Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch.
Teaching has become a very important part of my business and
my life. I have been involved with the teaching process for
well over 25 years. I find it fun, rewarding and a great way
to meet people. Seems like whenever I teach a workshop I too
learn something and often times make some pictures of my own.
My involvement with the American PHOTO Mentor Series, or TREK
as returning workshop alumni call it, has been wonderful. Great
travel, fantastic photo opportunities, super people ("trekkers")
and a motivating learning environment that makes my job as teacher
("mentor") a real joy. The Mentor Series spans the
globe and offers photographic opportunities and education from
beginner to ........ well professional. Yes, each trek I have
been involved with has included at least one trekker who is
an accomplished professional photographer.
This months edition of Workshop at the Ranch is just that ...
a Workshop at the Ranch ... the Double
JJ Ranch in western Michigan to be specific. The theme of
my teaching for the week was for trekkers to step out of the
box ... try something new ... don't make a snap shot but make
a picture. I wanted them to expand their abilities and experience
new techniques which included the application of off camera
flash. Not only did the trekkers expand their photographic horizons
but so did I with a continuation of my pushing the limits of
my use of light with the Nikon SB800 Speedlights.
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#1 Branded ... I like to find a scene setter that at a
glance communicates where I am. Big "K" was
one of the wranglers who helped guide our group each day.
His gloves bared the brand of the Double JJ Ranch and
with the help of one SB800 Speedlight and my LumiQuest
Snoot "pinched" at the end I was able to turn
an overcast morning into a warm sunrise feeling. Nikon
D2Xs, ISO100, 1/320 at f4, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 7700K,
One Nikon SB800 i-TTL setting of curse with a warming
gel and Lumi Quest Snoot "pinched" using a paper
clip to narrow the shaft of light, Remote mode and triggered
with Nikon SU800 Commander with a power output +0.7, Lexar
8G Flash Card. It is the small shaft of warm light produced
by the SB800 with "pinched" snoot that gives
this image some feeling, some mood and that crack of dawn
feeling.
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#2 Monica ... All the staff, wranglers and hired hands
at the Double JJ were more than accommodating. In fact,
I think they flat out enjoyed having a break from the
daily chores and assisting myself and fellow mentor
Lori Stoll for some location lighting portrait sessions.
Our class was held at the barn at 2:00 pm, a difficult
time of day to make a beautiful portrait with the sun
high over head. The solution, and point of the class,
was to use off camera flash to make a stylized portrait
of our lovely "cowgirl of the west" and famed
country singer, Monica. This is what I call the moody
blue formula (see Workshop at the Ranch February 2006.)
For the previous image of the JJ glove I used a warm
WB of 7700K that warmed the color of the entire picture
and then used the warming gel ( a full CTO gel ) that
comes standard with each Nikon SB800 to add a shaft
of warmer light to highlight the JJ brand. In this image
of Monica I set the camera White Balance at 3200K which
blued or "cooled" the corral background. My
exposure for the corral was ISO100, 1/2500 at f5.6.
This is about 1 and 1/2 stops under exposed which when
photographed with the cool WB of 3200K makes for a very
"moody blue" background. Monica is standing
in the barn entrance and is silhouetted against the
moody blue background. I used two Nikon SB800 Speedlights
(rubber banded together to form a Tandem unit...see
Workshop at the Ranch September 2006) each with a warming
gel and zoomed to 105mm to spotlight her face and upper
torso. The warming gel counter balances the cool blue
3200K WB and gives Monica a gentle touch of sunset light
and a very stylized look. Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 1/2500
at f5.6, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 3200K, Two Remote Nikon
SB800 Speedlights with warming gels and zoomed to 105mm
with a power output of +2.3, Nikon SU800 Commander to
trigger the Remote SB800s, Lexar 8G Flash Card. This
is a very stylized look that works well for this very
stylish young lady. I tilted the camera to help give
a relaxed feeling to the subject. Often times the success
of a picture can be traced to the cooperation of the
subject. Monica spent the better part of 2 hours with
our group and endured nearly one hundred flashes just
so our trekkers could learn a very unique lighting concept.
Way to cowgirl up Monica!
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#3 Running Free ... Horses running free is a beautiful sight
and a joy to photograph. The JJ wranglers bring the herd
of horses from one pasture into another pasture around sundown.
Our group's location was aboard a couple of large hay wagons
and in direct line of sight for a perfect head on picture
of the running horses. Animals don't always go were you
want them to go and so it was that the heard split to where
some came strait towards us and some scurried around the
back. I chose a slow shutter speed of 1/13 and panned with
the "outlaws" who broke away from the rest and
ran behind us. One of my favorite pictures of the week.
Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 1/13 at f22, Nikon 70-200mm VR Zoom
Lens (VR set on Active), WB7700K, Lexar 8G Flash Card. No
additional lighting gear was used for this image. The natural
warmth of the rapidly setting sun gave a beautiful warm
toned color to the overall ambient light. |
Image
#4 Home By Sunset ... The free running horses were truly
beautiful but this sunset run of the wranglers through the
shallow water's of the lake really was spectacular. The
riders made several passes through the shoreline shallow
water approximately 15-40 feet from shore and our shooting
location. I used two remote tandem SB800s with warming gels,
held off camera in my left hand as this pass of the riders
came within 15 feet. I set my exposure to slightly underexposed
sky in an effort to bring out more saturated color. Then
I allowed my two SB800s to illuminate my horseman and reveal
him from dark silhouette (note the second rider is not illuminated)
........... say, this sounds similar to the JJ glove picture
and the portrait of Monica ... Correct! I purposely underexposed
the scene and then light up my subject with my Speedlights
off camera. Nikon D2Xs, ISO200, 1/8 at f16, Rear Curtain
Sync, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, two remote tandem SB800s with
warming gels and power output of +3, Nikon SU800 Commander,
Lexar 8G Flash Card...... and yes, I got wet but that is
no problem when it comes to making pictures.
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#5 Making the Turn ... No ranch experience is complete
without a rodeo. Our group of photographers were privileged
to have close access to all the action. Once again I and
many of the trekkers made good use of off camera flash
systems. By nightfall the exposure reading in the rodeo
arena was ISO1600, 1/500 at 2.8. I decided to put the
SB800 Speedlight system to the test and light up a few
events. During barrel racing the athlete and horse come
within about 50 feet of the fence. I placed four SB800
Speedlights on the ground under the fence and aimed them
at the barrel. I located myself about 60 feet down the
fence line from the 4 SB800s and directly in line with
the path of the rider. The 60 feet of fence line between
my location and the Speedlights was full of people who
blocked the wireless transmission from my SU800 Commander
and the 4 remote SB800s. I used an MC-28 cord to connect
my D2Xs hotshoe to the SU800 Commander and simply extended
my SU800 off camera through the fence. Now the SU800 Commander
was in direct line of sight of the 4 SB800 Speedlights.
Now I could reduce my ISO to 400, under expose my background
by almost 2 stops and freeze all the action using the
Speedlights. The color was also improved as I could use
a WB of 5000K (daylight WB) because the Speedlights were
illuminating my subject. Nikon D2Xs, ISO400, 1/320 at
f2.8, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 5000K, four remote SB800s
zoomed to 105mm with a power output of +3, Nikon SU800
Commander connected to the hotshoe of my camera via a
Nikon MC-28 cord, Lexar 8G Flash Card. I was pleased with
how far the SB800s could throw light and how far the SU800
Commander could send a signal to trigger the Speedlights.
Take note that the same basics of off camera lighting
applied ... underexpose the background and reveal my subject
from silhouette using off camera remote SB800 Speedlights
... the same as the JJ Glove, same as Monica and same
as the Wranglers riding through the water.
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#6 End of the Day ... Our gracious host, top wrangler
and co-owner of the Double JJ Ranch volunteered to pose
for this final picture. Walt struck the classic cowboy
pose at the barn for a 30 second Lightpainting (see Workshop
at the Ranch December 2004, May 2006 and November 2006.)
Perfect! Walt was solid as a rock and naturally had "the
look." With the sun down for the night and Venus
rising over the barn the entire group of trekkers began
the class by Lightpainting saddles in one corral and then
advanced to the barn for a large scale Lightpainting experience.
Surprisingly enough the similar lighting formula applies
... With an ISO of 200 the 30 seconds of exposure time
and f5.6 aperture was just enough to see the sky (the
underexposed background.) This left the barn in dark silhouette.
I used two Brinkmann Q Beam portable spot lights, each
with 2 Million candles of power and revealed the barn
and Walt from the dark silhouette. Nikon D2Xs, ISO200,
30 seconds at f5.6, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 8000K, Gitzo
Carbon Fiber Tripod and Gitzo Ball Head with Kirk "L"
Bracket, two Binkmann Q Beam Spot Lights with 2 Million
Candles of power, Lexar 8G Flash Card. By aiming the Brinkmann's
through the corral fence on the right I was able to cast
some long deep shadows across the barn wall. This added
some mood. The dashes of light across the foreground,
tack hanging on the wall and Double JJ Ranch was just
enough light to add drama and mystery. What a great way
to wrap up our western trek at the Double JJ Ranch.
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The American PHOTO Mentor Series Trek to Michigan's
famous Double JJ Ranch was much more than a photographic learning
experience. It was a rare opportunity to be invited into a family.
All those involved with our stay at the Double JJ ranging from
the cooks to the wranglers to the head of the outfit and co-owner
Walt made this trek one of the fondest memories of my career.
I want to extend my gratitude to all those at the Double JJ
Ranch for making us feel welcome and a part of their family.
Walt, Donnie, Monica, Big "K", Skip, Jason and Katie
and everyone we met ........ all of you were fantastic!
See you next time at Workshop at the Ranch ...................
Adios, Dave
Past Workshop at the Ranch Issues
July, 2010
"Moto Light"
June, 2010
"West Coast Flash"

May, 2010
"Little Lights, BIG Arena - PART 2"

April, 2010
"Little Lights, BIG Arena - PART 1 "

March, 2010
"Workshop Wonders"
February, 2009
The D3s Advantage
January, 2010
"New Nikon D3s"
December, 2009
"Year in Review"

November, 2009
Return to Neverland

October, 2009
"Dramatic Gym Light"
September, 2009
"Saratoga Light"

August, 2009
"Graduation Class"

July, 2009
"FourSquare Sensation"

June, 2009
"Print On Demand publishing is for you"

May, 2009
"Sports Shooter Academy"

April, 2009
"My New Book is Available"

March, 2009
"The Nikon D3X...Part II "

February, 2009
"The Nikon D3X...Part I "

January, 2009
"Book Ideas Wanted"

December, 2008
Year in Review

November, 2008
Action with the SB-900 Speedlights

October, 2008
Lightpainting Under the Stars

September, 2008
Long Island Photo Workshop
August, 2008
"Best Buy Summit in San Francisco"
July, 2008
"Rich Clarkson's Sports Photography Workshop"

June, 2008
"Seven Photo Techniques"

May, 2008
"Learn Something New"

April, 2008
San Diego TREK

March, 2008
Joe McNally's book

February, 2008
The Nikon D300

January, 2008
Shoot From Where They Ain't (click here)
December, 2007
D3 Questions , Answers and Images

November, 2007
New Nikon D3

October, 2007
Football...A Retro Look

September, 2007
Get Out of the Box
August, 2007
Portrait Session with Frankie Herr

July, 2007
"Cowboy Up at the Double JJ Ranch"

June, 2007
"Light on the Run"

May, 2007
"SB800 Location Lighting in Mexico"

April, 2007
"Take it From the Top"

March, 2007
"Triple Play, Hat Trick, Trifecta" of Design

February, 2007
Principles of Success

January, 2007
Answers to Popular Questions

December , 2006
TREK to Peru and Machu Picchu

October, 2006
Creative Lightpainting (click
here)

September, 2006
Tandem SB800 Speedlight Set Up (click here)

August, 2006
Get Pumped Up with Light (click here)

July, 2006
Sports Action SB800 Lighting on Location (click here)

June, 2006
An Artistic Look At Derby Week (click here)

May, 2006
Lightpainting....from the Beginning (click here)

April, 2006
Workshop 40: Arches Mentor Series TREK

March, 2006
Workshop 39: Let the Games Begin...

February, 2006
Workshop 38: My Moody Blue Location Lighting Formula

January, 2006
Workshop 37: Answers to Popular Questions

December, 2005
Workshop 36: Year in Review...
My Favorite Equipment of 2005

November, 2005
Workshop 35: Building a Portrait

October, 2005
Workshop 34: Game Coverage.....My Way

September, 2005
Workshop 33: Equipment...and How It Can Help A Career

August, 2005
Workshop 32, Fill Flash....It's not Just For Portraits

July, 2005
Workshop 31, Rock On!

June, 2005
Workshop 30, Remote Cameras at Churchill Downs

May, 2005
Workshop 29, Arena Sport Strobe Lighting 102

April, 2005
Workshop 28, Arena Sport Strobe Lighting 101

March, 2005
Workshop 27: Nikon's D2X Digital Camera

February, 2005
Workshop 26: Steps to Success

January, 2005
Workshop 25: Own Your Images!

December, 2004
Workshop 24: Step-by-Step Lightpainting
November, 2004
Workshop 23: The Importance of Recognizing Light


September, 2004
Workshop 21: Covering The 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens, Greece
(click here)

August, 2004
Workshop 20: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight
WIRELESS TTL LIGHTING
(click here)

July, 2004
Workshop 19: Location Portrait Lighting using
Nikon's NEW SB-800 Speedlights
(click here)

June, 2004
Workshop 18: Photography - Just Enjoy it!
(click here)

May, 2004
Workshop 17: Documenting the Masters
(click here)

April, 2004
Workshop 16: Scene Setters
(click here)

March, 2004
Workshop 15: THE JOY of FILL FLASH
(click here)

February, 2004
Workshop 14: Sports Strobe Photography
(click here)


December, 2003
Workshop 12: "Product Review - The Nikon D2H Digital Camera
(click here)

November, 2003
Workshop 11: "Be More Than a Fan"

October, 2003
Workshop 10: "More Porrage, Please"

September, 2003
Workshop 9: The Nikon COOLPIX 5700

August, 2003
Workshop 8: Using Wireless Remotes

July, 2003
Workshop 7: Approaching The Event

June, 2003
Workshop 6: To be noticed, to be published, to the marketplace

May, 2003
Workshop 5: What Drives an Image Part Two,
Slow Shutter Speed & Pan, (click here)
April, 2003
Workshop 4: What Drives an Image? (click here)

March, 2003
Workshop 3: Fill Flash Techniques (click here)

February, 2003
Workshop 2: Sports Arena Lighting (click here)

January,
2003
Workshop 1: Lightpainting (click here)
