Equipment Recommendation: Flash! 10/25/2011
Equipment Recommendations: Canon 430 EXII & Nikon SB-700  Nikon SB-700 Description: The Nikon SB-700 is a superb high performance medium size portable flash. We recommend this flash because it has incredible capabilities to make your flash photography simple, accurate, and gives you the ability to be creative with your shots. It can be used to its fullest abilities with all Nikon DSLR cameras that are compatible with Nikon Creative Lighting system, but can still be used functionally with other Nikon cameras also. This flash is easy to use and instead of having to charge it, it is easily powered by 4- AA batteries or NiMH rechargeable batteries, which is so helpful when traveling. Just by carrying some AA batteries in your camera bag you will always have your flash ready to use. This Flash has a recycle time of 3 seconds, which is important when taking pictures of a person or portrait. The recycle time is the speed in which you can take the next shot, so when taking a portrait or headshot it is important to be able to take pictures quickly with the improvements of flash to catch that natural smile or look! It also has flash tube overheating protection, which prevents overheating by increasing flash recycle times when it detects heat build-up. This will protect your flash from being ruined by overheating. This Nikon flash has precision i-TTL flash control. This means it supplies precise flash exposure and great fill-flash performance. This is very helpful when you are set with a challenging lighting situation with different sources of lighting that create shadows and holes in the photo. This can be from a dimly lit room to a picture outside at sunset. Overall the flash comes out to around 360 grams, which is a little less than a pound and is a very good weight to carry around. This compact medium sized flash gives you all of the ability of the larger flash with a light structure that can be carried with you at all times so you won’t miss out on upgrading your photos with a great flash. This flash head contains a bounce card, which some of the previous models did not. The Bounce card is very important because it is used to instantly add catchlights in people’s eyes. Catchlight is that glimmer in that person’s eyes that truly pops. This is really important and beneficial when taking headshots or portraits and brings your photos up to the next level. This flash head can also tilt down 7 degrees or up to 90 degrees with click stops at -7, 0, 45, 60, 75, and 90 degrees. The flash head also rotates horizontally 180 degrees to the left and right with click stops at 0, 30, 60, 75, 90, 120, 150, 180 degrees. All of this range of movement truly gives you the ability to work creatively with the light and gives you the freedom to move lighting according to your surrounding and already present light sources. This flash has both an on-camera master and wireless commander setting. This gives you the ability to use the strobe directly on your camera, which keeps it steady with the movement of you hand. Or, you can use it as a Commander or Remote setting that can be set around the focus and truly become an alternate source of lighting from different angles. Commander setting works in conjunction with your camera’s flash and with remote it can be controlled by your camera or another Speedlight. This allows there to be light and flash working together making the focus of your piece stand out from the background. The SB-700 is a key piece in becoming a stellar photographer giving you great power and depth of field control. We recommend this specific flash for all of the reasons above and because it also is a great deal coming not only with the flash, but all of the accessories! Find it here at Amazon.com  Canon 430 EX II Description: The Canon 430 EX ii is a great flash recommendation for Canon because it brings a high level of versatility and capabilities to your flash photography. This flash provides a powerful flash in a compact and durable body. This flash is compatible with all Canon EOS cameras and the Powershot G series of cameras. This covers the most popular and best cameras made by Canon and gives you the range to use it on an array of the Canon cameras and not just one. It is a convenient flash taking 4- AA batteries as well as the option of NiMH rechargeable batteries. Both are very convenient to always have with you in your camera bag. Many people choose to carry around AA batteries, but like using NiMH batteries because they are more cost efficient and better for the environment. This flash also gives you a battery power indicator, which some do not and this can help you always be prepared with batteries so you don’t miss out on using your flash. The Canon 430 EXii has a great range for recycle times from 1-3.7 seconds, which makes for quick recovery and is very helpful when wanting to take a sequence of pictures quickly. This is very helpful in taking pictures of people for headshots because sometimes it takes only seconds to catch that natural pose or look. This specific flash prides itself on having a near silent flash recycle, which decreases the distraction of a flash recovering sound and makes for smooth and natural shooting time. This flash can be used in E-TTL II, E-TTL, TTL & Manual Modes. It proudly supports E-TTL II, which is Canon’s latest “Evaluative Through the Lens” auto exposure technology. When used, this mode takes into consideration the subject of your shots distance and other information and will automatically modify the flash power. In certain distances and light, the full power of the flash is not always necessary. The E-TTL II takes all the factors and modifies the flash resulting in an accurate and optimal flash exposure regardless of the reflecting in the shot, the subject size, or the composition of the shot. This is great for beginning flash users and photographers that like to shoot high contrast or reflective subjects. This type of flash mode makes sure that you catch every color and detail with great even lighting. The Canon 430 EXii is 330 grams which is slightly over half a pound. Compared to a lot of flashes this is very lightweight, but is built for strength. It was made to be easy to attach or detach with a one-touch quick-lock mechanism and was built with a metal foot for added durability. In wanting to keep this flash very light so to make it easy to carry around with you, Canon wanted to make sure that it was still made with extremely precise and pronounced quality. This flash also contains a tilt and swivel head that can be moves up from 0-90 degrees (5 settings), left from 0 to 180 degrees (7 settings), and right 0 to 90 degrees (4 settings). This results in a very maneuverable head that is capable of a large range of angles for bouncing flash illumination. By having this range, you are given the flexibility to use that bounce flash technique to have more natural, shadowless, and red-eye free shots. The Canon 430 EXii has the master setting that mounts directly to the camera and can be angles, whichever you way you prefer. It also has the wireless TTL “slave” flash that can honestly serve as an affordable way to add studio lighting surrounding the focus of your shot. This is useful when shooting headshots or portraits in non-ideal lighting, even at night. Overall, we recommend this flash for Canon users because it has a very lightweight and durable. This flash has capabilities to turn poorly lighted decent pictures into flawless “wow” photos. Find it here at Amazon.com Most all DSLR cameras come with a built in flash, but this flash is permanently faced directly at your focus and can cause them to be washed out and have red eye. Having a separate flash seems like just an extra for photography, but it truly takes your photos to an incredible level and also gives you the ability to take amazing pictures no matter the time of day or lighting available. The Right Light Photography and San Diego Photography Classes (also an option in Vancouver and Dallas) offer a Flash Photography Class [Taking place as soon as October 29th] that can get you more comfortable and teach you amazing techniques using your flash. Check out the schedule and how to sign up at http://www.sandiegophotographyclass.com/ By: Lauren Lopez San Diego Photographer Add Comment A Reason To Survive 10/20/2011
 With a mission statement that reads: ARTS is dedicated to healing, inspiring, and empowering youth facing life challenges by providing innovative arts-based programs, education, and employment opportunities, there is something truly special about this non-profit organization. A Reason to Survive, also known as ARTS, was first imagined by artist Matt D’Arrigo in 1992 while his mother and sister both were battling cancer. Being able to paint and dive into music became a sanctuary for him and gave him “A Reason to Survive” the emotional times that he faced. After the death of his mother, he noticed how the arts had truly helped him during one of the most difficult times in his life and he aspired to give that same opportunity to kids facing their own personal crisis. In 2001, he founded ARTS with the philosophy that the arts can help heal and change lives. Starting with just an outreach program at Ronald McDonald, ARTS grew and spread to 15 sites by 2006! A Reason to Survive is now a successful San Diego based organization that believes that the visual, performing, and literary arts can literally transform the lives of anyone, but especially those of kids. They believe in the therapeutic powers of the art and use all art forms as a vehicle to create positive, long-lasting change in children and youth facing major life challenges. This not only gives them a reason to survive, but also a reason to thrive. This non-profit organization does not have a certain skill level required; it accepts anyone who seeks to find a place to go to express themselves. Currently, in San Diego, they have a 7,000 sq. foot center with rooms of all arts, including ceramics, mixed media, music, painting, and more! Through their 3 core programs, ARTS annually serves 5,000 San Diego youth ages 3-22 from more than 42 partner organizations that include hospitals, foster care agencies, residential treatment facilities, homeless and domestic violence shelters, schools and other social service agencies. The ARTS also serves children in the general community who are facing their own personal struggles. These children are referred to us by doctors, therapists, counselors, and social workers. The ARTS is made up of a team of passionate and dedicated staff, volunteers, partners, donors, vendors, and kids all working towards a common goal: To give kids A Reason To Survive through the arts! Here at the Right Light Photography, we feel it is vital to find something that is important to you and give back. A Reason to Survive is important to us for many reasons. Personally, I, Lauren Lopez, have been through the battle of cancer with my grandparents and by expressing myself through writing and photography, I found a unique peace. In photography, I not only was able to look back on memories, but I was able to capture the personality and love of my family throughout the hard times. It is through the difficult times that we don’t know what to do and to find a place where you are given the opportunity to seek refuge through painting, music, and other art is priceless. For this reason, The Right Light Photography has put together a Benefit for the ARTS that gives the chance for anyone who believes in this program and wants a way to give back to come and learn more. At this Benefit, there will be an introduction and personal words from A Reason to Survive and even a speech from the Right Light’s very own, Jason Kirby. We will be selling raffle tickets for the ARTS that will give everyone the opportunity to not only support a great cause, but be in a drawing to win some great prizes, like art, photography classes, and more! This night is for anyone who supports giving youth in troubled times an opportunity to express themselves and strive in these times with art. This Benefit for the ARTS will take place on October 27 from 6-8pm at The Right Light Photography Studio in Little Italy. Officially RSVP at http://rsvp.sandiegophotographyclass.com/ Come and be a part of this amazing night and learn more about this great cause at http://www.artsurvive.org/  By: Lauren Lopez San Diego Photographer Equipment Recommendation: Canon T3 & Nikon D3100 Both of these cameras take into account the new photographer that wants to get started in photography and/or anyone who is on a budget but wants to get the best camera for the lowest price.  Canon EOS Rebel T3 (EOS 1100D) Description: Perfect for photographers ready to make the move to digital SLR photography, the EOS Rebel T3 delivers beautiful photos and video, speed, simplicity and fun. Compact and lightweight, the EOS Rebel is a highly versatile DSLR that’s easy to carry with you while traveling or those long days at the park and allows you to capture any moment in stunning quality. It also uses SD cards, which are cheap and easy to find and can be removed and plugged in directly to your computer to upload pictures almost instantly. [Helpful Hint: Always have more than one SD card so that if you fill one up, you aren’t forced to delete precious pictures from your camera]. Another amazing feature that helps share, critique and enjoy your photos with others is the option to connect the EOS Rebel directly to an HDTV, using the TV remote control to scroll through images and enjoy the high quality, the next time you are at your relative’s house. An impressive feature that is often not considered is that it has a very efficient energy saving system that uses low amounts of power and results in a longer battery life. This is beneficial in those times when you forget to charge your camera or are traveling and just want to pick up and go. It allows you the wiggle room to not charge your camera after ever use and be assured to get the picture every time. The Canon T3 Rebel is a very fast camera with 3 frames per second. This means you will be able to capture the moving shots with speed and won’t ever miss the chance for a beautiful picture. It also has an ISO sensitivity range of 100-6400, which is a wide range that can be manipulated to take amazing pictures in lowlight and outside. Included is a Kit lense is an EF-S 18-55mm, which gives an amazing range to shoot everything from landscapes to portraits. This lense also features Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that minimizes the amount of blur when your hand gets a little shaky. We recommend this camera for beginners because it is user friendly, powerful, and is an exceptional entry-level DSLR at a great price. Find it here at Amazon.com  Nikon D3100 Description: A great deal for an exceptional camera that is lightweight, fast, and fun to use. This camera is ideal for beginners with the capabilities to become the camera you use as a pro. The Nikon D3100 is a very competent and ultra-lightweight DSLR. It is small and light, but doesn't feel it is going to fall apart either. This is very convenient when bringing your camera along to almost anywhere. It won’t make your neck ache after a day at Disneyland and won’t feel like an encyclopedia in your bag. This lightweight structure is always beneficial to travelers and those who want to always have their camera on hand. The D3100 is Nikon's lightest SLR, ever, and probably their smallest, too. It also uses SD cards, which is convenient seeing as SD cards are plentiful and always at a good price. This means you can store all your photos on the card and move them straight to the printer or to upload on your computer with ease. Nikon D3100 has incredible HD video abilities, which cuts down the bulk and cost of buying a video camera and DSLR camera and carrying them both around. The HD video capabilities are very advanced in their image quality and minimizes outside noise making sure you catch everything said on those fun home videos. The videos are also easy to view and on the preview of this camera you even have the ability to edit the beginning and end of your videos! This gives you the chance to only save what’s important right away and leaves room for more video or photos to be stored as you go. The Nikon D3100 has an exceptional ISO sensitivity range from 100-3200, which creates less blur in dimly lit setting. The ISO connects with shutter speed and they can both be manipulated so that you can get the best pictures possible no matter how bad the lighting is! It also captures 3 frames per second, which keeps up with those running children or fast moving shots. The kit lense included is a razor sharp Nikon 18-55mm lense that has the range to take almost anything from incredible headshots to a macro or micro landscape shots. This lense is a necessity in photography! This lense also has a built in image stabilizer that steadies every shot and helps capture the moving moment’s in life in great detail. This is very important when trying to catch a great action shot either at a sports game or on the dance floor of a party! Overall, a stellar camera with a great range to get every picture you want. A beginner's priced camera with the capabilities to be the camera you use for year to come. Enjoy its lightweight and great quality and do so without breaking the bank! Find it here at Amazon.com  I am proud to introduce you all to the newest team member of The Right Light Photography, Lauren Lopez. She is a recent graduate from San Diego State University’s with a BA in Communication and comes to our company as an intern learning the ropes of the organization and to execute on opportunities that will enrich our clients’ and students’ experiences with our company. She has a passion for photography and marketing and a knack for learning. I am excited to have her on board and would like everyone to give her a warm welcome when you meet her at future classes or events. Also, if you happen to receive emails from Lauren Lopez, don’t block her, she sending them on behalf of the company and the classes. And The Winners Are.... 10/01/2011
After a total of 80 photos were submitted with over 2,000 total likes and a ton of comments being posted there are a total of 6 winners. Three were selected based on their total number of 'likes' they received and three others were judged based on their overall image quality. We had a total of three judges contribute to the contest listed below:
Let's start with the total number of 'likes' In 1st Place we have Talitha Scott with "Gettin' Dirty" 2nd Place we have Gladys Pamiloza with "Hustle and Bustle in NY" 3rd Place we have Ronald Hons "A walk on the beach"    Now onto the the judged part of the contest. Drum roll please......... In 1st Place we have Andrew Kliss with "Gorilla Portrait" with a 39.35 out of a possible 45 score 2nd Place we have Daniel Graham with "Weathered" with a 38.25 out of a possible 45 score 3rd Place we have Kendra Stoner with "Mesmerizing" with a 37.6 out of a possible 45 score    Big Congratulations to you all. I will be contacting you soon about your prizes. And another huge thank you to all of you who submitted photos and 'liked' photos in this contest. Because of all you there will be many future contests to participate in. Photo Contest San Diego - Photos You Love 06/20/2011
The time has come for you to show off your photographic skills and share it with the your friends, family and network. The photo contest rules are below. Do you love photography? If so, prove it by entering a photo of you are proud of. It can be absolutely anything. This photo contest is meant to give you an opportunity to share a photograph that you are proud you were able to capture and share with your friends. Since the contest is about telling a story the winners will not be judged on composition and exposure settings like most contests, however, you might want to have a well composed and exposed shot to improve your chances of winning. This contest will about sharing your story with as many people as possible. The winners of the prizes will be selected by the number of ‘likes’ your photo gets. Once your photo is uploaded to the fan page you will have the ability to share your link to friends and family to ‘like’ your photo to increase your chances of winning. The more people you send your picture to will increase your chances of winning. If you have the most 'likes' for your photo there will be three prizes:
How it works: Once you have completed the registration and submitted your photo it will be reviewed and if approved it will be uploaded to the http://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoPhotography Facebook page where you will be able to share your link to your photo to get people to ‘like’ it. You have until June 30, 2011 to submit your photo. No more photos will be entered after that time. Winners will be selected on July 9, 2011 and notified via Facebook. The winners will be chosen based upon the total number of ‘likes’ for their photo. All winners must accumulate 50 or more ‘likes’ before July 9, 2011 to qualify for the prizes. One photo per entry per person, therefore choose your favorite.  Have you always wondered how to capture those cool starbursts in your photos? Well I will explain how simple it is to get this effect. First, I want to call out the rumor that you need to buy a specific type of filter in order to get this effect. This is not true. You can get this effect with any lens and no filters. Now filters do have their purpose but I will get to this later. How to get the starburst effect?It is all about your aperture. The higher your f-stop the more of starburst you will have. It is that simple. Now the photos I have as examples below were taken at an f/22 aperture and that is why you see such an exaggerated starburst. Now if you were to shoot at f/8 you would still get a star effect, but it would be much less of a starry effect. You can get the starburst effect on any direct light source. This includes, but is not limited to:
 f/22 - 1/25th - ISO 100  f/18 - 1/100th - ISO 100  f/16 - 5 seconds - ISO 400 NEW: Corporate Photography Packages 05/18/2011
I am excited to announce that I just added a new service to our offerings to our corporate clients. These services include headshots and environmental stock photography at the corporate offices of the clients. I have been getting a lot of requests for this type of photography specific to corporations and I wanted to add specific packages to address this type of clientele. The packages are meant for companies looking to have professional headshots taken of their management team or a small staff to be used on the website or on other marketing collateral. You can review the different packages here Corporate Headshot Photography Packages. You can view the page with photos and details about the Corporate photography services here The Groupon Deal 05/04/2011
 If you have not seen it already then you have to check out our latest deal on Groupon.com! Groupon called me a few weeks ago talking about putting together a Groupon deal and I was slightly hesitant because I have heard mixed reviews. Regardless I decided to go ahead and go forward with it. All of the details of the Groupon can be found below. From Groupon: A picture is worth a thousand words, making photographs and stick-figure sketches the easiest solutions to looming dissertation deadlines. Take advantage of efficient visual-communication strategies with today’s Groupon: for $69, you get a four-hour Learn Composition and Master Your Camera class and a two-hour photo tour fromThe Right Light Photography (a $200 value). The Right Light Photography's instructors help students understand the full capabilities of their memory-preserving machines during the four-hour camera-mastery class. Amateur snappers will receive instruction on how to properly align shots and compose photographs using professional techniques. Then, teachers will reveal how to manipulate a camera's shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and white balance to ensure that photos develop clearly without being overexposed or filled with blurry Loch Ness monsters. After class, students will break for lunch and reconvene at the studio to utilize newly acquired skills along the San Diego harbor and throughout Little Italy. Students must bring their own cameras, preferably DSLRs, as well as additional batteries and memory cards to ensure smile snatchers will have enough power and memory to last throughout the day. A pen and paper will also be helpful, allowing learners to take important notes or to sketch their subjects before photographing them. For information on parking and directions to the studio, students may consult The Right Light Photography's blog or video. You can buy it here until tomorrow San Diego Headshots 04/25/2011
This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to photograph an aspiring cartoonist. Robert was full of enthusiasm and was wonderful to work with. This was his first professional photoshoot and he did amazing for his first time. We hit a few bumps early on trying to get natural poses that didn't look so...posed. Once I got him to relax and completely shake off the unnatural posed looks we got some amazing shots that both of us were really proud of.  This was shot using natural daylight and then a flash to blowout the white background  This was taken with a 28" softbox at a 45 degree angle that you can see the catch light from off his sunglasses. I also had a white reflector to fill in the shadows on the right side. Then to separate him from the background I used a flash with a grid on the background to create that hotspot.  This was taken with natural light and just a white reflector directly in front of him. San Diego Headshots |   CategoriesAll ArchivesJanuary 2012 |
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