Heart/Ring/Bible for Church Bulletin

[HillPhotos2009]

I do the bulletins for our church and I thought I'd actually shoot something that went with the upcoming holiday. Whenever I look up anything to do with wedding rings on Google Images I see pics of rings in bibles casting a heart-shaped shadow. So I tried that tonight.

I used my new trigger and receivers and new flash with my old 430 EX II. This is the first time I had EVER set anything up like this with speedlites.

I had been reading a lot about speedlighting lately and been pretty surprised at how easily I've been understanding everything. I put some of what I had read into practice tonight and I was really pleased. I know this shot needs a lot of fine tuning, but for our gigantic congregation of 25 (20 of which are 80+ and can't see past their noses) I went ahead and used this photo on our bulletin for church tomorrow - they're pretty easy to please.

I started out with my 430 EX II to camera right and the No-Namer behind the ring with a red "gel" (a color filter for a 35mm flash) attached to the flash with scotch tape. I realized I was getting a shadow on the ring's left so I moved the 430 behind the No-Namer. I used my 50D with settings: iso 100, 400, f32.

What could I have done to fine-tune this shot? Should I have put the red flash closer to the ring? Stacked the flashes on top of each other? Idk, I didn't experiment further because I spent the batteries on one of the flashes.

The bulletin as a finished product.

[HillPhotos2009]

Oh, yeah - and 'sup with that black bar in the first picture? Is it from the crop factor in my camera? It wasn't there when I shot with the shutter speed on 250.

[LadyShutterBug]

I have always done these shots using ambient light... Just placing it where the shadows work!

[picman]

The maximum sync speed for the 50D is 1/250.
This explains sync speed pretty well: Understand Flash Sync Speed so You Don’t Sink Your Photo Shoot

Your flash has a high speed sync option and will allow syncing at any shutter speed - the trade-off is less output.

[HillPhotos2009]

Originally Posted by LadyShutterBug

I have always done these shots using ambient light

Like window light?

[MHampton]

Maybe open the Bible where a verse about Love is visible instead of one about a "barren womb". ;)

[HillPhotos2009]

Ha, ha! Unfortunately my husband and I underlined and annotated throughout most of or bibles. I wanted to shoot in S. o. S. but alas, too much scribbling!

[arich]

+1 about your sync speed. Also, I would have shot with a larger aperture with your Oxus point on Hebrews 10:25 since that's what the flyer has on it. That way the rest of the text drops into fuzzy happiness

[HillPhotos2009]

I tried it again last night. I want able to clean up the heart any more. Idk why. The only reason I can think if that it would be so large & fuzzy is I'm using a wide men's ring.

If I try using a larger aperture the shot gets blown out. I settled the shutter speed on 250.

I guess I have a couple more variables to try like taking the diffuser off the white speedlite and repositioning the lights. I thought if I moved the red lite closer to the ring the heart shadow would be more defined, but it looked about the same.

[Jake]

I find this kind of shot easier with a video light. Heck, even a small flash light would work.
That way you can see in real time how the heart looks and how to position it. That's how I've done it in the past.......uh...I mean that's how I *would of done it.....

[DigMe]

Originally Posted by HillPhotos2009

I guess I have a couple more variables to try like taking the diffuser off the white speedlite and repositioning the lights. I thought if I moved the red lite closer to the ring the heart shadow would be more defined, but it looked about the same.

Shadows become more defined as the light becomes harder so actually moving it further away should harden the shadow if the light has enough oomph. To get harder shadows you use as bare a light as possible moved farther away. When you move it closer the relative size of the light to the ring becomes larger and therefore softer and therefore less defined shadow edges.

brad

[DigMe]

BTW, I think the font you used is totally out of place here.

brad

[HillPhotos2009]

Thanks, Brad. I'll move them further away then.

Idk what you mean about the font though? My web address on the pics?

[DigMe]

I'm talking about the font used on the finished bulletin. It just doesn't look like it fits the product to me. Also the papyrus font on the left side is a really overused font.

brad

[HillPhotos2009]

Eh, I'm not too worried about it. I used the font on the right b/c my pastor likes things that look "cowboy" and I really like the pyprus font.

I change the font on the front almost every week anyway, depending on what mood I'm in.