Monday, July 23, 2012

Something new

I ordered a cheap light stand, shoot-through umbrella, and an umbrella adapter to learn how to use off-camera flash. After my order arrived it sat on a chair unopened until this evening (all because one of our cats is using the chair for his naps and I don't want to disturb him). Finally, after getting the umbrella set up in the backyard I took Sadie outside and had her pose for me when I fired off a few shots.

Of the pictures I took, I like this one best:

Sadie

I cropped the image a bit, made some cosmetic fixes, and added a vignette. I have a lot to learn about how to use an umbrella; it'll be awhile before I feel comfortable enough to use it in a session.

(Shot with the Nikon D300 using the 50mm f/1.8 lens, SB-800 flash, and two Pocket Wizards; program mode; camera set shutter speed at 1/60th second, aperture at f/5, at ISO 200; auto white balance; normal JPG.)
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12 comments:

  1. Hilary CableJuly 23, 2012 at 10:14 PM

    Beautiful. Very dramatic look for a visually striking dog (shhhh. Don't tell anyone they're not this noble normally)

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    1. UnknownJuly 23, 2012 at 10:23 PM

      take a look at the video of sadie playing leapfrog with her dog beds if you haven't already. noble, she is not.

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  2. UnknownJuly 24, 2012 at 5:14 AM

    Stunning picture of Sadie. Happy Tuesday to you all.
    Best wishes Molly

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  3. houndstoothJuly 24, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    Sadie looks like a queen surveying her kingdom! Oh, I have serious light envy!

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    1. UnknownJuly 24, 2012 at 11:24 PM

      i don't have a second light stand on which to mount a reflector. i only had an outside halogen porch light to lighten her shadows. the picture came out better than i had hoped.

      i wasn't sure how the girls would react to seeing the umbrella. sadie ignored it completely, and katie gave it a few sniffs, then left.

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  4. genjiJuly 29, 2012 at 4:21 AM

    I love the glint in the eye and nose tip. I am still at the stage of natural light only. Using lighting and flash is a whole level of complexity I'm not quite ready to tackle yet.

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    1. UnknownJuly 29, 2012 at 11:35 PM

      yeah, it does add more gear to carry around. and i very much favor natural light when i do my sessions. still...i want to go exploring with this.

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  5. MichelleJuly 29, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    Lovely photo of Sadie!

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    1. UnknownJuly 29, 2012 at 11:35 PM

      thanks, michelle! it'll be katie's turn soon...i hope.

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  6. Greyhounds CAN SitAugust 11, 2012 at 7:25 PM

    I look at your beautiful photos and think I need to do so much more than just snap off shots of Beryl running hoping I fluke one in focus. They are inspirational and daunting at the same time:)

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    1. UnknownAugust 12, 2012 at 11:48 PM

      i'm trying to get outside of my comfort zone a bit. i've always liked photographs using studio lighting but i'm no good at it. i'm going to try it anyway.

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