Tag Archives: SB900

Breaking Down The Shot: Mountain Biking Self Portrait

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Last week, while hanging around Facebook, I saw this photo by a young Australian photographer who I follow named Tim Arch. I was immediately wowed by the shot and therefore inspired to step away from the computer and go outside to make some photographs of my own. The biking shot above was the result. It’s one of my favorite photos of late, and since it garnered a great deal of positive response, so as promised, here’s the how-to.

Step 1: Decide What Kind of Photo to Make

Having been motivated by Tim’s photo, I decided to make a biking shot of my own, and since it was short notice, I figured I’d just go shoot a self portrait. Since I’m not exactly “model material,” I did what I usually do in these situations and shoot close up and focus on the bike.

Grabbing my Nikon D700, a couple of lenses, a Nikon SB-900 Speedlight and a pair of Pocket Wizards, I shoved all the gear into my Lowepro Flipside Sport AW camera pack, strapped my Gorillapod to the outside and jumped on my bike.

Step 2: Finding a Location

This didn’t take long, as there are numerous trails within a couple miles from my house here in Anchorage. I simply pedaled around for a few minutes until I found a suitable looking section that had good greenery, relatively few roots and a gentle curve.

I didn’t want too many roots, because since I’d be riding slowly and triggering the camera with a Pocket Wizard in one hand, I needed as few obstacles as possible, lest I wipeout and ruin the photo opportunity, or possibly hurt myself.

Step 3: The Setup

I wanted a shot from the front, so I fixed the camera on the Gorillapod and placed it right on the trail looking towards the curve. For a lens, I chose the Lensbaby Composer Pro with Edge 80 Optic. Once I had the framing set the way I liked it, I cabled up one Pocket Wizard and slid it onto the hot shoe.

For the flash, I set my Lowepro pack on the ground just off trail at camera right and stuck the SB-900 into the Tripod strap. It took quite a bit of fiddling to get the pack/flash combo balanced so that it wouldn’t fall over. I also needed to make sure that the optical eye on the flash was in line with the camera, since I’d be using the pop-up flash on the D700 to trigger.

Step 4: Framing and Exposure

Since the Lensbaby is manual focus, I needed to set an identifiable focus point that I’d be able to hit while I rode towards the camera. I chose the small root that lay across the trail and framed accordingly.

Then I set manual exposure on the camera with a shutter of 1/250 and set the flash to straight TTL mode. Coming in from the side, I was just looking for a mix of fill and key, or accent light. Although you often have one light for each, sometimes you can do both with a single flash.

Step 5: Start Shooting

Pedaling down the rooty trail right towards the camera while trying to steer and hit the button on the Pocket Wizard requires more coordination that I usually have on any given day. I rarely got the timing right, and I almost wiped out more than once. I needed to catch the bike wheel right in line with that root, but it didn’t always work out and many of my shots were out of focus. I kept at it for a few minutes, though, hoping that I’d get something good before the mosquitos drove me away. At least I never actually ran into the camera.

Step 6: Happy Accident. Or Divine Intervention, if you prefer. 

While the light was ok, it wasn’t anything to write home about. However, I had a little help. More than once, my Lowepro pack ILS (Improvised Light Stand) fell over and I had to keep setting it back up. It was far from precise, and one time, I inadvertently placed it so that the flash head was angling down and pointing slightly towards the camera. The result was a really cool looking God-beam style flare.

This happy little accident added an unbelievable dimension to the shot, and I instantly knew that I had something special. However, in order to make it really shine, or as Frank Zappa used to say, to “put the eyebrows on it,” I slapped the CTO warming gel onto the flash head and went for gold.

Of course, every time I touched the flash, I moved it slightly and it took a couple of tries to get that cool looking beam back. Eventually, I dialed it all in and managed to nail one pass where the tire was in perfect focus an alignment in the shot.

By then, the mosquitos were really bearing down on me, and since I had neglected to douse myself in Deet, I could only take so much before being driven completely mad. As soon as I knew I had the shot, I threw all the gear back into my pack, and pedaled off at full speed so as to outrun the incessant little buggers.

Total elapsed time for this shoot from setup to fleeing from bugs: Under 30 minutes. This is a perfect example of what I call Going Fast With Light, which is the subject of my off camera flash eBook of the same name about using flash in outdoor photography.

Thanks again for the inspiration, Tim!

A Look at the Nikon SB-910 Speedlight

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The latest flagship flash in the Nikon lineup is the SB-910 Speedlight. In size and shape, it’s identical to the SB-900, but it has been re-designed with a few minor, yet important changes.

The user interface on the LCD panel has been simplified, and the MENU button now allows for quick access to custom settings.

Also, those flimsy little colored gels that are such a pain in the butt to handle (ever dropped them outside in the dark or lose them in your camera bag?) have been replaced by the same hard plastic filters that the SB-700 uses. Big win there.

When the SB-700 came out, I pictured all the Nikon engineers sitting around saying, “If only we’d thought of that when we designed the SB-900!” Well, they knew they had a good thing going there and guess what- they decided to throw them in the box with the SB-910s.

The other major difference is that the SB-910 is that the thermal protection system has been greatly improved. During continuous use, rather than shutting down the flash when it starts to overheat, which the SB-900 is well known to do, the thermal system will simply slow down the recycle time. Yes, inconvenient at times, but it’s better than having the thing just go dead on you.

Oh yea, and I almost forgot. The new Nikon SB-910 costs almost $550. $546.95 at B&H Photo, to be exact.

Ouch. That’s fifty bucks more than the SB-900 costs. Call it progress, call it inflation, call it price gouging, that’s still a hefty chuck of cash.

So, the question is, should you buy one?

The answer is pretty easy. If you’re looking for a top of the line Nikon flash to use in your CLS Creative Lighting System, either on or off-camera, and you can’t find an SB-900, (they’re no longer made) then I’d say yes. Why? Because it’s an awesome, professional quality tool that can be used to great creative and technical effect in your photography. Sure,  it costs over five bills, but so does a good lens. If you’re a dedicated strobist, then a good light is worth as much as a good lens. Gear is gear and money is just money that will eventually just get spent on something else.

You could try to find an SB-900. They’re still out there, but since they’re no longer made, I suspect that they’ll disappear quickly. A few will no doubt end up on the used market, which is not a bad way to go, especially if you use your flash predominantly off-camera. I picked up a used SB-800 last year and it’s worked fine. In fact, now it’s mixed with my other 800s and I honestly don’t even know which flash is the used one. Hell, they’re all used now, right?

However, if you’re a heavy on-camera flash shooter, such as portrait, event or wedding photographer, then you will probably benefit greatly from the new thermal protection of the SB-910.

What about the Nikon SB-700?

Very good question. I suggest you read this post, in which I compare and review all the main differences between the SB-700 vs. the SB-900. That will help you decide which Nikon Speedlight is right for you.

The SB-910 is a workhorse unit that will throw lots of lumens at your subject and allow you to create fantastic, creative imagery. Depending on your style of photography and your budget, though, so will the SB-700, and it will run you over $200 less than a new SB-910. Like I said, read my comparison post and decide for yourself.

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Nikon SU-800 Wireless Commander: Is It Worth Buying?

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Nikon SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander

The main issue with using off-camera Nikon flash is how to trigger it (or them.) Essentially, there are five different ways:

  • Remote cord like the SC-28,
  • The popup flash on your camera,
  • Using another Speedlight as a Master,
  • Wireless radio remote system, i.e. Pocket Wizard or Radio Poppers, or
  • The SU-800 Wireless Commander.

So which method is the best? There is no easy answer. I’ve used each one and they all work, but they all have some definite limitations as well. Lately I’m completely sold on the SU-800. After I run down the pros and cons of each method, I’ll give my my final review on why I think that it’s definitely worth buying if you shoot with flash.

Sync Cord: Range is your main limitation, although you can daisy chain up to three 9′ cords together and still retain full TTL capabilities. Works great for handholding the flash.

Pop Up Flash: This usually works pretty well, especially inside. The limitation is distance and line of sight, although I’ve triggered flashes that are behind me in smaller rooms. This method doesn’t really work for closeups or portraits, though, because the monitor pre-flashes are still picked up by the camera, and they often make your subject blink, or else they show up in your photo when shooting close up. Also, the D3 doesn’t have a pop-up flash.

Using Another Flash: This works even better because you can turn the flash head to point directly to the sensor on your remote flash, and range increases as you zoom the head. The disadvantage is that you obviously eat up one of your flashes by using it as a commander. Yes, you can still use the unit as an on camera flash/commander combo, but this could be a problem if you don’t want a flash up front and center, or if you only have one or two Speedlights. And you still have the potential blinking problem.

Radio Triggers: Radio Poppers the new dedicated Pocket Wizard MiniTTL system are all the rave now. They work great, don’t need line of sight and will work up to a quarter mile or more. The only downside is that they’re much more expensive. After you buy the controller, you need a receiver for each unit, and each one costs over $200. If you have three Speedlights, you could end up spending a grand to trigger them all. (Extra credit: How much does Dave Black’s 8 SB-900 Radio Popper rig cost?)

The older Pocket Wizard Plus models also work fine. They’re a little less expensive than the newer TTL models, but they only work in Manual mode on your Speedlights.

Nikon SU-800 Wireless Commander: The SU-800 will allow you to trigger an unlimited number of Speedlights and control them in up to three separate groups. At only $259, it’s WAY cheaper than buying a radio system, and since it’s infrared, it pretty much solve the blinking problem when shooting models. Also, you don’t have to burn one of your flashes by using it as a controller.

Inside, the SU-800 absolutely rocks. It’s signal will bounce all over the place and even travel around corners; you can trigger flashes that are not line of sight or that are even in the next room.

It’s capabilities are a little more subdued outside. Since there is nowhere for the signal to bounce, it has to be within sight of all the other units. And, if your flashes are off axis from your commander, you might have to couple the unit with a sync cord and stick the thing on a clamp or a light stand in order to get the signal to point the right way. In really bright sunlight, you often need to shade the unit with your (assistant’s) hand or tape on piece of cardboard to shield it from the direct sun.

So, Should You Buy The SU-800?

Before I bought the SU-800, I considered just getting another SB-900, but the SU-800 is considerably smaller, and two hundred dollars cheaper than the 900. Although the SB-900 works great as a master/commander, it’s an awesome flash and leaving it on the camera doesn’t allow you to take full creative advantage of it’s impressive capabilities.

My thought is this: if you shoot off-camera flash inside, then it’s a no brainer- definitely consider the SU-800. It offers excellent versatility at a reasonable price and it gets rid of the blinking problem with models. For the same reason, it’s almost essential for macro flash photography.

If you shoot primarily outside, then you should weigh your needs and your budget. A radio system might be in your future, however if you’re not ready to make that kind of investment yet, the SU-800 will certainly get the job done while you’re saving up for all those receivers.

Comparing Nikon Speedlights: The SB-700 vs. The SB-5000

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Lets face it, flash is quickly becoming a necessity in todays world. Whereas many photographers shied away from flash photography in the past, (including me) these days if you want to remain competitive, or just expand your creativity, you need … Continue reading →

Location Photography At Speedway Cycles- Anchorage, Alaska

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Yesterday I did some location photography at Speedway Cycles here in Anchorage. The subject- Tim Reinbold, the head mechanic building up a Fatback snow bike. In some ways, shooting inside can be way more challenging than shooting outside. For one, … Continue reading →

Photographing Inside the Cockpit with Off-Camera Flash: Warming Up the Scene

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A couple of weeks ago, I posted this aviation shot of my friend Udo flying his Cessna 170 over the snow covered Alaska landscape. It was shot with my Nikon D700 and Nikon 14mm f2.8D ED AF lens. I also used … Continue reading →