Technique
Light it up LED light panels are great options if you want a convenient-to-use, highly controllable and decently powerful light source – and they suit still and video image making. LED lights come in a range of sizes, from those with a handful of LEDs that can sit on the camera hotshoe, powered by a rechargeable battery, to massive pro level units with thousands of individual LED lights, which are used by the broadcasting and cinema worlds. Manfrotto’s Lumimuse lights suit hotshoe use and have a built-in rechargeable battery. The Lumimuse 8 version is available with or without
Dripby drip You can shoot water droplets by dripping water from a syringe or turkey baster into an oven dish. Add a camera, macro lens to get a decent- sized image and a flashgun that you can set to a low power output for the briefest flash duration possible and you’re in business. However, this approach is hit and miss, and frustrating. For more controllable and consistent results, buy a water drop device like a SplashArt (£179) or Miops Splash (£125). These work well, but you can go even further – there are plenty of rigs and set-ups for multi-drop shooting available. The shot created below was taken using a SplashArt with red food colouring in the water. The camera was a Nikon D810, 105mm macro lens and light provided by a Hahnel Modus 600RT flashgun set to 1/128 power. phototrigger.co.uk miops.com
Bluetooth for wireless control – the 8 BT comes with a set of filters for £89.95. Priced at £109.99, the PavoTube 11 6C is a portable LED tube light with a colour temperature range of 2700-7500K and an output of 1576 lux. It’s great as a main light source or as a fill-in. litra.com Manfrotto.co.uk kenro.co.uk (Nanlite and NanGuang) essentialphoto.co.uk (Pixapro)
RIGHT The super portable Manfrotto Lumimuse 8 BT sells for £89.95
Steady on
Improve your light
Every photographer appreciates that a tripod is a good thing, giving you camera stability and slowing you down to give you the time to ponder compositions. The reality, however, is that a decent tripod is a weighty accessory so not everyone can be bothered to lug one around outdoors on the off chance it might be needed. However, here we’re talking about shooting at home so there is no excuse not to use one. Of course, most tripods are designed for outdoor use shooting scenes and that’s where they are most at home. Take them indoors and some are less well equipped to cope with what you might want to throw at them, such as shooting flatlays. Shooting straight down might be more of a hassle, because the legs get in the way, or you may have to reverse the centre column or change how the head is fitted. But there are a few tripods that are well equipped for different uses. Vanguard VEO3+ tripods feature the Multi-Angle Centre Column (MACC) mechanism, which can be quickly set at different angles. We feature the 263CB, which sells for £250, as a first test in this issue. Another innovative tripod is the Manfrotto Befree GT XPRO. This has a centre column that can be set at 90° for flatlay work and is currently in the shops for £299. benroeu.com leofoto.eu manfrotto.co.uk vanguardworld.co.uk
Getting a flashgun off the camera gives better results, so does adding a modifier and this applies whether you’re shooting on- or off-camera flash. The simplest speedlight modifiers are just pieces of moulded plastic and clip on to the front. Then there are modifiers that are held in place with straps, magnets or Velcro, and even bigger devices where the flashgun becomes part of the modifier. Which ones suit you best depends on your aims, the subject and your budget. The moulded slip on the front modifier suits shooting on the go, perhaps when you’re shooting an event or wedding when you don’t have time to fiddle about and you just need a reliable solution. When you start to explore off-camera flash and you have more time, then a magnet/strap/ Velcro system might be best. These are also versatile, because you can fit grids, bounce reflectors, diffusers or small softboxes. If the aim is to turn your speedlight into a studio-like light, then you need a brolly holder or a softbox that has a coldshoe to take the speedlight and a mount so you can fit the whole lot on to a lighting stand. hahnel.ie flaghead.co.uk (Honl) manfrotto.co.uk (Lastolite)
RIGHT If you like to get funky with camera viewpoint, the Vanguard VEO3+ range has the tripod for you
snapperstuff.co.uk (Lumiquest) essentialphoto.co.uk (Magmod) colorconfidence.com (Rogue) stofen.net
ABOVE A water droplet device makes this sort of shot easier – and it’s fun
Creative light pad photography is fun and guaranteed to keep you occupied in the evenings. A light pad is essentially a thin LED panel that gives an even light across its surface and is a great lighting source for translucent subjects. Light pads aren’t too expensive and if you shop around online, you’ll find A4 models at £12-15, A3 models at £35-40 and A2 for around £50. Most have adjustable levels of brightness and a fixed colour temperature. Bimonk, Huion, Stone TH and Voilamart are some of the brands with LED light pads on offer. Light pads
One of the most common techniques is to place the subjects – such as flowers, leaves, sliced vegetables – on to a sheet of clear plastic or glass so the light pad’s surface is not scratched and it makes fine-tuning framing easier. You move the sheet of glass/plastic, rather than the whole pad or the camera/ tripod. With so much light coming from behind the subject, you need to determine an exposure to avoid a complete silhouette (unless that’s what you’re after) and add some fill- in from above, so you can see detail in the subject. Soft window light, but not direct sunlight, can work or use another LED light from above.
ABOVE A Rogue softbox RIGHT Hahnel’s Creative Lantern, £59.99, comes in a kit with coloured filters
ABOVE A light pad brings all sorts of photo opportunities
Issue 83 | Photography News 37
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