My Rangefinder Experience

Fuji X-Pro1, 35mm F 1.4 lens. 1/440 second exposure, F 5.6, ISO 400.

The Old Fashion Way: Ever since I added two Fuji X-Pro 1 camera bodies to my collection I wondered what it would be like to shoot an assignment carrying two bodies and two of the three lenses that accompanied the camera on its debut. I carried only two Fujinon lenses: the F 2.0 18mm and the 35mm F 1.4 prime lenses, and left the third lens, a Fujinon 56mm 1.2 lens at home. So equipped, I had essentially duplicated the standard photojournalist's kit consisting of two Leica M bodies. and a 35mm moderate wide angle and an 80mm moderate telephoto lens. In addition to the basics, I carried an X-E1 with my new 9mm F 2.8 Viltrox, just to get some additional time "behind the wheel" of this new lens. Since my visit to the Greek Festival wasn't a SMDJ sanctioned assignment, I wasn't under any pressure to produce a remarkable image, so I could use my time any way I wanted. 

The Zen Of The Viewfinder: When the X-Pro1 was introduced, its hybrid viewfinder promised a Leica-like shooting experience. For those unfamiliar with traditional rangefinder cameras, the camera is "aimed" by looking through a small optically-enhanced window located in the upper left hand corner of the camera body when it is pointed at the subject. This is an advantage for a right handed shooter with a right master eye. When the camera is brought up to the right eye, the camera sits to the side of the face, allowing the photographer to look directly at the subject with his/her left eye. If you're trying to establish rapport with your subject, this allows you to make a more personal connection.

Image Source: Click here.

Let's examine the optical viewfinder in action. For the X-Pro1 user, the viewfinder is basically a window aligned coaxially with the lens axis. The viewfinder also adds frame lines that match the field of view of the attached lens. In the case of the X-Pro, the correct frame lines are matched to the lens automatically when used with Fujinon lenses.In use it is easy to look beyond the edges of the frame lines when you're trying to anticipate activity beyond the edge of the frame.

While the system works best with prime prime (non -zoom) lenses. I did try my 10-24 zoom lens on my X-Pro in the optical viewfinder mode, and it did create frame lines for focal lengths as wide as18mm.

Since this was a "working assignment" without the pressure, I had lots of time to think about  the current innovations unavailable to the X-Pro1 when it was introduced. These aren't gripes, just observations made whenever I missed a current feature I have come to take for granted.

• Diopter (Eyepiece) Correction: One feature that was missing in the X-Pro1 was a diopter correction for the viewfinder. Depending on your age and your eyesight, this could potentially become a problem because your subject and the viewfinder information (exposure, aperture, ISO, etc.) are not projected onto the same image plane. I referenced a post from Dante Stella that offers a correction to the problem. I must add that diopter eyepiece correction was added to the X-Pro2, which solved those problems to some extent. Starting with the X-Pro 2, diopter correction became available.

• Image Preview: Since there is no diopter correction for the eyepiece, previewing an image through the viewfinder can be troublesome. For this reason, I've decided to include a Hoodman Hoodloupe in my dedicated X-Pro1 camera bag to shield the LCD from daylight glare when I chimp.

• Viewfinder Parallax (Corrected Autofocus Frame): Placing the optical viewfinder in the corner of the camera body is both a blessing and a curse. Its position allows the user to look through the camera with their right eye while providing the left eye an unobstructed of the surroundings (blessing). The down side of the location is the introduction of parallax, the discrepancy between what you see through the little window and what the film sees through the camera lens (curse). Depending on the shooting distance, the disparity can lead to imprecise framing of the image at the corners. The Fuji provides a menu option called Focus Check that, when turned on and when the camera is in the viewfinder mode, will display a small green frame to tell the shooter the TRUE position of the AF frame. It takes some practice to get used to it, but becomes a valuable tool when working at shorter subject to camera distances.

• Fixed LCD Panel: When the X-T series first came out, it had an LCD panel that could be tipped up for a low level perspective, or tipped down for an over the head "Hail Mary" shooting position. The X-Pro 1 has its LCD panel fixed to the back, so if I needed a high or low shooting position I was pretty much pointing the camera in the general direction of my subject unless I lay down on the ground or found something to stand on. A rotating LCD is a convenience I  never had with my DSLR cameras, although the Nikon 750 offered  one when the camera was used in the Live View mode.

• Dated Technology: I won't say that every item in my bag is cutting edge. I know for a fact that my 18mm Fuji lens was not considered a stellar performer when compared with the more modern (and expensive) iterations, and I did notice that the focusing speed was not as quick as I'm used to. But I was impressed with the optical performance of my 18mm and the 35mm lenses, considering their ages. 

Shooting with two rangefinder-like cameras with non-zoom lenses was an interesting experiment. For a few moments during the day, the ability to see beyond the edges of the frame gave me insights, in real time, to the movements of my subjects, and it gave me a feeling of clairvoyance as I watched the action unfold. And I won't feel a bit of guilt when I return to my less traditional, but faster responding, cameras and lenses. 

I believe the X-Pro series of camera was aimed at a niche market. Certainly a "truer" rangefinder experience might be had by using an Epson R-D1 (APS) or the Pixii Plus (APS) and Pixii Max (Full Frame), and of course the Leica Digital M series. (M8 APS format, M9 Full Frame), all of which had coupled rangefinders compatible with the Leica M mount and with price tags well above the cost of an X-Pro1 body. All the initial cameras were designed around the APS sensor, which meant that all of those older film rangefinder lenses now had an effective focal length of 1.5X the value stamped on the lens barrel. Those wishing to shoot with the same perspective of a classic 35mm lens were forced to look for a 23mm lens. Or buy the fixed lens X100 or one of its subsequent variants.  

For a complete  history of the Fuji digital cameras click here.

Flashpoint/Godox Radio Triggers

First Generation Flashpoint Li-on flsh and dedicated Radio Controller. Both are set as Group E. Red tape = Nikon TTL.

Flashaholics Anonymous: My name is Tom, and I am addicted to flash. Ever since I first saw how Joe McNally used Nikon's Creative Lighting System to automatically, and remotely, control the outputs of literally dozens of speedlights I was totally hooked. 

I have always been on the lookout for equipment that can do something new, or better, and so as my collections of flashes grew, they reflected the advances manufacturers were offering in each new iteration of their product line. 

I have at least one full sized, full powered speedlights in my normal carry bag.  Since I started carrying Fiji cameras, I bounced around from brand to brand, including the OEM models, looking for a flash whose TTL system worked as well as Nikon's. The more I used flash in the field, the more I came to rely on manually adjusting the flash output to get the results I wanted. Coincidentally, flashes made by Godox, sold under Adorama's house brand Flashpoint, caught my eye when they introduced its Zoom Li-on flashes. These hot shoe flashes were a great leap forward for the off-camera flash crowd.

• The flashes used a dedicated 7.2 volt lithium battery which greatly improved recycle time and (sigh) increased the weight,
• In addition to the built-in optical S1/S2 triggers, one could purchase a radio receiver that could be securely mounted to the flash body, and
• A compatible hotshoe radio transmitter (the R1) capable of controlling the output of up to 16 groups of flashes broadcasting over 16 different frequencies, could control any Li-on flash with the optional radio receiver installed. The controller used a simple rotating dial and a bank of four dipolar switches. Multiple flashes could be set in the same group causing them to fire unison. The channel setting restricts the triggering signal to a specific frequency, a way for you to separate your triggering signals from other photographers using similar flash setups.

I was a late adopter to the system, purchasing most of these flashes after the price dropped to about $100.00 per unit, well below the 2016 MSRP of $180.00.

The entire line of Godox flashes morphed over the years and became the R2 series. Updates included the addition of TTL flash metering and dual-use capabilities that allowed an R2 speedlight to function as both an on-camera flash and a controller for multiple off-camera R2 flashes, giving me the functionality I enjoyed with Nikon's Creative Lighting System. At first the  R2 flashes included a built-in interface to accept the original proprietary (R1) Zoom Li-on receivers, but this feature was discontinued and replaced with a microphone jack flash terminal and a USB port.

The R1 Receiver

Since the original Flashpoint receivers are no longer available, I have been looking to purchase a lifetime supply. Recently I found the receiver available from Godox, the original manufacturer of the flash. I found these receivers on eBay and immediately purchased two for about $15.00 each, a price close to the MSRP when they first came out. This is significant, as I have two Godox/Flashpoint AA speedlights that could, if necessary become part of the flash fleet. If so deployed, they will be clearly marked for second string use due to the longer recycling time when compared to those powered by 7.2 volt lithium batteries. I only hope that my new receivers will seamlessly integrate with my existing fleet of five.

Now that I am swimming in these R1 flashes, thoughts of making them my primary location lighting units come to mind. Sure, I will have lost automation, but I'm at a point where I never use this feature anyhow. And it stands to reason that if I can deploy a multi-flash setup, I'll have plenty of space and time to make the necessary adjustments. I did learn one thing: If you have an R2 flash and mount an R1 receiver, you can use either controller to trigger the flash. 

There are some pitfalls when attempting to deploy a mixed fleet of R1 and R2 compatible flashes. As I have documented in earlier posts, you can mount an R1 controller (or a Pocket Wizard, as shown here) in the hot shoe of a R2 controller, as shown here. It boggles the mind to think that two controllers can control as many as 32 discrete flashes from the comfort of one's own camera.

There is one trick that might help you out of a mixed compatibility problem. The R1 controller performs two functions. As you would guess, it controls the triggering of the flash. What you may have deduced  is the controller has the ability to moderate the output of said flashes. What you might not know is these two functions are independent from one another, and you can use the R1 controller to adjust flash output while holding the controller in your hand. Now if you configure your R1 flashes to fire in the S1 (optical) triggering mode, you can then adjust the output of your squadron of R1 flashes with the remote held in your hand.  When everything is set, you can let your obedient R2 flashes provide the burst of light that triggers the optical slaves.

With my eyes on future assignments. I have to admit that staying in the R1 world has real world advantages. The most important is the ease of adjustment. The controls on the R1 are a bit bigger, and don't require quite as much care when making adjustments. With the R2, accidentally switching from one group to another is too easy, whereas the same adjustment in the R1 world requires the twisting of a relatively large knob. Adjusting speedlight output is easier too. The R2 requires the scroll-wheel selection of the group, then selecting it by pressing a selection button, followed by an up/down roll on the scroll wheel. With the R1, there are dedicated, very intuitive increase and decrease buttons.

I can hardly wait for my next multiple flashy  assignment. More flash, more heartache? I don't think so.

 Addendum 2026 08 05:  The new R1 receivers work fine. However, I've decided that while I could have a speedlight function with both the R1 or R2 transmitter, I would have to make some internal re-configurations before it would work, a process I would surely forget during the heat of battle. So for sanity's sake, the speedlights will be R1 or R2, period. No mixing.

*Watt-Seconds is a measure of flash power that is independent of reflector design and reflectivity. 

I Wasn't Thinking Ahead

My Long Story: My editor's daughter in law, "K", is an advocate for, and a student of, bee hive preservation, noticed that bees were entering and exiting the ventilation hole of a utility vault's cover. This activity suggested that there was a hive inside the vault.  Its proximity to a major thoroughfare made its safe removal imperative. My editor contacted me about photographing the removal. Give me the date and time, and I am so there.

This cell phone photo taken several days prior gives you an idea of the situation of the utility vault. Bees could be seen entering and exiting the tiny ventilation hole in the cover, a sure sign of a hive hiding within. Its safe removal and relocation was important from both an ecological and safety perspective, since the local flora needed the bees for pollination, and the utility workers needed safe access to the enclosed valve. Plans were made to include a professional bee specialist and the San Mateo Water Department representative in the hive's relocation on Wednesday at 11:30. On my docket.

That morning I arrived at 11:05, and spent more than ten minutes trying to find a convenient parking place, and finally found one two blocks away. I started my long walk to the hive. In the interest of mobility, I brought only a lightstand and a shoot-through umbrella which I keep in my trunk for times when portability is most important.

Taken 11:28 AM

I arrived at 11:20, just moments after "K" and her husband. When we arrived at the vault, we were told by Ray the beekeeper  that the queen bee had apparently left, leaving behind a partially constructed beehive hanging from the vault cover. With the vault cover hive-side-up on the grass, we could see small dark spots in a few of the cells, signs that some eggs were on their way to pupation. Looking at the hives still attached to the cover I started to make some photos, if only to add some value to a morning that had just fallen apart due to the impetuous actions of the queen bee.

His work done, Ray was preparing to leave, and was in the process of cutting out the little hives when I asked if he could stop for a few moments while I prepared to make some photos. While any images I made would not tell the complete story of bee hive relocation, they might serve as accents to a future article. I instructed Ray to kneel beside the little hives just to see if the 16mm setting on my zoom lens could accommodate him. As you can see, it couldn't.

Two things became apparent. First, the 16mm setting on my zoom lens was not wide enough, so I would have to move farther away from my subject/s. Second, I would need some additional light on Ray's face to give me some detail. The repositioning was easy. The additional light was not. In the interests of time, I pulled a Hail Mary and opened my shoot through umbrella and positioned it just out of frame, camera left, hoping it would reflect enough light back on Ray's face.

This shot was a definite improvement. The face, will benefit from so adjustment in post processing.

Next Time: If memory serves me, there is a quote from Joe McNally that I should make my mantra: "Whenever possible, negotiate for more time". I should have asked Ray how much time he could spare to help me make a better photograph. Had I asked, I could have easily extended the session by ten minutes or more, judging from the time spent in friendly conversation once everything was put away. 

• 

  "K" made this little sign.

  Next time, take a few minute to set up a proper lightstand with a flash and shoot-through umbrella or small softbox.
• Next time, position the light at a 45 degree angle (or less) when aligned on the subject's nose. 
• Next time, angle the flash up and to  camera right to reduce the texture ruining light on the honey comb.
• Next time, I will select, from my current collection, a speedlight to store alongside the lightstand and umbrella in the handy carrying bag. No more buying new stuff.
• Next time, I'll determine some practical guide numbers for said speedlight and tape the information to the head of the flash. Pre shrunk, pre thunk, I'm fond of saying.

I'll do that tomorrow. Yeah, right.

The Quilt

 This photo was the second photo assignment of the day, and even though I spent almost two hours of "run and gun" at a Memorial Day celebration, I have seldom been more energized that I was during this shoot. 

The assignment was to photograph this quilter with her submission for the upcoming County Fair. I was ecstatic when I found out i would be photograph inside one of the pavilions, which meant relative security and a complete lack of wind. While the artist went to  hang the quilt, I started unpacking. When the quilt was hung, to take a no-flash shot to see what the ambient lighting looked like.

From this first attempt, you can see the structural details of the ceiling and the accents provided by the ceiling lights. You can also see that the ambient does provide some light on the subject, although not enough to bring out the true colors of the quilt. I was very encourage by the graphic aspects, so I proceeded to create my flash lighting solution.

I decided to approach the photo from a typical copy lighting setup. I set up two identical speedlights set on light stands adjusted to a height that approximated the half-height of the hanging quilt. Shoot through umbrellas were used as modifiers and positioned at an equal distance for the lens axis line. 

If you look at the above photo, you will see a red arrow pointing to a my accent light, which was a 200 WS flash with a grid mounted to help contain any potential light spill. It did provide a the glancing light that gave my subject's hair the separation from the darker background. I believe there was some lens flare created by the flash, so I made a small gobo (shade) out of gaffer tape to reduce it.

Now here's the fun part. From my camera position the lightstand is aligned with the open garage door on the far wall. In fact, the lightstand is practically invisible. This means that the accent light is coming from an existing location, and the effect is therefore believable, although greatly exaggerated. 

The final photo was simply cropping out the left edge of the frame. What remains of the garage door suggests a light source for the viewer, and that little hint helps make the photo a little more "believable". 

You can see from the cropped portrait (above right) that the accent light did a proper job of highlighting my subject's hair. Notice that the accent light is placed so it did not create a highlight on the side of the subject's nose, an important thing to remember.

I can never leave well enough alone, and in this photo I am bothered by how the (camera) right edge of the quilt gets lost in the dark background. I didn't notice the problem until the end of the session when I was at the end of my allotted  time. At the last moment I tried to add an accent light as I had done on camera left, but couldn't get one to trigger properly. I couldn't get the effect I wanted, so I resigned myself to come up with a solution for future use.

If I could replay the whole scenario, I would have taken my fourth speedlight and set it to S1 mode so it would be optically triggered by the flash I had placed on the left side of the frame. Since I didn't have another light stand, I could have simply used the ball-headed clamp I had in my camera bag and attached it to the back of a chair. I would have positioned the chair just out of the right edge of the frame, and aimed it directly at the right edge of the quilt. Then I would move the chair away from the camera, until the light skimmed in front of my subject. This way I could get light on the edge without affecting the seamstress herself. I don't know if it would have worked as planned, but at least next time I can try.

On June 1, the photo was published. I was shocked at the size. It takes up more than half of the page. It was cropped a bitt, but I suspected it would be, as I always provide some "extra" on the edges so the photo can be adjusted to fit the available space. The quilt is shown in all its glory, and the colors and details really pop in spite of the limits posed by printing on newsprint. All the effort it took to set up the twin copy lighting setup was all worth it.

Flash In A Tree

This One Is Ready To Pick: My New Best Friend, 

Facebook continues to present me with new videos about the IT32. Content creators have moved past just listing the features, and now that the flash is readily available to consumers like me, many so-called "professional" photographers are editorializing on whether this little flash is capable of playing with the big boys and taking on some professional level applications like weddings and modeling modelling sessions. That's a pretty heavy lift for a flash smaller than a can of Spam.

Let me put in my two cents. The IT32 was not, is not, and never will be a flash worthy of riding in my Domke Camera Bag. It will be in my shirt pocket whenever I carry a camera just for the joy of looking for something new. In that task, the flash can extend my vision to capture images that are beyond the exposure limitations set by my camera's sensor. 

• Fixed Internal Battery: Having a built-in battery is convenient, but prevents you for changing batteries when it's drained. No matter what the literature says, you won't get the maximum number of fleshes listed, and when in the field, every other request from you client will be "Just one more please".  Sure, you could carry a second TT32, but now we are committing to carrying more equipment, exactly what we were trying to avoid.
• Tight Control Panel: This flash is just so small, it's almost too small. While it can be configured to fire multiple flashes from the camera mounted controller, the configuration process is not exactly straightforward, and one I did not find intuitive. Besides, if you need to control multiple flashes, you would be much better off with a larger dedicated flash system. Now the current S2 family of flashes, while larger, offers the user a larger, easier to use interface.

I say that photographers should just purchase the flash and use it in the way it is best suited, namely as a convenient, pocketable flash with both manual and TTL flash metering, and an easy way to experiment with off-camera flash. Sure, start out in the on-camera TTL mode, and then you can experiment with off-camera exposures by gently separating the flash body from the flash foot. Later on, a simple ball-bungee can be used to attach the flash to a fence or pole for a completely different look. You can use the TTL feature as long as you like, knowing that full manual controls are available when you're ready to experiment..

Updating An Old Technique

One Big Umbrella: In 2015 I had great success using a Westcott 7' Parabolic Umbrellas on a photo assignment in San Mateo's Japanese Garden. By placing the shoot-through umbrella in a path of the morning sun, I was able to produce an enormous softbox effect with no flash enhancements. 

Parabolic umbrellas were all the rage back then, as they supposedly provided the photographer with a more efficient design to concentrate the light more effectively. The dream was that speedlight users could get more "bang for your buck" when using their little flashes. While skeptical, I bought two, one shoot-through and one with a silver reflective interior, and decided to see if the hype was true. Right out of the gate I found the umbrellas difficult to control even in the most gentle of breezes. After some experimentation, I determined that the best way to secure the umbrella was to use two light stands clamped as far apart as the umbrella shaft would allow. While stable, I need a bunch of sandbags to keep them from swaying. Certainly it was effective, but so darn clumsy.

The only way this could be made to work (legally) in a public venue was to have Cissie hold the umbrella aloft on a monopod and  manually align the umbrella for maximum effect. I hope you'll agree that it was worth the effort, and I still consider this photo shoot one of my best efforts. As lovely as the shot was, I couldn't help but think that proper exposure for my subjects resulted in an overexposed background. Nobody has ever commented on it, but I know it's there, and find it very bothersome.

Fast forward to 2026. The assignment was to photograph the District Manager for California Water Service Bayshore District. (Cal Water). I knew Cal Water had a new facility just two blocks from where I used to work, and since there was an inner lot for storing emergency vehicles and equipment, I suggested that we make the shot with an outdoor background. I had scheduled the shoot for early to take advantage of the breezeless morning air, so I pulled my mega-umbrellas from storage and brought them, along with two twelve-foot light stands in case they both were needed. 

It was about 9:15 in the morning, and the air was relatively still. Ross, my subject, suggested that we lay out the contents of a typical "go bag", and use the San Mateo "Water Wagon" as a background. As luck would have it, the morning sun illuminated the wagon perfectly.

I started out by mounting the translucent white  umbrella on a light stand and aligning it to produce the largest possible shadow on the ground. You can see the shadow of a second light stand that was used to hold my speedlight key light. Notice that the props are placed well within the edges of the shadow. I purposely left a gap between the trailer tires and the far edge of the shadow (below left).

Next I positioned my subject so that his entire body is within the shadow. Notice that the fill lighting from the shoot through umbrella is very even, but a bit underexposed when compared to the background (above right).

This final shot was made with a small Lumiquest Softbox mounted on a lightstand about two feet to camera right. This gave the subject some three dimensionality and added some sparkle to the supplies in the foreground. His right foot has now been positioned within the shadow provided by the umbrella. If necessary, the umbrella could be moved slightly, but it is so much easier to position the umbrella and arrange everything else.

This technique can also be applied to making a headshot where the background needs to be handled differently. Had a head shot been required (sample, left), I could have used a smaller aperture (the shutter is set to 1/250 of a second (the fastest convention flash synchronization speed) and the key light moved closer to the subject to brighten the subject without any other adjustments. 

Never Let The See You Sweat: Behind the scenes there was a bit of unseen drama. My flash trigger failed to communicate with my key light, so I was forced to switch for the key light's radio receiver to an optical trigger which would be triggered by a shoe mounted speedlight. Some position changes had to be made, but once all of the adjustments were made, the session went smoothly. It turns out it was a depleted battery issue, and instead of changing them out, it was faster to revert to the optical mode. All this was done while keeping up the chatter on how well the session was going, while under my breath I occasionally muttered,  "That's odd".

Elapsed time from first test exposure (8:18 AM) to the last photo (8:31 AM) was 13 minutes.

 It was a good day.

Martin Luther King Day - 2026

All Aboard! I've covered the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and the boarding of the Freedom Train for many years now. I did miss the event in 2025 when I arrived shortly after the Train left for San Francisco and the presenters were packing up. The train's early arrival , the passengers early boarding , and subsequently early departure conspired against me.

This year the makeshift stage was now in the shadow of the train station building, so a custom white balance setting was created. AI took a reading off of the seat of a white plastic chair. Next came finding a suitable position where I could photograph while obstructing the views of as few spectators as possible. Ultimately, the best location would be behind the VIP seating. I would need a slightly longer focal length lens to get the framing I wanted, but also had to contend with the potential of heads bobbing up and down in the foreground.

Click On A Stick: During my last assignment, I was faced with the possibility of photographing a performer balanced while high up on a ladder. I worked out a solution for making the photo, which I discussed in my last post. With the equipment I brought, I could photograph him at a height of ten about ten feet off the ground. I had some light stands that could easily extend to twelve feet, and a sturdy monopod that would add four feet to my already ample height. As I mentioned, it all went south when the designated location for the shot wouldn't accommodate the ladder or any elevated subject placement. so the shot I finally made was taken at ground level.

I was still curious about whether I could use an extension to elevate my camera above my subject. I had a short Canon "Waist Pod) in my camera bag that I occasionally use to re-position my off-camera flash for a more pleasing effect. After screwing the Waist Pod into the camera's tripod socket, I made the following adjustments:

• LCD Panel: I rotated the LCD so that I could view it from below. This is necessary to achieve a reasonable composition.
• Increase The ISO Setting: You will need short exposure times to minimize the effects of camera motion, and you'll benefit from the increased depth of field provided by a smaller aperture.
• Interval Timer Shooting: This setting has the advantage of focusing the moment before the shot is made. When using the Self Timer, you get only one shot and the focus is set at the moment of activation. When using the Interval Timer, focus is set before each exposure, so if you subject moves between shots, the camera will re-focus on your subject as long as it's properly aligned within the designated focusing area.

Interval Timer Menus: Three numbers need to be determined. In Menu #1, you'll be asked to select the Interval (time between shots) and Number Of Times which is self explanatory. Advancing to the next menu, you will see Start Waiting Time (the delay between actuation and the first exposure). Since the shortest available delay is one minute, I opted for a setting of "0" and accepted the fact that my first exposure would be blurred mess taken while getting the camera into position.

In this collage, the first five shots (left to right, top to bottom) were taken at 5-secnd intervals. Notice that shots three, four, and five have my subject with her arm raised. Notice that shot four has the gentleman in the background holding a book at waist level. This was the most neutral pose for him, so I chose this shot. The sixth shot shows the final cropping. While not a Pulitzer contender, it's a clean shot with sufficient context for the occasion.

This wasn't a technique of monumental importance, but would have worked well when shooting from behind a crowd of people. From its higher vantage point, the foreground distractions would be minimized should you find yourself shooting in a mosh-pit of spectators. Just remember to have a focusing strategy (manual of careful auto-focus) and control cameras motion with a faster-than-normal shutter speed.

Good Old Reliable Light Sphere

If a photographer is just getting into the indoor flash thing, I continue to recommend that the first light modifier you buy is the Gary Fong Light Sphere. In spite of all my experimentation with dozens of different modifiers and techniques, you can't beat the Light Sphere for simplicity and consistency. I remember the first time I used it to make a group photo with Senator Jackie Speier when she visited an upholstery class that was held on one of our campuses. I literally took it out of the box, attached it to a NIkon D600 speedlight mounted on a Nikon D50 body, and by simply following the instructions, took a very acceptable class photo. The Light Sphere was a relatively new product at the time, and was something my subjects had never seen before. It was introduced in late 2004, and since then one of the many versions has always been within arm's reach. 

Hail Mary: The photo at the top of this post was taken by simply mounting the Sphere onto an on-camera flash, holding the camera high overhead, and framing the shot using the tilting LCD on the back of my T-2. I mentioned that I find the T-2's simple "tipping" panel more practical that the T-4's that is fully articulating. Notice that by using a reasonably powerful flash at a relatively short distance, there is enough light to balance the street visible through the window behind my subjects. 

I will say  that there is no perfect variation. The originals were designed to fit certain families of flash heads and while easily attached to the flash, they were easily knocked free with the slightest bump. Later models incorporated a Velcro cinch strap which was more secure, but impossible to install with only one hand. When the collapsible variant became available, I settled on that one, as it was easily stuffed into a camera bag and used as a "lens cozy" for my medium zoom lens. The "dome" portion was detached and stored separately. Good thing, because I've taken to using the dome as a diffuser when taking white balance readings.

Packing Heavy: I normally carry two of everything when I'm on an assignment. Either as redundancy for backup or a chance to get multi-light creative, you will find two flashes in my bag. In being prepared, I normally use a round-headed Godox flash for its more even light pattern. But when the Light Sphere is needed, I switch to a more convention square-headed speedlight. Gary Fong claims to have made a new version that can be attached to a round-headed flash, but I haven't seen one for sale, and since I always have a suitable flash, haven't felt the need.

The Fourth Of July - Stage And Audience Combined

There are several Fourth of July events on the Peninsula. So far I've photographed in Foster City and Half Moon Bay, but never in San Mateo Proper.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Pet Parade in Foster City was a bust, so I drove up to San Mateo to photograph their dance party in Central Park. I didn't arrive in time for the Raising of the Flag, but did arrive in time to hear the band do their sound checks.

Early in the set I made a photo to determine the proper exposure for the sunlit dancers in the background. You can see plenty of color, contrast, and saturation, but the performers on the stage are terribly underexposed. Obviously I would need some flash assistance.

I had a Flashpoint Zoom Li-on R2, Adorama's house brand made before Godox imported the flash under its own name. The primary advantage is its fast recycle time (it uses a proprietary lithium ion 7.2 volt rechargeable battery and has a round head design for a more even lighting distribution. It also has a built-in receiver for the R2 series of radio flash triggers, so that output can be adjusted remotely. I decided I would make a simple exposure with the flash mounted in the camera's hot shoe.

This test shot showed that a camera-mounted flash could get the job done. with some limitations. The lighting was flat, as was expected. There was also a positioning issue. In order to get a good profile of my singer, she would have to be looking towards the audience at frame right, or else very little of her face could be seen. Even holding the flash with my outstretched right arm would  have improved the shot incrementally. 

While I do keep a small clamp for mounting a small flash in my camera bag, it has a maximum "bite" of 1.5", and there was nothing that size that I could reach.

It happens that I also carry a few small ball bungee cords, and by linking two of them together, I had enough stretch to tie my flash onto almost any convenient standing support. In this photo I made for an earlier post, you can see that this mini-flash was easily attached to a street sign support pole using a single short ball bungie. This particular flash, the diminutive LightPix Lab's Q20, is mounted up-side-down so I can tilt the beam directly at my subject  if I can get some altitude in my placement. The flash also has a built-in proprietary remote trigger built into the detachable hotshoe, a very handy feature. 

If you use your imagination, you can visualize how two linked ball bungee cords could be used to secure a medium-sized speedlight to one of the supports for the roof of this portable stage (red arrow). You can also see that I added a dome diffuser in an effort to get some light falloff so that my subject's white jeans would not be overexposed. Since the Godox remote flash triggers allow me to adjust the flash output from the camera. I was able to adjust the output at will. Even at full power my subject is not 100% properly exposed. In retrospect, the easiest fix would be to increase the ISO setting on the camera to brighten up my subject at the cost of overexposing my background.  I may try that next time, but I was confident that all the necessary corrections could be made in post production.

This last shot was made with the flash attached to the support, and a diffusion dome in place. I was hoping to soften the edges of the shadows by a tiny bit. I also tilted the flash head up slightly to feather the light hitting my subject's white pants. This would help draw the viewer's attention to her upper torso. Also the placement of the light to my right, along with the subject's gaze toward the left side of the frame, helped to separate her silhouette from the much darker background. 

I am not really happy with the poses, but as an unofficial member of the audience I had no say on where my subject stood, or what gestures you might make with her hands. This is an enlargement of the photo at the top of the post. As I mentioned, the position of the flash to my right allowed her silhouette to be clearly defined against the dark background. While it may look like a nose-thumbing, my justification for submitting this particular shot was that her hand was recognized for what it was, and not some shapeless beige appendage floating in space. 

I think about the context of the image, and it easily carries a message of "concert on a summer's day". The attitude of the dancers suggest that they are having a good time, and San Mateo residents will recognize the baseball field's transition to a concert venue. Really, everybody appeared to be having a fun time, and that's what this event was all about.

Custom White Balance With Flash

 

This should have been the money shot from a recent "Kitten Shower" held by the Peninsula SPCA. I sent two other photos for the Editor In Chief to select from and for some reason this one wasn't one of them, although the more I look at it, the more I wished I had sent it.

The venue featured narrow hallways with yellow walls and ceilings. I made this test shot by bouncing my flash off the ceiling, and you can see the yellow tint on my subject's faces. If the surroundings were painted in a warm color, the added tint might have gone unnoticed, or in the best case, actually improved their coloration. Yellow, unfortunately, gives my subjects a jaundiced look, and technically accurate, but not complimentary.

Now before proceeding, you should familiarize yourself with how to create a custom white balance (CWB) setting. While it may have been a novelty when digital cameras evolved, photographers soon realized that while one such preset would be very useful, the ability to create one for each venue where the lighting varied even the slightest bit. Currently, most cameras have provisions for multiple saved presets. Sure, you can correct this in post production, but by taking a few seconds to establish an "environmentally appropriate" CWB setting, you can save yourself  a lot of time during post production.

Read Ken Rockwell's review here.

White Balance Measurement. When the Expo Disc first appeared on the market in 2011, it gave photographers an easy way to obtain a CWB setting. It was designed primarily for achieving a compromise white balance formula when working with continuous artificial light sources. In use, one would:

• Select the CWB (or equivalent) setting from the camera's menu,
• Set the Exposure Control to A,
• Attach the Expo Disk to the front of the lens,
• Point the camera towards the light source, and
• Press the shutter release.

Internally, the camera would evaluate each photo sensor and adjust the red, green, and blue readings until they were all the same value, yielding a "neutral" baseline for the white balance setting.

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I gave away my Expo Disk years ago, and experimented with a variety of gray card substitutes as a "target" for creating a CWP value. I finally replaced the Expo Disk with this inexpensive plastic Dot Line White Balance Lens Cap, which works just as well as the three-times more expensive Expo Disk. It could be adapted to serve as a lens cap, as it was made in a variety of diameters from 52 to 77mm. At one time they could be had in 49 and 82mm sizes, but apparently no longer. Since they were so inexpensive, I bought one in every diameter, but in the end, just carried the 82mm size and just held it in place over the lens whenever I needed to create a CWB for the current photographic venue. I keep one of these in all of my "recreational" camera bags, and there should have been one in the "working bag" I carry when on assignment.  I repeat: Should have.

I realized that the disk would have been the only way to properly achieve a  CWB for those pesky yellow walls. As it turned out, the disk was nowhere to be found. I wondered what I would do next, until I found the Dome from my Gary Fong Light Sphere. I now held a perfectly usable neutral diffuser that I could hold in front of my lens while I measured the light bouncing off of those yellow walls. I promptly did just that, and it gave me the proper white balance for all the photos when I bounced my flash off of similarly painted walls

In this historically accurate reenactment, you can see how I held the dome in front of the lens while I made the CWB reading. The forward-facing flash is directed towards the selected bounce surface when the reading is made. In the event of an over or under exposure warning, I will need to adjust the output until I get a proper reading. I rotate the flash head towards the bounce surface when I am actually shooting.

As described, this flash technique should only be used when bouncing off of a reflective surface. If the flash is to be used as a direct light source,  repeat this process while aiming your flash/camera into a convenient mirror. If you're adjusting the flash output manually, you'll need to dial the output way down, select a smaller shooting aperture, or both.

For the technically inclined, this photo was made (obviously) with two cameras: one mounted on a tripod, and the other held in my hand. The key light was provided by a radio controlled speedlight mounted on a light stand just to the left of the camera. A shoot-through umbrella was utilized for the shot. The second flash on the camera in my hand was programmed to respond to the radio trigger of the tripod camera, thus ensuring that it would fire when the tripod camera fired the key light. The fully articulating screen of the Fuji T-4 helped me position myself within the frame. Final cropping gave me the composition I wanted.

Doubling Up On Speedlights

I'm here at the Sonoma Valley Muzzle Loader Rendezvous just outside of Cloverdale. I try to attend every year to make photos and enjoy the company of many old friends. I spend most of my time documenting the weekend's activities, and at the end of the event after the awards ceremony.  I invite anybody in attendance to pose for a photo, which I'll post on the club's blog site for convenient downloading. It saddens me to think that several of these random photos would be included in memorial pieces for the subjects.

The Problem: When working in the late afternoon, the sun's position is low on the horizon.  To keep my subjects from squinting, I face them away from the sun, Since I am standing in a sheep-grazing pasture, there are no natural reflectors available, so I am forced to provide my own light. I purposely did not bring my fully-packed Pelican Case so my lighting was limited to the two speedlights I normally carry on assignment. In addition, there's the carrying bag containing an umbrella bracket, a Zumbrella, a bungee cord, and a compact light stand that always stays in my trunk.

The Clamp: In my camera bag keep a Slow Dolphin Photography (yes, that's the name) clamp with its little ball head. I used other mini-clamps, but this one has a bigger  "bite" of slightly more than 2", and it can grip planks and pipes equally well. The ball head, while not Manfrotto quality, is strong enough to hold a speedlight-sized flash. Unlike the industry-favorite Justin Clamp, it can fit in the side pocket of my Domke camera bag.

Addendum: I noticed the Amazon warning that this item is frequently returned, and that several reviews found one fault or another with this clamp. I believe that one should be realistic about their purchases. A $12.00 clamp, complete with ball head, cannot compare with a Matthews Mafer Clamp, which costs three times more. 

The Cold Shoe: I found an old Frio Cold Shoe in my junk drawer and screwed it in place. Eventually I'll get around to replacing it with an all-metal one, but for now, it will be just fine so long as I treat it gently.

The Setup: Normally I use a single speedlight for lighting, but when dealing with a relatively bright sky as a background, I may need some additional power options if I am to balance the blue sky background with the flash illumination on my subject/s. When used at relatively short flash-to-subject distances a single speedlight is enough, but other times, the additional light provided by that second speedlight can be used to sweeten the exposure.

You can see that the clamp allowed me to easily mount a second flash for additional light. I purposely positioned the flash as close to the lightstand shaft as I could. This minimizes the stress on the ball head because the center of gravity is very close to the clamping point.

Another control option is to redirect the flash. By elevating the flash head angle I could feather the light output to favor the upper half of the frame, should that be necessary or desirable. Had my subjects been wearing lighter colored clothing, this technique could have been used to prevent overexposure in the lower half of the frame, had it been necessary. But in this case, elevating the flash output was not necessary. 

In the end, this little clamp and cold shoe combination can provide the photographer some additional light placement options. For its compact size, it provides a lot of flexibility in a very small package.

My Third Pancake

Photo Source: Click here.

I am a firm believer in having a complete backup system. Now wedding photography has become an incredibly high-stakes game, and in this litigious society, it is not unusual for photographers to be sued simply because the groom didn't look like Cary Grant, when in reality, he could pass for Ernest Borgnine in poor light. So posing and lighting aside, one better come ready with enough backup equipment to take the entire wedding should one's primary camera body go kaput. 

Photo Source: Click here.

I normally have two bodies with me, so that isn't where my angst resides. It's from the lenses. Normally I have two zoom lenses: a wide to normal and a normal to telephoto zoom. A compact compromise emergency lens could be Fuji's 27mm F 2.8 "pancake", which has a compromise focal length, and is extremely compact. I paid almost $450.00 for the lens, and it is my constant companion whenever I'm shooting assignments that warrant carrying the full two-body, two speedlight, two-lens kit. In a pinch, I can mount this pancake on either of my two bodies. For the record, my copy was the earlier version withuot an aperture ring, something that be added to the second, weather resistant version that was introduced in 2021.

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Some time later, a manual-focus version was offered by Meike, which was a predictable purchase. I was in my cheap manual focus lens phase, and it gave me a lens with a compromise focal length at the price of dinner in a reasonably nice restaurant. It proved to be something of an inspiration, as the photos produced during its first day on the street were most satisfying. Nothing magic about the lens, mind you, but compact and  handy. It now lives permanently in my "mini" camera bag where all of my most compact lenses reside, neatly stacked to minimize bulk.

Photo Source: Click here.

Shopping For a New Purse: A while back I had the itch to create a compromise camera kit based on two Fuji X-Pro1 bodies and  two or three classic lenses. I stumbled upon a (now discontinued) Domke Director's Bag at a local camera store, and in spite of its high price, bought it without hesitation. I saw this as the perfect purse for those few times when I didn't want to be seen schlepping a mountain of equipment in an oversized camera bag. As of this writing I haven't filled the bag, but I can see there is ample space for everything I might need. With this much space, I can indulge my inner Fuji Fanboy self, stuffing in a Fuji X-500 flash and its accessory battery pack. I could probably stuff a Gary Fong Lightsphere while I'm at it. Ready to go with only one half the bulk. Need a group photo made? Hold my beer.

I decided that the 27mm lens would be just the lens to pack in this smaller bag. It small size would make it easy to store it mounted on a Fuji body, ready to grab and go. Sure, it's not as wide as I like, but it could also present an opportunity to produce more tightly cropped images without getting too close and personal. It might also be fun to live in a world where the backgrounds are not so cluttered by every distraction in the universe. 

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I just so happened that I found this TTArtisan 27mm F 2.8 lens on eBay for about $30.00 less than its suggested selling price. Plus, it came with a no-name filter and a fabric carrying bag, so it represented real value. Cue the eye-roll.

The lens had one initial flaw: The autofocus can occasionally stop working. I've tried the lens on a variety of bodies, and it has failed occasionally on all of them*.

The TTArtisan lens comes with the unique lens hood that was first introduced by Fujifilm along with the current weather resistant (WR) version. I was fascinated by the hood, which resembled the eye of an African chameleon. Of course, I ordered two used hoods from KEH before I realized it came with its own hood, plus a unique lens cap that can fit either the lens bezel (39mm threads), or onto the hood itself. I never missed having a cap as the hood seemed more than adequate for keeping fingers from accidentally touching the front element.

I still have a  bit of fiddling to do before the Domke bag can have all the necessary kit stowed within its roomy pockets. I will also  need some properly sized dividers installed to keep my equipment neat and tidy. I'll bring everybody up to date when everything is in place. I guess we'll  all have to just wait and see.

*Addendum: February 13, 2025: I Googled the focusing problem and found that there was a firmware update that would improve focusing on the first generation Fuji X cameras. TTArtisans thoughtfully provide a USB port in the side of the lens cap (how clever!) to facilitate the file transfer. Since it's a backup for my most current bodies, the upgrade may not be needed.