Strobist: Distance & Inverse Square

Following from my last strobist post on direction, now I'm dealing with distance. I didn't have to learn the inverse square rule directly, but I undersand the general idea. Allow Mr. David Hobby to drop knowledge:

Strobist: Playing with my Beer

My first strobist "assignment" has to do with positioning the light. The reason why on axis flash looks terrible is because it "flattens" everything. There's no shadow detail and no sense of depth. As an example, look at this terrible picture:

A Strobist Journey Begins

For some time, I have wanted to dive into the world of lighting. I don't want to say "fill" lighting or "strobe" lighting. Those modifiers would restrict what I need to learn and want to master. Over the next weeks and months, I will be dancing in the fields of the Strobist 102 series of lessons and assignments.


Along with better design and composition, mastering lighting techniques is one of my main photography goals for 2011 (more on my 2011 goals later).

Before posting my first lesson and assignment, a brief list of my current lighting gear:

• Calumet light stand - not very compact, should have bought a Manfrotto Mono series stand


• Westcott 43" Silver Umbrella - has a removable back for shoot-through, which I don't think I've ever used


• CTR-301P Triggers - eBay specials, nothing fantastic. They work.


• Calumet umbrella bracket


• Canon 550ex Strobe

The list might change or grow depending on what Santa brings me. Hopefully he will also bring me patience.

Some December Items

So, before my wife gives birth to our first child, I should probably just throw some recent pictures up. I'll have a separate space for a "365" project on the young one, fully aware that it's been done many times before.

I'm currently struggling with "defining my visual style", composition, and off-camera lighting. Expect a whole series of failures as I attempt strobist 102.

Starting Fresh

After over-doing my last version of the site, I've come back with a much simpler WordPress site. I need to worry less about construction and more about content.

Enjoy a few images while I configure a few things around here. Enjoy!