billvon 2,384 #1 March 22, 2006 I've been experimenting with tunnel photography; how to eliminate the glare from the plastic and reflections from the walls. I got an extension for my flash (a Canon 420EX) and tried manually aiming it into the chamber one pane over; this got rid of the glare and helped with the reflections. Although now shadows become a bigger problem - I may try a diffuser or reflector next. Pictures below. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lewmonst 0 #2 March 22, 2006 Just think of the shadows as artistic. Like the shot the Sports Illustrated folks took in there that hangs in the tunnel office. peace Karen Lewis aka lewhttp://www.exitshot.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vid666 0 #3 March 22, 2006 how about a diffuser ? Sto-Fen comes to mind. I would imagine with abit of tinkering (like covering cetain part even more to prevent light going where you don't want it to) and using off-shoe cord ( like you say you already are) you can get it to give much softer light - thus no reflections. And yeah - shadows are artistic :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DancingFlame 0 #4 March 22, 2006 Soft-box and umbrellas will do the trick better. However one wouldn't call them 'mobile solution' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #5 March 22, 2006 Shooting in the tunnel is a challenge. It's relatively dark to begin with with TONS of highly reflective surfaces. The background behind the glass on the other side of the tunnel is usually dark and the surface of the glass is usually pretty marked up from people shoes and helmets that have whacked into it. In order to do it "right" would be a major production involving a fairly large lighting kit that would all be tied together via radios. I've always wanted to do some really definitive shots in there, but the logistics and finances of setting up the shots is kind of daunting. Good luck!quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #6 March 22, 2006 You could see if there was a way to mount a slave to the top of the tunnel - that way you would be getting some light from above, which is what people expect. Use the slave as the main and the flash one pane over as fill. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #7 March 22, 2006 Well if you want to do it right and the shots mean that much to you, you will need some flood lights/lamps placed outside of the chamber. I did a photo shoot with Mike McGowan where we set it up like that and it works pretty good in removing the shadows and isn't a lot of gear or set up.Just a few lamps and extension cords. You may still need a flash on the camera to get the perfect shot. If you use lamps just remember they put off heat so position them so they don't damage the glass.You can also do it by simply standing in the doorway of the chamber with the camera and flash. This is what was done for the shots of me flying my Birdman suit in the tunnel awhile back. Mike actually did a combination of both methods I just described with very good results."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,384 #8 March 23, 2006 >You can also do it by simply standing in the doorway of the >chamber with the camera and flash. Tried that, but had the same issues with reflections off opposite flat surfaces. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #9 March 23, 2006 Quote>You can also do it by simply standing in the doorway of the >chamber with the camera and flash. Tried that, but had the same issues with reflections off opposite flat surfaces. This might be a silly question but does your flash head pivot so you can angle it upwards and reduce some of the reflection off of the opposite wall?"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ast4711 0 #10 March 23, 2006 Maybe a circular pol-filter would do. I have never tried it, but will do as soon as I get one. What I saw here looks promising: http://www.digitalkamera.de/Tip/10/80.htm (the third picture on the page). alex -- www.tandemmaster.net www.skydivegear.de Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lewmonst 0 #11 March 23, 2006 Ask Ben if you can paint all the walls in the tunnel matte black. peace Karen Lewishttp://www.exitshot.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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