Sun - Sniper from California Sunbounce

Look at what has just landed on my desk, or shoulder should I say.

Since early 2007 I have been unable to carry a camera around my neck due to a cervical spine operation and with disc C3 still touching my spinal chord, any strap around my neck was a no-no.

Up until now I have been using the Canon hand strap which I found excellent and provided me with instant access to the camera when shooting weddings.

The problem however was that the strain on wrist and elbow was taking its toll, particularly when I was using the 70-200 f 2.8 lens. California Sun-bounce have now come up with a great solution, the Sun Sniper strap.

There are 6 very good reasons why this particular strap wins out over the conventional neck strap.

Reason 1: Quick action

....... because the camera is hanging upside down, in the perfect position.

Reason 2: Easy on your back

....... thanks to the integrated shock absorber.

Reason 3: Comfortable ( no pressure on my neck)

......... because weight is distributed diagonally.

Reason 4: Sturdy

......... because it is made of high quality ballistic nylon.

Reason 5: Glides smoothly

......... along the innovative RAIL-WAY strap.

Reason 6: Safe

......... because you wear it on your back.

So to reinforce the points above:

• The SHOCK ABSORBER is integrated in the strap and makes carrying the camera even more comfortable.
• The camera hangs over your butt and can be hoisted quickly, safely and ready to shoot. It allows the photographer to intuitively find the handle and the shutter button without losing sight of the subject. He can effortlessly move the camera to his face and capture images that would previously have been lost.
• With the innovative RAIL-WAY strap, the carabiner glides along the strap to your eye as if it were on tracks - without great frictional resistance.
• The strap is worn diagonally over your chest and shoulder, so it is never in the way - not even when you turn the camera for portrait-style shots.
• You can carry your telephoto lens through crowds and narrow alleys without bumping into anything.
• The SUN-SNIPER-STRAP is fastened to the tripod socket of the camera body or lens.

I have now found a superb alternative which reduces the strain on my body, make life so much easier for me and ensures that I do not miss that all important shot.

Both the Canon Hand Strap and the Sun Sniper are available from the Flash Center:

TFC Birmingham 2 Mount St Business Centre Mount St Birmingham B7 5RD

Hours:

Mon-Fri 0900 - 1700

Telephone: 0121 327 9220

Please ask for Brian (mirrorcarpboy).

Terry

www.photographyworkshops.co.uk

Is it a smoke screen, love or just a publicity stunt:

Katie Green is now moving in political circles with here association with the Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik, is it just a publicity stunt or is there something more to this story. Katie the onetime Wonderbra discovery,now with Ultimo is running a say NO to size zero campaign.

If you would like to see some slightly more revealing images of Katie taken at last years Figure Glamour Course then go to my Art Nude / Glamour blog

Terry

Wedding Course 18/19th August

Don't forget the new date for the next wedding course is the 18/19th August. Believe it or not, since adding it a few weeks ago it is filling so be quick to be sure of your place.

Contemporary Wedding Course July 09

Wedding Course Part 1:

Yet another very successful course held in the great National Trust Village of Lacock in Wiltshire.

With 11 delegates we were able to shoot on location with 8 separate sets, using an combination of speedlites and the Elinchrom Ranger Quadra lights. Day one was promising to be wet so some changes were made to the itinery, with all the shooting done on the second day.

The course is designed to provide people with the required skills to go and do a wedding shoot successfully, from planning to execution and post production, however the shooting opportunities and use of flash is the one element that people find both challenging and constructive. The delegates came away feeling that they understood their flash units and were now able to use them more creatively.

So on the first shoot, after demonstrating the control of the ambient light when using the speedlite, we went outside and started producing some creative images. Sarah, the model was extremely patient and willing to sit in the same position for ages while I whittled on about the benefits of taking the flash off camera.

The first shot was designed to show how the lighting can be improved considerably when taking the flash of the hot shoe and placing it on a stand using the Kaiser Hot Shoe adapter, shooting with the Elinchrom Skyport universal receiver and radio trigger.

With the speedlite placed to the right hand side and elevated I have used it as the main source of light, with the ambient as fill. It's an OK shot but can be improved as seen in the second image. The speedlite has been used without any light modifying, however later on we did use a shoot through umbrella to soften the light considerably.

With a change in composition and control of the shutter ( ambient light control) I produced and image that any bride would be proud to have in their album, by the way I use Queensberry Albums.

When everyone had the chance to shoot this set, using triggers supplied by the Flash Centre, we moved on to another "grunge" location, however that is for a later blog.

Before lunch we all moved on to the local Church, St Cyriacs, in Lacock where I demonstrated the control needed to used on camera flash in what is difficult lighting conditions. What we want to do is create beauty lighting using just our speedlite and a Micro - Mini Californian Sunbounce.

This above shot was taken with just ambient light and is just about acceptable but not brilliant. The use of on camera flash at this stage would produce a flatly lit image with the possibility of a harsh shadow behind the bride if suitable control of the flash was not exercised.

However taking the flash off camera and using the Micro - mini as a reflector with the speedlite from the left hand side I was able to create a more balanced light, working with the ambient light from the right hand window, a characteristic of this church at this time of day (12:30pm).

I have changed from my 24-70mm L series lens tomy lens to the 15mm L series fisheye because when shooting these sets in the church I will take as many shots as I can from different viewpoints and lens choice.

Watch out for the later series of images from this course in my next blog, to ensure you do not miss out just subscribe and you will be automatically updated with new entries.

Watch out for the images produced with the New Elinchrom Ranger Quadra

Also watch out for the article in Digital Photographer where I have an article on outdoor portraits and my Creative Lighting courses.

Terry

2 Day Wedding Course June 09

The forecast for the Saturday was wet, improving for the Sunday so I was expecting to do a little juggling with the programme, however the weather forecast,fortunately was not quite correct and we had 2 dry days.

We had a little jiggling to do around the set for Cranford that was being created for forthcoming filming.

James,one of the delegates has emailed me following the course, with some images he took on the day as well as his experiences on his first major wedding after the course where he had to handle the Paparazzi around Stephen Fry, who was attending the wedding. Oh what it is to work with Celebs.

Here are a few of his images form the course, where I demonstrated the control and balance of ambient light with flash, both camera and battery powered studio lights, Elinchrom Ranger and Quadra.

I do like "Grunge" settings, helping to enhance the beauty of the bride against textured settings. This location is around the back of the Tythe Barn, and being in the shade enables creative use of flash. The only comment I would make on this image is that I would have removed the padlock on the door above Sarah's head.

In the last set I do, we move into the Tythe Barn which is ideal for demonstrating the control of ambient light with the shutter speed. Here I set up an Elinchrom Ranger (1200 w/s) pack with a reflector and homey-combe grid to provide directional lighting tight to the wall. I love this location, despite an extremely dusty floor. The textuture on the walls as well as the whole feel of the place is just great.It also works on wet days.

We completed the two days ( 4 location shoots) with a 2 light set up. One Ranger on Sarah with a Grid to provide tight directional lighting and the second on Mark, simulating ambient light falling through the high windows to the right (just out of shot,believe me they are there).

The 2 lights were balanced and away we went, everybody shooting with Elinchrom Skyport triggers, all available from the Flash Centre.

What a great 2 days.

Terry

Additional date for 2 day wedding course.

18th and 19th August 2009

www.photographyworkshops.co.uk

Due to unprecedented demand I have added another 2 days in August to my extremely popular 2 day wedding course.

The extra dates are the 18th and 19th August.

Learn how to photograph weddings successfully and with confidence, whether you are just starting out or intend making it a career, this course will provide you with the skills to creatively shoot a complete wedding.

Key elements to the course are:

Combining, controlling and balancing flash (off camera) with
ambient light.

What makes a great wedding photographer.

How to conduct and complete a wedding photo shoot like a professional.

How to organise and develop a strategy for preparing and shooting
a wedding.

Creative control and perceptive vision.

Understanding the quality of light and how to
use it to your advantage.

The 2 days includes 4 shoots with a bride on day 1 and bride and groom on day 2, with 1 shoot inside the local church, demonstrating the use of flash creatively and how to do beauty lighting with the bride with just 1 light.

I suggest those interested book early as I limit numbers on this course.

Terry

1 Day Event Photography Course Sunday 21st June 2009

£165.00

Event photography is a growing market and very lucrative as well. Shortly after I invested in my very own Mitsubishi click from the Flash Centre and appropriate marketing, my event business went through the roof.

I can now share my experience and knowledge with you on my 1 day event course running on the 21st June 2009. There are a few spaces left so be quick if you want to be sure of a place.

Go to www.photographyworkshops.co.uk for more information

Wedding Photography Course June 6^th and 7^th

Yet another great weekend at Lacock with Sarah and Simon, demonstrating the techniques for balancing ambient light with flash (off camera).

The weather was not very promising, however someone was looking down on us as we had great weather, despite the forecast for rain.

We were able to make use of the wonderful locations, despite preparations for the filming of Cranfield Chronicles over the weekend. Certain locations like the Tythe Barn were off limits but the National Trust came up trumps and allowed me to use Lacock Abbey on the Sunday morning.

The back of the tythe barn provides a great location with textured doors and great stonework, helping to demonstrate the control of flash using my Canon Speedlight 580 EX on a stand.

I like to use my 70/200 2:8 for shallow depth of field, isolating the main subject from the background, really effective.

Those that know me will be aware that I just love using the fish-eye lens for my more creative images and here a low viewpoint, with off camera flash and the fish-eye makes for a stunning image.

Just using the ambient and the fish-eye I have created a visually interesting image. The use of the vanishing point in the bottom left third of the image and Sarah in the right hand third provides energy as well as balance.

I look forward to meeting everyone on my next 2 day wedding course in July and also will be posting later details and images from my recent Creative Lighting course.

Terry

www.photographyworkshops.co.uk

Welcome

Welcome to to my blog. Currently very busy with weddings and courses, and looking forward to the Figure/Glamour course this weekend, where I am the second tutor, alongside Chris Burfoot. We will have 2 gorgeous models and a full course, demonstrating how to photograph figure and glamour in the studio and al-fresco. As always it will be great fun.

Terry