News etc Archives - Page 38 of 66

News about StudioFD, Frank Doorhof, and more.

Some cool offers and discounts

December 22, 2015/in blog, News etc/by Frank Doorhof

Holidays are approaching very rapidly and as you guys we are looking forward to some time off and spending it with our family and loved ones.

However we also know that sometimes these days can be a bit…. boring or quite for some people so we wanted to give you all a very cool discount to enjoy all our instructional videos. So till christmas you can get a great 25% discount on ALL our videos with the coupon code “holiday15”.

So surf to https://frankdoorhof.com/web/shop-videos-etc/direct-video-downloads/ and start downloading your menu of videos for the holidays, and it’s of course allowed to download them now and watch later 😀

But there is more :
As you know I love the plugins from MacPhun.
Over the year we have worked together with them on quite some occasions and we decided it was time to take this cooperation one step further in the form of a cool discount for their WHOLE creative suite 2016 PLUS some other goodies which will save you guys a lot of money. For this offer surf to the special page and you can take advantage of the discount there.

And we are not done yet :
One of the most asked questions on workflow is probably “How do you tether?” and “how do you keep it stable?”
Well the answer is quite simple, on the hardware site I use the Tethertools products which are amazing and very sturdy, and I just love the orange cables (Hey I’m Dutch). On the software side I use Capture One.

Capture One is one heck of a piece of software for all your tethering needs, you can not only shoot tethered but you can also use the “focus overlay mask” which will show everything green (or any other color you wish) that is in focus, so you can see from the other side of your studio if you are hitting the focus right. I always say that if my tethering stops I will always check my hardware because Capture One will never ever stop tethering, it’s rock solid.
But it’s not only for tethering btw, try zooming in on an image and you literally will think your computer just got a MAJOR upgrade, it’s blazingly fast, add to this the great RAW conversion and many other tools and you will without a doubt fall in love with Capture One (I did and I’m very picky). So surf to Phase One/Capture One and get a test version of their new Capture One 9 and start enjoying it. Now if you like it…. use the coupon code AMBDOORHOF for a cool discount on the product, and I’m sure you’re gonna keep it.

And finally we have another cool discount on software.
Both Alien Skin and Topaz have been long time supporters of my work and I use their plugins a lot.
Both companies gave me some nice coupons for you guys to enjoy.

Topaz labs always has nice plugins for a very very friendly price.
I always advise people to use their Clarity plugin if they are using a PC and are not able to use Macphuns Intensify, and it ROCKS, without any doubt, a plugin you really can’t afford to miss, it’s like tonal contrast on steroids, but also check out ReStyle which is an awesome tinting plugin and Clean3 which I use for the more difficult skin or to remove goosebumps. Order them via http://www.topazlabs.com/716.html . Use Doorhof99 as coupon code for a really cool 10% discount

Now Alien skin is one of the market leaders when it comes to tinting, I always switch between DxO filmpack and Alien Skin. DxO I use when I want very subtle lovely tonings and Exposure X when I want to go towards the more “extreme” side, although it can also do all the subtle tones of course. Visit their site via : the alien skin site and use the code FrankDoorhof for a cool 10% discount.

I hope you guys can benefit from these offers, and always remember that I do promote only the gear/software that I use myself even if it means I don’t earn any money/or less from it, it’s all about advising the right stuff to you guys.

New Ultimate weekend in Emmeloord February 26/27 2016

December 19, 2015/in blog, Visions and technique, News etc/by Frank Doorhof

This is without a doubt one of the most intense workshops I teach, and probably the only one like this on the market.
In 2 jam-packed days you will learn anything you want to know about model photography with a small group of attendees in our own studio in Emmeloord.

Topics range from :
Shooting on location and in the studio, working with sets you can build yourself, styling the model/sets, finding the right angles, adding motion, working with smoke, tips and tricks for lenses and gear to spice up the shoot, duo and single model shoots, building complex lighting sets or keeping it simple, mixing light sources, advanced and easy metering, calibrated workflow and much much more.

And that’s just the shoot part… 😀
I also discuss the complete workflow after the shoot including many tips for Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One and plugins (or without), and new this time is a complete run-through of integrating mobile devices in your workflow for traveling photographers (or coach retouchers)

But it doesn’t stop there….
You will also get loads of business tips to build your brand PLUS every day starts with an intense Q&A in which the attendees can ask whatever they want and get the answers during the Q&A or everything is incorporated into the workshop.

As you can see this is a very complete workshop so we were not able to jam this all into 2 normal days… that’s why the ultimate weekend actually runs a lot longer.

Day 1 :
10:00-21:00 including a nice diner with our team in a local restaurant (according to some this alone is worth the admittance :D)

Day 2 :
10:00-16:00 (17:00)

For more information and bookings check : https://frankdoorhof.com/web/tours/ultimateweekend/
If you already did an ultimate weekend we have a very special “Illumine” discount, contact us for this.

some of the previous results

Break the 1/125 rule with Sony now….

November 20, 2015/in blog, Visions and technique, Reviews, News etc/by Frank Doorhof

You all probably saw my review from the new Elinchrom Skyport and HS heads by now I hope, an amazing system and I can’t wait for the Sony version to be released. But…. if you’re like me and don’t want to wait for the Sony version and want to play with the creative options right now there is another solution that does almost the same. I have to say it’s not as versatile as the skyport and it will only trigger your strobe but it does it all the way up to 1/8000 of a second.

The Odin system from Phottix
For my small flash system I use the Phottix Odin system, and because I also owned it before the Mitros+ I also had some older receivers from Phottix. Now these 2 is all you need actually.

Just connect the Odin to your Sony camera and select HSS (High Speed Sync).
Now you can adjust the shutter speed on your Sony all the way up to 1/8000, if you don’t you’ll be stuck at 1/250.

Now just connect the Odin receiver to your strobe (it works for any strobe but we used a D-lite4 to test) and you’re all set. You can now shoot up to app 1/400 without any light loss on the D-Lite4 and up to 1/8000 with considerable light loss (which is normal because….well it’s how the system works, cutting the strobe and using the TTL pre-flash so it will never be full power), this is the same with the Skyport and it’s something you will have to get used to, using a light meter for example will be impossible for the simple reason that every strobe will react differently and even the power output will have some impact on the results.

Let’s fine tune it
At first you will loose a lot of light and this is due to the standard timing which we have to adjust (same as on the Skyports). To do this press the MODE and + Key for about 5 seconds and raise the ODS setting to 5. You’re image will be all black, now slowly start lowering that number until the black bars disappear.

We ended up with 1/8000 on F2.8 ISO400 which was very similar to what we achieved with the new skyport on the D-Lite4.
Now don’t think this is a better solution than the skyport because it’s not. The Skyport is better trigger because you can control your strobes, read the output, work very easily with the Elinchrom system etc. but if you already own an Odin or if you don’t use Elinchrom or Profoto strobes and you still want to break that 1/128 barrier, this is actually a pretty cool way.

Now waiting for the new skyport is not that hard anymore 😀
This is actually an option that was already inside the Odin transmitters and receivers but I never looked into it until someone on my blog gave me the idea and I tested it and much to my surprise and joy it works like a charm.

Now there are a few things you have to take into account
This will not work with most high-end strobes, the faster the flash duration the less the light output will be, the slower the strobe the better the results, this is also why Elinchrom released special HS heads that accommodate this perfectly. But if you have strobes that are in the budget range you will have a blast and actually do stuff that the more expensive strobes can’t…..

Again if you’re using the Elinchrom system it’s wise to wait for the Skyport to be released for Sony, or buy the present Canon/Nikon versions, in the end you will be saving money (the odin and receivers are more expensive than the Skyport and you need more receivers (one for every strobe)) but if you’re on another system this is actually a very solid and incredibly cool addition, plus the Odin system is a real good performer so maybe it’s time to change your current triggers for the Odin and double them for your small flash system.

And because video does more than words 😀

Elinchrom HS system first tests

November 10, 2015/1 Comment/in Visions and technique, Reviews, News etc, Light meter, blog/by Frank Doorhof

You probably already read some things about it, but Elinchrom recently released their new Skyport and that introduces a whole new way of shooting images outside (and inside). In case you didn’t let’s quickly tell you “all about it”

Skyport
The skyport is the system for triggering Elinchrom strobes (and they also have an universal version of course), main advantage of the system is that you can also change the output of your strobes and turn on/off the modeling lights, use groups and channels etc. A pretty cool system in a remarkable small package. Well you can skip the small in the new incarnation of the skyport, you could say it’s matured now.

But as you can see it’s a good thing, because one of the first things you notice is the big LCD display, and that is awesome. You can now see which strobes are active, you can select the strobes and change settings, and of course you can still change the output of the strobes, switch between groups and much more.

In short the new system has the following new features.
1. Much stronger, so longer distances (something that was needed in my opinion)
2. ODS control, later more but very important for HS use
3. Focus assist beam (very handy in darker studios)
4. HS
5. USB for updates
6. Uses normal AA batteries (yeah)

But the biggest thing is of course: HS

What is this HS?
Well it’s actually quite easy to explain… it makes it possible to sync at higher shutter speeds.
Normally studio and location strobes (except small flash and some other brands) are limited to the so called X-sync which often means that you can shoot up to 1/125 or 1/160 without any problem but above that it’s hit and miss to let say 1/200 and after that you will start to see black bars (second shutter curtain).

Now when you’re used to this it’s not a real problem, but it does limit your creativity, you can’t fight the sun and shoot wide open, simply because the shutter speed would be way too high, you can of course use ND filters but then the camera has problems with focussing so perfect…. well far from.

The HS system from Elinchrom breaks this barrier and makes it possible (in certain configurations) to shoot all the way up to 1/8000 of a second. Which is pretty cool and something that was not possible yet on the Elinchrom system. They achieve this by very clever timing with the TL pre-flash and making sure everything is syncing as good as possible, and this way it “seems” like you have strobe power over the total range of shutter speed, and this is true but… there are some things you have to realize and that you probably don’t read in other reviews, so that’s why I wanted to give some attention to it.

What you need to know
In theory (and real life) the system works awesome, it doesn’t eat your battery (which a strobed system would do where the flash is repeated constantly, like speed lights) and the Quadra for example recycles very fast, just like you’re using it normally.

What happens is that the timing is so accurate that it seems the whole sensor is lit even with 1/8000 of second as shutter speed, but… this works only with SLOW strobes, for example the D-lite series (believe it or not) are perfect for this, but an ELC on the middle setting (clocking in at 1/5600 of a second) is not very good for this system (it actually cuts off at app 1/500 on a Canon 5Ds without fine tuning I have to add), but the BrX, D-Lite etc. all work surprisingly well, and this is very cool because this means you don’t need to buy new strobes. Then why did Elinchrom release new heads (the Quadra HS head for example), well that’s easy to explain, the HS head is a VERY slow head and this means it’s perfect to reach that 1/8000 of a second shutter speed without any problem. So in short, shorter duration strobe heads will not work that well, long duration heads will work perfectly.
The other thing you have to realize that (and it hurts to say this) you can forget about the light meter.
The reason for this is simple to explain but sometimes hard to understand (yeah it sounds funky I know).
To achieve the higher shutter speeds the camera cuts the strobe off earlier, with ODS you can tune this but, the effect is that the higher the shutter speed the LESS of the strobe duration is used.

If for example a strobe has F16 on 1/125 it’s not also F16 on 1/4000. In fact it could very well be F2.8 by that time. And no that’s not a bad thing, it’s simply how these systems work, and the same happens with speed lights, you loose light output the higher you set the shutter speed, ANY system on the market has this “problem”, but thanks to the digital polaroid on the back of the camera we can check.

We did some tests very quickly with the Elinchrom Quadra and the HS head in combination with a Canon 5Ds and it was easy to reach shutter speeds of 1/8000 f2.8 and get some stunning results that were not possible before during day time. It’s a bit getting used to for me to constantly check my digital polaroid, but within a few minutes it becomes second nature, and because the skyport is very easy to operate and give more and less light to the strobe it’s actually something you get used to very fast… and if you never used a meter before… you will probably don’t even notice this.

In practice
It’s incredibly handy to be able to control your DOF on location, but most of all to control the ambient with the shutter speed over a MUCH greater range than from 1/125 to the minimum you can hand held. You do (again) have to take notice that if you change the shutter speed to let in more ambient light you have to adjust the strobe, but already after one hour of use I found myself doing it almost automatically and nailing the exposure almost spot on every shot I took. And let’s be honest I rather be able to break the barrier of 1/125 and not being able to meter than to meter and be stuck on 1/125. For your creativity this is a HUGE step forward. Plus you can now do almost everything with just the Quadra, add a maxi light and you’re in lighting heaven so the say 😀

Canon and Nikon
At the moment the system only works on Canon and Nikon, Sony will follow soon (I hope very soon), you can of course use the new skyport already on Sony, Fuji, MF etc. but it will do actually everything EXCEPT the HS option.

One could say that Elinchrom is late in the game with their HS system, but I have to be honest the product I see now (and worked with) is superieur to what I’ve used before (note : I don’t really care for ETTL on these systems) and I rather wait a bit longer and have something that works like this than cut corners.

I’m very excited about the system and can’t wait for the Sony version.

We filmed two small videos for the HS system, and today I share some images from the video with Nadine, videos will follow later.

Let’s start with just natural light, everything else is strobed.