For Chris

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

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Dalantech
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:57 am

For Chris

Post by Dalantech »

Hey Chris,
This what the specular highlights look like when you mount a macro twin flash's flash heads in the key (top) and fill (to camera right) with the key on a Kaiser Adjustable Flash Shoe. The two heads are so close together that there's no break in the highlight.

Image

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/125, ISO 200 due to Highlight Tone Priority) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (about 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT ("A" flash head on a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe), E-TTL metering, 0 FEC, second curtain sync).

That newly hatched Red Mason Bee (male) is one of mine. The cocoons I harvested last year are starting to hatch. Due to the cool temps (13C) and overcast skies this little one was having a tough time getting his metabolism up.

ChrisR
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Post by ChrisR »

So you certainly can merge the catchlights, then :).

It looks unusual, though I wouldn't say artificial.

Lots to play with - diffuser, position, intensity, color temp...

Have you got the bees imprinted on you so they follow you around :lol:
Chris R

Rudi
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Location: Temse, Belgium

Post by Rudi »

Hope I am allowed, not being Chris :lol: :lol:

Very nice picture as usual.

I am using the MT24Ex on a regular basis for a few months now. Experimenting mostly. Amongst them the different ratio settings on the
MT24Ex.
Would like to hear your thoughts on that iff possible.
Thanks, Rudi.
Always looking at the bright side of life,
Kr, Rudi

Dalantech
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:57 am

Post by Dalantech »

ChrisR wrote:So you certainly can merge the catchlights, then :).

It looks unusual, though I wouldn't say artificial.

Lots to play with - diffuser, position, intensity, color temp...

Have you got the bees imprinted on you so they follow you around :lol:
Minor changes in the position of the lights can make a big difference in how they look.

As for the bees: They get acclimated to me after a while, and stop viewing me as a threat. This female let me photograph her while she was nest making:

Image

Honeybees and bumblebees are really smart, and it doesn't take them long to figure out that I'm the one with the sugar syrup that they've been feeding on. So after getting this shot:

Image

I was able to get this one:

Image

Dalantech
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:57 am

Post by Dalantech »

Rudi wrote:Hope I am allowed, not being Chris :lol: :lol:

Very nice picture as usual.

I am using the MT24Ex on a regular basis for a few months now. Experimenting mostly. Amongst them the different ratio settings on the
MT24Ex.
Would like to hear your thoughts on that iff possible.
Thanks, Rudi.
Thanks for the props!

I never liked using ratio control. In E-TTL mode the camera will calculate the exposure for the scene, the flash will turn one head on longer than the other, and the brighter of the two heads will blow out the specular highlights unless you use a lot of flash exposure compensation. Would work better in manual mode, but I just don't have time to play with flash settings (most of my subjects are active).

IMHO you're better off setting the A flash head at the top of the lens, and the B flash head to camera right at about a 45 degree angle to the A head. So the top one acts as a key the the right one acts as a fill. Turn ratio control off. Bonus points if you elevate the A head with something like a Kaiser Adjustable Flash Shoe so the two light sources are striking the subject at different angles. The goal is to partially wrap the light around the subject so you can get control over the shadows, and so the light isn't dead even. Putting both flash heads 180 degrees apart is a mistake -even with ratio control the light is going to wrap all the way around the subject.
Last edited by Dalantech on Sun Mar 11, 2018 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

Dalantech
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:57 am

Post by Dalantech »

The effect gets better as the magnification goes up, due to the flash heads getting closer to the subject (lens mounted). Took this shot of a Blue Mason bee emerging from its cocoon today at 3x:

Image

Rudi
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Location: Temse, Belgium

Post by Rudi »

Thanks for your input John, much appreciated. I like your idea with only one head on a Kaiser. Will try that for sure.
So far I had both flashheads on a Kaiser (so no bonus points for me, yet).
My diffusers are +/- 8 x 4 cm wide and abt 4 cm deep. I had the idea to put each flashead on 2 Kaiser Flash Shoe, so more room for a bigger
'softbox'. Don't know iff that idea is worth persueing ??
Always looking at the bright side of life,
Kr, Rudi

Dalantech
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:57 am

Post by Dalantech »

Rudi wrote:... I had the idea to put each flashead on 2 Kaiser Flash Shoe, so more room for a bigger
'softbox'. Don't know iff that idea is worth persueing ??
If you want to use the flash heads in a key and fill configuration while mounted on the Canon flash mount then their are limits as to how large the diffuser can be. I've been doing it for years, and I think that the apparent light size principle is stressed to the max ;) Link to my current diffuser setup. I like to make them as compact as possible so they don't get in the way while I'm shooting.

Rudi
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Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2014 6:37 am
Location: Temse, Belgium

Post by Rudi »

Thanks again John.
At first glance your diffusers are bigger than mine, but I think more important is that your diffusion will be much better than mine :oops:
The first thing to do now is try out the key and fill light configuration and go from there..So still a lot to learn....
Always looking at the bright side of life,
Kr, Rudi

Dalantech
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Post by Dalantech »

Rudi wrote:..So still a lot to learn....
I've been working on my artificial light since I started shooting macro over 10 years ago, and I still sweat it. I think that if you're a true photographer light becomes an obsession...

razashaikh
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Post by razashaikh »

Amazing details.

Dalantech
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Post by Dalantech »

razashaikh wrote:Amazing details.
Thanks!

Dalantech
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:57 am

Post by Dalantech »

ChrisR wrote:So you certainly can merge the catchlights, then :).
Here's another frame of the Red Mason Bee in the OP, this one at about 3x.

ImageRed Mason Bee II by John Kimbler, on Flickr

Would be better if the catch lights were the same size, but I think the difference is due to having the key on a Kaiser. To me the subject looks more 3D with the lights at different angles. With both of the flash heads directly on the Canon flash mount the specular highlights would be the same size. Here's a sample without the Kaiser:

ImageFeeding Honeybee by John Kimbler, on Flickr

The down side is that it's easier to see that it's two light sources.

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