Welcome to Workshop at the Ranch. Each month I will be writing an instructional article about photography. It might cater to sports coverage, new cameras and gear, techniques with Off Camera Speedlights or Large Strobe Systems, Lightpainting and more. These articles began in 2003. They are archived and available for you to revisit as often as you like. A broad pallet of my images with all camera data, equipment I use, special tricks of the trade, and my personal commentary will drive the content of each article. So, be my guest, settle back and “click” on any image you want to enlarge, and enjoy learning each month here on Workshop at the Ranch. Adios, Dave

Workshop at the Ranch - December 2010 - Year in Review

Workshop at the Ranch
August, 2010 Edition

Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. The Year in Review article is always fun to write. I enjoy looking back and seeing what was accomplished during the past year both in my photography and also in my teaching to all of you who come read WATR each month. Let’s see what 2010 was all about.



Image #1 Green Cap Butterfly … I have been teaching workshops for nearly 25 years for Rich Clarkson. Rich conducts several workshops each year including his Sports Photography Workshop in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Sports Photography Workshop, like all of Rich’s workshops, brings together a faculty of photographers and editors from the nations top publications along with the industries best freelancers in both editorial and commercial photography. There are class instruction sessions each day including my Sports Action with Speedlights classes at the US Olympic Aquatic Center and outdoors at Motocross. Here is one of my example images from our Sports Action with Speedlights class where we set up 4 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights in the Aquatic Center catwalks to illuminate the swimmers. Nikon D3s, ISO4000, 1/1000 at f4, Nikon 400mm lens with 1.4x Teleconverter, WB 5600K, Gitzo Monopod, SanDisk 32G Flash Card.

Image #2 Stardust Barn … This Lightpainting was made during another Rich Clarkson workshop called Photography at the Summit held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming each fall season. Rich’s workshops are longer than most with 6 days of instruction, photographing, and image critique sessions. So with 6 days in the Tetons during spectacular fall colors, it’s no wonder that Photography at the Summit is my favorite workshop each year to teach at. Nikon D3s, ISO2500, 30 seconds at f4, Nikon 14-24mm, WB 4000K, Brinkmann Q Beam (2 million candle spotlight), Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod and ball head, Kirk “L” Bracket, SanDisk 32G Flash Card.

Image #3 Acadia Sunrise … I also taught several Mentor Series Treks for American PHOTO Magazine including this one in Acadia National Park, Maine. The Mentor Series of workshops, or “Treks” draw a wide variety of photographers ranging from beginners to pros. The Treks are always in great destinations both here in the USA and abroad, they are always packed with teaching, and always fun. I usually don’t have much time to make pictures while I’m teaching, but I managed to squeeze off this shot during a beautiful sunrise along the Maine coastline. Nikon D3s, ISO1000, 1/320 at f18, Nikon 14-24mm lens, WB 7550K, FORMATT 3x Graduated Neutral Density Filter, SanDisk 32G Flash Card.

Image #4A Little Lights, Big Arena Set-Up … During 2010 I ran 7 consecutive months of Workshop at the Ranch articles featuring Sports Action with Speedlights. These articles catered to teaching how to use Auto FP Nikon’s High Speed Sync custom setting along with Nikon SB-900 Speedlights all in combination with the available ambient light from either an indoor sports arena or outdoor daylight conditions. Pictured here is my favorite NEW piece of equipment for 2010, the FourSquare Block and Grip. The FourSquare supports up to 4 Speedlights and is attached to the arena catwalk for a college ice hockey playoff game.

Image 4B Little Lights, Big Arena Speedlight Action … This example of lighting a sports arena with Speedlights opened the eyes of many seasoned sports photographers. Rather than using my traditional sport strobes I opted to use the Nikon SB-900 Speedlights to strobe my indoor sports during 2010. By combining the Nikon camera’s clean high ISO and using the Auto FP High Speed Sync custom setting I could use very fast shutter sync speeds like 1/1600 while using fill flash with 4 or sometimes 8 Speedlights. If this kind of sports action photography is your cup of tea you might want to read some of the past 7 months of Workshop at the Ranch articles…over 100,000 Unique Visitors did. Nikon D3s, ISO5000, 1/1600 at f5.6, Nikon 70-200mm G VR II lens, WB 5000K, 8 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights, 2 FourSquares, RadioPopper PX Transmitters and PX Receivers, Michael Bass Designs Fiber Optic Bundles, SANYO Eneloop AA Rechargeable Batteries, Nikon SU-800 Commander, 2 Manfroto Super Clamps, Safety Cables.


Image #5 The EightSquare … The EightSquare, as I call it, is made by combining 2 FourSquare Blocks and allows up to 8 Speedlights to be mounted. This portable off camera bank of Speedlights enabled me to make some very unique sports action imagery this year. With 8 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights I could over power the sunshine and add off camera flash to my action subjects.

Image #6 Moto Light … The EightSquare with 8 SB-900 Speedlights set at Full Power provides about 1000ws of strobe illumination. I secured the EightSquare to a Tripod on the inside of the curve about 20 feet off to my right. I am again using the Radiopopper PX wireless Transmitter and PX Receiver system along with the Michael Bass Designs Fiber Optic Bundles to wirelessly fire the 8 Speedlights. This additional illumination allows me to deliberately underexpose the available ambient light exposure by –1.3 stop and create a more stylized action image of Motocross. Nikon D3s, ISO2000, 1/3200 at f14, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5600K, 8 SB-900 Speedlights at Full Power, mounted to the EightSquare with Radiopopper PX system and Michael Bass Design Fiber Optic Bundles, Nikon SU-800 Commander, SanDisk 32G Flash Card.
NOTE: Many of you have emailed me asking if 8 Speedlights is always necessary? The answer is no. I often times need only 4 SB-900 Speedlights when shooting sports action with Speedlights, but sometimes I want my Speedlights farther off camera and farther away from my subject in order to cast a more dramatic angle of light. The farther the distance from Speedlights to subject usually means more illumination is required, especially when competing against the intense midday sunshine. The cost of 6 Speedlights, FourSquares, Radiopopper PX system and Michael Bass Designs gear and all the accessory equipment I have written about these past 7 months is equivalent to a good sport strobe system with all its accessory gear that is required to light an arena. The difference between the two systems is the Speedlights allow the photographer to use High Speed Sync both indoors and outdoors. And that difference makes all the difference in the world when lighting sports action.
Image #7 West Coast Flash … The concept of using off camera flash is not new, but using it in combination with the available ambient light and with fast shutter sync speeds like 1/1000, 1/2000, or even 1/4000 of a second is ground breaking and exciting. Many projects this past year were accomplished with this “sports action with Speedlights” technique. Here is surfing lit with off camera fill flash from 225 feet away. Nikon D3s, ISO3200, 1/1000 at f5.6, Nikon 600mm lens with 1.4 Teleconverter (that’s 850mm), WB 4000K, EightSquare with 8 SB-900 Speedlights (4 with warming gels) at Full Power, Radiopopper PX system, Michael Bass Designs Bundles, Nikon SU-800 Commander, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod. whether indoors or outside.

Image #8 Kayak Light … Each sport I shot with off camera Speedlights followed the same principles, that being to Manually underexpose the available ambient exposure by –1.0 to –1.7 stops, then use Auto FP High Speed Sync to achieve a fast shutter sync speed like 1/1600 as with this kayaker Then fill flash my action subject using 4,6,or sometimes 8 SB-900 Speedlights located off camera. In this image the setting sun illuminated the Arkansas River with gold streaks while I illuminated the athlete with off camera flash from 8 SB-900 Speedlights that are about 85 feet from my subject. Nikon D3s, ISO3200, 1/1600 at f8, Nikon 200-400 G VR II zoom lens, WB 7600K, EightSquare and Grip with 8 SB-900 Speedlights at Full Power, Radiopopper PX system, Michael Bass Designs Fiber Optic Bundles.

Image #9 Velo Light … I finished my series of Sports Action with Speedlights articles with a collection of images from my season coverage of Velodrome Cycling competitions from the US Olympic Training Center’s Velodrome in Colorado Springs. With the same principles as the other projects I underexposed the ambient exposure, used Auto FP High Speed Sync to achieve a very fast 1/2500 shutter sync speed, and used Speedlights to fill flash my subject. Nikon D3s, ISO2000, 1/2500 at f11, Nikon 14-24mm lens, WB 5600K, FourSquare and Grip with 4 SB-900 Speedlights at Full Power, Radiopopper PX system, Michael Bass Designs Fiber Optic Bundles, Nikon SU-800 Commander, SanDisk 32G Flash Card.
Image #10 Dream Weaver … After all my jobs were complete I decided to take a little R&R with my wife Susan. The year 2010 with all its extensive travel, weeks of workshops, and sports action with Speedlights projects had nearly worn me out. I seldom take a nap, but it only takes one to get me dreaming about the next project…maybe a book on Speedlighting, a kind of “how to” manual that photographers can easily slip into their camera bag and take on the photo shoot?

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this year’s monthly articles. Judging from the emails that come in many of you are already applying the sports action with Speedlights technology I have been teaching. To better understand the concept behind sports action with Speedlighting please review the past 7 months of Workshop at the Ranch articles. All the images, camera/Speedlighting data, links to the FourSquare and EightSquare, Radiopopper PX, and Michael Bass Designs gear are listed for your convenience. There are also several links to VIDEOS showing me assembling and working with off camera Speedlighting gear. All this is free to anyone who wants to log onto Workshop at the Ranch and learn.

Thanks for joining me this past year and be sure to come visit Workshop at the Ranch in 2011. There is plenty more to photograph, light, and learn.

Adios. Dave

The following links will connect you to several videos that Paul Perrigrine at Lightware made of me working on a variety of projects and jobs over this past year. From Speedlighting College Ice Hockey to Surfing to Motocross these videos are free to view and help you to understand how I have been photographing Sports Action with Speedlights.

Video Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpyLIakjVnM
(Hockey One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ikRt9dDNc&feature=related
(Hockey Two)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVdKF-YQi_E&feature=related
(Hockey Three)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4L41-eSnWU&feature=related
(Hockey Four)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYDCrOiI46c&feature=related
(Hockey Five)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNDAINwhTWU&feature=related
(Motocross)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP6a47BQA70
(Surfing)

Hope you have enjoyed this series. See you next time here on Workshop at the Ranch. Adios. Dave

EQUIPMENT contact information

The FourSquare and all FourSquare accessories: www.lightwaredirect.com

Radio Popper PX Transmitters and PX Receivers: www.radiopopper.com

Michael Bass Designs Fiber Optic Bundle (explained in April and May articles): www.michaelbassdesigns.com

Manfroto Gear and where I buy my Equipment: www.robertsimaging.com 800-726-5544