fun with flash(es)

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i staged a small photo shoot tonight, using a toy car and a wine bottle as my models. pretty minimal on the equipment front (just the D200, SB-800, SB-600, and a small reflector) but that was part of the challenge, and i think the results are pretty decent… either way, i really like the nikon “creative lighting system” since it lets me just concentrate on the look i want to achieve. of course, i’ll be ordering an umbrella and various other accessories (larger reflectors, clamps, and some small tripods) to give me some more flexibility, so naturally i’ll be posting more pics.

read on for some details on the photos i made tonight… this car shot was done with the onboard flash acting in commander mode only. the SB-600 was to the left (pointing straight at the car) and the SB-800 was just to the right, pointing into the reflector’s white side, which was positioned directly behind the car. i just wish the car was real, for more than just the obvious reason. every time i was disappointed with the specular highlights i had to remind myself that the car was plastic…

the two wine bottle photos (just the foil and then the rear label) were primarily lit with the SB-800 on the hotshoe, bouncing off the reflector held just above the subject. for both shots, i placed the SB-600 to the right firing back towards the camera at about a 45-degree angle. in the label shot, i used some bottles since my kitchen island isn’t the “best” place for product shots, heh.

in related news, i’ve been enjoying john lehmann’s blog and photographs from torino, where he’s covering the olympics. he also has some great lighting tips so be sure to give that a read.

thanks for reading this far, i’m out for now. see you soon!