The Lightscoop: Bouncing Pop-up Flash for Better Photos

 

Place the Lightscoop over your pop-up flash and it bounces the light output for better lighting. Haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my radar as a useful accessory to pick up and tuck in a camera bag, because it’s also small and lightweight. There’s also a warming version, available separately.

Lightscoop was invented by Ken Kobre, a highly respected photojournalism professor, author, and photojournalist in his own right. Kobre states the Lightscoop cures such direct flash ills as: red eye; weird dark shadow in foreground or on side; too-dark backgrounds; unflattering skin tones; and unappealing eBay photos.

Kobre has some before and after photos on his Lightscoop site. You can also show your own Lightscoop before and after photos in the Lightscoop flickr group, moderated by Professor Kobre.

Lightscoop is currently available for dslr models from Nikon, Pentax, Fuji FinePix, Sigma, and Canon. Buy it here for $29.95.

Here’s the bio from the Kobre site:

“Ken Kobré is the author of “Photojournalism: The Professionals’
Approach” and inventor of Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop, the only camera
accessory that instantly improves pop-up flash photos. For more
information, see www.lightscoop.com, or contact Professor Kobré at asktheprof@lightscoop.com.”

Flickr: Add Referrer into Comments

Here’s a script for Flickr that will automatically add how you found the photo you’re commenting on. For instance: “Seen on your photostream.”

You’ll find it here, along with instructions on how to install it for several different browsers. I’m using it in Firefox and I had to install the Greasemonkey add on first.

I like it with one exception: because it’s filled in automatically when you enter the flickr comment box, you’ll have to manually delete it if you don’t want what the auto message says. When I have specific text that a group requests be added to a comment, I often don’t want the auto referrer script there.

PVC Light Tent

Gordon Coale has built a better mouse trap with his PVC light tent; well, the results are likely the same as my cardboard and fabric light tent, but Cole’s construction method is surely sturdier, especially for taking around on location. Another neat feature is that he’s used snap clamp fittings to make the garbage bag diffusion panels adjustable, say, if you wanted to leave one of the sides open. You’ll find a set of flickr photos with step-by-step instructions here, and you can get the snap clamps here.

Flickr Projects on SourceForge.net

Flickr has a wonderful variety of photo groups; great places to see photos from around the world and share photography info with like-minded folks. A “Pro” account ($24.95 U.S.) lets you upload and organize an unlimited number of images. People have written a number of Flickr uploaders, which can be found through a search on Flickr. But what about downloading all these images? And are there other ways to use this photo archive?

I had come across some Flickr downloading tools a short time ago while surfing the Net. So I knew they were out there. I went to SourceForge.net, a resource for free, open-source software, and did a search for Flickr projects. That yielded lots of interesting stuff. I downloaded a few projects to try: a couple of Flickr desktop viewers/organizers, a Flickr downloader, and a Flickr tool written in PHP that lets you use a Flickr set to display as a SimpleViewer album on your own web site.

Gonna test these out and see how they work.

Orton Imagery

Monarch Butterfly

Originally uploaded by bc.foto.

The soft glow in the Monarch Butterfly image above is an example of Orton Imagery. Back in the day of film, this effect was created by combining color slides into a “slide-sandwich” of two overexposed images: one in-focus and the other out-of-focus.

Today, the Orton effect can be created in Photoshop and other image editors. There’s an excellent tutorial on the Nature Photographers online magazine: here’s the HTML web link and here’s the PDF file.

The tutorial includes how to create the effect in Photoshop, as well as using slide film. It was written by Darwin Wigget, who learned about this technique in a Popular Photography article by Michael Orton. Wigget began calling it “Orton Imagery.”

On flickr, I’m a member of two Orton groups: Orton Group and Orton Addicts. Looking at how other people are using Orton helps me learn more about the technique.

Learn Off-Camera Flash

There are many advantages to using your hot-shoe flash off-camera, such as better lighting control. You can even use them for a lightweight, portable studio, complete with umbrellas and softboxes. If you’re not sure what all of this means, or if you’ve been looking to advance your flash photography skills, the Strobist blog is your new best friend. Learn the basics with Lighting 101. Learn how to build the “Starving Student” Off-Camera Light Kit. Lighting equipment can cost big $$$, but here you’ll find ways to get professional results for less.

Mostly, the blog is about traveling light and being creative in how to light such things as a person or food. The blog is written by David Hobby, a photographer with the Baltimore Sun. As a photojournalist, he’s called on to photograph a variety of assignments with what he can carry and what’s on hand. Hobby is practical, funny, and a natural teacher. It’s really cool to see how he gets fantastic results with a minimum of equipment.

(BTW, check out the Strobist Group on Flickr. Good images of final results, behind-the-scenes lighting setups, and a place to post your questions.)