Now That I Think About It

Let's talk light.

For my birthday, I got the book I asked for. I am currently poring over Joe McNally's "The Hot Shoe Diaries." I'm only about 1/6 through, and I'm probably going to have to re-read this again. And again. And again. It's a game changer.

Up to this point I have only shot in natural light, with the aperture wide open and ISO high enough so I can pull off a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action. That means I'm usually shooting from 1/60 to 1/400, or even faster if it's bright enough.
McNally shoots moving people at speeds all the way down to 1/15. 1/15! He uses the flash to freeze the moment. He really is painting with light, creating a beautiful scene where there wasn't anything before.

He does this amazing feat using a theory/practice/martial art that has come to be known as "Strobism." Strobist theory is controlling the light using small flashes, but to me strobist is more than that. It's complete control and knowledge of light and how it works. Check out David Hobby's website www.strobist.com for more info.

Up to this point I feel like I've been only *capturing* moments. While this is an amazing experience for me, and has resulted in some amazing photos, I want to move on to *creating* moments.

Luckily I have some birthday funds. I'm trying to decide how best to "invest" this to further my new goals. Some stuff I'm thinking about:

Dome Diffuser $20
Snoot/Attachment Set $20
New Flash $400
New Lens $850
Camera Bag $150

If you guys have gone further down the road of "creating" moments using small flashes, or in any way controlling the light using reflectors or softboxes, and have a suggestion I should add to my list, I'd appreciate it. Right now I can't afford to buy everything clearly, but I'm trying to establish which items should come first. Right now, I'm thinking I should go with the flash attachments, maybe the bag and very seriously a second flash, preferably a SB-900. Anyway, any thoughts are appreciated.

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This little thing followed me around all day like a puppy. I never gave it anything, it just wanted to be around people. The trick was to get someone else to distract it long enough to focus on it, otherwise it would come up and try to lick the lens.

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