Posted by: Dale Franks on Saturday, July 15, 2006 In anticipation of the photo shoot that The Lovely Christine and I will be doing next week for the Pro Player Foundation, I broke down and spent the money for Gary Fong's Lightsphere II (Cloud) flash diffuser. As it happens, I have been looking for a diffuser like this for quite a while, every since I saw a well-equipped fellow from Nippon using a similar diffuser to shoot butterflies at the Wild Animal Park two years ago. This upcoming photography commission finally convinced me to shell out the $55 apiece for both the Clear and Cloud versions of this product. After playing with them both—and they are both quite good—I've settled on the Cloud version for my use. The Lovely Christine, who acts as my second on shoots, will have to be satisfied with the Lightsphere II (Clear) for her use. Both of the Lightspheres showed up via UPS last night. So, after watching the instructional video—which was very helpful, I've been playing with it today. One of the results of my play has been this:
Of course, there are always the old-school photogs who will ask, "So what? Why spend fifty bucks on light I can get with a bounce?" Ah, well, that's the thing, my friend. You can't get this type of lighting with a bounce. The LS2 is both a bouncer and diffuser. Observe:
The way the LS2 works is that it both provides a large diffuse point light source from the direction of the camera, it also bounces light off the ceiling. So, your subject gets hit with light coming in all directions. This markedly cuts the shadowing, and gives more even light approaching the subject from all directions. But—and this is a big but—once you get outdoors, the LS2 is a lot less effective. Gary Fong recommends that you point the LS2 directly at the subject when shooting outdoors. This turns the LS2 into a sort of small, round, softbox, because, whether you are using the Cloud or Clear version of the product, you shoot through the same internal, cloudy dome. Thanks, but no thanks. If I need to point something directly at my subject using a flash, I already have the Lumiquest Softbox which, with its much larger, irregularly shaped diffuser, gives superior performance to the LS2 used in direct mode. If I'm gonna have to point the flash directly at the subject, then I want a diffuser that's a lot larger, and a lot less round, than the LS2. With that said, for indoor shooting, with a relatively low ceiling, the LS2 is just unbeatable for the quality of light that it gives.
I'd like to offer some select people in the San Diego area—or who are willing to travel to the San Diego area—a free photo shoot. We are looking for male and female characters, entertainers, or models who are seeking to build a portfolio, but who do not have a lot of money to pay to have it done professionally. We do have some experience in the modeling and acting fields, so we are familiar with the criteria for this kind of photography. We could meet somewhere in the San Diego area, and spend at least 4 hours doing a photo shoot. I would be accompanied by my second photographer, and she would also be shooting during the session. Each photo would be a high-resolution digital photo capable of being used for prints up to 16x20. Over the course of a 4-hour session, we would probably shoot several hundred photos, and you'd have all the originals—both good and bad—to choose pictures from to add or start your own portfolio. If you'd like to do a photo shoot with another person, such as an engagement-style photo shoot, that would be OK, too. We would also consider shooting events, such as weddings, banquets, dinners, business parties, gallery openings, trade shows, as well. Because we are seeking to expand our experience and portfolio in this field of photography, we are offering this to you for free. All it will cost you, if you are selected, is your time. In return, you'll get a bunch of free photos. If you are interested, send an email message to photoshoot@extrasformovies.com, containing a picture no larger than 500x500 pixels or 50kb in size, the type of photo shoot you're interested in doing and why, your contact info, and, if you have an acting/modeling resume, you can paste it into the body of your email. No attachments, please, other than the photo. If you are selected, we will contact you to nail down the details. |
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