CLS | A Photographer's Journey

I was asked if I ever used the largest aperture for portraits. The three images were shot in front of the group to demonstrate how to use depth of field to change the tone or focus withing a portrait.

Click to continue reading “Using Depth of Field Demostration in Portraits: CLS works with you”

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 79°F;
Humidity: 79%;
Heat Index: 82°F;
Wind Chill: 79°F;
Pressure: 30.01 in.;

I always have my speedlights when doing an outdoor portrait session. I know the basics of using natural light with or without reflectors but also know what I want. I don’t always use the speedlights, but I always have them.

When I do use them I try to either use the natural light to compliment the flash or the flash to compliment the natural light.

An example of each:

flash to compliment the natural light

natural light to compliment the flash

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 63°F;
Humidity: 41%;
Heat Index: 63°F;
Wind Chill: 63°F;
Pressure: 29.61 in.;

4045844104 a58a35651d Using Nikons Creative Lighting System (CLS) in daylight

SB900 using the sun as a hairlight.

I have heard and get asked a lot of questions about Nikon’s CLS’ ability or inability to function in bright daytime conditions. In my experience it really have not been an issue. I pay attention to the speedlight’s position and its sensor location relative to my camera and SU800.

Today’s metering technology is a great asset so I normally let it take the first ‘shot’ at what it sees in a scene. While I have studio lights and a Vagabond II, there is little I haven’t been able to do with my SBs. The above shot was taken with a single SB900.

4063884049 fcbf7c3117 Using Nikons Creative Lighting System (CLS) in daylight

SB900 powered by SD8A on 36 inch JTL stand with 24 inch Westscott umbrella. I use this rig when I travel because it fits in my suitcase.

It was very sunny in California the day I shot Candice – notice the shadow on the lower left of the umbrella even though the speedlight fired for this behind the scene picture.

In the photograph of Candice above I metered for the shaded portion of her face and let Nikon TTL do the rest.

In the event it does not produce the result I want I adjust the stop (by 1/3 steps) on the speedlight.

3486666059 99818abf71 m Using Nikons Creative Lighting System (CLS) in daylight

Controlled on camera with the SU-800. Both speedlights were set to TTL remote.

Distance is another concern CLS nay-sayers bring up.

In this photograph Jason is holding a 42 inch Wescott umbrella with a SB-800 tucked up in the open ribs point towarded the camera to get the light reflected back to his face.

Behind him is a SB-900 shooting into another 42 inch Wescott umbrella. That c-stand is a good 50 feet away and up the hill about 10-12 feet above Jason’s head.

Line of sight is important – so just pay attention. But I have used the SB8 & 900s behind glass, reflected the signal off of windows, mirrors, cars just about any reflective surface. I have also ‘staged’ the lights to ‘see’ another but not the SU800.

Think of the IR signal like a billiard ball.

I also use the Nikon CLS to fill on cloudy daylight sessions.

While in Phoenix last week I did the entire shoot with these tools:

4300344523 030252e866 Using Nikons Creative Lighting System (CLS) in daylight

Stand, Speedlight, umbrella and a model: the only tools you need.

The result:

4301095762 d54deb8801 Using Nikons Creative Lighting System (CLS) in daylight

Single SB900 camera left - TTL triggered with SU800.

The only time I have trouble with the system is when I position myself on the wrong side of the speedlight’s optical sensor or move in front of the flash. I use a ballhead so I can quickly rotate the speedlight into the correct position.

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 42°F;
Humidity: 72%;
Heat Index: 42°F;
Wind Chill: 35°F;
Pressure: 30.2 in.;

3493512371 076561ff9d m Strobist ballhead and umbrella test

In Joe McNally‘s CLS video it showed him using a ballhead to align the flashhead along the umbrella stem axis. Made sense that it would distribute the light more evenly; so I bought the rig. Here’s the test results – you decide.

As pointed out in the note above, I forgot the diffuser.

Single SB800 set to TTL into Wescott 42″ shoot through umbrella.

The ballhead is the Manfrotto Lite Tite Swivel+Umbrella Adapter 26
The coldshoe is the Stroboframe Shoe-type Flash Mount Cat. No 300-SHO

I consider this as a ‘nice to know’ experiment only. With the inherent spill associated with shoot through umbrellas and with the difusser on the speedlight the coverage appears to be good. One additional advantage I found with the ballhead set is the ability to quickly rotate the flash body to align the IR sensor to face the camera.

I’ll know better after I field test it.

Sideview

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 31°F;
Humidity: 75%;
Heat Index: 30°F;
Wind Chill: 25°F;
Pressure: 30.48 in.;

I’ve spent the last three days here in Washington, DC on business. Meetings with the Emily at the WW II Monument FAA, HHS and the WAAS office. Long times between meetings and I’ve been done pretty early in the day. So, I placed a casting call on ModelMayhem to see if I could pass the time doing what I like to do, take pictures. 5 or 6 TFCD models responded and I set up sessions with two of them. As my luck would have it – both at the same time. That wasn’t a problem for me (read assistant) or them though so we met at my hotel and headed for the National Mall to shoot. The plan was to use the monuments as the background. Sounded way cool.

We chose the new WW II monument because it had a nice water fountain. We got there around 7pm, good light, not huge crowds. As one model was getting her ticket from the Park Police (wrong way on a One Way street) the other model (Emily) and I set off to set up and shoot along the granite outside wall of the monument. I Danielle 087 Hassled by the Washington, DC Park Rangers for taking photos used 2 SB800s, at first to fill then to light her. Nikon CLS is so cool. So far so good. I get about a dozen shots off when the other model, Danielle walked up. She dismissed the ticket as part of life in DC and we starting posing her along the same wall Emily had used. About 10 minutes later I hear:

Sir – Sir:

Click to continue reading “Hassled by the Washington, DC Park Rangers for taking photos”

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 93°F;
Humidity: 44%;
Heat Index: 97°F;
Wind Chill: 93°F;
Pressure: 30 in.;

2661837751 771b9eb490 m Using the Nikon Creative Lighting System

This photograph was taken using a Nikon D-300, the Nikkor 28-70 f2.8 and 2 SB800s. One SB800 was placed high picture right behind Emily the other was hand held slightly high picture left above her head. Although I have the equipment to mount the flashes to either an umbrella or softbox, this session was done with only the Nikon defusser on one of the strobes.

I am becoming a real fan of the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) and the ability to control the SB-800s using the Commander mode on the D300. I’ve now used them in studio sessions as fill or hair lights, outdoors from as far as 30 feet away or the sole source of light as in this photograph.

The two cautions when using the system is to remember to have the sensor facing toward the camera and don’t step to far in front of the flashes. I spent nearly 10 minutes on one outdoor shoot trying to figure out why the flash wouldn’t fire, gave up and realized, the next day, that I had the IR receiver facing away from the camera.

CLS is a great tool, take the time to learn it.

Read about us being hassled by the Park Rangers in Washington, DC during this shoot.

Also see Damien Franco’s expansion of my photo tip about Seeing the Shadows over at www.yourphototips.com.

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 81°F;
Humidity: 71%;
Heat Index: 85°F;
Wind Chill: 81°F;
Pressure: 30.02 in.;

2383308897 950b011af0 m Nikon Speedlight umbrella test

Nikon Speedlights

When I decided to start playing with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS) I took this series of photographs to try and understand the difference between a shoothrough umbrella and a reflective one.

I also used this test to learn how to use the Commander mode on my D300 to change the power settings of the Speedlights.

SB-800 on left into 32 inch Photogenic white umbrella: SB-600 on right through 48 inch Wescott umbrella. Controlled by D300 Commander mode.

Top half of photo: both at half power
Bottom half of photo: Both at full power.

Nikon D300 & SB-800 Speedlight Flash Diffusion Test

Originally uploaded by rkdauph

On camera flash photography has always challenged me. I learned photography, in West Germany during the early ‘70s, using natural light only, black and white film and developed my own prints. My first experience, in the early ‘80s, with a flash gun was a reunion of flight school classmates and our families. We paraded the kids through the living room, onesies, twosies, you know the drill, and I took whole family photos too. The garish, over exposed pictures with that damn hard edged shadow (like the top center picture) was embarrassing when the color prints arrived. Who needs a flash? Not a REAL photographer anyway; so, back to natural light for more than 2 decades.

Click to continue reading “Nikon D300 & SB-800 Speedlight Flash Diffusion Test”

-- Weather When Posted --

Temperature: 51°F;
Humidity: 49%;
Heat Index: 51°F;
Wind Chill: 49°F;
Pressure: 30.33 in.;

Outdoor Speedlight use in portraiture

Using Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS) in daylight

Strobist ballhead and umbrella test

Hassled by the Washington, DC Park Rangers for taking photos

Using the Nikon Creative Lighting System

Nikon Speedlight umbrella test

Nikon D300 & SB-800 Speedlight Flash Diffusion Test

Translate this Page

Recent Posts

Categories

Blogroll

Follow Me