Ray Flash adapter

Doublewide 4-11-2010
Originally uploaded by d double u

I've been using the Ray Flash adapter quite a bit since receiving it last month. I've basically been using it in place of the Sto-Fen omnibounce diffuser that I normally would throw on top of my 580 EXII for run-and-gun type events.
To that end, I've found it gives a much better quality of light than the omnibounce, although it does away with the possibility of bouncing flash. What I like most about it is the directionality of the light. I like to use wide angle lenses and zoom the flash so it only lights a part of the frame - the Ray Flash seems to shoot the light straight out, so it does this automatically.

I have found that using it with the flash on manual helps a lot, although you have to adjust for changes in distance on the fly, which I've been able to do pretty quickly. Also, the zoom should be switched to manual, since on auto, the flash wants to match the zoom of the lens. When the flash zoom changes, it alters the amount of light being focused into the adapter, so TTL shots can be all over the map as far as exposure. I've found that zooming my 580 EXII to 70mm gets the most out of the flash. Having said that, TTL has worked surprisingly well for me with the adapter.
I still haven't had the chance to use it as a fill for other off-camera flashes, but I'm hoping to try that soon. From what I've seen of using it on its own, I think it'll look great for that purpose.

Another fun thing to do is to pull the Ray Flash forward when using a wide angle lens - which is what I did for this photo of Kim Finch, owner of Doublewide. I've shot a couple of these shots, where I have people get really close to the flash and actually hold it with their fingers showing. I've found this only works with the flash set on manual - around 1/64 works at 800 ISO at f4.
It's fun and silly, but it gets people engaged in the photos and they always like the results.

The only thing I don't like about the Ray Flash is that it has me answering questions about it every time I bring it out. People ask what it is, what it does, etc. It is great to get people talking and makes you more memorable, so there is that, I suppose. If you're trying to fly under the radar and be inconspicuous, however, this is not the right tool to use.

Overall, this was a great investment, I think it's worth the money I paid for it and I look forward to using it to its full potential.

Ray Johnston Band: Road Diaries premieres this weekend.

Last August, I quit my day job as a contract worker at Microsoft to go on the road and run sound for a band that was touring throughout the southwest. The band was being filmed for a TV series on HDNet so I got to help out with the filming and photography. The show is called Ray Johnston Band: Road Diaries" and it premières this Sunday on HDNet.
Tomorrow, however, there's a showing of the first two episodes at the Inwood.
I got to see the first two episodes already and they look great. My photos and some of my filming (and driving!) is used in the episodes and it was a thrill to see my name in the credits.
I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the eight-part series and how my work has helped out.

Photos of Photographers

It's probably cheesy, but one of my favorites things is when I can compare a photo I take of a photographer taking a photo with the photo that they take.
It looks confusing in writing, but compare photo #3 in this series with the photo I took.

These are both from the Erykah Badu CD signing at Good Records, which was surprisingly quiet and a lot of fun.

Photographer above is Courtney Perry, who shoots for the Dallas Morning News.

Finding your niche.

For me, one of the hardest things to do has been to find my niche in photography. I still haven't done it, in fact. There are so many different ways to shoot so many different types of subject matter and I feel like I'm trying them all.
Today, I was touched by this slideshow of photos. Great photos that are part of a bigger emotional story.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have this - paparazzi at their worst.

If there was to be a heirarchy of photography based on importance, I'd like to think that the first link above would be higher than the second link.

I think about this today as I get ready to shoot a record signing at a local record store. The artist in question was just cited for public indecency during a video shoot at the grassy knoll last month. Today, her story is the most popular story on cnn.com.
I was hoping to get some nice portrait shots of the artist, but I'm wondering if it won't end up being a frenzy like the Bullock link above...