August 2016 - Storyteller

Getting a catchlight while shooting at ƒ/1.8 outside

by Stanley LearyAugust 31, 2016August 13, 2022Portraits

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/1250

I love catchlight in the eyes for portraits. I think it brings out the life and vibrance in a person.

To accomplish this, I used flash. Now, I had to figure out how to shoot with a flash at ƒ/1.8 outside in the sunlight. Fixing it is where High-Speed Shutter Sync does the trick. HSS is when you can take a photo using a flash at any shutter speed other than the sync speed of 1/250.

I always start with the off-camera flash 45º to the left or right of the subject. If their body is facing left, that is where You will place the light.

The light is generally 45º above their head. I see if the flash causes a shadow that hits their lips. If it does, I lower the light until the shadow is just off the lips of the person. You can also control the shadow by reducing or raising the subject’s chin. So you must be aware of light placement throughout the photo shoot as you will most likely have them move their head around.

Here is my setup. I have an Alienbees B1600 with a white umbrella that I am diffusing the light. To sync at the High Shutter Speeds, I use the Pocketwizard TT5 with the AC9 that plugs into the back of the Alienbees using a phone cord connection.

You have wireless control using the AC3 on top of the Pocketwizard Mini TT1. I use the M setting on the AC3.

Here is the chart of how that would work:

+3 = Full Power
+2 = 1/2 Power
+1 = 1/4 Power
0 = 1/8 Power
-1 = 1/16 Power
-2 = 1/32 Power
-3 = 1/32 Power

In between the stops, you also have the 1/3 increments to use.

Here is a setup from an earlier shoot. I used only one in the photos at the top.

So here is the basic setup I was using. Here is the list of gear:

1 – Alienbee B1600s
1 – Vagabond Mini
1 – Cowboystudio 7′ 4 Section Portable Adjustable Stand
1 – Westcott 2001 43″ Optical White Satin Collapsible Umbrella
1 – Pocketwizard AC9
1 – Pocketwizard TT5
1 – Pocketwizard Mini TT1
1 – Pocketwizard AC3
Nikon D5
Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G

I pack the lighting gear all into this Seahorse SE-920 with padded dividers. So I can fly with this kit to jobs where I need something a little more robust and capable of shooting at ƒ/1.8 to get that great BOKEH.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/4000

Now, I can choose to change my settings on the fly. I was shooting at ƒ/1.8 of the senior in front of the high school. I thought they might want to see the high school a little more. I needed to stop at a different ƒ-stop to do that.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/7.1, 1/320

I just powered up the flash from the camera and dragged the shutter from the 1/4000 speed to 1/320.

Here is another example where I needed to change the ƒ-stop.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/2000

Again I realized the client might want to know what was on the banner in the background—quick change without moving my feet.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/6.3, 1/250

Why use such a powerful flash and not just a Speedlight? Well, the recycling time on a Speedlight can be pretty slow.

Why I chose the Alienbees kit over the Profoto Monolights

Price alone would be enough to make you wonder why you are spending so much more on the Profoto system.

$57.68 on Amazon
Manfrotto 5001B Nano Black Light Stand – 6.2′ (1.9m)
I chose this light stand because of how small it folds up [19.3″ (49cm)] for easy travel through airports.

$16.23 on Amazon
CowboyStudio 43-Inch Black and White Umbrella for Photography and Video Lighting Reflective

$418 on Amazon
PocketWizard MiniTT1 Radio Transmitter, FlexTT5 Transceiver, and AC3 Zone Controller Bundle – Nikon
The AC3 helps you control the flash power from the camera and attaches to the Mini TT1 on the camera.

$54 on Amazon
PocketWizard AC9 AlienBees Adapter Power Control for Nikon
Plugs into Alienbees and onto the TT5

$359.95 from Alienbees
AlienBees™ B1600 Flash Unit

The total cost on my system for one flash is $905.86. Just the Profoto B1 flash without a light stand and umbrella runs $2,095.00.

$2,095.00 from B&H
Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Battery-Powered Flash

When you put together a kit of 3 or 4 lights, you can see your money costs go up with the Profoto system.

The Profoto gives you one thing that the system I designed doesn’t provide, and that is TTL. Generally, when working with studio strobes, once you put them in place and take your first photo to check for exposure, your lights don’t move.

Here is why I wouldn’t say I like TTL–it is unpredictable. Sure I must take a reading and then set my lights without TTL, but the exposure is not consistent every time I take a shot. With TTL, a slight movement with your camera, the model, or something in the background will impact your meter and tell the camera and flashes to adjust.

Stanley’s Tune-Up Ritual for the Football Season

by Stanley LearyAugust 29, 2016August 13, 2022Sports

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 51200, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250

This past Friday Night and during the day on Saturday, I went through a tune-up. There are two parts to the tune-up.

First, since the last football game, I have bought new cameras and needed to calibrate the lens to the camera body.

I took this photo when I talked about how to calibrate your lenses in an earlier blog post. Take a look here if you want a refresher on how to do this.

Today’s top-end cameras and lenses are designed for the user to optimize the focus by calibrating the focus point. I use LensAlign, and here is a great video explaining how it works.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urinJiG35PU]

So I spent several hours doing this with my cameras and lenses. Now I shoot with a Sigma 120-300mm lens and recommend you look at that blog post where I explain how I calibrated the lens using Sigma Optimization Pro software coupled with the Sigma USB docking station to calibrate the lens. I also use it to calibrate my Sigma 24-105mm Art and Sigma 35mm Art lens.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 720, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

The second thing I do each year is to go out and shoot some football games before my first job shooting a game. For example, this year, I went to the Catholic High School near me and shot their home varsity game on Friday night and then shot their 7th-grade team playing the following day.

Before taking photos of the game, I set my Nikon D5 camera up to shoot the match. Here is a blog post on sports settings with the Nikon D5. Next, here are my settings for the Nikon D4.

Let me tell you that the Nikon D5 was a definite upgrade over the Nikon D4. When shooting on the high-speed motor drive of 12 frames per second, I can say it looked more like an old-time movie. However, you could still see the action through the mirror because of the camera’s speed. Very cool!!!!.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 720, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

For those of you who are just starting out shooting sports like your child’s games, don’t just go and shoot their games when getting started. Instead, practice at the local recreation center and get used to following the action and keeping it focused. I use the back focus button, so I can then improve my chances of getting in-focus photos. It would help if you tried my setup to see what I mean.

Honestly, being able to walk up and start shooting a kids’ game like I did this weekend is much more relaxing than getting to a fun two hours early that you must do when shooting Division 1 college and the NFL.

Another thing with shooting for fun is if you want to stop, you can. But, you must arrive early and stay to the very end when shooting professionally. Now, if you’re going to get hired to shoot professionally, you need to learn why we get there early and stay late.

Rather than telling you what we shoot when we arrive and stay late–let me challenge you to come early and stay late and try and take compelling photos around the entire game.

Have you tuned up for this football season?

Best time for dusk photos

by Stanley LearyAugust 26, 2016August 13, 2022Photography

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/10

The time of day you make a photo can make all the difference. For this exercise, you need to know the time of sunset, which tonight was at 8:13 pm.

I took this first photo at 8:00 pm. Just 13 minutes before, the sun dipped below the horizon.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1 sec

Right at sunset, 8:13 pm isn’t the best photo, but notice how the sky changes. But the sky is still too bright.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 2.5 sec

Now just waiting until 8:24 pm or 11 minutes after sunset, the sky is getting dark enough that the lights are starting to balance with the rest of the scene.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 4 sec

Now while the color here is excellent at 8:27 pm, we no longer have the sun lighting up the clouds and lose the pastel colors in the sky.

I like both of the photos for different reasons. Which one do you like best?

KONDO

by Stanley LearyAugust 24, 2016August 13, 2022multimedia

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/800

Keziah Khoo, who I met a few years ago when I taught in the School of Photography 1 class of Youth With a Mission in Kona, Hawaii.

This Storytellers Abroad Missions Multimedia Workshop was Keziah’s second time. She went to Romania last year and this year went to Togo, West Africa.

She tells the story of Kondo, who struggled to get an education. Listen to Kondo tell her story with the help of Keziah, bringing that story to life.

While we were in a village, one day, a mother gave Keziah her child to hold.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29th to November 5th. The deadline to apply is August 30th, 2016.

Click here to learn more. Then, get your money in now to hold your spot.

Join us in Honduras and have some fun.

Passing The Torch In Togo

by Stanley LearyAugust 24, 2016August 13, 2022multimedia

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Storytellers Abroad participant Brian Funderburke listens to instructor Pat Davison as he works with Brian and the team in advising how to handle the story.

Sharon Sedzro was born 3 months premature and weighed less than 4lb (2kg). The doctors told her mother that she would only live if they relied on God. She lived and was later the catalyst that brought about a children’s camp ministry that missionaries from the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism had tried to start over ten years earlier. Storyteller Brian Funderburke shares the story of Madame Sedzro, Sharon Sedzro, and Judy Bowen, and how God worked in their lives to restart a children’s camp ministry that is impacting hundreds of Togolese children.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop taking place this October 29th to November 5th. The deadline to apply is August 30, 2016.

Click here to learn more. Get your money in now to hold your spot.

Brian was able to sit with all three instructors, Jeff Raymond, Pat Davison, and me to work through his plan for his story.

Removing AIDS Stigma In Togo

by Stanley LearyAugust 22, 2016August 13, 2022multimedia

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/800

Hannah Saxe, one of the Storytellers Abroad participants, has her fan club walking through the village of Aditi-Kope, Togo, West Africa. Hannah did her story on HIV in Togo.

Brenda Mastin is a nurse at the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism hospital in Tsiko, Togo. Over the last few years, she and other Togolese colleagues have formed the organization ALMA, which is French for “friend indeed.” They are an HIV/AIDS ministry of education, compassion, and support. Their main operation is to educate the local churches to show mercy to HIV/AIDS patients and support them through counseling and medication. In addition, they hope to open their center for chronic disease care near the hospital. In this video Storyteller, Hannah Saxe tells the story of ALMA and their work in Togo.

Hannah prayed with an HIV patient and the subject, Brenda, before they did the interview.

Jeremies Journey

by Stanley LearyAugust 21, 2016August 13, 2022storytelling

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 160, ƒ/8, 1/100

Storytellers Abroad participant Cy Hayden is working with Jeremie, his subject, by recording a voice-over. Jeremie did his own voice-over. Jeremie was more comfortable answering the questions in French and then having us translate them into English. Jeremie, who is a Chaplin at the Hopital Baptiste Biblique and a local pastor in Togo. Jeremie almost lost his pregnant wife due to a coma because of a sickle cell crisis. His son then developed hydrocephalus a month after his birth. Through multiple miracles, God healed both of them.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29 to November 5. The deadline to apply is August 30, 2016.

Click here to learn more. Then, get your money in now to hold your spot.

One Test Short. One Dream Reached.

by Stanley LearyAugust 20, 2016August 13, 2022Photography

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 3600, ƒ/4, 1/100

Storytellers Abroad participant, Alison Waller, is surrounded by children in a church service as she is capturing her story on Gnoyi.

Waller produced this story of Gnoyi’s dream to become a part of the Togolese medical community. Gnoyi failed his high school diploma test. Without his high school diploma, he would never have been able to be a part of the medical community. With the help of Hôpital Baptiste Biblique, he was able to raise funds and find the courage to retake the high school diploma test.

“With the added education, I will be respected more, and people will have confidence in what I say, so I will be able to approach my patients in a way that they will have confidence in what I say, and I will be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they will listen because of their respect and confidence in me. So I will do it though humbly, and I will give glory to God.”

Here you can see Waller shooting footage of her subject leading in the church.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29 to November 5. The deadline to apply is August 30, 2016.

Click here to learn more. Then, get your money in now to hold your spot.

Freedom From the Fetish – Martouka’s Story

by Stanley LearyAugust 19, 2016August 13, 2022multimedia

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 5600, ƒ/8, 1/100

Storytellers Abroad participant Hannah Teramura works with the voice-over for her video.

Teramura tells the story of Martouka. After years of growing up in fetish worship, Martouka Anani fell deathly sick and remembered the gospel he had heard as a child. Even though his parents disowned him from walking away from the fetish religion, he pursued Jesus and devoted his life to sharing the good news with others.

Now he is a pastor of a thriving church and a Bible Institute teacher, training other pastors to step into teaching roles to transform Togo for Jesus. Martouka tells his story – please watch and consider supporting the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism’s mission to impact more lives and expand the multiplication of churches in Togo, West Africa.

Here is Hannah on the far right; enjoy some fun with some of the other workshop participants.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29th to November 5th. The deadline to apply is August 30th, 2016.

Click here to learn more. Then, get your money in now to hold your spot.

Because of God’s Love – Djamila’s Story

by Stanley LearyAugust 18, 2016August 13, 2022multimedia

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/1250

Storyteller’s Abroad participant Kathryn Shoaf tells the story of a young woman named Djamila. She is the daughter of an Islamic soldier but found herself torn between two opposing worlds – the familiar traditions of Islam and the unknown Christian faith that her mother had claimed. Then, with guidance from two ABWE teachers, she discovered the life-changing love of Christ.

Kathryn grew during her time in Togo. She was learning how to use visuals when there are no visuals when someone talks about something that happened in the past. She also learned how to sequence the story to keep you more on the edge of your seat.

Before the class, they all went separate ways to interview their subjects. Then, we did a practice interview where they saw what it would be like interviewing someone in French with a translator helping. Kathryn has the headphones on in this photo.

While we worked hard in Togo, West Africa, we also had fun as a group.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29th to November 5th. The deadline to apply is August 30th, 2016. Click here to learn more. So get your money in now to hold your spot.

Trials in Togo

by Stanley LearyAugust 17, 2016August 13, 2022Photography

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 800, ƒ/4, 1/4000

All the girls jumped into the back of the pickup to ride into the village. On the far left front is Liz Ortiz. Togo was Liz’s second trip with Storytellers Abroad Missions Multimedia Workshop. She first joined us in Romania.

Liz did a story on Gagl,o who was there when the missionaries first came to Togo. He helped build the hospital and has seen firsthand how the hospital has made an impact on the Togolese. Because of the hospital, Over 32 churches have started. Gaglo not only works as a physician assistant but is also a pastor for one of the church plants.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29 to November 5. The deadline to apply is August 30, 2016. Click here to learn more.

Forgiveness and Starting Over – Nyakpo’s Story

by Stanley LearyAugust 15, 2016August 13, 2022Photography

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/800

Stacey Schuett is one of the participants in the Storytellers Abroad Missions Multimedia Workshop we held in Togo, West Africa.

Storyteller Stacey Schuett has been telling the story of Nyakpo, who was born into an African royal family and raised by his grandmother. After his grandmother’s passing and a series of difficult trials, Nyakpo came to know the Lord. He is now a Bible Baptist Schools of Togo teacher and is highly involved in youth ministry.

Watch Stacey’s story. Leave your feedback here in the comments.

We still have openings for the Honduras Multimedia Workshop from October 29 to November 5. The deadline to apply is August 30, 2016. Click here to learn more.

Here is Stacey editing her package.