the steampunk, strobist

[gahspidy]

This is actually a retake of a shot I had posted a while back in the critique forum. I did it over as I wanted the background to have a bit more luminance as oppsed to being very dark, and also wanted to included this crazy ring as a prop :thumbsup:

For anyone interested in using small portable strobes such as Canon speedlites,Vivitar 285HV, Nikon SB800,900 etc.

This was shot with an approx. 5x7 ft background of a greenish linen purchased from a fabric store for about 9.00. Clamped on to two spring load poles, much like the Bogen Autopoles, but from HarborFreight and only 10.00 each!
I will also be using a Flex out backdrop (that is basically a muslin attached to a wire frame that unfolds to a 5x7 ft surface and easily folds back down into a 27" diameter circle to be store in a soft pouch Gray on one side, black on the other) in the future

A 580EXll speedlite shooting into a photoflex 16x22" softbox on subject(me) left and front about 1 ft above head level aiming downward slightly. Another 580EXll shooting into a flashpoint snoot on subjects left and behind about 7ft up and aiming at back of hair.
A Vivitar 285HV on a lightstand off in the back on subjects right about 7 ft up aiming towards back of hair and skimming right side of subject face.

The Canon programmable remote release is a great tool for helping get these self portraits because i can set the initial time delay to first shot, the time intervals in between shots as well as the overall number of shots and more.

Took a while of back and forth and re adjusting light positions to finall get something that worked as I wanted. I was a little too close to the background and was getting a bit more illumination on it than I desired and so some of that was toned down a bit later in PP.
All the speedlites are triggered with the Cybersync triggers from Paul C. Buff. (alien Bees maker)