Huge softbox, massive gold reflector
Is this a softbox, Daddy?
Why you might want to open a photography studio in a farmyard
Last weekend was a bank holiday without a wedding to photograph, so we enjoyed family time (my wife’s emphasis!) and a much lighter than work-a-day camera bag to carry around. I did have a speedlight in the bag, but, after surveying the wonderful lighting conditions in the new “playbarn” at Greenlands Farm Village, I gave it the day off too.
Quick on the straw
The open-sided barn was facing away from the bright sun but was lit by beautiful defuse light from an expanse of fluffy cloud and blue sky. It gets better: the clean straw-filled play area is surrounded by an apron of utilitarian farmyard concrete—light, neutral grey. So that’s my two huge (too huge!) soft boxes sorted. And what about a nice warm reflector for the other side of the subject? How does many square metres of one-foot-deep golden straw sound? Well, however it sounds the effect was great natural lighting and a lot of fun.
Escape tunnel
For the technically minded, here’s some geekery:
Middle of the afternoon wedding photography—three weddings in the last few weeks—means I often have to make judicious use of TTL fill-flash from an on-camera SB900 Speedlight dialled down both on the flash and—because it is the Nikon Creative Lighting System—on the camera. Ideal results approximate to softbox/soft lighting or, better still, an “it doesn’t look like flash photography at all” kiss of light. Subtle use of fill-flash means not having to deal with shadowy eye sockets from top lighting and consequent Photoshop/Cameral Raw/Lightroom compromises of the fill light slider.
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