Well, actually the second. The first attempt last night was a total disater.
The first image is un-touched. The second I tweaked a bit in Photoshop Elements.
Any helpful hints,tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!
Jim

 

Looks good! Jim, you know I am definitely not an expert, but what about more of the background being lit up?

 

I know what you need... A nice little Webb sticker in the window!

Ok seriouse face... I would try talking to Dave, he seems to be the king of photo shoots.

Good to see your having fun Jim!

-Brian

 

Jim,

Could you describe how the speedlights were positioned. It appears that you may have used some stands, true? Also, did you flashbounce or direct fire? My guess, due to the lack of ceiling illumination and the shallow downward angle of the mirrorcap shadow, is they were aimed at the car and not bounced, true?

That appears to be a pretty rough parking structure to work with. The beams are so close together, and the color isn't very flash friendly (in terms of bouncing).

In the first photo, it looks like you had a flash fired on camera. Was that the pop-up flash?

Overall though, it looks like a good experiment (geez, you should have seen some of my early ones... ).

One final thing, it's surprising, but sometimes I've found I'm better off just using one speedlight and not two. I'm no saying that applies here, just that I would start out placing the first one, then adding in the second one if you need it based on what isn't lit yet by the first one.

My initial (disjointed) thoughts.

Dave

 

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies.
The images are actually the same file. No PS at all on the first and a bit of tweaking on the second. Like cloning out the reflection from the on-camera flash from the door and some unsharp mask.
Dave,
Yes the flashes were on stands. The one at the rear of the car about belt high and the one at the front up higher tilting down. They were aimed direct with the diffusers attached. I tried bouncing a few but you're right, that's some ugly ceiling!
Thanks Again!!
Jim

 

The light on the rear quarter panel looks a little "hot." You might want to raise the flash higher, back it off, use an umbrella, or some combination of all three to eliminate/reduce that hot spot.

Also, the tip of the arrow on the pavement, on the right side of the frame, is a bit distracting.

Good stuff nonetheless.

 

I do this for a living so I am lucky that my employer pays for all of my equipment, however, if you have a couple of small strobes and another two radio slaves try this. Aim two strobes directly at the body (will take some trial and error for proper position) on the back side of the car. This will illuminate the edge of the bonnet, boot and roof line with a nice rim light and really separate it from the background. If you have another strobe and radio, (I know that's quite a few but maybe a friend?) you can put one in the interior of the car on low power with a colored gel for a neat effect. PM me and I can go over what's called "painting with light" which you can do with strobe and a flashlight, a camera and a tripod, and as long as your camera has a variable timer setting for the shutter release, it can produce very good results. Also, you might want to "clone" out the amber lights showing through the windows from the background.

Also, the light just after sunset is great because the background is usually slightly illuminated, so it won't drop off to black. Just remember though, photos are for the "takers" enjoyment and if you are happy with the results and they make you smile, that's what is important.

Just my 0.02, Gene Sweeney

 

G.P. and Gene,
Thanks so much for your input! Remember, this was my first attempt at wireless. I was happy enough just getting all the settings on the camera and speedlights so they would all fire at the same time!
I do want to try using more speedlights (speednut, are you seeing this?), and finding a better location for the next try.
Iv'e done the "painting with light" technique back in the Nikon F days. I'll have to try it again with the D200.
Here's a link to the kind of stuff I normally do.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimz68/sets/
Again. Thank You!
Jim

 

Your photos look good, you don't need much help from me~! I'm the sports photographer here at The Baltimore Sun newspaper and have worked nights for the 24 years I have been here, so night work and lighting is something I have had to get used to and be quick with.

It's fun and the outcome can be awesome with just a little practice and imagination.

Have fun and show us the results!

Gene Sweeney

 

Hey, Gene, I assume you know David "Strobist" Hobby. I love his web site and he must be a great guy to work with. And it's very nice to have you here!

Mark

 

Hey Brian!
Look in the lower left corner of my back window!!
Jim

 

Thanks Gene.
I really appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Going to try again next Saturday.
24 years of nights!! YIPES!!
Jim

 

Now thats what I like to see! We have a couple 93 stickers lying around if anyone wants one. But keep it top secret ... Try calling the super secret shop line, or PM me.

-Brian

 

Yup, just got back from holiday and reading this tread with a lot of interest. Glad to see that you're figuring things out and making good progress. Lots of good tips here too. I've got a SB800 & tripod to add to your collection for trying stuff out. Any way I can get my old SB25 to work too?

 

Welcome Back!! How was the "scenery"on the beach?
Jim

 

OK,
Tried it again. Think I'm getting closer. That dark spot on the fender bugs me,though.
Jim

 

I like it Jim.

Could you describe how you lit it?

 

Thanks, Dave!!
I used 2 SB-800's on tall stands, with diffusers, plus the on-camera "commander" flash. One was pretty much in front of the car,hence the dark spot on the fender, and the other was right about at the rear wheel. The reddish light is the overhead parking lot light. It was actually yellowish, but I kind of like the way it came out.
Jim

 

I like the photoedited pic in your first post!

 

Hi All!
Stopped by my favorite grafitti painted wall tonight.







I just wish I could read what it says on the wall!

Jim

 

[quote=
I just wish I could read what it says on the wall!

Jim[/quote]

it says "Power of Knowledge"

 

Hey Thanks!!
I can see that now! Makes sense since this is on the side of a school building.
(Geezer) Jim

 

Hahahaha, I was trying to figure out what it said too and was like some smartypants will post the answer...Good going Everytime! hahahaha, I can never read that stuff.

Jim I don't know a darn thing about flashes but I do like the very forst pic posted the best (minus the hotspot of course, even though it's not bad)

 

I really like those graffiti shots, Jim! And I'm ashamed to say that I had four SB-800s with me on the MINIs Great Lakes Crossing tour and never did any car shots with them.

Mark

 

Thanks!! I was wondering when you would get back. Can't wait to see some photos!
Jim
(I'll e-mail you tomorrow)