using ropes and cables

 

Camp Timber-Lee has a High Ropes Course.  My sons climbed up there, while I took pictures from terra firma.  I wanted to show something with perspective, so instead of looking for an unobstructed view, I positioned myself so that a young person remained in the foreground.  I thought it would be easy because an overcast sky causes even lighting and reduces harsh shadows.  But that doesn't work so well when you're taking pics from below your subjects.  I used my new flash contraption to light up the girl on the left.

A couple posts ago I explained how "I took some non-functioning relics that used to be a wireless flash transmitter and receiver, stripped the guts, and hardwired it to make an extension cable from my camera's hot shoe to an external flash."  So for the shot above, I held the flash out with my left arm so we could see the details and color of her hair, backpack and jacket.  This is what my flash extension looks like:

 That was my first DSLR, by the way.  It doesn't work anymore, but I haven't pitched it.  Hey, do you want to see something fun?  Click on this last picture to have a good look at my son's expression as he looks down from the High Ropes.

a new season

This is the camera I have been working with since mid-November, 2007. It is a point-and-shoot with 2.1 megapixels. That is modest by today's standards, but believe me, this camera has been a huge blessing, and I am thankful for God's bountiful provision. I have become comfortable with it, and expect to continue enjoying it for a long time.

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And now, allow me to present a recent cohabitor of my camera bag. As of this week, I march on and spring ahead with the addition of a Pentax ist DL. This used camera came from the same family that I got the Mavica from. It is a 6 megapixel, entry level DSLR, and I am eager to familiarize myself with all these lovely knobs and buttons and settings. Ain't it purdy?

a slave for Craver

My camera has a flash mount, but not a hotshoe. The difference? This camera is designed to exclusively trigger a proprietary flash, which costs too much money for me. I have another flash, but it sits unusable, collecting dust.

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Until now. I picked up a slave flash trigger for thirty-three bucks. This can be used as far as 100 feet away, and I would like to experiment with some shots where the flash is strategically positioned. But I also wanted to be able to bounce the flash off the ceiling and/or use a bigger flash on top of my camera. In order to activate the trigger, the infrared receiver needs to "see" another flash go off. It looks like a monstrosity, but I am eager to see how it works.

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The unit came in last week, but I haven't found occasion to use it yet. I hope to experiment with portraits next Sunday.