Diffusers

I was teaching the other day and the subject of reflectors came up. I'm not sure how but we ended up exploring the difference between a reflector and a diffuser. Now, while most people can understand what a reflector might do, the idea of using a diffuser between the subject and the sun is a little harder to understand, so I thought it best to demonstrate using two pictures....

1.












The first image is direct sunlight falling onto the flower head. The second image has a diffuser between the flower and the sun casting a big shadow. Which do you prefer?

2.












If you're struggling with the concept of reflectors and diffusers, here's a simple way to remember what does what:
Reflectors work to reduce shadows, diffusers work to reduce highlights.


-blabpictures-

Strobist comes to town

The Strobist was here. David Hobby aka the Strobist was delivering his own brand of off-camera lighting seminar in London this past weekend. Around eighty people attended the two seminars held at University of London Union (ULU).

David's blog at http://www.strobist.com has a massive global reach with some 250,000 readers who get great lighting advice for free, and the chance to share their work with other strobists via the flickr strobist group.

In this workshop Daivd mixed presentation and practical shooting using models carefully hidden as seminar guests. Here David is adjusting a gobo that's in front of a shoot-thru umbrella. You need to try this at home since the effect is quite evident in the photos, yet really quick to achieve. David's gobo was made from a bit of cardboard box found somewhere on site at ULU. If you put a box down on Sunday and it went missing - here's your box.

Peter Geller from California Sunbounce was also on hand dispensing some free compilation DVDs of videos previously featured on the the California Sunbounce site. There was also a lucky prize of a new Sunbounce Micro Mini for one seminar attendee each day. You can see the Micro Mini in action in the hands of fellow strobist and Belgian professional photographer Bert Stephani.

The overall seminar was highly entertaining and valuable with almost seventy percent of the attendees on Sunday being professional photographer looking to sharpen their lighting. I think you may find pocket wizards a little in short supply in the run up to Christmas.

David's almost legendary shorts were out in action, he makes a pretty incongruous sight walking up the street to the pub in shorts and t-shirt on a December Sunday evening with the temperature hitting a cool one degree celsius.

If you want to check out his site, you may find a need to be watching carefully for his next visit to London. David describes London as the next strobist city after the Seattle Strobists, though they have Chase Jarvis on their doorstep.

If you'd like to be a featured photographer here then leave a message in the comments.

-blabpictures-