A Quiet Day Indoors
It is a hot and humid day today so I am indoors in the air conditioning today.
My original plan was to put the table saw on the deck and start cutting some lumber to finish a large desk and shelves. Unfortunately, it is far too hot outside for my health so I changed plans for the day. ("Too hot" means any environment which is consistently in the 80s... hot environments cause anaphylaxis and numerous debilitating neurological and gastro-intestinal problems for me... today is in the mid-90s, so I'm in the air conditioned living room.)
So, as I was sitting in the air conditioning, I pulled out some new photography flashes I recently purchased.
I opted for flashes rather than big studio lights so I could stay as portable and flexible as possible (and to minimize storage space required in the house!). Also, being on a very limited budget, I needed a low cost system and this system fits the bill.
Up until now, I had been using some generic flashes for my portrait and studio work. Unfortunately, those generic flashes had few options and constantly shutdown on me at inconvenient times because of a built-in power saver feature which could not be turned off. I also had no remote control over those flashes. In short, although I've managed to produce some beautiful portraits with those flashes, they really were a pain in the ass!
This new set of flashes... a Yongnuo YN560 set... comes with a remote transmitter which mounts on the camera. I can control each of the flashes from this remote... changing power settings, zoom settings, etc, on the fly with a minimum of fuss. With the old set of flashes, I needed to physically get to each flash to change settings.... and they were extremely difficult to read and adjust while they were mounted on light stands in an umbrella. Then I would need to get back to my camera and fire off a few photos before the flash units went back into sleep mode. If they did go into sleep mode, I would again need to physically access these flashes to power them on again. These older flashes were frustrating beyond belief and really ruined any creative workflow while also making the model a bit tense!
So.... I have this new set of flashes and a transmitter which require some education on my part in order to use them effectively.
I had previously charged a dozen AA batteries so I could play. I installed the batteries into each of the components... powered up the flashes... familiarized myself with the flash features, options and settings... then powered up the transmitter... familiarized myself with all the features, options and settings there too.
Within just a few short minutes, I had full control over both flashes from the transmitter... If I changed the power for flash "a" on my transmitter, the settings changed instantly on my flash. When I chose a different power setting for flash "b", it changed instantly on that specific flash. "Wow... this is nice!"
Then I mounted the transmitter on my best camera body... powered up the camera... and fired off a few shots while aimed at the flashes... sure enough, the flashes were firing at the specified power settings. "Wow... this is really nice!"
I haven't pulled out my light stands and umbrellas just yet but this new flash set is looking really good so far!
Before I attempt to shoot some portraits, I'd like to purchase a couple of battery powered LED video lights to also mount on the umbrellas so use as modeling lights. These lights will help with two things... one, they will provide some light for focusing... and two, if I set these lights to the same power settings as the flashes, they will provide a lighting preview for me in real time so I can more easily visualize light and shadow at those settings. Plus, if they are powered by battery, my kit will remain very portable and flexible.
I already have one outstanding portrait lens but I would like to get two more outstanding portrait lenses at different focal lengths. One thing at a time.
Now, if I can just find a willing model... "Where did Sheila go?"
My original plan was to put the table saw on the deck and start cutting some lumber to finish a large desk and shelves. Unfortunately, it is far too hot outside for my health so I changed plans for the day. ("Too hot" means any environment which is consistently in the 80s... hot environments cause anaphylaxis and numerous debilitating neurological and gastro-intestinal problems for me... today is in the mid-90s, so I'm in the air conditioned living room.)
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| Yongnuo YN560-TX transmitter mounted on my camera. |
I opted for flashes rather than big studio lights so I could stay as portable and flexible as possible (and to minimize storage space required in the house!). Also, being on a very limited budget, I needed a low cost system and this system fits the bill.
Up until now, I had been using some generic flashes for my portrait and studio work. Unfortunately, those generic flashes had few options and constantly shutdown on me at inconvenient times because of a built-in power saver feature which could not be turned off. I also had no remote control over those flashes. In short, although I've managed to produce some beautiful portraits with those flashes, they really were a pain in the ass!
This new set of flashes... a Yongnuo YN560 set... comes with a remote transmitter which mounts on the camera. I can control each of the flashes from this remote... changing power settings, zoom settings, etc, on the fly with a minimum of fuss. With the old set of flashes, I needed to physically get to each flash to change settings.... and they were extremely difficult to read and adjust while they were mounted on light stands in an umbrella. Then I would need to get back to my camera and fire off a few photos before the flash units went back into sleep mode. If they did go into sleep mode, I would again need to physically access these flashes to power them on again. These older flashes were frustrating beyond belief and really ruined any creative workflow while also making the model a bit tense!
 |
| Yongnuo YN560 III flashes. |
I had previously charged a dozen AA batteries so I could play. I installed the batteries into each of the components... powered up the flashes... familiarized myself with the flash features, options and settings... then powered up the transmitter... familiarized myself with all the features, options and settings there too.
Within just a few short minutes, I had full control over both flashes from the transmitter... If I changed the power for flash "a" on my transmitter, the settings changed instantly on my flash. When I chose a different power setting for flash "b", it changed instantly on that specific flash. "Wow... this is nice!"
Then I mounted the transmitter on my best camera body... powered up the camera... and fired off a few shots while aimed at the flashes... sure enough, the flashes were firing at the specified power settings. "Wow... this is really nice!"
I haven't pulled out my light stands and umbrellas just yet but this new flash set is looking really good so far!
Before I attempt to shoot some portraits, I'd like to purchase a couple of battery powered LED video lights to also mount on the umbrellas so use as modeling lights. These lights will help with two things... one, they will provide some light for focusing... and two, if I set these lights to the same power settings as the flashes, they will provide a lighting preview for me in real time so I can more easily visualize light and shadow at those settings. Plus, if they are powered by battery, my kit will remain very portable and flexible.
I already have one outstanding portrait lens but I would like to get two more outstanding portrait lenses at different focal lengths. One thing at a time.
Now, if I can just find a willing model... "Where did Sheila go?"
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