Soft box vs Umbrella with diffuser

I've been using a Soft Silver umbrella plus white diffuser with my new Paul C Buff Einstein lights, but still wasn't quite getting the look I was hoping for.

With the umbrella

There are two things I'm looking to achieve:

1) Darker background, lighter subject, and a softbox is supposed to give you more control over light spill.

2) A more natural looking light, and a softbox is supposed to mimic window light better (as it's directional rather than bounced).

My softbox came in the mail today so I took my trusty helper and tested it out.

Softbox

Diffused Umbrella

You might actually be saying that you like the right hand side better because you get more light on the left side of the face. This is an added bonus of the umbrella - the better light wrap-around means you can worry less about getting the positioning correct.  When I use the softbox more in front, I can get more light in both eyes.

Here are a few more comparisons:

Softbox

Umbrella

Umbrella

All photos underwent very minimal processing to show exactly how the lighting came out.

My first objective wasn't achieved - I still didn't manage to separate the object from the background enough.  I think I'll just need to buy bigger backdrops so I can move the dog forward and rely on the Inverse Square Law of Light to achieve the affect.  I do think the softbox achieved my second objective though.  While not an obvious difference, I do find that the light does looks more natural.

Honeycomb Grid for Backlighting

I traded in an umbrella for a set of Paul C Buff's honeycomb grids and got my first chance to try them out today, on a few adoptable dogs from Animal Rescue R Us.

I used the 20 degree grid, and buying all four was a bit much.  I have a feeling once I find the grid I like best, I'll rarely change it up.  One thing I needed to be careful of was blowing out the backlighting by making the front main light too bright.

It worked best when the dog was up on a table so I could position the main soft box very close to the dog (as in the first photo).  An issue with dog photography is that many of the light stands are too tall, while I'd like them closer to the ground.  At some point I'll have to invest in a platform or riser.

I also played around with using the grid to light the subject for a drama shot:

Fun items, will have to keep playing around with them!

Review of Einstein Studio Lights from Paul C Buff

For a long time (mmm, maybe 1 - 2 years) I've been using some meager studio lighting supplies.  Don't get me wrong - they really did quite well for the price.  $42 for two light stands and umbrellas, $50 for two huge lightbulbs.  Though I've had to buy a couple extras over the years (new umbrellas, lighting sockets) since the gear was about as cheap as you'd expect as that price and starting to fall apart.  Still, it served me well.

And yet still, something was missing.  I looked to some amazing photographers and knew I could do better.  And since I decided to hold off on the 85mm 1.4G lens (read my last post on the D800 to find out why), I decided to splurge on an awesome studio light setup - The Genius package from Paul C Buff, with a few modifications (swapped one of the 64" Extreme Silver PMLs with a 51" Soft Silver umbrella - and very glad I did).

I thought I went way overboard with this purchase, as I usually set up my mini studio in my living room, on my living room table, but once I realized the power of these lights, I moved everything into the basement.  No need for any additional natural light with two Einstein units!

The above photo was taken with the soft silver umbrella at the back pointing forward and left, with another unit in front, right, which was shooting through a white umbrella.  You can see the two shadows these units produced, the one on the bottom left caused by the soft silver (a harder shadow) and the one mid right, caused by the more "soft-boxy" effect of the white umbrella.

In none of my photos did I use the Extreme silver umbrella - it arrived broken (and seemed impossible to put together even if it wasn't).  Paul C Buff called me up and offered to ship a new one, and sent me a return shipping label for the broken one.  I decided that the umbrella was too large for my small area, and I'd like to use one of the Einstein units as a background light, or hair light, rather than a second fill light, so I asked instead for a reflector and a set of honey comb grids.

Here the white umbrella was placed extremely close to the little guy (who was up on a table).  The soft silver umbrella unit was placed facing the backdrop.  In this situation a little fill light would have worked nice, but I do like the drama of it.  Though a white reflector would probably be sufficient.

Overall I am super, duper pleased with the Einstein lights.  Having never used strobes before, I was very nervous about the learning curve, but it turned out to be really easy to pick up.  The cyber commander is really incredible.  You can adjust the power level on all the lights, set your ISO and shutter speed, hit the meter button, and it tells you what f-stop to use!  How cool! (First time I used a light meter.)  I was able to keep my ISO at 100 and shutter speed 250 for every shot, with plenty of power to spare in the Einsteins.  I forgot how smooth and sharp images can look with such a low ISO.  And the flash made my images look sharper (if that makes sense?  It seemed so anyway).

Excited now to play around with the honeycomb grids!

D800 - Is it right for Pet Photography?

I've been planning on buying a new camera in January and the big day is quickly approaching (oh yes, that's January 1st exactly - for tax purposes I have to wait till next year).  I've been agonizing between the D610, Nikon D800 and the Canon 5DM3.  It's funny because in the photography world, I've discovered, there is no "best" camera in any given price range.  There are always pros and cons to each, even taking price out of the equation.  Here were my hopes and hesitations for each (based on what I read online).

D610

Pros:

• From Nikon, which is a plus because I dropped $500 earlier this year on the SB910.  My current camera is a DX (the D7000), so if I was going to jump ship to Canon, now would be time to do so, before I invest thousands in FX lenses and accessories from Nikon, but status quo is easier.
• More FPS than the D800.  This is important because pets move around a lot, and running dogs can be really, really fast.
• Cheaper than the D800.  A good FX entry camera.

Cons:

• Small AF sensor area.  Basically the same sensor area as the D7000, but on an FX camera, so it'd look much smaller through the view finder.  This is actually what made me decide to rent the D800.  I never focus then compose, but always compose then focus.  This means that I want the dog to be on the third lines and to be able to place the single point focus dot over the dogs eye.  From what I read, this isn't possible with the D600 series.

D800

Pros:

• Better AF tracking, over the D600.  Here is a great article showing how much better the D800 is than the D600 in AF.
• Nikon (see above for why).
• 36MP - both bane and blessing.  Would be great for cropping.

Cons:

• 4 fps.  So slow!  Wasn't sure I'd be able to get any decent running shots with 4fps, but I figured the improved AF meant I'd need less shots to get one in focus.
• 36MP.  This is the reason for the slow fps.  Was worried about bogging down my computer and running out of space so quickly (I'm constantly fighting for those last GB on my hard drive - run out of space, delete old files, rinse, repeat).
• So many pixels demands good technique or very fast shutter speed to reduce blur from hand held shots.

Canon 5D Mark III

Pros:

• Okay, so I don't know much about canon but the BIGGEST reason I was contemplating switching is because almost every single one of my favorite pet photographers use canon, if not this exact camera.  Then I found these Flying Dogs series by Frank Pham, using the D800, and that revived my hope.
• Has great quality, good fps, good AF.  Really great reviews, this camera.

Cons:

• Required switching to Canon, which would be a pain.  Plus, I don't want to jump ship just because at the current moment the slightly better camera happens to be a canon.  I'm sure throughout the years Nikon and Canon will frog hop ahead of each other - I can't always toss my gear in the garbage and chase after the shiniest glint that catches my eye.

Summary

I decided to rent the D800 first, and if I liked it, I'd buy it.  The 5DM3 is so so so tempting but I can't assume that just because there are fabulous and talented photographers using it that it would magically make my photos just as beautiful.  There are only slight differences between the cameras and ultimately it comes down to who's behind the camera.  Plus, it could be a correlation rather than a causation - maybe ten years ago Canon was the more professionally trusted brand, and maybe all the photographers I love have been in the business for awhile, hence their amazing photos and brand loyalty with Canon.  Just a wild guess.  :)

Anyway, perhaps I will become that amazing pet photographer using the Nikon D800.  :)

First Impressions

A couple weekends ago my D800 rental arrived in the mail.  It felt just right and was super easy to pick up on the new controls (well, except for the reversal of zoom in and out buttons.  That took a bit of getting used to). 

I rented by the 24-70mm and the 85mm 1.4D with it.  I meant to rent the 85mm 1.4G but picked the wrong one by mistake.  It didn't bother me though - I mainly wanted to test the focal length when using a studio backdrop.  I had already rented the 1.4G earlier this year and knew I would buy that one, if any.

24-70mm D800

I LOVED the 24-70mm.  Previously I was using the 35mm on a DX and having so much more width to work with was awesome.  I also dig the distortion effects with pets.

I still have a lot to learn.  It's really easy to make blurry hand held photos with the D800 and I wasn't paying enough attention to my shutter speed on some of these.  I never went to school for photography so I probably don't have the best hand holding technique.

Action

The action shots came out okay.  Definitely better than my D7000 (where 90% of my actions shots were unusably blurry) and I think I could improve them with some more work.  Crank up the ISO and shutter speed even more, pay more attention to a steady hand or even use a tripod.  (I still haven't worked out the best aperture for action shots.  I like a blurry background but a lower aperture would mean more chance of the whole dog being in focus.)

D800 24mm 2.8 1/1000 ISO 500

D800 24mm 2.8 1/1000 ISO 500

D800 60mm 2.8 1/1000 ISO 500

D800 62mm 2.8 1/1000 ISO 500

They aren't super crisp, but I'm not an action photography expert, so my technique could improve.

D800 240mm 5.6 1/400 ISO 800

D800 240mm 5.6 1/400 ISO 800

Those are all minimally processed and not cropped.

 The funny thing is that my biggest concern for the D800 - the slow fps, didn't creep up once!  I never had to wait for the buffer to clear, and I shot as fast as I normally do.  After my rental, my biggest concern became the steady hand required for a sharp shot.  But, it'll just give me something to work on.  :)

85mm for Studio Shots

Before renting I was 95% sure I was going to buy this lens.  I rented it over the summer for a wedding and I LOVED it, especially for kids.

The bokeh is beautiful and I am obsessed with beautiful bokeh.

But then I rented the D version for my studio shots and I knew right off the bat it wouldn't work.  For my small studio spaces, even with an FX camera, I had to back up too much.  Sometimes I need to be really close to the dog during studio shots - holding the dog still with one hand, getting ready to snap with the other, as soon as I pull my arm away.  I'll get half a second for a shot before the jolly dog bounds forward.

Luckily I had great helpers so I was still able to snap some great shots, and it is a really great lens, just too much money for my purposes, and not versatile enough.  Forget any top down head shots!  I'd have more use for the 35mm if I was going to drop a lot of money.  But the 24-70mm will do just fine.

Not to mention the D version had a tough time focusing accurately.  I didn't think 1.4 would be too low since I'd be standing back so far, but it was.  The "in focus" strip was so thin that more times than not, it wouldn't be on the eyes.

Conclusion

Come January 1st, I'll be ordering the D800e (if I'm already spending that much money, what's a few extra hundred for the "e" version?) and the 24-70mm nikon. Since I skipped the 85mm lens, I decided to splurge on the Genius package which includes a couple Einstein lights from Paul C Buff's.  My lighting equipment just went from $100 to $1500.  It's going to be a good year, I can feel it.  ;)

Welcome!

Howdy folks, and welcome aboard my journey as a part time pet photographer.  Read this article to find out why photography often makes a bad full time career.  :)