7.12.11 Tuesday's Talented Twitter Find: Mohammed Al-Dhaf

July 12, 2011 in tuesday talented twitter find

This week's Tuesday's Talented Twitter Find is Mohammed Al-Dhaf.

Follow Mohammed on twitter.

About My Tuesday's Talented Twitter Find: Each Tuesday (when I am not traveling) I will pick a talented photographer I find on Twitter - and promote the talented photographer here on my blog and on twitter, etc.

Nice work, Mohammed.

And thank you for sending me this quote: A flower falls even though we love it; and a weed grows even though we do not love it. - Dogen

Explore the light,

Rick

P.S. If you are not following me on Twitter, click here to keep up to date with what I'm doing. And, keep posting interesting photo stuff on Twitter!

Before Apps, I Produced Books :-)

July 12, 2011 in books

Yes, I am known among newer digital photographers for my iPad and iPhone apps, but I have a few books, too. :-)

Here are my favorites.

Click on the book covers for more info and to order.

Hey! As of today, Exploring the Light is my most popular book. Today: only 1 copy left on Amazon.com Thanks to those who bought the book!

If you have an iPad, click here to see my apps.

Explore the light,
Rick

Join Me On Monday - 7.11.11 - For My Free Topaz Webinar

July 10, 2011 in topaz

I just finished my presentation for my free Topaz webinar tomorrow, July 11 at 6 PM New York Time. Above is the opening slide .. . showing a before-and-after example.

Kinda amazing what we can do today in the digital darkroom.

I hope to see you (in the attendees window) during my seminar.

To sign up, click here.

If you don't have any Topaz plug-ins, click here. While you are on the Topaz site, remember that you can save a bundle on a bundle :-)

Explore the light,

Rick

Try This Simple and Cool, Two-Speedlite Portrait

July 06, 2011 in lighting and apps, speedlites

Here is a simple and cool, two-Speedlite portrait technique that you can use to impress your clients and friends.

One Speedlite is positioned off to the side and in front of your subject. The other Speedlite is placed directly behind the subject’s head. Both Speedlites are set to ETTL or iTTL.

You’ll need a piece of black material for your background, which you can buy at a fabric store for a few dollars.

Notice the cool halo that is created by the Speedlite that is placed behind the subject. When using this technique, you will need to adjust the output of that Speedlite, usually set at less than full power, to avoid the hair being too overexposed. Here I dialed down the Speedlite power on my Canon 580EX II to -2.

To light the side of the model that is facing the camera, I used a Canon 580EX II set at -1. Here, too, you will need to experiment with the Speedlite's output to get a good exposure. To soften the light, I used an accessory called a Rogue FlashBender that spreads and shapes the light.

The behind-the-scenes shot (from the test shoot) shows my set up. The main Speedlite (with the Rogue FlashBender) attached is on the right. From this angle, you can see the Speedlite that I positioned behind the subject's head.

Info on the Rogue FlashBender:

Rogue FlashBenders ROGUERELG Large Positionable Reflector

I fired both Speedlites with my Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter:

Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter for Canon 580EX II, 430EX, 430EX II Speedlites

For more speedlite lighting tips, see my apps.

Explore the light,

Rick

P.S. Hey, come on one of my workshops. I'll help you master your flash!