Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Carrot Cake Lighting

I know the title sounds strange, weird, and silly, but, please, don't let this article keep you from proceeding with all the other "earth-shattering" tips to follow. But now let me tell you about "Carrot Cake" lighting. Or better said - lighting the carrot cake. As you know, my "gig" is directional light on just about any subject, so when we were served the monstrously sized piece of carrot cake last night - my gosh - one piece was enough or all 5 of us - I had to get a picture.

All I had was my 40D with it's little pop up flash - not good enough for the prime piece of cake. How could I get the light coming from an off-camera direction. No problem, place a saucer at a 45 degree angle to the pop-up flash and in front of it and be sure it's blocking (read acting as a gobo) any direct light from reaching the carrot cake. OK - we have the light bouncing over to the side - how to get it to return to illuminate the cake? No problem, LaDawn held up her nice, clean white napkin to the left of the cake. Those little photons bounced right off her napkin and gave a nice direction of light to the cake - hence, "Carrot Cake" lighting. This technique brings a whole new level of lighting mastery to our profession :~)

26 comments:

  1. Very nice David. LOL at the thought of Strobists worldwide turning restaurants into makeshift studios using the napery and the crockery ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. And this is EXACTLY why I love Strobist!

    Thanks David!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderfully resourceful - and a nice reminder to concentrate on the light, not the gadgets. Thanks for taking the time to share, David.

    Eddie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nicely done. The closest I've come to this is by holding a large white plate up behind my 580EX strobe which was pointed to the back to diffuse the light in a restaurant. But this technique literally takes the cake. (Pun intended) ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice shot. I wish the spoon was in frame though...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Delicious Light and Cake!

    - LightningPaul

    ReplyDelete
  7. Absolutely brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. it's brilliant idea! will try tt nxt time for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  9. David,
    Lovely photo and great improvisation. You mention that you hate "straight on light" so I wondered if you had the headlights on you car moved to the 10 and 2 pm positions on the front wings, or do you drive with just a small light on the front of your car but have two assistants drive at the side of you illuminating the road from each side? :-))
    Great blog David, keep up the good work.
    Thanks,
    Phil

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'd LOVE to see your setup shot David! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is slightly classier than my "shoot through my fingers" technique I sometimes use in such a situation!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yay, thanks for that! Unfortunately I just ate my set up once I realised my flash batteries died... but cheers none the less!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is funny stuff! Very inventive indeed:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dave, would love to see the setup used to shoot this image

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great lighting... but what I want to know is WHERE CAN I GET A PIECE OF THAT CARROT CAKE?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ed hardy clothes in Hollywood is a very popular brand hot.Classic tattoo art and fashion classic elements included in the ed hardy clothing .
    Wholesale Handbags
    Cheap Handbags
    Womens Handbags
    Cheap Purses
    Designer Handbags

    ReplyDelete
  18. China Wholesale has been described as the world’s factory. This phenomenom is typified by the rise ofbusiness. Incredible range of products available with China Wholesalers “Low Price and High Quality” not only reaches directly to their target clients worldwide but also ensures that wholesale from china from China means margins you cannot find elsewhere and buy products wholesaleChina Wholesale will skyroket your profits.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Women’s nike tn Shox Rivalry est le modèle féminin le plus tendance de baskets pour le sport. tn chaussuresConcernant la semelle : le caoutchouc extérieur, l’EVA intermédiaire et le textile intérieur s’associent pour attribuer à la.ed hardy shirts pretty fitCharlestoncheap columbia jackets. turned a pair of double plays to do the trick.Lacoste Polo Shirts, , Burberry Polo Shirts.wholesale Lacoste polo shirts and cheap polo shirtswith great price.Cheap Brand Jeans ShopMen Jeans - True Religion Jeans nike shoes & Puma Shoes Online- tn nike,Thank you so much!!cheap polo shirts men'ssweate,gillette mach3 razor bladesfor men.As for

    ReplyDelete
  20. The pi symbol can be found with your character map and pasted into photoshop just choose the font you wish to use.It is in your Accessories/system tools folder in vista. Didn't know the formula wed night But I enjoyed the Digital wake up call for the second time.

    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  21. that is SO genius, you are making me think a LOT more and that is good :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Brilliant shot David! Nice lighting. My fave cake too, i'm drooling....
    John Merritt

    ReplyDelete