Kubota Blog

I’ve just returned from Orlando, FL where I did some presentations for Nikon at the PMA show. It was a good show, and I got some great business ideas there too – like the value of a big mouth. Good friends of mine, the Lensbabies crew, got their picture on the front of USA Today through diligent schmoozing. This led to a potentially large deal with a major new distributor for their product. Way to go guys!

At Nikon, part of my presentation covered how I use my wireless TTL SB800 flash, the D200 camera (which has a built-in pop up flash), and a collapsible diffusion disk to create great natural looking lighting anywhere.

By setting the camera’s pop-up flash to the TTL wireless controller (Commander Mode) and lowering the power by 1 stop, this becomes the fill light. I then have an assistant hold the SB800 behind the diffusion disk, about 3 feet away, and point the whole thing at the subject – firing the flash through the disk. I try to keep the face of the disk as close as possible to the subject so to keep the lighting soft. I place the disk off to the side at about 30-40 degrees to create directional light, and then the on-camera popup becomes the fill light and trigger.

The light quality from this setup is amazing. It’s soft and directional, very flattering and natural looking. I can light a headshot or small group – upto about 4 people. Full length portraits look great too as the light gradually falls off towards the feet.

You can quickly move from place to place with this setup and take portraits anywhere – even a completely dark room.

Because the off-camera light is TTL controlled from the back of the main camera, adjusting the balance of the lights is quick and easy too. Try this setup outdoors too when the light is rather flat and unexciting.