great videos, In the UK we've just had the SWPP convention and I think I learnt more watching your videos then 3 days of talks at SWPP,,,, keep the good work up
Great videos. You should do more but I'm sure they are time consuming. Nice gear as well. I'm looking at getting the Elinchrom 4 D It. Still new at this so trying to keep it less expensive until I get better. You said the modifiers are over priced. Does that mean they are expensive or too expensive for what you get? I have read a lot and most of what I read do say they are expensive but worth every penny, especially some of the large octoboxs
@Uscbryan949 I used only speedlights for years and did much research and pondering before investing in my big lights. The Elinchrom Rotolux line of Modifiers are extremely expensive. Their quality is top notch. The Hardware is strong and the fabrics are tough, thick material that will provide years of use. The best feature is that the soft boxes are foldable and don't require removing or taking them apart to store them. 300-1200 USD is still a lot of money though.
@AssiVomDienst1 I use the Black Rapid Straps. They are the best I've used by far as I don't like a heavy camera around my neck (or should I say lack of neck)
You are insane dude! Props on all your work! Keep doing what your doing and keep those videos coming. Hope you don't mind if I put a link from my blog to yours site.
@mylesherger I use Paul C. Buff Cybersyncs whenever I am using mixed lights such as speedlights combined with my Elinchroms, etc. When I going for a one light setup, I can use my Elinchrom Skyport which my battery pack has a built in receiver, hence I can adjust power output from the trigger.
You videos are very good. I have a question. Have you considered using larger apertures to throw the background more? I think the Quatra can do hypersync- correct me if Im wrong. Thanks!
@prmass1 The Quadras I have cannot cheat sync speed. And even if they could, my camera body's sync speed is 1/250th of a second and that is what I limited too.
To shoot past sync speed, the answer lies more in the radio trigger. The new Radio Poppers and the new Pocketwizard TT1/TT5's can do this.
@menton2k It was a large Elinchrom Rotalux Stripbox that is around 50 inches by 18 inches. I am not sure in the exact measurement as Elinchrom list them in cm.
Great points about keeping a flow to the shoot and thinking about lighting as a pyramid when you're mixing ambient and a flash instead of just a triangle. However it seems like the one stop change in ISO would have been balanced by the one stop change in aperture which shouldn't have resulted in being able to use a faster shutter speed. Obviously it worked for you and in the end that's more important than the actual numbers. Thanks for a such a detailed response.
@crazyredwizard Great Question! As the ambient light decreased due to the setting sun and cloud cover, It forced me to shoot a shutter speed slower than I was comfortable with (1/60). In efforts to get back to a SS fast enough for hand-holding the camera, I had to bump up the ISO which will also change the exposure of the model which includes the Aperture value and the power of the flash. cont...
I had the choice of either stopping down the aperture to an f/11 or standing up and walking over to the flash to turn down the power accordingly. Not wanting to loose the models confidence or rapport, it decided to make a 1 second adjustment of the aperture dial rather than loosing the moment and breaking to turn down the flash power.
Excellent video, fun and smooth. I am not familiar with Nikon gear, is there no high speed syncing available with that system? That could have helped blur a little more the background in some of your shots that you had to use f8 in. Anyways, good work and excellent results. I agree with your comments on the price of gear, all I can afford is PCB stuff and in my opinion work excellent. Profoto and Elinchrom need to step down from their cloud. lol
@sampoteste Nikon does offer a built-in high speed sync in their CLS system. They call it "FP" mode. However this will only work with the CLS system and flashes that support CLS such as the SB-800, 900, etc. And in efforts to over power the sun, I needed more power than any flash or speedlight could offer. If I were to put the flash at 1/1(full power), I might have been able to squeeze enough light out it for, however, at a 7-12 second recycle time, it wouldn't have been worth it.
@in2food For speedlights and light weight modifiers, I use the Manfrotto 420B Convert Boom Stand. Be sure to get one with the included sandbag.
It's light weight and can be used as a boom or regular lightstand. I would be hesitant to put a profoto or large Alien be on it. For large monolights, a heavier duty one would be preferred. When buying a boom, always check the specs and the weight capacities for BOTH extended and non-extended positions
Nice video but a few questions. When using a short focal length lens @ 55mm at F8 you have decided to keep a lot of background in focus which as you said you didn't have the blossoms the way you would have like so why not go to a longer lens or open up your lens to create some bokeh in the background? Second when taking a lense without Vr to a shoot wouldn't it be wise to take a tripod? Just seems like a few basic things would have brought out the model instead of background clutter.
@zygotepeyote Awesome feedback... Thanks for watching!
1- The Ambient exposure was too bright to shoot more open than an f/8 without compromising and blowing out the sky and background. As you said, I could shoot with longer glass and longer focal length to get a shallower DOF at the sacrifice of Lens Compression. I wanted the full lines of the orchard and zoomed with a telephoto would have lost this. Another option would have been to use some ND Filters to allow me to open up the aperture.
2- VR is an amazing technology that claims to give us 1-3 stops more when hand holding a camera. But for years and years, we got by without it and I physically can survive and steady myself enough to shoot down to 1/40 or slower and get a decent portrait. However in efforts of educating newcomers and hobbyists, I try to keep things as basic as possible, shoot with affordable glass, and target the audience with "anyone can do this attitude."
@bigbs4 Thanks for the reply Ben! Keep up the great work. Anyone watching must be inspired to grab his camera and shoot. Looking forward to your next video!
As far as the tripod goes, I dislike being locked down and love to move around and have that dynamic relationship with the scene and model. Basically it's just a personal preference. I guess that's why I never could be a landscape photographer. :)
@jitu757 I needed the wattage to overpower the sun and unless I were to use a speedlight at 1/1 full power, this would have been difficult. I am too poor to own Profotos.
The tracks used were laid down in Sony Acid Studio Pro.
@bigbs4 Ah yes, I did remember you saying that in the video about the speedlite. I don't understand why some photography gear cost so much to be honest and I am too talking about Profoto lights, something that I would like to own one day (Profoto AcuteB pack and head system). I have looked at the Elinchrom quadra system as well and seems to be more along something I can afford but still expansive to me, lol!
Excellent video Ben! I happened upon you this morning. Your model is beautiful! She has the prettiest smile. And she looked so nice in that dress and hairdo. Please tell her she has a fan! I'll check out more of your videos. Thanks for sharing!
@TheBbp001 You are exactly right. We can either shoot so your Ambient Light and Artificial Light (Flash) are balanced so there appears to be no use of flash or we can under expose the ambient (background) for a more surreal and contrasty look. We call these "Light Ratios". With the trees not in blossom like we initially planned, I decided to make them not be as bright as the model as I wanted the attention on her.
great videos, In the UK we've just had the SWPP convention and I think I learnt more watching your videos then 3 days of talks at SWPP,,,, keep the good work up
jontennantcom 1 month ago in playlist More videos from bigbs4
Excelente ! Buena peluca !
Roggerfly 1 month ago
The model is perfect for this period type of portrait photography.
ramraker 1 month ago
Nice Fro at 4:20. Makes Jared's look small.
Uscbryan949 1 month ago 2
Great videos. You should do more but I'm sure they are time consuming. Nice gear as well. I'm looking at getting the Elinchrom 4 D It. Still new at this so trying to keep it less expensive until I get better. You said the modifiers are over priced. Does that mean they are expensive or too expensive for what you get? I have read a lot and most of what I read do say they are expensive but worth every penny, especially some of the large octoboxs
Uscbryan949 1 month ago
@Uscbryan949 I used only speedlights for years and did much research and pondering before investing in my big lights. The Elinchrom Rotolux line of Modifiers are extremely expensive. Their quality is top notch. The Hardware is strong and the fabrics are tough, thick material that will provide years of use. The best feature is that the soft boxes are foldable and don't require removing or taking them apart to store them. 300-1200 USD is still a lot of money though.
bigbs4 1 month ago
Thank you for the inspiration ;)*
with best wishes,
Agnes
agadphoto 2 months ago
what camerastrap are you using??
AssiVomDienst1 3 months ago
@AssiVomDienst1 I use the Black Rapid Straps. They are the best I've used by far as I don't like a heavy camera around my neck (or should I say lack of neck)
bigbs4 3 months ago 2
Comment removed
AssiVomDienst1 3 months ago
@bigbs4 thanks... :D
AssiVomDienst1 3 months ago
Good tutorials!
darkvader47 5 months ago in playlist More videos from bigbs4
You are insane dude! Props on all your work! Keep doing what your doing and keep those videos coming. Hope you don't mind if I put a link from my blog to yours site.
avazquez1988 5 months ago
what kind of triggers do you use bud?
mylesherger 5 months ago
@mylesherger I use Paul C. Buff Cybersyncs whenever I am using mixed lights such as speedlights combined with my Elinchroms, etc. When I going for a one light setup, I can use my Elinchrom Skyport which my battery pack has a built in receiver, hence I can adjust power output from the trigger.
bigbs4 5 months ago
you should do more of these types of videos on "framed" or something.
koreanbmw330i 6 months ago
hi just wondering wat power supply you take on these shoots for your light ?
larakate91 6 months ago
@larakate91
The Quadras can fire up to 400w at full power. I wasn't anywhere near that amount. I would I was hover between 150-200 most of the afternoon.
bigbs4 6 months ago
You videos are very good. I have a question. Have you considered using larger apertures to throw the background more? I think the Quatra can do hypersync- correct me if Im wrong. Thanks!
prmass1 6 months ago
@prmass1 The Quadras I have cannot cheat sync speed. And even if they could, my camera body's sync speed is 1/250th of a second and that is what I limited too.
To shoot past sync speed, the answer lies more in the radio trigger. The new Radio Poppers and the new Pocketwizard TT1/TT5's can do this.
bigbs4 6 months ago
@prmass1 UPDATE: The Elinchrom Quadra's S-Heads can do high speed sync. Confirmed using TT1/TT5 Pocket Wizards
bigbs4 1 month ago
What size is the softbox?
menton2k 6 months ago
@menton2k It was a large Elinchrom Rotalux Stripbox that is around 50 inches by 18 inches. I am not sure in the exact measurement as Elinchrom list them in cm.
bigbs4 6 months ago
Great stuff as always !!!!! Thank you !!!
tkt0912 7 months ago
Great points about keeping a flow to the shoot and thinking about lighting as a pyramid when you're mixing ambient and a flash instead of just a triangle. However it seems like the one stop change in ISO would have been balanced by the one stop change in aperture which shouldn't have resulted in being able to use a faster shutter speed. Obviously it worked for you and in the end that's more important than the actual numbers. Thanks for a such a detailed response.
crazyredwizard 7 months ago
Good video. I'm curious why you were shooting at f/11 when you bumped the iso to 400 since you were shooting at f/8 earlier?
crazyredwizard 7 months ago
@crazyredwizard Great Question! As the ambient light decreased due to the setting sun and cloud cover, It forced me to shoot a shutter speed slower than I was comfortable with (1/60). In efforts to get back to a SS fast enough for hand-holding the camera, I had to bump up the ISO which will also change the exposure of the model which includes the Aperture value and the power of the flash. cont...
bigbs4 7 months ago
@crazyredwizard cont from last comment...
I had the choice of either stopping down the aperture to an f/11 or standing up and walking over to the flash to turn down the power accordingly. Not wanting to loose the models confidence or rapport, it decided to make a 1 second adjustment of the aperture dial rather than loosing the moment and breaking to turn down the flash power.
bigbs4 7 months ago
great tutorial! thank you for the work, there are so much totorials on yt but this one just outstands, short compact information and not much blabla.
zedmelody 7 months ago
Nice tutorial big guy!!
rezjrprod 7 months ago
Very well, I neglected the fact of overpowering the sun which is nearly futile using any speedlight.
Thanks for responding, that is greatly appreciated. Keep up the good work and we will be following you :-)
sampoteste 7 months ago
Excellent video, fun and smooth. I am not familiar with Nikon gear, is there no high speed syncing available with that system? That could have helped blur a little more the background in some of your shots that you had to use f8 in. Anyways, good work and excellent results. I agree with your comments on the price of gear, all I can afford is PCB stuff and in my opinion work excellent. Profoto and Elinchrom need to step down from their cloud. lol
sampoteste 7 months ago 2
@sampoteste Nikon does offer a built-in high speed sync in their CLS system. They call it "FP" mode. However this will only work with the CLS system and flashes that support CLS such as the SB-800, 900, etc. And in efforts to over power the sun, I needed more power than any flash or speedlight could offer. If I were to put the flash at 1/1(full power), I might have been able to squeeze enough light out it for, however, at a 7-12 second recycle time, it wouldn't have been worth it.
bigbs4 7 months ago
Hey Ben, What stand boom combo do you suggest as being sturdy enough but not cost prohibitive?
Thanks for another great vid!
in2food 7 months ago
@in2food For speedlights and light weight modifiers, I use the Manfrotto 420B Convert Boom Stand. Be sure to get one with the included sandbag.
It's light weight and can be used as a boom or regular lightstand. I would be hesitant to put a profoto or large Alien be on it. For large monolights, a heavier duty one would be preferred. When buying a boom, always check the specs and the weight capacities for BOTH extended and non-extended positions
bigbs4 7 months ago
very nice vid!
Sm00Keh 7 months ago
like
Hatschi73 7 months ago
Nice video but a few questions. When using a short focal length lens @ 55mm at F8 you have decided to keep a lot of background in focus which as you said you didn't have the blossoms the way you would have like so why not go to a longer lens or open up your lens to create some bokeh in the background? Second when taking a lense without Vr to a shoot wouldn't it be wise to take a tripod? Just seems like a few basic things would have brought out the model instead of background clutter.
zygotepeyote 7 months ago
@zygotepeyote Awesome feedback... Thanks for watching!
1- The Ambient exposure was too bright to shoot more open than an f/8 without compromising and blowing out the sky and background. As you said, I could shoot with longer glass and longer focal length to get a shallower DOF at the sacrifice of Lens Compression. I wanted the full lines of the orchard and zoomed with a telephoto would have lost this. Another option would have been to use some ND Filters to allow me to open up the aperture.
bigbs4 7 months ago
@zygotepeyote
2- VR is an amazing technology that claims to give us 1-3 stops more when hand holding a camera. But for years and years, we got by without it and I physically can survive and steady myself enough to shoot down to 1/40 or slower and get a decent portrait. However in efforts of educating newcomers and hobbyists, I try to keep things as basic as possible, shoot with affordable glass, and target the audience with "anyone can do this attitude."
bigbs4 7 months ago
@bigbs4 Thanks for the reply Ben! Keep up the great work. Anyone watching must be inspired to grab his camera and shoot. Looking forward to your next video!
zygotepeyote 7 months ago
@zygotepeyote
As far as the tripod goes, I dislike being locked down and love to move around and have that dynamic relationship with the scene and model. Basically it's just a personal preference. I guess that's why I never could be a landscape photographer. :)
bigbs4 7 months ago
Great tutorial... we need more though :P
amochana 7 months ago
Very well made video and tutorial. Music is perfect! Would you mind sharing the tracks used?
Btw, is there a reason you went with Elinchrom vs your speedlite or Profoto???
jitu757 8 months ago
@jitu757 I needed the wattage to overpower the sun and unless I were to use a speedlight at 1/1 full power, this would have been difficult. I am too poor to own Profotos.
The tracks used were laid down in Sony Acid Studio Pro.
bigbs4 7 months ago
@bigbs4 Ah yes, I did remember you saying that in the video about the speedlite. I don't understand why some photography gear cost so much to be honest and I am too talking about Profoto lights, something that I would like to own one day (Profoto AcuteB pack and head system). I have looked at the Elinchrom quadra system as well and seems to be more along something I can afford but still expansive to me, lol!
Thanks for the reply!
jitu757 7 months ago
you should come back when the flowers are in bloom i'd love to see that
HuabVajRocks1 8 months ago
Excellent video Ben! I happened upon you this morning. Your model is beautiful! She has the prettiest smile. And she looked so nice in that dress and hairdo. Please tell her she has a fan! I'll check out more of your videos. Thanks for sharing!
photoguyphotography 8 months ago 2
4:25 You should totally let your hair grow out to look like that :D
iamravenous 8 months ago
Kelly is damn hot!
heuykiller 8 months ago
Ben! where've u been?! :D
zohaiRrR 8 months ago
i'd say that voice activeated light stand could be better model than real Mary.. nice tutorial anyway
norrismoz 8 months ago
Great video! Thanks!
js091402 8 months ago
Hi
The Phoptoshoot was good and the model looked amazing. Thank you for making the video and the music match well with the video.
miike111 8 months ago
i like her Hair ;)
Kuyamoko 8 months ago
great vid, why under expose the ambient light by so much though. is it just to make the model stand out more or am i missing a trick cheers
TheBbp001 8 months ago
@TheBbp001 You are exactly right. We can either shoot so your Ambient Light and Artificial Light (Flash) are balanced so there appears to be no use of flash or we can under expose the ambient (background) for a more surreal and contrasty look. We call these "Light Ratios". With the trees not in blossom like we initially planned, I decided to make them not be as bright as the model as I wanted the attention on her.
bigbs4 8 months ago
Great video thanks for uploading.
lightpoacher 8 months ago
Awesome! Thanks for the video tutorials, much appreciated :)
youmantube2009 8 months ago
Can you make a post proccessing tutorial for photos being done outside?
binhetranfilms 8 months ago 2
@binhetranfilms That's a good idea. I'll look into it for my next concept. :) Thanks for watching
bigbs4 8 months ago 4
@bigbs4 Thank you!
binhetranfilms 8 months ago
Glad to see your back! I love your videos and they are so helpful!
binhetranfilms 8 months ago
4:30 :) LOL
sauroborsi 8 months ago
wow, these videos are amazing!!
sauroborsi 8 months ago
Love your work! I learn so much from you!! Thanks for sharing your skills.
markabracken 8 months ago
where can i veiw your work @
MAN71S 8 months ago
Just wanted to let you know that we appreciate you making these videos. Thank you! It was a lot of fun watching this.
PhotographersOnUTube 8 months ago