Official BeyondUnreal Photography Thread

I may seem like a lot of $$ but compared to other studio sized lights with equal power, you can buy all that gear (lights, stand, radio triggers, softbox) for the price of one Profoto light. Its a hell of a deal if you want the most bang for your buck.

If you just want to start off with strobes then I would look into the used market. www.keh.com is a great place to pick up some older flashes for really cheap. Best part of using off camera flash is you can use any brand you want.

Yes, you could create the "over power the sun" style shots I did using simple off camera flashes. They do make softboxes and large umbrellas for off camera flashes. Problem is that they are just as expensive as the studio sized Alien bees. By the time you are done stocking up on all these portable flashes you may just end up wishing you had gone with an Alien Bees set up. Much more simple, less to worry about. I know.. I started off with off camera flashes and I still use them but to a limited degree. If I need a hair light or a kicker and don't want to take the time to set up another studio light, I'll reach for the off camera flash.

I created that drainage tunnel shot using just one off camera flash at full power. The rest was natural light and post processing. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

You will probably need one of these to over power the sun using off camera flashes: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2010/07/lastolite-triflash-sync-triple-threat.html

Ah, I can see how an Alienbee would end up being economical. It will probably be some time before my next camera equipment purchase though, depending on whether I'm able to find a job in the forseeable future

Pictures of the house I used to live in eighteens years ago. When I set foot into it, a lot of memories came back. The building itself has definitely seen better times though, and is rather run down by now. It is also a lot darker than I remember.

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You always do high frame photos. Maybe you should try a little variation

Okay pictures, though it definitely shows that you're shooting with an old camera. Colour noise everywhere!

I had to crank the ISO way up, it was that dark in there. For some reason I much prefer high format, but at least in these a horizontal format wouldn't really have worked anyway.

A little worn down sure, but that's a gorgeous house. I'd have never wanted to leave, had I lived there~

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A satellite, shot freehand.

Bi()ha2arD said:

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A satellite, shot freehand.

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wtf?

It's something like a 10 secs exposure. It moves towards the lower right. The line is so shaky because it was shot freehand. The funny dots are from it blinking. Don't ask me why it's a double line.

The second line is the other, the secret satellite. I suggest to offer tea and cookies to the gov ninjas.

from one of the most beautiful places I've been -- the Tetons in Wyoming

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That place looks amazing Mæst. Sucks that we don't have mountains in Denmark

BillyBadAss said:

A shot from the weekend before last.


In Search of Cooler Ground by Jason_Combs, on Flickr

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The tree in the background and the leaves to the right just fit perfectly. Nice shot!

More photos in high format coming up...

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das_ben said:

More photos in high format coming up...

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Just some unsolicited feedback on your work. Feel free to take it with a grain of salt as it is only one opinion:

I have to say that most of your work confuses me. You clearly take a hands off approach to your photography which means you have a photojournalistic style to it. Little to no interactions with your subjects and you feel more comfortable taking a shot when they aren't looking. Neither of which is a bad thing. Being a former photojournalist and photo editor has taught me that every photo should offer the viewer something important and that you should ask yourself a few questions before that photo is published. Does this photo have any news significance, does it tell a story, does it help tell a story, does the photo make you feel anything, is there a clear point to having this photo shown?

That shot above is probably the strongest photo I have seen from you in a long time. The lighting, clarity, colors, lines and composition sell it. Best of all it makes me feel something. I'd like to see you do more like it.

Your 3rd photo is something I see you post a lot. The back or the side of someones head makes it difficult to know what kind of interaction the two kids are having. A few smiles or lively expressions would further clarify it. Even if they are beer drinking kids, I don't find it as shocking as it would be to see two beer drinking and drunk kids having a good time. Sometimes you have to wait for the right moment. Sometimes you have to interact with your subjects to help make that "right" moment happen.

The 2nd photo is also another composition I see you use often. I cant dock you for consistency, you certainly have a style. Subject is centered and straight on. I can see that you are going for straight lines and symmetry. Problem is that the room looks boring like that. The room could look more interesting if you took a different approach to your composition. The room looks dirty and thats a good thing. I'd like to see more ceiling and less floor, get close to it and show the texture of the surface.

Try doing some post processing! It looks like your shots are just taken right out of the camera and posted in their original size. Enhance what is interesting and simplify what isn't. Make it interesting, make it pop!!

BillyBadAss said:

A shot from the weekend before last.


In Search of Cooler Ground by Jason_Combs, on Flickr

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I like everything about this shot except for her expression. Ask her to make a silly face next time!

Thanks for that, I really appreciate the input!

I certainly do like straight lines too much for my own good (hey, I'm from Germany) and I'm rather bad at involving persons for sure. I'll try to keep your suggestions in mind on my next excursions.

I personally like your work as it is, das_ben. You've got your own style, why change because some generic shot photographer on the forums doesn't 'get' it.