“Professional” | 52.1.b

Because wearing a tie makes you professional…

I cannot imagine the thought process that was swirling around in the idiot’s head who said “you know, that suit looks great, but would what really make you look professional is another piece of clothing tied around your neck hanging down.”  Seriously.  Wearing a tie does not make anyone professional.  In many ways, it reminds me of really bad bathroom spray.  You can use it after someone takes a dump, but it doesnt really cover up the smell.  So what you have is crap AND bad bathroom spray.  Kinda like a tie, if you catch my drift.

But I digress.

When I first set out to start this Project 52 of mine, this was the shot I had in mind. But opted to go with a different shot instead.  Thought I would see what the Dustin Diaz presentation format would look like with this as well, thus the black strips and text on the final image.

The setup was rather simple.  Here is a quick shot of how this was taken:

Note: I probably would have placed the SB-800 somewhere else, if I had not left my other light stands at the studio.  :-/

For you Nikon shooters out there that have not yet had the opportunity to experiment with the Creative Lighting System (CLS), you are missing out.  While at first it takes some adjustments, it is really quite fun.  And while not the solution for every shoot, it certainly has it’s place within the photographer’s toolbox.

First, this is a result of boredom and curiosity.  I have to admit I have seen similar shots on Flickr which served as the inspiration behind this experiment.  I searched and searched but did not bookmark the exact shot that I used as a rough foundation, so please forgive me. I took a setup shot, and while it is relatively accurate, I did some minor adjustments before the final shot.  But overall, this is what it looked like:

On the kitchen island, I placed several tall glasses as the backdrop.  I figured that these, when hit with the Speedlight, would provide some nice bokeh curtain behind the figurine.  Since I left all of my light stands at the studio, I drug a stool and some boxes over to one side of the glasses.  I pointed the SB-800 toward the glasses.  Next, I setup the SB-900 on a tripod, shot through the umbrella to give a little softer light coming from above.  Everything was triggered with CLS (SB-900: +3.0; SB-800: +1.0; Built-In: Off).  On a tripod, I setup the D80 & 50mm.  The camera settings were ƒ/1.4, ISO 200, and shutter at 1/50.

Here is the result (including xpro treatment using Nik Color):

Next time I might try this with some gels.

As you know, the cost of everything is going up.  Buying a new lens is sadly something I do not engage in as often as I would like.  While a new lens can be a big jump in terms of the checkbook, I also want to be as economical as possible, which is why I chose the Sigma lens.

I have been using a Sigma 18-200mm lens since first purchasing my Nikon D80.  It was recommended to me to buy that lens as I was just getting started in the realm of the DSLR and I found very times where I took the lens off.  The Sigma product proved itself to me with everything I was able to do with that lens.  So when the recommendation came again for Sigma, I was not as hesitant.  Granted, some camera experts threw Nikon and Tokina into the ring of possible choices, but after some additional research, I really just felt that the Sigma would be best for me.

So I used a site that I have used once before and found that I have had even better success than I did previously.  Sigma4less.com just blew me out of the water.  I found the lens for $450 there and also picked up a UV filter and circular polarizer.  Since I am one of the most impatient people in the world, I upgraded the shipping to 2-Day Air.  All in all, not a bad price tag.  What really amazed me was that I placed this order on Wednesday morning.  On Friday morning around 10:00am EST my order had arrived.  Now, you really cannot beat that.  I fully expected to get the lens after the weekend.  Since we had a photo stroll planned for the weekend, I was more than excited to have the lens before hand.

The lens has been just pure fun.  I also have enjoyed the effects of the polarizer.  With the weather sunny and hot over the weekend, it was perfect for a test run.  While I have not uploaded a ton of the photos I have taken with the new lens, here is a sample taken at High Falls State Park in Jackson, Georgia.

Click to view the larger version on Flickr.

Also, I have started a set of 10-20 photos for those interested.  Check ‘em out and let me know what you think.