During this tutorial Kerry shows how to use a light meter to determine the difference between the background and the subject to achieve a good high-key look as well as using the meter to determine the proper exposure.

Technical details aside, let’s get down to it and see who won what.

Let’s start off with our big prize winners.

The winner of the BUI Brothers Promo Video is Scott Richardson from Greenfield, IN

The winner of the Spend a Day with Scarlett is Ric French Jacksonville Fl

The winner of the Lensbaby Composer is Marc Bourassa Marietta, GA

The following is the remaining list of winners:

ShootSac - LeeAnn Townsend Starke, FL
Think Tank Backpack - Tim McCarty Warren, MI
Marc Fuller Website Theme - Luis Lopez-Santiago Ann Arbor Michigan
Camera Slingers Strap – Stephen Brown Carrollton, TX
Camera Slingers Strap – Melissa Yocum Castle Rock, CO
Camera Slingers Strap – Amy Burke Cincinnati, Ohio
Camera Slingers Strap – Chris Myers Farmington, MN
GoBee Bag – Michael Croft Billings, Montana
FastTrack Audio Book -  Tim Lemons Peoria, IL
Pictage – Matthew Dillingham Talladega, AL
Westcott Reflector – Casy Wilkins – Phoenix Az
Black Rapid Strap – Allyn Edmonds Antioch California
Black Rapid Strap – Mark Kelly Clarkston, MI
Black Rapid Strap- Jeffery Saddoris Alta Loma, CA
Black Rapid Strap – Karen Winger Bridgewater, MA
Camera Dojo Lightroom Preset Pak - Riz Crescini Kitakyushu, Japan
Camera Dojo Lightroom Preset Pak – Sara France San Diego, CA
Camera Dojo Lightroom Preset Pak – Gwendolyn Tundermann Jacksonville, FL
Camera Dojo Lightroom Preset Pak – Jenni Lillie Erie CO
OnOne Focal Point – Nicole Spikes Shreveport, LA
Carlos Baez – See The Light DVD – Dennis Zerwas Jr Andover, Minnesota
Trendy Camera Straps – Dana L Schagunn Dickinson, North Dakota
Trendy Camera Straps – Kortney Jarman Powell, Tennessee
Trendy Camera Straps – Jared Haagen Fort Wayne, IN
Trendy Camera Straps – Craig Roberts Langley, BC
Trendy Camera Wrestlettes - Eric C. Magnuson Westmoreland NH
Trendy Camera Wrestlettes – Thomas Spragg  Centerville TN
Photographers Toolkit Lookbook – Sergio Villareal South San Francisco, CA
Camera Dojo – DSLR Cleaning Kit – Josh Husted North Canton, Ohio

Congratulations to all of our winners and special thanks to all of the prize sponsors

Prizes donated by:

The Bui Brothers: http://thebuibrothers.com – $1,500 Promotional Video

Scarlett Lillian: http://scarlettlillian.net – $1,500 Spend a day with Scarlett
Lensbaby: http://lensbaby.com – Lensbaby Composer Selective Focus Lens
Shootsac: http://shootsac.com
Think Tank Photo: http://thinktankphoto.com
Marc Fuller: http://www.marcfuller.com
Camera Slingers: http://cameraslingers.com
Go|Bee: http://gobeebags.com
Dane Sanders: http://fasttrackphotographer.com
Pictage: http://pictage.com
Westcott: http://fjwestcott.com
Black Rapid R-Straps: http://blackrapid.com
Camera Dojo Lightroom Presets – http://cameradojo.com
OnOne Software: http://ononesoftware.com
Carlos Baez – See The Light DVD – http://www.seethelightDVD.com
Trendy Camera Straps: http://www.trendycamerastraps.com
Photographer’s Toolkit – http://photographerstoolkit.com

Show Hosts

Kerry Garrison
http://kerrygarrison.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kerrygarrison Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/garrisonphotography

David Esquire
http://esquirephotography.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/esquirephoto Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidesquire

This podcast is also available on iTunes.

Prizes donated by:

The Bui Brothers: http://thebuibrothers.com – $1,500 Promotional Video

Scarlett Lillian: http://scarlettlillian.net – $1,500 Spend a day with Scarlett

Lensbaby: http://lensbaby.com – Lensbaby Composer Selective Focus Lens

Shootsac: http://shootsac.com

Think Tank Photo: http://thinktankphoto.com

Marc Fuller: http://www.marcfuller.com

Camera Slingers: http://cameraslingers.com

Go|Bee: http://gobeebags.com

Dane Sanders: http://fasttrackphotographer.com

Pictage: http://pictage.com

Westcott: http://fjwestcott.com

Black Rapid R-Straps: http://blackrapid.com

Camera Dojo Lightroom Presets

OnOne Software: http://ononesoftware.com

Carlos Baez – See The Light DVD – http://www.seethelightDVD.com

Trendy Camera Straps: http://www.trendycamerastraps.com

Show Hosts

Kerry Garrison
http://kerrygarrison.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kerrygarrison Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=822369545

David Esquire
http://esquirephotography.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/esquirephoto Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=636655600

This podcast is also available on iTunes.

The Original TD-5′s

Spiderlite TD-5

The TD-5 Spidelites comes standard with five 27 watt fluorescent bulbs which each put out about 110 watts giving you a total of around 550 watts. For portraits this is just a tad under powered for my tastes since I need to bump my ISO in order to get a good exposure since a slower shutter speed just doesn’t always work well with some subjects. With product photography this isn’t an issue since products don’t typically move on their own so a slower shutter speed can usually be used.

The New Bulbs

TD5 Spiderlite Bulb

To say that the new bulbs are bigger than the previous bulbs is a monster of an understatement. The new high wattage bulbs simply dwarf the original bulbs in raw size and thickness of the elements. In fact, the bulbs are so big that you can no longer put five of them into the TD-5 light head.

As the saying goes, “size matters” and these huge bulbs can really shine (ok, bad joke, I know).  Being rated at 50watts gives them about 200 watts of output each and then an additional 20watt bulb that fits into the middle position pushes the total output to close to 900 watts.  With around 1.8x the original power output you gain just shy of a full stop of light.

The Results

High Wattage Spiderlite TD-5 Bulbs

As much as I liked my Spiderlite TD-5′s before, now I love them! The extra light output was exactly what I needed to use them for more situations that I would have had to switch to strobes for. Not only can I use them for more photo situations but they work great as video lights as well.

These new bulbs are not cheap, the five bulb pack will set you back almost $180. I know that this seems like an awful lot of money for bulbs but keep in mind that a typical 500 watt bulb will have a life expectancy of about 60 hours while at 60 hours these fluorescent bulbs are just getting broken in and can be expected to last a total of about 8,000 hours. Think about that for a second. A typical 500 watt tungsten bulb will last just about 2.5 days of continuous use while these fluorescents will last over 333 days! That can be a huge cost savings over time.

Example Image

The bulbs do work as expected as with the old bulbs in on a simple lighting setup I was shooting at 1/25th at f/5.6 and the same setup with the new bulbs gave the same exposure at 1/50th at f/5.6 which is right what you should get by increasing the light output by a stop.

If you like using constant lights like I do but don’t like the extreme heat of tungsten bulbs, not to mention the danger of using such hot lights, than SpiderLite TD-5′s outfitted with the high wattage bulbs may be just the setup you are looking for. Let’s also not forget to mention that these bulbs are daylight balanced so they are real easy to work with without having to mess with custom white balances.

The SpiderLite TD-5′s are not your bargain basement quality lights, they are high quality studio lights that will last you for many years so yes, they are a little costly but they are seriously worth it if you are serious about your lighting.

For more information check out Westcott’s website at http://fjwestcott.com

Links from the show:

SensorPen/LensPen – http://lenspen.com
Camera Slingers – http://cameraslingers.com
Marc Fuller – http://www.thinklikeabride.com/theagency/
Bluehost – http://bluehost.com
Westcott Photo Basics Green Screen Kit – http://photobasics.net/unleash.cfm

Show Hosts

Kerry Garrison
http://kerrygarrison.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kerrygarrison Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=822369545

David Esquire
http://esquirephotography.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/esquirephoto Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=636655600

This podcast is also available on iTunes.

Overview
If you haven’t read it already you should probably start with our original review of the Photo Basics StrobeLites as that will bring you up to speed on the kit and the associated accessories. This article is going to focus on the StrobeLite Plus and the differences between it and the original StrobeLite series.

Both versions are complete mono-lite heads meaning they are self-contained units with the power supply and flash bulb in a single unit. The basic controls are an adjustment that takes the unit from full power down to 1/4 power, an on/off switch, and switch for the modeling light for off/full power/variable power. Both models feature flash ready lights and optical slave sensors. The StrobeLite Plus goes a step further and has switches to disable the audio ready beep and the optical sensor.

Features
The following table outlines the difference between the two models:

So what’s it all mean?

The most obvious difference is that the StrobeLite Plus head takes the output from 150ws to 200ws, while this isn’t a massive difference more power is always better, especially when using super large soft boxes or octagons. With the option to turn off the audible ready beep they are less obnoxious when used in situations like weddings. The other switch on the Plus series enables you to turn off the optical sensor, this also is very useful in situations like weddings so all the point-and-shoots aren’t making your strobes go off.

While the extra power and controls are nice, one of the nicest features is the tilting bracket on the StrobeLite Plus is made of metal instead. With the plastic bracket on the lower-end version the light cannot hold up heavier softboxes like the 36″ x 48″ softbox, within a few seconds the light will start to sag over. With the metal bracket on the Plus, even the heaviest modifiers should be nice and secure now.

The Bottom Line
Looking online, the StrobeLite is available for around $140 while the StrobeLite Plus goes for $210. Is the upgraded Plus heads really worth an additional $70? For me, the ability to use super large softboxes without sagging is is a huge plus, adding a little extra power cinches the deal for me. I don’t personally need the ability to turn off the optical slave or the audible ready tone but those may be important features for some people.

While there are other similar products coming to market from other companies, what we like the most is the education approach the Westcott is using with the Photo Basics product to not only bring affordable, quality products to the market, but to also provide comprehensive tutorials and training tools. The complete kits even come with a floor mat to show you exactly where to place the lights, the camera, and the subject. We simply can’t recommend the Photo Basics products enough.

Website: http://photobasics.net

Original review article: http://cameradojo.com/2008/07/09/photo-basics-strobelite-review/

Summary
As I said in the intro, the Photo Basics line is aimed at users that may not already know how to use lighting equipment. Not only do you get the lights and umbrellas you also get an instructional DVD that goes th

rough a number of different types of lighting setups by several top photographers. To help place your lights a floor positioning guide goes on the ground that shows you were to place the subject, the lights, and the camera. You also get two regular light stands and a backlight stand along with a carrying case to make it easy to transport everything.

Features
The StrobeLites are technically moonlights since they are self-contained units that each plug into AC power. To help visualize the lighting, each strobe head is equipped with a 100w modeling light. A dial on the back controls power from ¼ to Full power. The main power switch controls overall power to both the flash unit and the modeling light and the modeling light has three settings, off, full, and variable. If the modeling light is on variable then as you adjust the output for the flash, it will also adjust the output of the modeling light.

An audible beep and ready light let you know that the unit has recycled and is ready to fire again. A standard PC Sync cable is included as well as an optical slave so you can tri

gger one unit and have all the rest fire at the same time.

Setup
One of the big advantages of moonlights is that there is virtually no setup since they are completely self-contained units. Fresh out of the box the only thing you have to do is screw the modeling lights into the sockets. Other than that, you are ready to setup the light stands, attach the strobe heads to the light stands, pop on the reflectors and attach the umbrellas.

For testing I used a Canon 30D which has a built-in PC Sync port that the included cable plugs right into. If you have a camera without a PC Sync port then you may need to get an adapter that will go onto your camera’s hot shoe port. I connected the main light to the camera via the PC Sync port and the other lights are then triggered from the optical slave.

Usage
While I normally recommend constant lights for beginners since you can easily visualize exactly what the scene will look like in the camera. With strobes, the actual flash is much brighter then you are probably used to so it can become frustrating for beginners to get the hang of using strobes since it rather easy to overexpose the scene. Because it is more difficult to setup lighting with strobes unless you have, and know how to use a light meter, it is better to start off with a single light and a reflector before moving up to multiple lights. Fortunately, the DVD tutorials that are included walk you through exactly this. The examples start with a single light and build up with reflectors and then on to multiple light setups.

The light output is much greater than when using constant lights like the Westcott TD5′s so they are much better for working with movement such as flowing hair, kids, pets, or other moving objects since you can use a faster shutter speed. By cranking up the light output you can also work with a wider range of f-stops and faster ISO speeds. Since the StrobeLites use a standard three-prong attachment system, numerous accessories are available such as softboxes, larger reflectors, barn doors, snoots, gel holders, gobos, grids, and other things.

Results
The Strobelites are wonderful moonlights that are available at an excellent price. With a little practice anyone can be taking amazing images in a short period of time. On Amazon.com we found the kit for $649.90 making it an amazing value at that price. Light output is great, the control is terrific, and the features are just right for a beginner. The higher end StrobeLite plus units take you from 150ws to 200ws, the ability to turn off the audible ready indicator, the ability to turn off the optical slave cell, and give you a metal tilting bracket to be able to use heavier softboxes and attachments. When you are ready to move up, the StrobeLite Plus units are fully compatible with the regular units. We applaud Westcott for creating the entire Photo Basics line and the new StrobeLites are an excellent product that was previously not attainable for people on modest budgets.

The following images were all taken with the StrobeLite kit.

	-

Final results:

Website: http://photobasics.net
Author: Kerry Garrison
Models: Jessica Sterling, Christopher Kennedy,  Daniel Ban

Be recognized as the professional that you are.

Winners will be accredited and may attach the official logo to their name, work, print materials and web site for a period of one year. All winner‘s will have a page dedicated to them in our online gallery, which includes their images, seminar dates, workshops and educational materials. Winners’ images may potentially be used for promotional pieces such as full-page advertisements and posters. In addition, winners will receive free tickets to seminars, trade shows, workshops and be eligible for product discounts!

To enter the contest, put together your best work and head over to:
http://www.fjwestcott.com/contests.htm

Quantity

The first property of light that we want to look at is Quantity. This is the amount of light that is hitting the subject. You have several ways of adjusting the amount of light the camera will see. In some cases you can adjust the light output of your lights or use diffusers to cut down on the light if you have too much. You should all know that you can also adjust your aperture or shutter to adjust the amount of light coming into the camera. With DSLR’s, don’t forget you can also adjust your ISO setting. With four main ways to adjust for light quantity, this is one of the more versatile of the three properties.

Quality
The light quality is one of the more confusing properties and the one that gives new photographers the most trouble. Quality is not about the color of the light, it refers to whether the light is very harsh and will cause hard shadows, or is it softer with smoother shadows. The quality of the light will affect the overall contrast. The way we adjust the quality of light is by changing the apparent size of the light source. The reason this is confusing is that you initially think that the close a light is to the subject, the harsher the light will be. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The closer the light is to the subject, the larger the light source will appear to be. Take the Sun as an example, far and away the largest object in our solar system, but because of the distance, it acts as a very small diameter light source causing harsh shadows. If you only have a small lightbox, moving it close to the subject will make it appear much larger and thus will soften the shadows and provide a more pleasing light source.

Harsher Side Light

Softer Side Light

Direction
The third property should be fairly simple to understand. The light direction will also affect shadows and the final image quality If you are using small lights, you can simply move them in order to create a more flattering light angle. If you are using window light, or other unmovable light source than you can still change the orientation of the subject to the light source.

Side Lighting

Direct Frontal Light

Come the the Flickr User Group to discuss this and other topics.