Strobist.com - Learn How to Light

A year ago, a photo editor at the Chapel Hill News suggested I check out the Strobist blog. I want home that day and have been hooked since. David Hobby, the longtime newspaper photographer, has caused quite a stir in photographic circles with his guide to and thoughts on lighting. From What is Strobist?:

This website is about one thing: Learning how to use off-camera flash with your dSLR to take your photos to the next level. Or the next ten levels.

Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about how to more effectively use your small speedlights. There are more than 1,000 articles about lighting. Over two million photographers from around the world have learned small-flash lighting techniques from this site. We’re thinking you can, too.

I have gone through his Lighting 101, On Assignment, and Boot Camp sections and try to read through his new posts regularly. I have learned much and been inspired to think creatively about lighting. I do not have an extensive set up, just a single off-camera Vivitar on a stand, an on-camera SB-400 and a couple of different triggers.

I have been documenting my strobist adventures on these pages. In particular, I have been focused on the additional complications that I have faced due to my visual impairment. I have finally decided to bring them together in one spot, sort of a reference point for a blind strobist.

Strobist in Theory

• Didactylos’ Strobe: A Visually-Impaired Photographer’s Guide to Accessing the Strobist Approach: For some time now, I have been following the Strobist blog. David Hobby, the longtime newspaper photographer, has caused quite …
• Discussing Strobist for the Visually Impaired: Follow Up to Didactylos’ Strobe: Strobist on Flickr Following up on this morning’s post, Didactylos’ Strobe, I went to the Strobist forums on Flickr and posted a link to Didactylos’ Strobe. …
• BlindSignted: My Own Photographic Process: As part of the BlindSighted project on Blind Photographers, I have posted my enty on my photographic process. Hopefully this will prompt a …
• Tethering with a Portable DVD Player: More on the Blind Strobist: Following up on my Strobist-for-the-visually-impaired posts, Didacylos’ Strobe and the first update, I have received some great suggestions. The first suggestion is about using a …
• Musings: Vision, Light & Photography: The scoop we use for our morning coffee is coffee colored. This makes it hard for me to see how much coffee is in the scoop. Instinctively, I tilt the scoop so that the nearest light falls across it rather than directly on it. The cross light brings out the texture of the grounds, which… »

Strobist in Practice

• Me. Moody. Hard I was in an odd humor this afternoon. I took my camera out, which I have not done in a while, to try and capture …

• Shooting an Escuincle: Mother & Son A few weeks ago, we were visiting some good friends who have a wonderful pair of (now) six-month old twin boys. I lugged …
• Wildcats Vs. Jaguars in the Paper: As I mentioned last week, some of my photos from last week’s prep basketball game were to be published in the Chapel Hill News. …
• Wrestling Outtakes: As I mentioned at the end of last week, I spent much of Saturday Pinning Down Some Wrestiling Images. After spending eight hours navigating brackets, …

Strobist in Review

• A Good Starter Flash for a Starter Photographer:Review Nikon’s SB-400 flash: SB-400 Great for Beginners to Flash Photography As versatile as the SB-600 flash is, Nikon’s SB-400 is a much less intimidating start to flash photography for the …
• A Strobist Companion: A Book Review: Minimalist Lighting by Kirk Tuck: Minimalist Lighting If you are getting caught up in photography and want to ride the minimalist (Strobist) wave, as good a place to start as any …
• Time for a Fast Prime Lens?: The Gadgetwise Blog @ NYTimes has a useful suggestion for DSLR owners on how to Take Better Photos With a Fast Prime Lens.  Prime lenses, which are lenses that do not zoom, can take better photos as they have fewer mechanical parts. Zooming in requires that you get closer to your subject and zooming out…

Suggestion and thoughts welcome!