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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 SM-1250's
business end (with the reflector removed, of course).
The modeling light is especially valuable to the amateur, because
it let's us "see" exactly where the light will fall
when the strobe flashes. This feature alone is worth at least
a hundred rolls of ruined film (which you'll save by having a
modeling light)! One of the major questions (and hesitations)
I had when I was beginning to learn photography, was "If
you use strobes, how do you know what the subject will look like,
or how and where the light will illuminate the subject, if you
don't have continuous lighting to judge by?"
The answer was really simple:
You don't. UNLESS your strobes also have MODELING LIGHTS! With
modeling lights, you can see exactly where the strobe's flash
will illuminate the subject, because the modeling light falls
on the subject the same as the strobe's light will fall on the
subject (less intensely, of course)! And this is why the pros
pay lotsa money for good strobes that come with modeling lights.
That's why the professional photographer's pictures look so much
better than ours do: they have the right equipment for the job!
They can CONTROL THE LIGHT! And now, so can you.
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| PhotoSpeak: What's
a "Slave
Sensor?" Well, if you
had to use a PC Cord for every strobe, just think what a mess
of tangled wires you'd have if you were using 5 or 6 or more
strobes to light your subject (as many pros do)! So, science
came to our rescue with slave sensors. It's a tiny little sensor
built into most good strobes, that sits & waits for a short,
intense burst of light. When it detects this burst of light (the
flash from another strobe), it automatically sets off the flash
tube in the strobe its built into. Voila! Now, with strobes that
have slave sensors (often just called "slaves"), we
can connect only one strobe to our cameras (with the PC or Sync
cord), usually the strobe closest to our camera, and when we
press the shutter button, firing the one connected strobe, that
flash will automatically set off all the other strobes we may
be using for that shot! Ah, ain't technology wunnerful (sic)?
Even most of the little flashes built into most modern cameras
can set off most strobes with slaves. A strobe that has PC socket,
or both a PC Socket and a slave sensor is called a "Master"
strobe; a strobe that only has a slave sensor and no PC socket
(usually less expensive units) is called a "Slave."
Whichever strobe you're using with a PC cord is referred to as
your "master" strobe for purposes of that shot. Most
of the better strobes have both PC sockets and slave sensors,
so they're more versatile and useful to us (however, there are
many very good slaves out there today, and you won't need all
your strobes to be masters, so don't hesitate to buy some decent
slaves when the time comes - and, believe me, if you stick with
photography, the time will come). |
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Complete: Each of these SM-1250s comes complete
with umbrella-capable reflector, sync cord, AC cord, Flash Tube,
Modeling Light, built-in umbrella holder, and standard light
stand connector; it's ready to plug in and fire away! Since the
strobe in this package is an A.C. unit (a completely self-contained
MonoLight), it's ready to rock! No batteries or powerpacks or
light heads or connector cords are needed; just plug 'em in,
and (just like Elvis) you're ready to rock and roll. As with
all quality strobes, this is capable of using many additional
custom accessories, of course (e.g., snoots, barn doors, softboxes,
stands, unbrellas, honeycombs, gel holders, etc.). BTW, pros
use umbrellas to "bounce" the strobe's light off of
(or sometimes through) to make the light softer, reduce or eliminate
shadows, and "mellow-out" the picture. Softboxes (and
SoftCases) and umbrellas are specifically designed for this purpose
(and yes, this strobe is able to use custom-fitted softboxes
& softcases).
These are brand new, 100% guaranteed,
with the manufacturer's full one year warrantee . These are NOT
seconds, blemishes, or anything other than brand new, absolutely
perfect, current 2000 models! Just 'cause the price is great,
doesn't mean these are in any way less than perfect! Questions?
Requests? just e-mail any questions or requests, to me at
wryter@usa.net or check out-my
web site HERE.-These strobes and other photographic equipment
also come with an "extra" that's not available anywhere
else, at any price whatsoever: FREE photographic education, advice
and training from MyPhotoHome.com
(coming soon to a computer near you)! MPH Members also get FREE
web space (to post your own pictures), and much, much more (when
MyPhotoHome.com comes online, shortly).
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Point of Information:
Why, you might be asking yourself, have virtually all photographers
switched to using strobes, when "regular" continuous
lights (photographers call them "hot" lights) are everywhere,
and it's easier for us to see how the lighting will look with
them? Well, the continuous lights, like the ones in our houses
(tungsten lights), or halogen (and similar) are called "hot
lights" for a reason: they get hot. Really hot! And
the special photographic hot lights get twice as hot as household
bulbs! This tends to make certain things, like flowers, foods,
animals, and those darn pesky models, wilt. Especially models.
They get very, very, unhappy when they wilt. Whine, gripe, groan;
you'd think a little melting makeup, and running mascara, limp
hair, and sticky lipstick, and beads of sweat running down their
lovely curvaceous (umm, let's say noses) was a big deal or something,
the way they complain! ;-)
Next, there's a little problem
with the "color temperature" being way off with hot
lights, so we have to use special films (3200K or 3400K) or filters,
or special photographic bulbs, when using them (strobes are perfectly
balanced at 5500K to simulate sunlight, so we can use all the
regular daylight films we've come to love/hate over the years).
You'll notice that most of your pictures taken indoors without
using a flash turn out with a yellowish color cast; that's because
household lights are loaded with yellow and red light. The solution
is to either use special films, or special filters. But why create
more problems for yourself? Using strobes eliminates all these
headaches (and heat!). Also, with continuous lights, they're
always shining; usually right in our subject's eyes, causing
squinting and annoyance (and ugly looking pictures). With strobes,
nothing is shining in their eyes, and the flash is too short
to cause any of this discomfort to our beloved subjects (until
AFTER the flash, when they might be chasing all those little
light blips around the room:). Additionally, with strobes, we
can control the light much better! We can adjust the power output
with the flick of a switch. We can modify the light with umbrellas,
softboxes, softcases, filters, scrims and gobos, doo-dahs, and
thingamajigs, etc., etc. We can direct the light with barn doors,
snoots, honeycombs, and many other accessories. In short, with
strobes, we can play God with our photography; WE CAN CONTROL
THE LIGHT! And we can do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whenever
we want, no matter what the weather is, and without regard to
daylight or night. There are yet other, more esoteric, as well
as mundane reasons why strobes are the preferred means of photographic
lighting in the modern world, but we'll pass on those things
for now. You've probably had enough information shoved down your
throat already (sorry, but I can't resist trying to educate everyone
about photography).
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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? Look at the example
