October 14, 2009

sima-video-lightI’ve mentioned the Sima SL-20LX on the show before, but I thought it deserved it’s own gadget of the week award. I seriously love this little light. At only about $35 on Amazon it’s a great buy. There’s even an infrared version.

It’s actually a video light. About two inches square and has thirty six LED’s and a built in rechargeable battery that will run it for about 30 min. You can place it on a hotshoe, just set it somewhere, or even hold it in the palm of your hand. The slots on the other three sides can also accept a shoe mounts from other lights so you can build a larger panel. It even includes a bracket so you can have it off to one side on your camera.

Bottom line. This little continuous light rocks. It’s cheap, solid and small and stays cool. One of them is enough for close light of a face. It’s also amazing for macro shots where you need to brighten or add soft but dimensional light. I use it all the time for ring shots at weddings.

No, it’s not going to replace your speedlights or strobes for large lighting large areas, but it’s a great little tool to have in your kit that you may soon wounder how you managed without it.

Seim_-2

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August 27, 2008

I’ve been on the run with seniors this part week, and loving some of the results. Between a great subject, the umbrella, and the cool fence this was exactly what I wanted. I’m humbled at God’s amazing world that we use as a backdrop, and often take for granted. Even a simple wood fence can give just the look needed. Simplicity is KEY to a great portrait.

On a technical note, I know her hand is positioned a bit odd. I like the feel though. I try to encourage hand movement and let things go naturally. I just presetted with Power Workflow, and them smooth with action. My latest fav it the Simply Soft series from Creative Essentials. It’s just simple, and soft. The border is done automatically with a color coordinating action I made.

I getting into what I call the three keys. The eye’s, the moth and the hands. I think the key to controlling all these is learning to direct your subject in such a way that it happens naturally.

See more from this session on my siteGavin Seim

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