 |
Point of Information:
BTW (which means "by
the way" for any "newbies" paying us a visit),
a "Reflection" umbrella is one that reflects the strobe's
light back onto the subject, and thereby softens and diffuses
the light. This technique is often used in portraits and for
photographing reflective surfaces, and performs many beneficial
services for all us hard-working, underpaid, and under-appreciated
photographic artists. Keep it a secret from others, though, and
let them think we get our beautiful images through some sort
of esoteric magic, passed down through the centuries, from master
to disciple. It helps increase our value ;-) - and please don't
send me any e-mail explaining that photography hasn't been around
for centuries, I know that. Duh (actually, photography in one
form or another has been around for about a century and a half).
Back to the top
|
 |
Here's a great
little accessory that all photographers always need more of:
a panning light holder with
integral umbrella holder! It's hard to wax philosophic about
a photographic accessory, but anyone who's ever worked with lights
knows that these little tools are absolutely indispensable. For
example, even a super-duper, antique, $100,000.00 table lamp
isn't going to do anyone much good without a light bulb that
works. And this little baby works, and keeps on working. You'll
need one of these for every standard e-27 Edison base strobe
or continuous light you'll ever work with (the E-27 is the standard
household light socket size, so you can use "regular"
lights with it too, if need be). Plus, this little baby has an
integral (built-in) umbrella holder, which saves you from having
to buy an additional umbrella adapter, whenever you might want
to "bounce" the light off of (or through) an umbrella.
ALSO the bulb holder is an integral part of an amazingly versatile
clamp! With this little accessory, you can place your E-27 base
strobes (like the AS-66 in this kit) anywhere your photographically
demanding heart desires! Clamp them onto a light stand, or a
chair, or a desk, or a ladder, or darn near anything else that
may be handy! These little units will make your life so much
easier (put that light anywhere you want!), that you'll
be amazed how you ever got by without them before this!
Specifications:
Single standard E-27 bulb socket
On / Off switch
10 foot power cord
Versatile "anywhere" Clamp
|
 |
You're also getting a great new 6' 8"
X 9' Raw Muslin Background / Backdrop to start you off! This is a great starter background
for those of us who are just begining to realize the importance
of backdrops to good photography. Raw muslin is a lovely cream
color, and has been used in its raw state as a favorite of photographers
for years. Please be aware that this is an unfinished muslin;
there isn't a sewn loop or hemmed edges (but we never show the
edges in our pictures, anyway). It's easy to make your own loop
with safety pins (or sew one if you're handy). Also, you can
easily dye and/or paint raw muslin to create beautiful custom
backgrounds that sell for up to $450.00! What IS a "Muslin"
you may ask? Muslin is a type of cotton material that is light
weight, easily draped, stretched, folded, or rolled. It's easy
to paint and dye, and relatively inexpensive. Be careful of the
hucksters who have been selling low-quality cotton-blended so-called
"muslins" online recently. Demand 100% cotton, non-recycled,
top-quality muslins when shopping for more. But if your budget
won't stretch to buy additional backgrounds, you can use a bed
sheet (iron it first, so all the wrinkles are gone), or a wall,
or buy some cheap material at a local fabric store. Avoid prints
and designs in your backgrounds; they're too "busy"
and detract from the picture. Set your victim (um, your "subject,"
that is:) at least 4-6 feet in front of your background (whatever
it may be), and place your background strobe behind your subject
(hidden from the camera's view, of course). When you get a little
more involved in photography, you might consider acquiring a
Background Support Set; but to start out, just thumbtack, nail,
or tape your background material up behind your subject; no need
to spend a fortune to get great pictures, just be imaginative
and creative with the equipment you have.
Read
some more about backgrounds.... |
|
Technique:
The most important "secret"
of good photography is the
thought the photographer puts into a picture before s/he
even considers what type of film to use! The point here is that
we have to train ourselves to think before we shoot! What
color is our subject? How can we make that color (or shade) stand
out? What do we want to emphasize in our picture? How will we
direct our viewers' eye to our subject? How will we separate
our main subject from any other distracting elements in our photograph?
At which angle should we shoot? Is it important to establish
place in this photograph (i.e., is it important for the viewer
to know where our subject is? Or do we want to hide the location)?
If we're shooting people, what is our victim's least appealing
feature (i.e., a big nose, a bald head, pot belly, etc.:)? How
can we hide or de-emphasize it? What's our subject's most appealing
feature (i.e., eyes, profile, boobs - oops! sorry, I couldn't
resist:) ? How can we emphasize the attractive aspects of our
subjects? THINK before you shoot! MAKE a photograph - don't "take"
a snapshot! Learn to "design" your picture before you
pick up your camera! Take a piece of paper and a pencil, and
sketch out what you want in the picture you're considering; this
will be a great help in the beginning, and after a few weeks
or months of doing this, you'll start to do it all in your head,
and won't need the pencil and paper any more. I promise you that
a good photograph doesn't require the genius of an Einstein -
it just takes a little thought and preparation! You don't have
to study photography for years, just train yourself to think
before you shoot! Don't try to plan out 100 images all at once;
think about one or two, and then use 10 rolls of film on just
those two ideas. Shoot from different angles; shoot from different
heights; shoot with different lighting angles; shoot with color
film; shoot with black and white film; think, then shoot! Pretty
soon, you'll wake up one day and realize that you've changed;
you'll look at the world differently; you'll "see"
things most people never even notice; one day, you'll realize
that you've become something special; something different,
but different in a most amazing and wonderful way; you will have
become - a photographer!
Quickie
Technique #4: Exposure
- All meters built into all cameras are "reflection"
meters; they read the light reflected by our subjects AND everything
else in our viewfinder! This often causes incorrect readings,
and pictures that turn out looking like doo-doo. Instead of letting
our camera's meter to read the exposure from our whole
frame, either zoom in to fill the viewfinder with our subject
(i.e., the face of our subject, or the flower's petals, or the
black cat's coat, etc.), or, if you're not using a zoom lens,
walk up close to our subject, fill the viewfinder with the most
important part of our subject (i.e., the face, etc. as described
above), then, when our viewfinder is filled with our subject
and NOT with the surroundings, lock in exposure (e.g., press
the shutter button half-way down), and zoom out or back up, re-compose
the shot, and then press the shutter button all
the way down and make the exposure! I think you'll be amazed
with the results! More "quickie techniques" information
will be included in my other auction descriptions. Thank you
for viewing this auction, and may you have the very best of luck!
Question
of thanks week: Who da man?
(see below)
From whom
should you buy your photographic equipment? Hey, it's your hard-earned money, so you
should buy from anybody you darn well like! However, one of the
advantages of buying from another photographer is that, unlike
"salesmen," who just want to "sell" things
to you, a photographer will know what you need, and what
you don't need; a photographer will know why you'll
need something, and why you won't need something; a photographer
will have actually used the equipment being sold, and will be
able to offer advice based on real-life experience. Of course,
the facts that photographers (like us) are usually much
better-looking, a lot smarter, definitely kinder, and unquestionably
more sensitive than other folks, doesn't hurt either, does it?
;-)
So check out what's available
online, compare prices, quality, customer service philosophies, feedback profiles, and, in addition to the
usual, logical, procedures for making your purchasing decisions,
check with the old standby that's almost always right, your gut
feelings. Then, without doubt, you'll surely come to the conclusion
that "PhotoSource3"
on eBay is "Da Man"
from whom to buy your photographic goodies! Thank you for being
kind enough to view this auction, may you have the best of luck,
and take care. And don't forget, as always, take (or better yet,
"make") lots of great pictures!
|
-->
We can see the difference
between the Modeling Light Bulb and the Flash Tube (the circular
tube surrounding the modeling bulb) in this close-up shot of
the HS-500's business end (with the reflector removed, of course).
AS-66
Mini-Strobe: This has
got to be the cutest little Mini-Slave you've ever seen! It's
great for adding a hairlight, or a fill light, or for anyplace
you might want an extra spot of light! It pumps out 20WS of light,
and with all it's included accessories, you'll be able to place
that light exactly where you want it. Hey, this is small, but
it allows us to add those extra highlights that separate the
amateur images from the professional images! This is an accessory
light that you'll find yourself using for just about every shot
- you'll see!
