“Lightscoop” wanna be (for now)…
Saturday I have another shoot coming up for the sports ministry at church. I really enjoy donating my “talent” like this – so I don’t mind having to be there at 7:30 am. My job will be to get head shots of each kid. (I think it’s around 100 kids.)
I’ve done this a couple times now and I haven’t figured out how to get my spiffy Canon 580EXII flash to recharge fast enough! Last time my pastor told me to just use the flash built into my camera because I was holding up the line. As an aspiring photographer this bugged me no end! The pictures didn’t look real good and I knew it was because of the direct flash. But I did as I was told. (Sniffle.)
I have a plan for this Saturday. I’ve been eyeing the spiffy little lightscoop accessories for SLR type cameras. Alas, I am broke and needed a solution now. So I enlisted my fabulous engineer husband and this is what we came up with from what I had on hand…
Temporary lightscoop wanna be from tinfoil, sticky sided craft foam and a dab of velcro. (Flash was my spiffy canon flash - cause I couldn't take a picture of the fake lightscoop while using it.) Blue background is the back of my cutting mat.
Here’s a photo comparison.
Direct flash on spindle and yarn on reflective surface (note the strong sharp edged shadows and poor reflection). EV 0, Flash exposure compensation 0, ISO 400, 1/60s, f4.5
Faked lightscoop used for photo of spindle with yarn (note the soft shadows and spiffy reflection). EV +2/3, Flash exposure compensation +1, ISO 400, 1/60s, f4.5
So lightscoop, you’re on my wishlist and I’ll get you someday soon. I think your mirror would work better than tinfoil and you’d be more sturdy. You’ll be so worth it! But until then I hope my tinfoil holds up…
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Update: The little DIY version worked well for the close indoor portraits.
Full disclosure here: I’m Ken Kobre’s wife… thought you might like to know the Lightscoop is on sale at Adorama:
http://www.adorama.com/FALSUs.html?sid=1215725604479426
Also, there is a contest on Facebook in which you can win a free Lightscoop:
DEADLINE: FRI. DEC. 19. … It’s easy! …
DETAILS HERE:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=31036248378&topic=15361
Good luck!
Oh thanks for the heads up. I’ll have a bit of Christmas $.