New Gadgets for Speedlite Junkies!

Bruce Dorn | 03/26- 02:21 PM

With airline baggage restrictions growing tighter by the day, I’ve found myself with some tough choices when packing for “On Location” jobs.  Oh sure, I’d love to drag along my beautiful Bron studio packs and heads but the cost of excessive baggage has become, well, excessive…

I needed a more compact solution and have turned to speedlites for most of my smaller jobs.  I’m sure I’m not the only one doing so because interest in good, solid speedlite work is the topic of much conversation everywhere I go.  Whenever I do a demonstration shoot for Canon at one of the big photo trade shows I’m overwhelmed by the interest in speedlites; especially when they’re applied with some sort of capable light modifiers…

I’m an unrepentant gadgeteer and more than happy to build any gizmo I need and can’t find on the market.  Given that a lot of the stuff that is on the shelves is flimsy and poorly designed, I stay pretty busy in the ol’ metal shop.  After I make and test a prototype I usually commission a short production run to share with other like-minded souls.  Let me show you a few of my latest projects…

Here’s something I’ve been using for quite some time. This is a combination of mdoular specialty pieces in a line I call the Strobe Slippers.  Basically, this is an aluminum baseplate with specific mounting hard points for the speedlite, a Pocket Wizard, and an adapter that accommodates an industry-standard six-inch softbox ring.  This, along with a QR handle I call the Magic Wand allows for easy stand-mounted or hand-held usage.

I call this tidy little aluminum gadget the Double Header.  It works with most shoe-mount speedlites although the latest Nikon flashes are a bit of a problem with their non-standardized mounting approach.  Canons and Sunpaks and Metz and Vivitars all work well with the Double Header and offer a great way to double your output with little fuss.  The Double Header is drilled and tapped for the industry-standard ¼-20 threaded stud.  It works great mounted on the brass stud included with a Photoflex Tilt Bracket and even better on my own Magic Wand.  Here’s a couple of illustrations to clarify the usage with a Westcott Collapsible Shoot-Through Umbrella:

If two are good, three are even better.  Continuing the theme, I designed another billet aluminum bracket to accommodate three speedlites in a perfect 120 degree distribution. This one is, of course, called the Triple Threat. Check it out:

Just thought I’d share.  If you’re interested in vastly expanding the capabilities of the lowly speedlite, take a look around my webstore at http://www.idcphotography.com.

Also, stay tuned for much more on the subject.  It appears that I’ll be doing some Canon-sponsored Live Learning events this coming summer.  We’re preparing to hit the road to do weekend workshops on both speedlite and HD video from the new gen of Canon HDSLRs…

Should be educational and fun, too!  Can’t wait…

Tigers Everywhere!

Bruce Dorn | 03/26- 09:04 AM

Here in the States we have an Emmy-winning reality show called “Extreme Make-Over, Home Edition.” It airs on Sunday nights on the ABC network.  The show’s premise revolves around a team of volunteer home builders, craftsmen, and designers coming to the aid of a worthy but down-on-their-luck family.  In each episode, the selected family receives a surprise door-knock at 7:00am on a Saturday morning.  After reacting with justifiable glee, the family is herded into a limo and promptly packed off for a week-long vacation.  While the family is away, a vast army of local volunteers joins the substantial EMHE production team to remodel or rebuild the family’s home before they return the following Saturday

Big Brucie Bloviates at Macworld…

Bruce Dorn | 01/02- 01:03 PM

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year and mention a personal appearance that is just around the corner…

I’ll be winging my way to Macworld in San Francisco to participate in the Corel sponsored discussion panel entitled “Digital Art Pioneers and Trendsetters”.  The details were included in a press releases posted by Scott Gentry.  I just thought that I would elaborate a bit….

5D Mark II Video, Part Two

Bruce Dorn | 12/23- 08:50 AM

Cinematography, photography, and videography are undeniably machine-based crafts.  Just as a painter needs to understand the character and limitations of her brushes, so too do we need to understand the nuance of our camera systems. A mastery of technical craft doesn’t assure the ascension to Art but it certain helps to smooth the path.  While the mastery of our craft can become a fascinating obsession in itself, my preference is to take the long view and treat technique as an enjoyable means to a gratifying end.

Introduction to the 5D Mark II’s Video Feature

Bruce Dorn | 12/11- 01:22 PM

Now that people are starting to get their new 5D Mark IIs, all sorts of questions are emerging. After the camera has been excitedly unboxed, carefully charged, poked, prodded, and weighed for merit, test shots are in order.  I have no doubt that each and every one of you has a whole laundry list of things to investigate. Once that’s done, I encourage you to take a peek at the new HD capture function. 

I just finished a big project that features a fusion of 5D Mark II HD footage and still captures.  Here are a couple of sample images. 

Welcome to Studio B!

Bruce Dorn | 12/05- 11:20 AM

As a cursory glance at my long-winded resume will quickly reveal, I’ve been shooting for a very long time.  I’ve never done anything else, actually; every meal I’ve enjoyed – and I do enjoy my meals - has been paid for with monies earned from behind a viewfinder.  Over the course of my thirty-five year professional career as a photographer and filmmaker I’ve seen tons of changes in the industry and well, here we go again…

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