Experiments with backlight

Cowboy Studio kit -> Lighting experiment -> no one willing to help with the learning -> No problem!

Spent most of the day reading a book that will help with work. Finally finished it off. Wanted to do one last test before going to bed. The wife and kids are not going to help with this, so it became a self portrait experiment.

Key light -> Check (direct light or bounce main flash off wall)

Fill light -> bounce flash off floor

Back light -> Yes vs. No using secondary slave flash

and yes.. the "cowboy" triggered the idea of using a hat and black San Francisco jacket..

Looks like Daddy Narayanan is no cowboy. Also realizing my weight loss for the first time in a close up picture. Now I know why my mother was so unhappy with the yoga making me skinny to a point where I look malnourished! 

It is good for the tummy to be toally gone but my cheeks have disappeared as well and that needs to be looked into..

This one almost works.. except the slave flash, which is a 280 speedlite seems to flash full power. If there is a way to reduce it or put a diffuser there, that would help. Took 10 shots with different light combinations and two came out okay. Have a lot of learning ahead to figure out this whole lighting scheme..

The portaits take a backseat for now and we will do landscapes over the break!

Slave Flash

It is windy and chilly outside and has been the whole day. So the family stayed indoors..

Played with the slave flash after reading my Master and Slave manuals twice! and got a few shots .. Still a long way to go before perfecting positioning, power, strobe etc. etc.

This statue from our Ummachchi shelf is around 2 inches tall but had lot of detail..

Jr. was a much better subject. This flash definitely opens up some interesting possibilities to get off axis lighting and the ability to create nice shadows

Plus, much fun can be had by hiding the slave flash on a shelf or behind them and see how they are surprised by lights going from different angles.

The experiments continue..

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