It was Marian's idea

Marian told me to get Mary on top of a hill to dance. My little mind added "at sunset" and I liked the idea. Couldn't find a suitable hill for the sunset but I did find a river.
In a public park, dancing on a picnic table, I was 20 feet away. Used a SB600 with a stofen diffuser thing. Flash was on a stand about models chest high.

OK Mary never called me back, but the other blond, Holly lives near me and her and her hubby are great!!!











and one standing in the grass next to the table.
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"I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one heck of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult. "- EB White

Chattanooga Photographer www.BobEdens.com

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! If this is the kind of work you produce outside, you need to do ALL your work outside! Whooo!!

1,2,4,5 are the best. 3 and 6 are missing some lighting. The colors are beautiful, the shapes are sexy, especially #4, which is my favorite because it highlights her best assets. I just wish her sleeve and hands weren't cut off. She's going to LOVE #2.

Great job, Bob. Smiley
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Comments and Harsh Critiques gladly accepted. My photos are ok to edit.

My photos and art: http://wildmaven.org

#1 would have looked better with the light coming from the other side, I think, not sure. 
#2 is stellar, wish you hadn't cut off her feet.
#3 not my favourite, but not bad
#4 great curve with the waist and hips, I am not in love with her upper body position.
#5 Gorgeous but I would have cropped with more space on the other side.
#6 I'd lighten it up a bit and you will have a great image.

Overall these are great, the location is gorgeous!!!  Perfect sunset, sexy model, and beautiful water.  I think your lighting needs a bit of refinement, would help to have it higher, I think.
Anyway, good job.
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That was a fabulous idea!
 Clapping
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Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.

Oscar Wilde

Bob, I think this is the best overall series of images I have seen from you ever!  Honestly, I mean that.  I think the first two and the last one are my favorite.  On the first, I think the light is too low for sure, maybe try setting it about 1-2' above her head instead of at her chest height.  Also, use that shoot-through umbrella and move the light in closer if you can.  The Stofen works OK if you are able to point the flash up and use it with a bare-bulb technique in a small room where the light can bounce off walls, but it is still a small light source and will only produce a spot effect on location like this.  I really think you'll like the look you get from using an umbrella if you haven't already tried it.  The last one really is probably the best one of these, but they are all wonderful.  I agree with Marian, ...if this is what you produce outdoors, stick with it... Great stuff!

Travis
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OK guys and especially Susie, I'm sorry. Had one of those weeks, no excuse but I was snipping at everyone.

Let me try this again.
Susie:
I thought about putting the strobe on the camera-right side but wanted her light more opposite the sun. (not sure it was the right choice but I sounded good at the time)

She was standing on a picnic table, to raise her above some bushes, and her pants covered her feet, I was trying to chop as much off the bottom as possible, got a little too much on some.

Most of the crops were to take something out of the image, probably should edit out the offending thing (and I did on a couple) instead of chopping it off.

Next time I plan to set that light the same way but add an umbrella a stop or two weaker on camera right provided there isn't much wind

[shrug]
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"I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one heck of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult. "- EB White

Chattanooga Photographer www.BobEdens.com

Bob, I doubt you lose much more light with a 'shoot-through' style umbrella than with the Omni-bounce.  Probably 1 stop with the Omni, and I'd guess only 1.5 with the umbrella.  If you use the umbrella in a bounce position, you will lose a lot more, but the shoot through works well and you won't lose a whole lot more light.  Of course, I haven't actually measured and tested this, but I know I don't use my Omni anymore (well, not very often anyway).

Travis
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the reason I use the omni almost exclusively is it works well on camera and on a light stand its not prone to fly away like the umbrella tends to do. the umbrella I think would throw a wider softer "beam" at least I think it would.

gonna try it again next week.
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"I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one heck of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult. "- EB White

Chattanooga Photographer www.BobEdens.com

Hi Bob Smiley
I totally understand trying to work around obstacles.  We don't live in a perfect world (where have I heard that before?)  I wasn't there.  I think you did a great job and everything I mentioned was pretty nit-picky.

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Softer 'Beam', well yeah pretty much.  You are effectively increasing the size of your light source, which produces softer light.  The Omni-bounce works well in the right situation, and I agree it's convenient.  I wouldn't advise using an umbrella with your flash on-camera.  It makes the camera very bulky and hard to control (plus people look at you funny).  Also, keep the light as close to your subject as is reasonable, this also increases the relative size of your light source and keep the light soft.  I have also had problems with wind before, hopefully you have someone you can ask to hold onto your light stand, if not, well put your camera bag on one of the legs or wrap your strap around it and hang it from the stand.  I really think you'll find it worth it.  At least I hope you do, otherwise I'm wasting your time.  But I sure like it, so I think it's worth it for you to try it and see for yourself at least.

Travis
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