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Formal portrait work (question)

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yegster

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Hello all,

i have nothing for my d70 yet except for a few lenses (35-105 f3.5-4.5 and 24 f2.8 plus various manual lenses). anyway, i have a formal portrait project coming up for my high school photo class. my teacher will be supplying us with the lighting (studio strobes complete with umbrellas etc.) a hasselblad medium format camera, and the needed accesories to set exposure (light meter), film, etc.

My question, because film is dying out rapidly, involves using my d70. I would like to use the lighting and everything and do a spring portrait for my sister and/or parents using that equipment. Is there anyway I can use the provided studio lighting (keep in mind these are high power strobes. 2000watts i believe) and metering with my d70? Is there anyway i can pull off triggering the lighting without buying a flash hot shoe attachment such as the SC-27/8/9 in conjunction with an AS10?

Thanks for any help.

PS i convinced my photo teacher to buy a d70 as his first digital slr. i'll have to try and convince him to buy/rent these parts as teaching aid.
 
Shoot some with the Hasselblad, they are a joy to work with, fantastic quality :). See if your instructor has any softar filter, the Softar I and II work very well for portraits shot with a Hassie. That being said, you can get some great results with your D70 using the Studio Strobes. The only way to to trigger them with out using sync coed is with a slave attachment ( triggers when it sees another flash so off) or wireless transmitter. If you go with the slave route, attach some external flash to the D70 ( like a BS-800) but any will do as long as you can rotate the flash head. Rotate the flash head away form your subject, but so the slave unit on the studio strobes can see it.

If you have wireless, just put the transmitter on the hot shoe of the D70 and shoot away. If you go the wired route, make sure you use something like Weins Safe Sync to attach the sync cord. The power packs can put out voltage over the cord that can fry the D70's electronics. The SC28 would not work :). Nikon also makes a SC15(?) that allows you to attach a sync cord to a hot shoe, but will not provide protection on high voltage leakage over the synch cord.

Have fun shooting the shots on both cameras, one cool thing with the D70, you can use it for test shots before you shoot on film :). try different WB settings, use the flash setting, and also try the cloudy sun setting.

Brian
 
yegster said:
Hello all,

i have nothing for my d70 yet except for a few lenses (35-105
f3.5-4.5 and 24 f2.8 plus various manual lenses). anyway, i have a
formal portrait project coming up for my high school photo class.
my teacher will be supplying us with the lighting (studio strobes
complete with umbrellas etc.) a hasselblad medium format camera,
and the needed accesories to set exposure (light meter), film, etc.
Click to expand...
Choose a good focal length for protraits, 70mm to 140mm (105-210mm 35mm equivalent). This focal length range will render your subjects facial proportions in a pleasing way as well as giving you a comfortable working distance when doing head and shoulder shots.

You can use the cables to fire strobes, but would want a wein safe sync to lower voltage to safe levels.

Better yet, use an optical trigger to fire the slaves. The popup flash can be used to fire the slaves by setting it to Manual (this disables the preflash for a correct sync from the slaves) and setting the power level down far enough to minimize the popups influence on the exposure, but high enough for it to emit enough light to fire the slaves.

Also, try to get some light modifiers, such as Lumidiscs, or homemade reflecors of foam core board, or Mylar covered panels.

You might also want to pick up one or two small and inexpensive ($20-30) slave units to use for rim lights, hair lights, or accents.
yegster said:
My question, because film is dying out rapidly, involves using my
d70. I would like to use the lighting and everything and do a
spring portrait for my sister and/or parents using that equipment.
Is there anyway I can use the provided studio lighting (keep in
mind these are high power strobes. 2000watts i believe) and
metering with my d70? Is there anyway i can pull off triggering the
lighting without buying a flash hot shoe attachment such as the
SC-27/8/9 in conjunction with an AS10?
Click to expand...
Yes, see above for wireless slave triggering.
yegster said:
Thanks for any help.

PS i convinced my photo teacher to buy a d70 as his first digital
slr. i'll have to try and convince him to buy/rent these parts as
teaching aid.
Click to expand...
Your teacher owes you one for this sound advice.

--
Brad
Love plants, don't eat them
Give peas a chance
 
Ditto the comment on the optical slave. I do it all the time. I trigger it with my pop-up flash set on manual at 1/8 power. The optical slave is a cheap little thing -- I think I paid $12 or so a few years ago for it -- that plugs in where the sync cord would plug in. Works great. Just be sure to set the slave unit somewhere where it will see the flash but will still be out of the frame.
]
--
David in Arkansas
Proud FCAS Member, PBASE supporter
http://www.pbase.com/arkie5700

I know art. I just don't know what I like.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30086&item=7509204508&rd=1&tc=photo

Hey kid,
order one of these right now.

1. Shoot at ISO 200
2. Manual at 1/60 at f/8
3. Meter with the flash meter at subjects face, facing the light source.
4. Add 1/3 stop of light from the stobe.

5. If you use 2 stobes set them on equal power, just add modeling by changing the stobes distance from subject.

You will out do the film guys, you will get an A, we will help you until the project is do.

Use the lens you have now at a focal length of about 80 mm.
This ghives you a working focal length of like 120mm, a portrait lens.

Don't worry about film, you digital will do fine.
Shoot in Auto white Balance -3, set your hue to -.3.
Practice before the project, let us see your efforts so we can help.
You will be the best in class.

You will put the others to shame because we will help you and you will read and practice and refine your skills and go for the gold.
Sam Stern
 
samjstern said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30086&item=7509204508&rd=1&tc=photo

Hey kid,
order one of these right now.
Click to expand...
I'll have to look into one of these. thanks for the link
samjstern said:
1. Shoot at ISO 200
2. Manual at 1/60 at f/8
3. Meter with the flash meter at subjects face, facing the light
source.
4. Add 1/3 stop of light from the stobe.
5. If you use 2 stobes set them on equal power, just add modeling
by changing the stobes distance from subject.
You will out do the film guys, you will get an A, we will help you
until the project is do.

Use the lens you have now at a focal length of about 80 mm.
This ghives you a working focal length of like 120mm, a portrait lens.

Don't worry about film, you digital will do fine.
Shoot in Auto white Balance -3, set your hue to -.3.
Practice before the project, let us see your efforts so we can help.
You will be the best in class.

You will put the others to shame because we will help you and you
will read and practice and refine your skills and go for the gold.
Sam Stern
Click to expand...
First off, thanks for all the the help.

Secondly, i have to make at least one print in film (although i like the fact that digital is more accepting of manipulation and tweaking).

So anyway... Thanks again for the help. I wont have much time to practice seeing as I am a student and a high school athlete i.e. i practice nearly 4-5 hours a day. my cash flow will pickup soon (may 8th or so) because i'm applying for my first job(s) at some photo stores such as ritz so i will hopefully get discounts on basic stuff like lenses and external flashes.

I have a couple last questions.

1. Is the PC Sync cord just the DC In port. I'm not really sureif its that port or the usb port. i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but i like to think i am darn close.

2. I have a 24 f2.8 prime. is this lens too wide for a portrait. i think it might distort quite a bit, but it could be kind of fun.

thanks again for all of the help. i'll have to see how much my dad will extend my loan. i still have to pay off the d70 outfit. i only wanted the body; i had the money for it.
 
have a couple last questions.

1. Is the PC Sync cord just the DC In port. I'm not really sure if its that port or the usb port. i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but i like to think i am darn close.

No. The D70 dose not have a PC sync port on it, you need either the Wein Safe Sync or the SC15. If you are hooking up studio strobes( like Speedatrons), you really want to use the Safe Sync. As stated before the strobe power packs can put out voltages that will damage your D70. The DC port in is for the AC adapter, the USB port is a communication port for your computer, neither works with the flash circuits.

2. I have a 24 f2.8 prime. is this lens too wide for a portrait. i think it might distort quite a bit, but it could be kind of fun.

It depends on the look you're going for :). For more "traditional shots" 70 to 135 will work well. If you're doing the portrait in some ones environment, a wide angle may work best to show their surroundings. You could even shoot with the 18. Just to be sure to keep the person you're photographing in the center of the image to minimize distortion.

If the room has really interesting ambient light don't be afraid to mount the camera on a tripod and us a slow shutter speed to allow the light to register. You can probably get away with a shutter speed as slow as a 1/15th or 1/8th. Have fun and experiment.
 
do you always shoot in AWB -3?
samjstern said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30086&item=7509204508&rd=1&tc=photo

Hey kid,
order one of these right now.

1. Shoot at ISO 200
2. Manual at 1/60 at f/8
3. Meter with the flash meter at subjects face, facing the light
source.
4. Add 1/3 stop of light from the stobe.
5. If you use 2 stobes set them on equal power, just add modeling
by changing the stobes distance from subject.
You will out do the film guys, you will get an A, we will help you
until the project is do.

Use the lens you have now at a focal length of about 80 mm.
This ghives you a working focal length of like 120mm, a portrait lens.

Don't worry about film, you digital will do fine.
Shoot in Auto white Balance -3, set your hue to -.3.
Practice before the project, let us see your efforts so we can help.
You will be the best in class.

You will put the others to shame because we will help you and you
will read and practice and refine your skills and go for the gold.
Sam Stern
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/daryl - pbase supporter

Nikon D Seventy. SB-800, 50mm 1.8, 18-70mm ED & 70-200 VR
 
Just to add something to this. I think you have this confused. A PC sync doesn't meant it's going to the computer. I think that's what you were asking right? A PC sync is for syncing strobes, and other third party pro flashes, like a Metz.

What kind of manual lens do you have? When you're using studio strobes, you can't use your in camera metering, so aside from autofocus, your not really missing anything when you're using MF lenses. You'll most likely be using a handheld flash meter.

I wouldn't bother using wide angle lens, they're not flattering for most people. You know that old saying "the camera adds 20lbs anyways"? that's because of wide angle lenses. not only does it give you a wider view of field, but makes people look wider too. the only time to use a w/a is when your doing a large group shot. Use a proper portrait lens, for digital that would be 50mm up to 120mm is good.

The Hasselblad is a great camera system, I got 2, there's a reason why they've been selling almost the same camera for over 40 years. It works, and it's perfection at it's best. Try out the camera and get to know it. A lot commercial pros still use it either with film or with a digital back. The portrait lens for the 'blad is the 150 F4. It's a classic lens (in any of its variations), and is one of the finest, sharpest portrait lenses ever made. Shooting square is a real skill, and the beauty of the square is unbelievable. Once you get used to it, you'll think it's a crime to have to crop the square, but the best part is no rotating when you want a vertical.

What kind of strobes are you using? Are they self contained units (SCU)? SCU strobes usually if not all have built-in slave eyes, so you don't need to add anything to it, just shoot with your built in flash at manual at it's lowest settings, meter it if you want, you'll hardly get anything out of the built in, it just needs to be seen by your slave.

There's only one real rule of shooting a portrait with multiple strobes, always keep your strobes on one side of your subject, the simple rule is to avoid getting multiple shadows, as in there's only one sun, so it looks more natural if you have one shadow.

vince
--
Nikon D70
Nikkor 35-70D 2.8
Nikkor 80-200 ED 2.8
Nikkor 50mm D 1.8
Nikon SB-28
 
scootsandludes said:
What kind of manual lens do you have? When you're using studio
strobes, you can't use your in camera metering, so aside from
autofocus, your not really missing anything when you're using MF
lenses. You'll most likely be using a handheld flash meter.

What kind of strobes are you using? Are they self contained units
(SCU)? SCU strobes usually if not all have built-in slave eyes, so
you don't need to add anything to it, just shoot with your built in
flash at manual at it's lowest settings, meter it if you want,
you'll hardly get anything out of the built in, it just needs to be
seen by your slave.

There's only one real rule of shooting a portrait with multiple
strobes, always keep your strobes on one side of your subject, the
simple rule is to avoid getting multiple shadows, as in there's
only one sun, so it looks more natural if you have one shadow.

vince
Click to expand...
i'll have to ask my teacher about the strobes tuesday (we have testing this week so our schedule is screwed up). He told us the name, but i dont remember it. i might have written it down but i dont think so. he mentioned the name robinson somewhere but b&h. also, my teacher has been teaching for over 30 years. i think this equipment is relatively old, maybe the 90's as the most recent so i doubt they will have slave capabilities.

as for manual focus lenses, i have a tokina 70-210 f3.5-4.5 and a nikkor 35-105 3.5-4.5. i have a few filters, mainly star, skylight/uv haze. but i also have a cpl and a blue filter. i think if i do use digital as my medium, i'm going to pick up a warming filter. maybe magenta or salmon on the flashes themselves.

thanks again,
a high school photographer in need of advice.
 
Yes I do also with hue set at -.3
Helps me with skin tones.
Don't bother with a warming filter when you shoot the portraits.
You'll do it later when you post process.
Do you have any AF Nikon lenses?
or are all of your lenses manual focus.

Find out the brand of strobes. I am quessing either Speedotron or Photogenic.\\We'll see if I am right.

Take care, study hard, be the best.

Sam Stern
 
samjstern said:
Yes I do also with hue set at -.3
Helps me with skin tones.
Don't bother with a warming filter when you shoot the portraits.
You'll do it later when you post process.
Do you have any AF Nikon lenses?
or are all of your lenses manual focus.

Find out the brand of strobes. I am quessing either Speedotron or
Photogenic.\\We'll see if I am right.

Take care, study hard, be the best.

Sam Stern
Click to expand...
i have the 24 f 2.8d, the d70 kit lens and the 35-105 f3.5-4.5 not the greatest repitorie, but i'm working on it. my birthday is coming up and i'm getting a job within the month (hopefully at a camera store with a fair sized selection of lenses and flashes). I plan on getting the 50 f1.8 or the 50 f 1.4 (indoor architechural shots for my mom) 70-200 f2.8 or bigma for sports (paintball and soccer) and a few other lenses to play with. If only i could convince my dad to let em sell some of the film stuff (nikon n70 nikon fe2 and a few manual lenses and a coupel sunpak flashes).
 
i talked to my photo teacher tody and he said we would be using 4 norman speedlite strobes adn that it would be hooked up to the camera via pc sync cord. so i guess i need to buy an as10 or something of that nature.
 
yegster said:
i talked to my photo teacher tody and he said we would be using 4
norman speedlite strobes adn that it would be hooked up to the
camera via pc sync cord. so i guess i need to buy an as10 or
something of that nature.
Click to expand...
You'll actually want the AS-15 if you're using the D70. The AS-15 goes in the hot shoe and has PC sockets for connecting to strobes via sync cords.

Why not just optically slave and use the popup in Manual to trigger the slaves? You can dial down the power on the popup to almost nothing, in order to keep the light from it from influencing the shot, yet still trip the slaves. Or, you could cover the popup flash head with a piece of unexposed but developed slide film to block the visible light, but still transmit the slave-triggering infrared light.

For architecture, a 50mm prime would be too long for interiors (75mm equivalent on 35mm film). You'd want to go to 10mm-18mm. You'll get distortion, but this can easily be corrected for in PS.

--
Brad
Love plants, don't eat them
Give peas a chance
 
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