tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61208794004343344562024-03-14T01:43:14.562-07:00fiz-iksTrevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-4164013472091918232011-07-20T07:28:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:28:19.904-07:00Okinawan beaches and a near full moon.I was recently down in Okinawa, Japan teaching a 2 night light painting course. It was the first time to run the course so I spent the previous week fretting about what to bring. After having difficulty deciding and being overly excited about being able to shoot in such a location I ended up shipping way too much stuff by courier a few days before heading down. Upon arriving I came to the realization that being the instructor I would not be shooting anything for myself. My heart sank briefly before reminding myself that this is the path I chose and by spreading the art of light painting I will leave with more. But it still sucked being in such a beautiful place and not being able to shoot any LP!! In the end seeing my students LCD screens light up with killer shot after killer shot which in turn made them experience a feeling than only nailing a shot can bring made me feel a whole lot better.<br />
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But really, who am I kidding? There was no way I was going home with nothing. I had about 30 minutes one night and about an hour the following night to snap some long exposures and give a new 24L a test run. Keep reading to see more shots and hear my first impressions on this new lens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EMYCse1NPPw/TibIrFo3JYI/AAAAAAAAAFM/HgsybOYDjEg/s1600/IMG_0143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EMYCse1NPPw/TibIrFo3JYI/AAAAAAAAAFM/HgsybOYDjEg/s640/IMG_0143.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 15mm fisheye at f/2.8 and ISO200 for 80 seconds. Foreground lit with 500 lumen LED torch</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pEJAcHsvN0s/TibI3uB_HZI/AAAAAAAAAFU/bKi24_IQjEs/s1600/IMG_0325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pEJAcHsvN0s/TibI3uB_HZI/AAAAAAAAAFU/bKi24_IQjEs/s640/IMG_0325.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 17-40mmL at f/4 ISO200 for 150 seconds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FO_ZtF9TEIQ/TibI4dd1mDI/AAAAAAAAAFY/PKiPUEuX7Fs/s1600/IMG_0327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FO_ZtF9TEIQ/TibI4dd1mDI/AAAAAAAAAFY/PKiPUEuX7Fs/s640/IMG_0327.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 15mm fisheye at f/2.8 and ISO200 for 80 seconds. Foreground lit with 200 lumen LED torch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FItkkYm0zms/TibI5Tfh7PI/AAAAAAAAAFg/h7B-vf0dyi0/s1600/IMG_0333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FItkkYm0zms/TibI5Tfh7PI/AAAAAAAAAFg/h7B-vf0dyi0/s640/IMG_0333.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 15mm fisheye at f/2.8 and ISO200 for 80 seconds. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>The following shots were shot with a Canon EF24mm f/1.4L II USM lens. My first impressions are nothing but positive. I pretty happy with the colors and contrast and over all sharpness of the lens. At wide apertures I can lower my ISO keeping my pics free of noise and and still tack sharp. It does have some vignetting but I see this as an attractive feature as it really is minimal. I have a feeling this will be my new go-to lens for shooting stars.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRzMHMaPotY/TibI3N37_EI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/51BJq9nqEWs/s1600/IMG_0321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRzMHMaPotY/TibI3N37_EI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/51BJq9nqEWs/s640/IMG_0321.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 24mmL at f/1.4 and ISO200 for 30 seconds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1W0LoobTfag/TibI6MYoq8I/AAAAAAAAAFk/6LWXEj53To4/s1600/IMG_0317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1W0LoobTfag/TibI6MYoq8I/AAAAAAAAAFk/6LWXEj53To4/s640/IMG_0317.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 24mmL at f/1.4 and ISO100 for 30 seconds but at these settings it was underexposed. Lit with 500 lumen LED </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2ri72UenRw/TibIpz5uVQI/AAAAAAAAAFE/I6kp5wHf78g/s1600/IMG_0121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2ri72UenRw/TibIpz5uVQI/AAAAAAAAAFE/I6kp5wHf78g/s640/IMG_0121.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 24mmL at f/1.4 and ISO200 for 30 seconds. Moon provided lighting for this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ij9PqrbPQdY/TibIqUcn3cI/AAAAAAAAAFI/eYc0v3o3Y6I/s1600/IMG_0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ij9PqrbPQdY/TibIqUcn3cI/AAAAAAAAAFI/eYc0v3o3Y6I/s640/IMG_0136.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5Dm2 + 24mmL at f/2.8 and ISO200 for 80 seconds. Foreground lit with LED</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-83675037384752501832011-07-13T05:28:00.000-07:002011-07-13T05:29:32.783-07:00Okinawa Workshop Summary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So the workshop in Okinawa, Japan has come and gone and was a great success. I met many creative people who were eager to learn. They all picked up night shooting so fast and were full of ideas and inspiration. I hope I am invited down there to run it again next summer! Keep reading to see some of the work the students shot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rhxLKat9Smg/Th2HLbFwLqI/AAAAAAAAAEA/v4h7StVoiEA/s1600/5921599428_4b33f0ced4_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rhxLKat9Smg/Th2HLbFwLqI/AAAAAAAAAEA/v4h7StVoiEA/s640/5921599428_4b33f0ced4_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vQQDjZwgpq8/Th2HMIZlGFI/AAAAAAAAAEE/nL1bi-bsNWg/s1600/5925636767_c67c79b0a3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vQQDjZwgpq8/Th2HMIZlGFI/AAAAAAAAAEE/nL1bi-bsNWg/s640/5925636767_c67c79b0a3_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IE45udz-Dm0/Th2HN2Qx-pI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/4WA-UfSuEZI/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-13+at+8.49.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IE45udz-Dm0/Th2HN2Qx-pI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/4WA-UfSuEZI/s640/Screen+shot+2011-07-13+at+8.49.28+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RF_RbDN_XeQ/Th2HPSPr_lI/AAAAAAAAAEY/q4ZhPvSzNtw/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-07-13+at+8.50.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RF_RbDN_XeQ/Th2HPSPr_lI/AAAAAAAAAEY/q4ZhPvSzNtw/s640/Screen+shot+2011-07-13+at+8.50.43+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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For those that missed this workshop and live on the other side of the globe you are in luck because I will be running the course again in Vancouver, Canada on the 5th and 6th of August. <a href="http://www.lloydkbarnes.info/light-painting-workshop-with-trevor-williams.html">See more details here on the organizers site.</a> I hope to see you there!Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-75461070181052538202011-06-30T06:47:00.000-07:002011-06-30T06:47:38.577-07:00Workshop In Vancouver, CanadaI am pleased to announce I will be hosting a workshop in Vancouver, Canada on August 5th and 6th. Keep reading after the jump for more info...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bxs_FTrHv8Y/Tgx82kJoe_I/AAAAAAAAADA/eWrPrr209uE/s1600/IMG_2502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bxs_FTrHv8Y/Tgx82kJoe_I/AAAAAAAAADA/eWrPrr209uE/s640/IMG_2502.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Come join me for two nights of night shooting and light painting. This</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">course is about large scale light painting out on location and fine art</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">night photography. The first night will briefly cover long exposure</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">essentials for those that are new to shooting at night and then move on to</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">light painting basics. Learn how to use a torch in creative ways to add</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">color, light and a bit of "story" to your images. Starting with a blank</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">canvas you will learn how to introduce light into the scene to build up</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">the image and tell the story you want. We will move out on to location to</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">practice these concepts and gets some hands on experience.</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the basics out of the way, the second night will focus more advanced</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">light painting techniques. I will demo some tools and explain how I made</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">them. I will demo them before heading out to location to put everything</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">to the test. You will learn to make most of the common light painting</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">techniques as well as a few of my own secrets.</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The course will improve your photography all around. You will leave</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">looking at light and your camera in a whole new way which will even</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">improve the other areas of your photography. You will be amazed at the</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">reaction you will get from the images created from what you learned</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">through this course.</span></i></div><br />
Read <a href="http://blog.lloydkbarnes.com/2011/06/17/trevor-williams-a-master-of-light-painting/">the article on the organizers site</a> for more info. Full details to be released soon.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></pre></div>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-35056336634329522582011-06-20T07:02:00.000-07:002011-06-20T07:02:20.671-07:00Fireflies v2I got out for another night of firefly shooting. After a few days of rain I was not expecting great results again. I could not help but feel we had bad weather luck this year. But enough whining... It did stop raining long enough for me and a few other shooters to get out and try and hunt some down. Read on after the jump...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL6YQ7A9Jaw/Tf9QlJqyOEI/AAAAAAAAAC4/FJAQmoaarOc/s1600/IMG_0730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL6YQ7A9Jaw/Tf9QlJqyOEI/AAAAAAAAAC4/FJAQmoaarOc/s640/IMG_0730.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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The biggest problem this year was finding a location that boasted a beautiful scene but also had ample fireflies. The fireflies live near water but unfortunately so do people which means ambient light or other lights on the horizon were a nuisance. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9jkep7-9zlU/Tf9Ql6NxlsI/AAAAAAAAAC8/_gKCoxkJejQ/s1600/IMG_0744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9jkep7-9zlU/Tf9Ql6NxlsI/AAAAAAAAAC8/_gKCoxkJejQ/s640/IMG_0744.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A firefly taking a break on a flower. Hand lit with a flashlight.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Here are a few shots from the bridge I shot off the week before. There is noticeably much more fireflies this week. There was a near full moon but as you can see it was clouded over. Something else you might have noticed is the swollen and muddy river from the continuous rain that led up to the night of the shoot having stopped only hours before we headed out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eb48WpoWfWo/Tf9QiVnJAwI/AAAAAAAAACs/FMY4Sfy-L6c/s1600/IMG_0710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eb48WpoWfWo/Tf9QiVnJAwI/AAAAAAAAACs/FMY4Sfy-L6c/s640/IMG_0710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VkPZ_k0ZbyU/Tf9QjKJxUdI/AAAAAAAAACw/NQcy27hen_E/s1600/IMG_0711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VkPZ_k0ZbyU/Tf9QjKJxUdI/AAAAAAAAACw/NQcy27hen_E/s640/IMG_0711.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C6tzb4fZT94/Tf9QkDVicBI/AAAAAAAAAC0/H2RFTA4-qec/s1600/IMG_0713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C6tzb4fZT94/Tf9QkDVicBI/AAAAAAAAAC0/H2RFTA4-qec/s640/IMG_0713.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I can't wait for early June of 2012 to capture that elusive perfect shot. I dream of a nicely lit scene full of fireflies with a star filled sky above. I will spend the next year scoping out the ideal spot! I will get my shot!Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-16216088962095592942011-06-15T07:33:00.000-07:002011-06-15T07:34:32.665-07:00left over roman candles...I found a bunch of left over roman candles. Hmmm. What to do with them? The only thing I could think of was to tape them all to a stick and give it Phill to run around the forest with...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dEJqtzVVVeU/TfjBgDHMUQI/AAAAAAAAACk/2YudXuQeaYs/s1600/IMG_0087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dEJqtzVVVeU/TfjBgDHMUQI/AAAAAAAAACk/2YudXuQeaYs/s640/IMG_0087.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
So I guess the point of this post is if you have some extra fireworks lying around you should tape them all to a stick at once and give it to your friend to run around with while you take a picture.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-32910462032682779112011-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:002011-06-07T09:42:26.085-07:00Fireflies 2011 night #1Well one of my favorite seasons has arrived. It is firefly season here in Japan and as a night shooter it is definitely something to look forward to. See and read more after the jump...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-olcLfO4hJlc/Te4uwVf-uZI/AAAAAAAAACc/6ppPm3DPibQ/s1600/IMG_0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-olcLfO4hJlc/Te4uwVf-uZI/AAAAAAAAACc/6ppPm3DPibQ/s640/IMG_0110.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shot off a bridge. 170 seconds @ f/4 and ISO 1600. Shot at 17mm</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>So here are two shots from the first night out. I was not expecting much as it is still a little early and there was absolutely no moon. The top shot could have definitely used some moonlight and I was forced to shoot at ISO1600 to get any sign of light on the landscape. No moon can be a great thing but when I am shooting fireflies I think the location they are in is important and needs some light. I could add the light myself with a flashlight but it just is not the same as some good ol' moonlight. Another reason I did not use a flashlight was because of some fog which is great at revealing your flashlight beams to your camera which is actually a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevor303/4184110863/in/set-72157606966563069">good technique</a>(and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevor303/4886992343/in/set-72157606966563069">here too</a>) in the right situation but for this particular shot beams cutting through the frame were unwanted. I would not have been disappointed at all if there was a sky full of stars instead of a moon but it was clouded over. So no moon, no stars, and few fireflies. It was intended to be a short scouting trip from the beginning and it did end primarily as a scouting trip but a <i>short</i> scouting trip it definitely was not. We checked out the places we are familiar with and scoped out a few new ones and arrived home 3 hours past our planned return time. I am sure any night shooter knows this situation very well. I checked back in at this same location 2 nights later with my kids and was surprised by how many more fireflies had come out in just 2 days. I was also lucky to meet a local farmer. I asked him if there was way to get down to the river but he warned us that the grass is full of poisonous snakes called Mamushi so we scratched that idea. A solid reminder that some gum boots are probably a good idea for next Saturday because I am thinking mosquitoes bites are bad enough, let alone venomous snake bites, while I am out in the middle of nowhere in the dark.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ZIIl9CetA8/Te4yyJt8fdI/AAAAAAAAACg/r3VQZYiVyUA/s1600/the-birth-of-all-things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ZIIl9CetA8/Te4yyJt8fdI/AAAAAAAAACg/r3VQZYiVyUA/s640/the-birth-of-all-things.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shot off a bridge. 149 seconds @ f/4 and ISO1600. Shot at 17mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I did not expect much from this side of the bridge due to the street light. I tried to hide it behind the tree to at least minimize its affect on the scene which resulted in some brilliant beams as a result of the light fog. Like I mentioned above about the flashlight beams but in this case it really added the shot. I always have felt that street lights are generally a night shooters enemy but that is not always the case I guess. If carefully placed in the right shot maybe you will get a surprisingly nice result.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for night #2 this coming Saturday.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/fiz_iks">Follow me on Twitter</a> for updates on this and other night shooting adventures.Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-81269540758682979942011-05-20T06:16:00.000-07:002011-05-20T06:16:36.797-07:00Guide to star trailingEver see those pictures where the stars streak across the sky in a big arc? or maybe the whole sky looked like it was spinning? What you saw was start trails. The streaks were light left behind on the sensor or film from the star as it traveled across the sky in front of an open camera shutter. In fact, what are being recorded are stationary stars and the rotation of the earth spins past them. For me, the images seem to have a certain magic or mystery about them. You must have heard a photographer talking about capturing that perfect moment in time. Well for capturing star trails you will need to capture the perfect hour or two in time. For such amazing looking images the technique to capture them is really quite simple. Keep reading for a complete set of instructions from start to finish.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UX7wCkPdtCU/Tcv6ANFZb_I/AAAAAAAAACA/xuw7F4bl02g/s1600/3817665042_022bf43e35_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UX7wCkPdtCU/Tcv6ANFZb_I/AAAAAAAAACA/xuw7F4bl02g/s640/3817665042_022bf43e35_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">150 minutes of night sky taken on Salt Spring Island in Canada</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a name='more'></a><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">What do I need?</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Before you gas up the car and head out in to the night check the list below to make sure you have all the required gear.</div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A camera capable of shooting in “Bulb” mode</li>
<li>A sturdy tripod</li>
<li>A cable release <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*it can be done with a remote but options will be very limited</i></span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Some things that you will find useful but are not necessary to get started would be a decent flashlight, some extra warm clothing and anything else to prepare you for the weather and elements. If you are heading into a remote location it may be much colder than what you are used to at night where you live so be prepared.<br />
<i></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />
<b> </b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Where should I go?</b></i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6z_0g1FnGk/Tcv7WHEg55I/AAAAAAAAACE/bYotr8nuPJs/s1600/4114261009_9c40732600_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6z_0g1FnGk/Tcv7WHEg55I/AAAAAAAAACE/bYotr8nuPJs/s320/4114261009_9c40732600_o.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A temple for foreground interest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I tend to look for locations that are have some foreground interest. It may be an abandoned building, large infrastructure like a radio tower or a bridge, or some natural features like rock formations or big trees. You may choose to add light to these features with a flashlight or keep them as silhouettes against the star filled sky. Though it is possible to capture star trails in town it is much easier if you try this far away from any city lights. A darker sky means you can crank up your ISO and open up your lens really wide and capture a greater number of visible stars. City lights that are not even visible to the naked eye will show up over a long exposure so when you think you have finally found some dark skies keep on driving! It really pays off doing some research before embarking on a shoot especially if you have never seen the location in the day before. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>What are the basics?</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
There are multiple ways to go about shooting star trails. I will start with the basics that do not change whether you are using an analogue SLR or a DSLR. Before dialing in any settigns you should go ahead and mount your camera onto a tripod. Roughly compose your shot and set the focus. In the dark, it is not easy to get the AF to lock on to anything but do not worry there are several solutions to this. If you are including foreground objects I suggest making sure that they are in focus. If you are using a wide angle lens the foreground object and the stars will probably both be in focus even at a very wide aperture. I find that it is fairly safe to just set the focus to infinity if it is a wide angle or fisheye lens right from the start. Some lenses will not have those </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xwQ3DS5GUCc/Tcv9EWRvzcI/AAAAAAAAACI/PH4WcOsZ1oc/s1600/4893259767_4c88119573_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xwQ3DS5GUCc/Tcv9EWRvzcI/AAAAAAAAACI/PH4WcOsZ1oc/s320/4893259767_4c88119573_b.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>markings so shining the light on the foreground subject while using the AF function may work if the flashlight is bright. If not go lay the flashlight on the ground at the base of what you are shooting and focus on that. Once you have achieved the glorious state of "in focus" be sure to set it to MF or manual focus before starting your exposure or it will start searching again when you start the exposure and you will lose your focus. So now you should have your camera focused and set to manual focus(MF) and the shot roughly composed. When composing the shot try not to include any direct light sources, like streetlights, in the shot. If you are not using film then I suggest doing a test shot which aids in composing your final shot. A 2-3 minute exposure at high ISO and wide aperture is enough to be able to see which direction the stars are moving and allow one to imagine what the final shot will look like. Recompose the shot if necessary and zoom in on the LCD to double check you focus is accurate. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Hey, what about white balance?</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">White balance could be a whole separate tutorial on its own so I will keep this really brief. If you would like to know more about white balance then check out <a href="http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm">this article.</a> White balance is the relative warmth or coolness of white light. A white object would appear slightly blue with a cold color temperature and it would look slightly orange with a warm color temperature. I tend to shoot night skies with the white balance set to “tungsten” which gives a nice blue look or the extreme opposite of 10000 Kelvin giving it a deep orange color. I find that auto white balance leaves the sky brownish or "dirty" looking. You will have to refer to your cameras manual if you do not know how to change these settings. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ua-ECOUxZNk/TcwAMGQ0UzI/AAAAAAAAACU/vKxpIMM8xuk/s1600/5104489617_a044dbf5e6_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ua-ECOUxZNk/TcwAMGQ0UzI/AAAAAAAAACU/vKxpIMM8xuk/s320/5104489617_a044dbf5e6_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White balance set to 10000 Kelvin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These setting will affect the whole image so if you have include some foreground objects then you will need to consider what you are using to light them with. I use a variety of flashlights for this job and my white balance settings help me to determine which one to use. LED light is very blue so if you are shooting with your white balance set to tungsten the objects lit with that light may look unnaturally blue. To avoid this I use a xenon flashlight or flashlight with an incandescent bulb which have a much higher color temperature and neutralize the blue effect of the white balance leaving objects lit with them a natural or true color. If LED is your only choice then consider putting some orange cellophane over the front to alter the shade of the light but doing this will reduce it effective power. If I am shooting with my white balance set to 10000K I would generally use an LED which is the exact opposite of the above situation. Its bluish hue would neutralize the high color temperature of 10000K leaving the objects lit with it a natural or true color. So for a cool white balance use a warm light and for a warm white balance use a cool light for lighting your foreground interest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b> Hurry up and get to the good stuff...</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RF9-IRuprvs/Tcv-rQAMqCI/AAAAAAAAACQ/wGI8cgRabVM/s1600/4900580147_dedb64b0c8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RF9-IRuprvs/Tcv-rQAMqCI/AAAAAAAAACQ/wGI8cgRabVM/s320/4900580147_dedb64b0c8_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Single exposure, xenon flashlight used on foreground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For shooting options, one could choose to do it all in one shot or shoot multiple shots and “stack” them after using computer software. I personally find that shooting multiple images and stacking them yields much nicer images than those done all in one shot. If you are going to do it all in one shot then your biggest concern should be noise. To avoid noise, one could use a narrower aperture and a lower ISO speed but these settings will typically not pick up very many stars. If this is the route you are going to take, and I suggest at least trying it, then focus and compose the shot. Set the time value to “bulb”, the aperture to its widest, and with and ISO at 200, try for a 30-minute exposure with a wide aperture of 3.5 - 4.0. If there is too much noise then drop the ISO to 100 and either shorten the exposure time or try a narrower aperture. If shooting this way is your only option, there is something that you can do to increase the appearance of the length of the trails in the frame that will be limited due to the short exposure time. The actual length of the trails is determined solely by time but the appearance of the trail length is determined by the focal length you are shooting at. For example, stars over a 30-minute exposure would appear much longer in the frame at 50mm than they would at 15mm. If you find that you are limited to shorter exposure time due to noise, or any other factor, try shooting at a longer focal length to increase the appearance of the star trail length in relation to the frame. <a href="http://fiz-iks.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-perpsective-on-star-trails.html">See my article here that explains focal length and relative star trail length.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-520lv5_ZXl4/Tcv-qPotygI/AAAAAAAAACM/hH0TpKBSgpY/s1600/4901169322_f89c4c96c3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-520lv5_ZXl4/Tcv-qPotygI/AAAAAAAAACM/hH0TpKBSgpY/s320/4901169322_f89c4c96c3_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">same image as single exp. above but this one is stacked</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My heavily preferred way of shooting is shooting multiple shots and stacking them later using computer software. Shooting this way means one can shoot with a wide aperture and a faster ISO that will pick up many more stars than the previous method. One can do this because noise becomes much less of a factor. Noise generally increases with time so you only have to worry about 30 seconds that means even at ISO 800 it is not really going to cause a problem. There is even an option to include dark frames, which are frames shot with the lens cap on, so that even the tiny bit of noise from ISO 800 over 30 seconds will be removed. With the higher end DSLR’s and the improvement of sensor noise reduction in newer DSLRs means that the ISO can be bumped even higher which will result in even more visible stars streaking across the sky. You will need to find the balance for your camera based on how it handles noise. For this method it is necessary to use a cable release. It could be done with a remote but then I would recommend shooting much longer exposures than 30 seconds and stacking those. You will be shooting possibly hundreds of images so it is important to make sure there is plenty of space on your memory card. To get started, set your focus and compose your shot. Set the aperture to its widest and the ISO to 800 for starters. Dial in 30 seconds for the time value and the drive mode to “continuous shooting” mode which allows for non-stop shooting when the cable release is locked. I suggest doing a test shot first to see if everything looks all right before locking that release. If anything is too bright then dial the ISO down. Once you have taken the shots you will need to stack them using software.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>What do you mean by "lighting a foreground interest"? </i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfK1S3PICls/TcwCXAEX8YI/AAAAAAAAACY/YWJ1Q4dLrUg/s1600/4083789379_91afe558b0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfK1S3PICls/TcwCXAEX8YI/AAAAAAAAACY/YWJ1Q4dLrUg/s320/4083789379_91afe558b0_z.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">foreground lit with xenon flashlight</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I mentioned above about adding light to the foreground objects and explained a few things to consider about white balance in relation to that. I often include foreground objects to complete the shots because images of just stars sometimes seem to lack a subject. I look for interesting buildings, infrastructure or natural objects like big trees or rock formations and make them the subject of the images. I light these foreground subjects with a flashlight or speedlite. A flashlight can reach far places and can be moved around while lighting to remove shadows while a speedlite can freeze a tree that may be moving in the wind. You will probably use a flashlight most of the time because they are a much more flexible tool and leave the foreground with a much more organic look. I highly recommend doing a few lighting test shots to see how much light is needed before locking that cable release. Too much light will distract from that beautiful star filled sky you are about to create. Remember that for foreground lighting use a warm color if you are using a “tungsten” white balance use an cold color light, like LED, if you are shooting at a high color temperature. If you are stacking then I suggest doing the foreground lighting at the beginning and again at the end incase one of those is unsuitable for the final shot. You simply exclude those frames from the stack. If it was done in the middle and a mistake was made leaving those frames unusable it would create a break in the trail that would take away from the shot. A final note for those with experience in night photography, keep in mind that you are now shooting wide open with your ISO jacked so adjust your lighting techniques to accommodate for that with low power flashes or less lighting time with a flashlight. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>Hey, you forgot to tell me how to stack these pictures!</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So now you have a memory card filled with image sequences and you are going to use software to stack them up to create your final star trail picture. There are several free options for this and each has easy instructions on their respective homepages that guide you on how to use each one.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.starstax.net/">StarStaX</a><br />
<ul><li>This is my favorite software. Unlike other free programs, it runs on Mac and Linux as well as Windows. What I like about StarStaX is the incredible speed. It is waaaay faster than using Photoshop and much easier as it does not require you to create any blank documents to get started. Open up the program and import your images. Hit start and within seconds your image is finished. Check out the homepage to see the great features it has.</li>
</ul><a href="http://www.schursastrophotography.com/software/photoshop/startrails.html">Photoshop Stacking action</a> <br />
<ul><li>This method gets the job done but is slow and ties up memory while stacking. <i><br />
</i></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html">Startrail.exe</a><br />
<ul><li> One major downfall of this software is that is only available for Windows. I used this a long time ago before I started using Mac. This got the job done and before StarStaX was a way of creating animated time lapse video of the stacks. I think this software has now become old and needs to be revamped if its author wants people to continue to use it.</li>
</ul><br />
Don't miss the next tutorial by following <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/fiz_iks">me on Twitter </a><br />
<br />
</div>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-38146519812197620322011-05-11T08:14:00.000-07:002011-05-11T08:16:55.209-07:00A new perspective on star trailsI have always shot star trails with a fisheye or ultra-wide angle lenses. It just seemed to make sense. More sky would equal more stars. I tried shooting star trails at a longer focal length and was pretty happy with the new perspective. Read on to learn why...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MlnquILmCqE/Tclp5ArFqeI/AAAAAAAAABc/LIBLlDW4X7A/s1600/stax4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MlnquILmCqE/Tclp5ArFqeI/AAAAAAAAABc/LIBLlDW4X7A/s640/stax4.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">85mm @ f/1.6 ISO 1600 for 240 seconds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a name='more'></a>now compare the same tower viewed through a 15mm fisheye<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_gupc_1-YQo/TclqHk6mRGI/AAAAAAAAABg/d3CSG1Dza_s/s1600/stax9_L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_gupc_1-YQo/TclqHk6mRGI/AAAAAAAAABg/d3CSG1Dza_s/s640/stax9_L.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15mm fisheye @ f/2.8 ISO 3200 for 40 minutes </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12TSI6EZbAg/TcqdG6xObyI/AAAAAAAAABw/2o3ZR9sRRos/s1600/stax1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12TSI6EZbAg/TcqdG6xObyI/AAAAAAAAABw/2o3ZR9sRRos/s400/stax1_s.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">85mm @ f/1.4 ISO 400 for 30 minutes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I had been to the location and shot star trails there on multiple occasions before. I got there this time and was bored before I even started shooting. Was I going to shoot the same pics again? No way. Why not try something new. I got my camera out from the car which had a 70-200mm already mounted on it. I had planned on a few snaps of the moon so I put it on before I left the house. As I looked around the same old location through the longer lens I became excited at what I saw. I did not see the same old location. I saw a new location. I saw things I did not know were there and all of a sudden I was not only seeing differently but thinking differently. So, I slapped an 85mm on, pointed that at a nearby radio tower and started it shooting for a stack. I threw a 135mm on a second body, pointed it at a farther tower and got that shooting for a stack. I decided I had better set up a trusty old wide angle shot as well because really who knew how those longer shots were going to turn out because they were just experiments. So a third camera got shooting a stack. I thought I better have at least an insurance shot or two.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bIvFFXEevIE/Tcqf_KDj0ZI/AAAAAAAAAB0/-Kgu8ihUVR8/s1600/stax3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bIvFFXEevIE/Tcqf_KDj0ZI/AAAAAAAAAB0/-Kgu8ihUVR8/s400/stax3.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">135mm @ f/2 ISO 1600 for 18minutes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I wrote a chapter for a book that was published in 2010 on shooting star trails. I mentioned in that book that a longer focal length would make the trails <i>look</i> longer in relation to the frame than a wider angle would. At that time I had only tested some shots at 50mm and found that I could get decent trails in a relatively short amount of time. They were not longer as the actual length is based solely on time but they <i>appeared</i> longer. So when I had finished setting up the third camera I went and stopped the the first camera with the 85mm on to see where it was at. I flipped through the images and was really surprised by how much the stars had traveled in a relatively short time. I had not seen what they looked like stacked but by looking at the first frame and the last frame it was obvious that they appeared to have traveled quite far. I left the camera with the 135mm on stacking for 50 minutes and it produced the same results. I should add though, that the stack shot at 135mm had tiny gaps between frames that were visible when viewed large. The smooth trails of a wide angle had become a finely dotted line. The image on the left is the same tower at 135mm but what you see is only 18 minutes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yPvWe-4rvU/Tcqmr5ZOd_I/AAAAAAAAAB4/RHHMae46NOg/s1600/IMG_0309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yPvWe-4rvU/Tcqmr5ZOd_I/AAAAAAAAAB4/RHHMae46NOg/s320/IMG_0309.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">85mm @ f/1.6 ISO 1600 30s. 1 frame from the shot below</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">One last benefit I noticed was that shooting at these longer focal lengths reduced the time needed for each stack making the whole night more productive in terms of images I was going to get out of it. With a wide angle each stack needs time so there is a lot of standing around drinking beer which actually <i>does not sound so bad</i> when put like that but it often meant that 2 or maybe 3 stacks could be done on a good night. The longer focal lengths were able to get long trails in relation to the frame in a short time meaning that I could take several stacks in one night per camera. That meant it was one very productive night for stacking.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RkF5q2_PMPo/TcqmspRzRGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/cctMM6vnaU8/s1600/stax5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RkF5q2_PMPo/TcqmspRzRGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/cctMM6vnaU8/s640/stax5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">85mm @ f/1.6 ISO1600 for 10 minutes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">What did I learn that night? Looking at the same old location through different lenses provided a whole new perspective and a bunch of new ideas and inspiration. All those locations I got bored over the past few years can be revisited with a whole new set of ideas and inspiration. Longer focal lengths were great for shooting stars! They were able to capture long trails <i>quickly</i> and are <i>not </i>the typical wide angle view. 4 Minutes at 85mm would yield trails where 4 minutes through a fisheye would still only be a bunch of dots. And to top it all of the night was incredibly productive. I was able to shoot more images than I had ever shot in one night before.<br />
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Any questions or suggestions? Hit me up in the comments! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-82688319960329427082011-05-10T10:11:00.000-07:002011-05-10T10:27:20.515-07:00LP Workshop in Okinawa Japan!I am extremely pleased to announce i will be hosting a light painting and night photography workshop in Okinawa, Japan. Keep reading for the details...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHbsOdQOqf8/TclxiR45ELI/AAAAAAAAABk/Jk0Z7A_61uE/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-05-11%2Bat%2B2.02.58%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHbsOdQOqf8/TclxiR45ELI/AAAAAAAAABk/Jk0Z7A_61uE/s640/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-05-11%2Bat%2B2.02.58%2BAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;"> Come join me for two nights of fun and photography. I would like to introduce the magic of light painting and night photography. The first night we will be covering long exposure and night photography essentials. Learn how to make an image rather than take an image. Use time and light to build up your picture from a black canvas in to exactly what you envisioned.<br />
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You’ll then be prepared for the second night which will focus on light painting and other creative techniques. I will reveal some of my secrets and show you step by step how to create amazing light paintings. You’ll also learn how to make custom tools and use them creatively.<br />
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Light painting and night photography has a certain magic about it. When the shutter closes you will find your self running back to the camera to see what you have captured. Friends and family will be stunned by the images you’ve been able to create. After the weekend you’ll have the knowledge and skills to go out and start painting the night with light.<br />
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The course is being organized by Okinawa photographer/write <a href="http://www.travel67.com/">Chris Willson.</a> I ripped this from his blog. You can read all the details over there by clicking <a href="http://travel67.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/july-8-9-10-painting-the-night-with-guest-instructor-trevor-williams/">here.</a><span id="goog_667584302"></span><span id="goog_667584303"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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<i><b>Dates:</b> The two night course is scheduled to take place on the evenings of July 8th and 9th. July 10th is a backup day in case of rain on both the 8th and 9th. In the event of a typhoon leading to a base lockdown the course will be rescheduled. The course will take place in central Okinawa (Yomitan / Uruma City).</i><br />
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Booking:</b> The course is limited to 12 students. To reserve a place send an email to chris@travel67.com (please write WORKSHOP RESERVATION on the subject line) A 50 dollar deposit is required to book a place on the course. I’ll send a paypal request for the deposit to those who are booking the course.</i><br />
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Requirements:</b> At a minimum you’ll need a DSLR and a tripod. We’d highly recommend a cable release or a remote also. If you have a hotshoe flash and or flashlights bring these along also.</i><br />
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You’ll get the most out of the course if you already confident manually selecting aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. If you’re new to photography and not sure about this, I’ll be running Photography 101 workshops on the weekends of June 25&26 and July 2&3.</i><br />
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Feel free to contact me as well, if you are interested. There is a limit to the number of people so book early.</div><br />
<i></i>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-88709557458794713162011-05-08T08:10:00.000-07:002011-05-08T20:16:49.721-07:00Canon TC 80N3 remote hack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So you had a 30D or 40D and decided to upgrade to a brand spanking new 60D. You had already invested in a RS-80N3 or an even more expensive TC-80N3 timer remote or had already invested in <i>both.</i> That fancy N3 connector made you feel like you had an accessory for a higher end camera. This was more advanced that the old style 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug(Canon calls it an E3 connection) that had been used in the old days and is still being used on lower end consumer Canon DSLR's. You un-box that bad ass new 60D and head out into the night to break that new cam in. You have set up your shot, or may have gone as far as tracking your telescope and mounting your cam to that, and now go to connect your N3 type remote. Unfortunately, you are shocked by what you find. It seems that some idiot at Canon decided that it would be funny to revert the pro-sumer 60D to the 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo jack connector that had been previously reserved for the lower end consumer models. WTF? Canon. This <i>is not </i>funny. I have to spend more money after investing in the best they had to offer??? Did I just spend over 1000 bucks on a consumer level camera??? Luckily there is a hack... All you need to know to fix this dilemma after the jump below the picture.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QC0260TlYtc/TcaxXwpGbDI/AAAAAAAAABY/anQZA7QkOB0/s1600/fig-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QC0260TlYtc/TcaxXwpGbDI/AAAAAAAAABY/anQZA7QkOB0/s640/fig-c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a>What happened was, a friend of mine decided it was time to upgrade his camera. He was previously a Nikon shooter but was just working with a kit set up so it was no big deal to switch brands at this point. The benefit for him, he explained, was that he could borrow my lenses when out in the field and essentially not have to buy them. Sneaky bugger... He wanted my help in making his purchase so he told me his budget and explained what he wanted. With out much research I recommended the 60D and a TC-80N3 remote. Having owned a 40D I thought that the new 60D would be a good choice for him. He is into astro-photography and was looking for a cam to mount to his telescope so the timer remote would really come in handy. I currently shoot with a couple of 5Dm2 as primary's but bought my TC-80N3 a couple years back when I was using a 40D as my primary camera. The thought of the TC-80N3 or RS-80N3 <i>not being compatible</i> with the newer 60D never even crossed my mind. We got out into the field which was a 2 hour drive from town and spent time setting up and tracking the telescope. He mounted the cam and tried to plug in the remote I recommended and it was not compatible. I felt really bad. He had dropped way too much money on something that would not work because I told him to. I vowed to fix this for him and went about researching what I could do. After surfing through a few forum posts I pieced together this tutorial which will guide you through how to change an N3 connector to an E3 connector which is just a 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug. This will also allow you to use the TC-80N3 with any Canon (and maybe Pentax) camera with an E3 connection. You can reverse this tutorial if you have a RS-60E3 connector and want to add a N3 connector to it. You will need to find an N3 connector though. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-U4hGrOhYc/Tcauz3auM9I/AAAAAAAAABQ/aS6CgPcY0VI/s1600/fig-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-U4hGrOhYc/Tcauz3auM9I/AAAAAAAAABQ/aS6CgPcY0VI/s320/fig-A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>What you have now is a RS-80N3 or a TC-80N3 shutter release and you need to replace the N3 three pin connector to a 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug to fit your camera. To get started it would be ideal if you had...<br />
<ol><li>a soldering iron and solder</li>
<li>a 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug connector <i>*see figure</i> <i>A (smaller than headphone)</i></li>
<li>wire strippers</li>
<li>some tape or heat shrink tubing </li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGW2ck_vlYo/Tcau0YsFanI/AAAAAAAAABU/2r7HOkP732I/s1600/fig-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGW2ck_vlYo/Tcau0YsFanI/AAAAAAAAABU/2r7HOkP732I/s320/fig-b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The first thing you need to do is to prepare the stereo plug. Ideally, it would be a right angle 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug . The idea behind the 90 degree angle is to reduce stress and weight on the female end of the connection. It is not necessary but would be ideal so if you have something else lying around feel free to use that. Make sure there is at least 1 foot of wire connected to the plug. There should be a red, a white and a copper which is the ground. The color of the coating may vary but you are looking for a a connector with 2 wires and a copper ground. Generally the red wire will control the shutter, the white wire will control focus and the copper will be a return(GND) which is exactly how the N3 connector is set up. <i>*see figure B</i><br />
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Now it is just a matter of connecting the correct wires together with a bit of solder. I actually recommend splicing in the 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug so you end up with a remote that is compatible with any Canon DSLR rather than replace it because who knows in the future what type of connector will come with your camera. So take that expensive N3 connector remote and cut it about a foot from the connector end. Prep it for soldering by stripping the casing off all the wires. The copper wire will have no casing and be spread out around the other 2 wires so just bunch it up. Be careful not to strip off to much as it really is not necessary. Match the wires up from the 3/32"(2.5mm) stereo plug and the N3 plug and tack them together with a bit of solder. More than likely, you will be soldering together a red and a red, a white and a white and a bunch of copper and a bunch of copper. They should be aligned side to side and not end to end. Put some heat shrink tubing on the wire connected to the remote. Now take the wires you connected side by side and connect them to the matching wires from the remote end to end. You should now have something resembling a Y shape. Slide the heat shrink tubing up and shrink it over you connection with some heat and you are finished. If you do not have heat shrink tubing be sure to insulate the wires from each other with some tape or something that does not conduct electricity. Tape it all up so it looks pretty and you are done.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Maybe Canon will get their act together and offer a remote like this one that operates either type in the future. If they don't people like us will just have to keep on hacking. It would become a staple tool for any photog I bet... Maybe I need to patent this idea...<br />
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<i>*Disclaimer - I am a professional idiot and not a professional electronics engineer. Please keep this in mind. I take no responsibility for damages to equipment or personal injury incurred as a result of reading this fine tutorial.</i>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-29991011506278623972011-05-07T06:09:00.000-07:002011-05-10T10:37:37.020-07:00Good news for Mac users!Good news for those night shooters who are using Macs. Until now the only choice we had for stacking shots was an action in Photoshop. The widely used Startrails.app was limited to windows which has always been a major nuisance to say the least. Photoshop did a wonderful job but was slow and tied up memory which limited what other tasks could be done simultaneously.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0K8fnQBHeXg/Tcl3wpTHVaI/AAAAAAAAABs/EpUvlT_MTS0/s1600/stax10_S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0K8fnQBHeXg/Tcl3wpTHVaI/AAAAAAAAABs/EpUvlT_MTS0/s640/stax10_S.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a>So what about the good news? Well, Markus Enzweiler has developed <a href="http://www.starstax.net%5c/">Starstax</a> and had kindly made it a free program. It is currently for Mac and Linux only but apparently he is working on a Windows supported version. Pulled from the site;<br />
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<i>"StarStaX is a fast image stacking and blending software, which is developed primarily for star trail photography. It allows to merge a series of photos into a single image, where the relative motion of the stars creates structures looking like star trails.</i><br />
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<i>StarStaX is available as Freeware for Mac OS X and Linux."</i><br />
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I tried a few stacks and immediately fell in love with it. What you notice right away is the incredible speed. Stacking with Startrails.app or Photoshop takes a while and can be frustrating but <a href="http://www.starstax.net%5c/">StarStaX</a> seems to do the the job instantly. The quality is the same as a stack done in Photoshop using the the same blend mode of "lighten" to get the job done. So if you are a Mac or Linux user I highly recommend <a href="http://www.starstax.net%5c/">StarStaX.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.starstax.net%5c/">StarStaX</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.schursastrophotography.com/software/photoshop/startrails.html">Photoshop Stacking action</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html">Startrails.app</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M_Q807do5iA/TcVBNvh2SWI/AAAAAAAAABI/aZuxijmFJuM/s1600/stax10_S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M_Q807do5iA/TcVBNvh2SWI/AAAAAAAAABI/aZuxijmFJuM/s640/stax10_S.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Why stack? There are a few reasons why I choose to stack most of the time. The trouble with one long exposure is to keep the correct exposure you have to stop down. If you are trying to catch as many stars as possible this is definitely not ideal. If you want an hours worth of stars in your frame you are going to have to stop down to f/11 or so and shoot at an ISO of 100 which is not going to pick up many stars but would give you a correct hour long exposure. Noise would be visible and if you make a mistake with your foreground lighting well you have just wasted an hour. With stacking you generally have to only worry about 30 seconds. This allows you to max out your aperture and bump that ISO up seeing that not much noise is going to show up after 30 seconds especially with new cameras. With wide apertures and high ISOs you can pick up an incredible amount of stars and go way beyond what you can see with your own eyes. Another huge benefit is you can do a frame of foreground lighting at the beginning and again at the end and include the better one in the final stack.<br />
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I recommend stacking for star trails and highly recommend StarStaX for those of you doing it on Macs. Stay tuned for a detailed tutorial on how to shoot star trails. The tutorial will cover shooting single exposures, stacking multiple exposures and shooting with film. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/fiz_iks">Follow me on twitter</a> for that and other updates.Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-50894531563629376832011-05-05T04:34:00.001-07:002011-05-07T09:30:24.326-07:00Hot sparks!I brought a first timer out for some star shooting. The conditions were less than perfect so I thought I would show him a bit of light painting and wire wool spinning. I asked him if I could throw a few sparks at him and offered a hat and gas mask for some protection. He agreed but I do not think he was prepared for what I had in mind. More shots after the jump...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eINZEMr5rS0/TcKGln4G8II/AAAAAAAAAA4/ouNs6KpuWJY/s1600/IMG_0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eINZEMr5rS0/TcKGln4G8II/AAAAAAAAAA4/ouNs6KpuWJY/s640/IMG_0085.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a name='more'></a>He was definitely not prepared for this onslaught...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PqiuVAjTQos/TcKGxj43ViI/AAAAAAAAAA8/44jmKAx57v4/s1600/IMG_0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PqiuVAjTQos/TcKGxj43ViI/AAAAAAAAAA8/44jmKAx57v4/s640/IMG_0084.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8q3omlfyg3Q/TcKGy3cOEBI/AAAAAAAAABA/hnSn4C91QtA/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8q3omlfyg3Q/TcKGy3cOEBI/AAAAAAAAABA/hnSn4C91QtA/s640/IMG_0086.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Stay tuned for a video tutorial that will show you exactly how to take shots like this. Who would not want to cover their friends with molten steel sparks?Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-87750765295424861552011-05-05T04:32:00.000-07:002011-05-05T04:32:39.099-07:00The lights we useHere is a brief video outlining some of the lights I use for light painting and night photography. Hit me up with any questions in the comments<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='390' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3pCvQTYqIMI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-42292296829508584242011-05-05T04:30:00.000-07:002011-05-05T04:37:03.319-07:00Light stencil tutorialLight stencils are an easy way to add in graphic elements to long exposure shots. Basically, is lit from behind with a flash in the frame while the shutter is open during a long exposure. The graphic remains while the person and box are completely invisible.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='390' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1DJsLqwsqlg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Watch the vid and make a box as directed. Using any illustration program print out your design onto fine grade paper which is slightly heavier than regular copy/printing paper. I print 2 and paste them together but make sure they are perfectly aligned by holding them up against a bright light source. I laminate mine so they can be reused as they often rip when removed or changed but this is not a necessary step.<br />
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I usually set the flash to 1/8 which works well with the settings I use on my camera for light painting. You may need to adjust this and I suggest doing a test shot before your light work to check the exposure of the stencil. Happy shooting!<br />
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any questions just hit me up in the commentsTrevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120879400434334456.post-50335894106947554612011-04-29T07:59:00.000-07:002011-05-05T04:38:49.702-07:00First post testJust a test of the system. It looks like we are live!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8AiF4x8KSo/TbrR-XVu6QI/AAAAAAAAAA0/CdbhphxZJkE/s1600/IMG_0543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8AiF4x8KSo/TbrR-XVu6QI/AAAAAAAAAA0/CdbhphxZJkE/s640/IMG_0543.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>Trevor Williams aka tdub303http://www.blogger.com/profile/06406138875346523984noreply@blogger.com0