Sunday Links: Strobist
This Sunday I'm going to break the rules somewhat, and all five links are going to be to the same site. The reason for this is that www.strobist.com has been an incredible source of inspiration and education for me. There is so much useful and interesting content on the site, that there is pleanty of stuff to link to. I really can't say enough how good this blog (a word which hardly seems adequate to describe the vast content found there) is.
Before I get into the linkage, let me explain a little. "Strobist" is the name coined for a person who uses small, lightweight lighting gear, triggered off-camera, to effectively and dramatically light subjects of all kinds to illuminate and improve the image. The mantra of the site is: "Less gear, more brain, better light." This kind of combination of deliberate thought and creative ideas is what I thrive on. The added bonus is that "less gear" also means "less money", and that makes it a whole lot more accessible to someone like me who's struggling to make something of a living from photography.
The Strobist blog is written by David Hobby, a professional photographer, family man, and recently former Baltimore Sun photographer. Not long over a year ago, David (aka Strobist) started the blog to share his knowledge about professional lighting with lightweight, inexpensive gear. Today the blog has become so popular and successful, attracting over a million visitors per month, that he has resigned his position at the Sun to concentrate on the blog full-time. It is to the endless benefit of photographers around the world that he has done so, and we are all in his debt! Anything and everything to do with creative off-camera lighting, as well as other cool photography related news, views and ideas are posted to the blog.
One of the more "formal" sections of the blog, the Lighting 101 course is made up of a series of posts David made to lay down the basics of off-camera lighting. From principles (addressed in a very casual and accessible way), to basic equipment, techniques and methods, the case is made showing how almost any photo in any setting can benefit from inexpensive and accessible off-camera lighting. Any photographer willing to spend a couple of hundred dollars and a few hours to dramatically improve their photos and increase their shooting options should read and implement the ideas presented here. A new course, Lighting 102 has recently got underway, which has so far looked in more detail at the basics of light and how to control it.
Naturally, espousing ideas and saying "this is how you should do it" is hollow unless you practice what you preach. In the On Assignment section of the blog, David shows a plethora of real-world examples of his techniques on the job as photographer for the Baltimore Sun. In each case, a photo used in the newspaper is shown, and the techniques used are described in detail, often with illuminating (please excuse the pun ;) ) set-up shots of the equipment shown. In several cases we even get to see the creative process at work as David engineers new and inventive ways to light a difficult subject, which often involves cereal boxes and copious amounts of electrical tape.
With the exploding popularity of the Strobist blog and techniques (David has managed, due to increased demand from photographers, to drive up the prices of small second-hand flashes to more than double!), naturally a Strobist community has developed around the blog. Utilising the ever popular flickr.com site as a host, a Strobist discussion group has been created, and it is populated by a huge number of intelligent, creative and talented photographers. The ideas discussed and shared here are every bit as useful as those posted by David, and one can see the benefits of learning from such a diverse group.
The Strobist Flickr community has contributed a great number of their photos. There are, so many it would take you many months to see them all. David has done us all a(nother) great favour, and selected his favourites. These photos are absolutely stunning and a tribute to the magic that can be achieved by small flashes off-camera. There is still a large number of images here, but I can promise you it won't be a waste of your time looking through them. If you needed any further convincing that the Strobist technique delivers, then you'll find it here.
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