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Review: Phottix Strato Wireless Flash Trigger with TTL Pass-Through

by Phil Steele.
10 comments

Phottix sent me a pre-release set of these new triggers to test, and now that the product is on the market I can finally talk about it.

I love this trigger. It’s got all the 2.4 GHz reliability of the Yongnuo RF-602 (previously my favorite in the low-budget trigger market), but with the added advantage of a TTL-pass-through hot shoe.

If you don’t know what the heck that means, or why it might be useful, then watch the video!

And if you buy a Strato from the link below you’ll help keep me fueled with beer (which leads directly to an increase in the quantity, if not always quality, of my photography and tutorial production).

Phottix Online Store Strato Page

Posted in: Camera Equipment, Flash Photography, Lighting Equipment, Photography.
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Sunset Magazine Comes Calling

by Phil Steele.
5 comments

Sunset, the big travel magazine devoted to the American Southwest, contacted me today asking to buy this photo from the Burning Man festival. It will run in an article called “Amazing West” in their November issue. And they offered me the biggest fee I’ve ever received for a single image. Now that’s a nice way to start the day.
Burning Man Festival photo

Posted in: Burning Man, Photography, Travel Photography.
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Flash Photography Tips (video)

by Phil Steele.
1 comment

Gotta love YouTube for always coming up with a splash screen where I have a funny expression on my face. They must have a special filter that searches for those frames.

If you’re interested, here is my course on Off-Camera Flash Photography.

You can also view this Flash Photography Tips video on YouTube.

Posted in: Camera Equipment, Flash Photography, Lighting Equipment, Photo Tutorials, Photography.
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Gearing up for Burning Man

by Phil Steele.
9 comments

Just some of the gear I'm packing

Preparing for Burning Man is only slightly less daunting than packing for a polar expedition — or perhaps a mission to Mars is a better analogy.

Each year my packing list grows longer and more complex (it now spans 8 pages of closely-spaced typing), and each year I nevertheless forget several important items and end up cursing myself out there in the Nevada desert when I discover that I forgot to bring, say, the superglue that I need to re-attach the sole of my shoe so that I don’t have to walk 3 miles back to camp barefoot on the blistering, 120-degree surface of the alkaline lakebed.  Or the charger for my camera battery. Or my can opener. Or, even worse, the beer. Or any one of the hundreds of other things that make life bearable in the extreme environment of Burning Man. (more…)

Posted in: Burning Man, Camera Equipment, Event Photography, Photography, Travel Photography.

Perspective Correction in Lightroom 3

by Phil Steele.
1 comment

For me, this feature alone was worth the $99 upgrade from Lightroom 2. And it’s just one of many improvements. If you want to buy me a beer, use one of the links below when you buy or upgrade.

Click Here for Lightroom 3 at Amazon.com

Upgrade from Lightroom 2 to 3 at Amazon.com

Posted in: Photo Tutorials, Photography, Software.
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Canon Flash Blinking Display: Mystery Solved

by Phil Steele.
8 comments

Every wonder why the display on your Canon Speedlite 580EX or 430EX flash is blinking at you?  Ever want to throw it against the wall because you can’t get it to stop?  Here’s the solution.

Warning: It’s a bit of a rant.

Posted in: Camera Equipment, Flash Photography, Lighting Equipment.
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The Joy of Tear Sheets

by Phil Steele.
1 comment

Tear sheet imageTear sheets (that’s tear as in rip, not as in cry) is the name given to pages from a magazine or book sent to the photographer who took the photos. Sometimes they are literally sheets torn out of the publication, but I always request several copies of the entire magazine or book and usually get it. (more…)

Posted in: Burning Man, Photography.

Wireless Flash Triggers Compared

by Phil Steele.
2 comments

Here’s my breathless 10-minute rundown of all the current contenders for radio-triggering your off-camera flashes.

This is an update of the information contained in my course, “How to Shoot Professional-Looking Headshots and Portraits on a Budget with Small Flashes.”

This technology is changing fast, practically daily, so I’ll make periodic updates available as things evolve.

I hope you find it helpful, and I welcome your feedback or stories of your own experience with any of this gear.

Posted in: Camera Equipment, Flash Photography, Lighting Equipment, Photo Tutorials.
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Canon Speedlite 430EX vs. 430EX II – Which is Better?

by Phil Steele.
No comments yet

You might think it’s always better to buy the latest model of any photographic equipment, but that’s not always true.

For example, there is a good case to be made for the older Canon 430EX flash over the newer 430EX II. Why? Watch the video to find out which one is right for you.

Posted in: Camera Equipment, Flash Photography, Lighting Equipment, Photography.
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Off-Camera Flash Photography – How and Why

by Phil Steele.
2 comments

If you own a detachable Speedlite-style flash, and you are shooting with it on your camera, you are wasting your investment in that expensive flash.

Face it, on-camera flash sucks. It drains the life out of your subject and makes everyone look like they are posing for a police line-up or a driver’s license photo.

You gotta get that flash off your camera!

The video above is my YouTube “commercial” for my off-camera flash course. Frankly I don’t know if it’s cheesy or if it’s cool, but I had fun making it, and people seem to love it on YouTube, so I thought I’d share it with you here.

Posted in: Camera Equipment, Flash Photography, Lighting Equipment, Photo Tutorials, Photography.
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