Nature Light Photo

Lighting Diagrams

Honestly, I never thought I’d be writing about this particular subject, but here it is: I’m writing about two Apple iPhone apps. Yes, they have to do with photography.

I am starting to really get into lighting with Speedlights and using them for fill light and also for lighting situations where the object of the photo is to produce a dramatic image.

The two apps are Sylights and Strobox. These two apps do pretty much the same thing, they’re for producing lighting diagrams. They work as designed.

You choose the backdrop, the subject, and the camera placement. Then you select the type of light source, the modifiers, and reflectors. The end result is a diagram that allows you to see the set up before you move all of the lights and equipment.

I use them two ways. One, to play with ideas of how to place them and, two, to copy and save other lighting setups that I want to try at home.

If you have an iPhone and are interested in lighting and lighting diagrams, take a look at these two apps.

Sylight

Strobox

Please feel free to use the comment form below and let me know what you think.

Lee Vining Trees

During my last trip to the Mono Lake area, I stayed at the Mono Vista RV park. No, I don’t own an RV, but I needed a

shower and they have good campsites and warm showers.

While there relaxing, I looked up and saw these trees. At first I didn’t think anything about them, but then I started thinking that there was a nice texture there, but I didn’t know how to capture it so that it would show the feeling I had while there.

Then I remembered that I have been working on trying to see more images in black and white. BAM! How to frame and shoot it became clear.

Here is the result.

Lee Vining Trees

They Closed Death Valley

Ok, not really, but it sure seemed that way.

I took a quick trip to visit and explore Death Valley over the long President’s Day weekend. The idea was to explore the national park, get some shots of the landscape, and kind of get a lay of the land so I could go back and visit with a more definite plan what to shoot next time I visit. I also wanted to take my new FJ Cruiser out and test what it out on some of the backcountry roads.

We had a major storm go through California on the Tuesday and Wednesday the week before and I was excited by the possibilities of some great clouds in the sky over the areas that I had researched before going.

I was wrong. I got to DeVa and it was mostly closed. The rangers had list of roads open had 15-20 different backcountry roads and other points of interest on it; only five of them were open.

Apparently, the rains the week before had dumped over an inch of rain in one night. Death Valley is not the environment to handle an inch of rain in a 12 hour period. It is a desert, the water doesn’t soak into the ground very quickly; it just runs off downhill. The park flooded. Every road that I drove on had signs of the rain.

Mostly debris and dirt that had washed from the sides onto the road, but some of the roads showed major damage. Apparently, those that were located in some of the canyons got undercut and/or covered in several feet of mud. The surprising thing was that the dirt roads, if they weren’t closed, were just fine for the most part. The disappointing part was that there almost wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

After revamping the itinerary, the trip turned out better than I expected. After I had eliminated some of the spots that I wanted to visit and rescheduled some others, I had a great time, got some great shots, and tested the FJ in some pretty good conditions. The FJ could REALLY use a bath right now and it will get one sometime in the very near future.

I will be posting some of those shots here in the VERY near future. I know it’s been over five weeks since I posted here, but it got kind of busy recently and I have since made a resolution to post at least three times a week.

I did get the opportunity to use what is becoming one of my favorite iPhone apps, AutoStitch. You use your iPhone to take pictures for a panorama and the application does a GREAT job of stitching them together into a very usable image.

I took two of Scotty’s Castle in the northeast corner of the park and one of my campsite near the Racetrack Playa.

The clock tower and generator room.

The courtyard in Scotty’s Castle.

The view from my campsite near the Racetrack Playa.

I also got to use the video camera on the iPhone a few times. The only one that is worth seeing is this one. After viewing it, you might be able to understand why the FJ needs a carwash. To see the video, click here.

You can see the results of the drive through Death Valley mud.

iPhone Photo #10

I love it when you look up and there, right in front of you, is the image of the day.

The Lava Lamp in my classroom.

iPhone Photo #9

Walking toward the pool to officiate a game. Hoping it wouldn’t rain, but knowing that it already has recently. Then I noticed this puddle with the reflection of the sky and part of the railing.

iPhone Photo #8

It’s been a while since I got an iPhone photo up. I’ve been kind of busy preparing for school and my upcoming trips.

I was in our copy room and saw the wrappers for the reams of copy paper on the trash can. I love blue and yellow and I liked the pattern.

Again, except for the tagging of this post, everything was done on the iPhone.

iPhone Photo #7

Shadow of a fan. I liked the texture of the ceiling and contrast and shape of the shadows.

iPhone Photo #6

Ok, I’ve been away for a while. It’s not easy developing a habit.

I hope this is the start of a more solid habit.

I saw this outside a health clinic. The peace sign caught my eye. Yes, it’s a surgical glove, but it was on the ground in an interesting pattern. And as I look at it, I see a bunny rabbit more and more.

I think you have to be able to see patterns like this.

iPhone Photo #5

Three doors. It’s kind of a window in a window thing. Our school has really long hallways and an interesting indoor/outdoor design.

iPhone Photo #4

Sandals. The two different feet with the same sandals on them was interesting. She wouldn’t let me take a picture of her right foot.