered with a piece of plain office paper to help diffuse the harsh light source. I covered the inside of the light strip with white gaff tape to help spread the beam evenly while it travels from the flash head through the strip and eventually down along the length of the strip toward the subject. This will become useful for different applications later. What is all that hanging from it? Well, in my initial shots, there was some light spill on the black backdrop that was distracting, so the black paper towards the back of the strip light is to absorb that light so it doesn't show up in the photo. The other problem initially was the light was still a bit harsh on the car's surface, so I put a white piece of paper on the front side of the light strip to bounce softer, diffused light back onto the front of the car.

A view from above. The strip is held onto the flash head by a piece of Velcro and a small piece of gaff tape for extra support.

That's all for now. Let me know what you think.

Good night.