Cocoa Crusty

I have been trying to take my photography to the next level, lately, and have been working with flashes, also called “strobes” in the photography realm. I have been doing some research on strobist.blogspot.com and by following their Flickr group, Strobist.com. I have been learning a lot but I definitely have a ways to go.

The above image is shot using two strobes. One is a Canon 430EX and the other is a Canon 580EX II. The 430EX was placed to the left of the camera and behind the model on a tripod. The 580EX was on-camera and used for fill light as well as to fire off the 430EX wirelessly.

I think the light scene is a bit artificial, as some of my Flickr friends agree, but the ending result of the shot is superb in my eyes. The scene has a bit of a studio lighting feel to it even in the middle of a forest atop a mountain in Hot Springs, AR. I really like the way this shot turned out and look forward to working with my flashes in the future…

Photography, just like any other hobby, sport, passion, etc., will take a lifetime of learning to get anywhere near goals you set. You’ll never know everything there is to know about photography or techniques used to create impressive captures. Especially when taking an artistic approach to photography, things will never be “complete” as each photo captures something different than the previous and requires a different processing approach to obtain the look, feel, mood, and atmosphere you want to achieve from each photograph.

Be on the lookout for more strobe testing as I am really enjoying this aspect of photography right now for creating interesting light scenes! Also, don’t forget to follow my Fruitful Studios blog at blog.fruitfulstudios.com. for more photo session updates.

Until next time…

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4 Responses to “Working With Strobes…”

1. Carmen Says:
   May 24th, 2008 at 4:16 PM

   Jeff,
   I think your photography is truly awesome (and I don’t mean that in some kind of Bill and Ted way). You have mucho talent, and I hope you are able to do all you can envision with your gift. Carmen

   From using Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14 on Windows Vista

2. Lisa Says:
   May 26th, 2008 at 11:01 AM

   http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php

   I think you could do well selling your photography as stock. If nothing else, you can check out some of the amazing photos on the site.

   From using Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14 on Windows XP

3. Cocoa Crusty Says:
   May 27th, 2008 at 8:48 AM

   Thanks, Carmen!

   @Lisa - I have heard horror stories of selling portrait photography of “models” as sometimes your images are used on sites you may not want to write home to momma about! I appreciate your comment and the fact that you think my work is that good! We’ll have to ponder this stock photography approach…

   Cocoa

   From using Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14 on Windows XP

4. Lisa Says:
   May 27th, 2008 at 5:03 PM

   Your work is definitely that good. I understand your reservations on the model thing, though. I only sell product type photography (my port is *tiny* lol). Istock is probably the biggest micro-stock agency out there - they’re owned by Getty Images. If you decide to check it out further and need any info, just let me know.

   From using Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14 on Windows XP

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