Strobist Jet Pack: A Ridiculous Looking Apparatus for Off-Camera Lighting
Photographer Jesse Rosten wanted a more efficient and mobile way to do off-camera lighting, so he invented this backpack-style apparatus that he calls “The Strobist Jet Pack”. Although it’s pretty ridiculous looking (it reminds us of Ghostbusters), it works well for placing lighting equipment in exactly the place needed while still being able to move...
How to Turn an On-Camera Flash into a Transmitter for Optical Sensors
Optical sensors are a cheap way to trigger slave flashes if you don’t want to pay for a wireless transmitter, but the fact that you’re firing your on-board flash to trigger the sensors limits your creative options. Flickr user Victor came up with the idea of turning an on-camera flash unit into an infrared transmitter...
Deconstruct This Photo 5.0 – Tell Me How It Was Done
I still deconstruct the work of other photographers all the time – it’s a great way to expand skill sets and understanding. And I know from your previous feedback that you guys are fond of these posts, so let’s dig into another one. I was asked to photograph the amazing and controversial Prince Manvendra of...
Homemade “Fiberstrobe” Uses Fiber Optics to Split Light
If Doctor Octopus were to design a DIY flash accessory, it might look a little something like this. German microbiologist Marcell Nikolausz has been experimenting with using fiber optics to split a single flash unit’s light into multiple light sources. Optical fibers are threaded through Gorillapod-style Loc-Line channels, allowing flexible and stable positioning of the...
Flash Bus Tour: Learn to Light with McNally & Strobist
These guys are a blast one on one. Put them together? Watch out. It’s a combo of awesomeness, mad science, MythBusters and the two guys in the balcony from the Muppets…. That said, if you wanna learn small flash lighting, no doubt this will be a great class and great value… Learn the fundamentals and...
New Look Strobox Even More Useful for Learning Lighting
When we featured Strobox back in 2009, it was a simple idea: provide an easy way for photographers to create lighting diagrams and share them with others. Since then, they’ve upgraded their website to include a gallery where you can browse photographs done by others, view their lighting diagrams, and comment on them. If you...
How to Shoot Things Falling into Water
Editor’s note: This walkthrough was originally published on Clint Decker’s Flickr account. We found it pretty informative and asked him to share it here. Here is a little video on how I did the photography with Canon Speedlites while dropping items into a tank of water. With a white background, I used a Canon Speedlite...
Reader Photo of the Week: Ida Workout
Ida Workout by Tarantin0 of Rasmussen Foto
Reader Photo of the Week: I Drink Alone
I Drink Alone 34/365 by dirty blue hat
The 10 Commandments of a Strobist Photographer
1. You shall not use big lights when a small strobe can get the job done.
2. You shall not break your back with heavy equipment as long as you can get the job done with lighter equipment.
3. You shall not tether your camera to your strobe when you can use a radio slave.
4. Always find...
More with Less: Light and Strobes
In this age of digital photography do we still need to make the arguments for portability in lieu of power when it comes to lighting systems?
Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes.
Don’t get me wrong here. I love big strobes with very large soft-boxes and all of the creative power and precision that comes...
