Shooting Weddings Workshop ~ 3200 ISO, Orbis and full exif

Mar 25, 2010 | Flash, Location, Wedding

A bar shutter, a bride and Orbis - Perfect!

A bar shutter, a bride and Orbis - Perfect! I gave myself just a couple of minutes of the day to demonstrate the Orbis ring flash accessory and I plucked this shot out of nothing. I'm so impressed with Orbis I bought the company. (not really).

I’ve put all 90 or so selected pictures taken by Julie and I on their own web pages created by Adobe Lightroom’s web module so that I can share the valuable Exif data with you. The link is here:Link

This shot was lit with my Arri 300w Fresnel light and was taken in a dark dingy place on ISO 3200 to create a sunny tropical feel.

This shot was lit with my Arri 300w Fresnel light and was taken in a dark dingy place on ISO 3200 on my Canon 5D mk2 to create a sunny tropical feel.

Please take a look at the whole set here and comment back on this page. I’d love to hear from you if you were a delegate. Our next Shooting Weddings Workshop is on Wednesday 9th June and the details are here.

24 Comments

  1. Steve

    Time to get an Orbis and start having a play I think!

    How long do you spend with the B&G alone to do the portraits?

    Steve

    Reply
  2. Wayne Williams

    Nice one Damien,

    Any word on a North American Wedding Workshop tour?

    Wayne

    Reply
    • damien

      Hi Wayne,

      I’m hoping to get to the West Coast later this year starting at San Fran. A lot depends on my sponsors as it is not easy to schedule and plan from the UK.
      I’ll keep my blog readers posted so do stay in touch.

      Kind regards, Damien.

      Reply
  3. Sarah

    Damien, Damien, Damien….
    You do it every flippin’ time! You, Julie & your team inspire, share and have fun on every workshop you do – there’s not many more I can do but I will also be back!
    Huge thanks for all that you do….
    Sarah

    Reply
    • damien

      Thanks Sarah, You are a star and make it all worth while. Damien.

      Reply
  4. Tamz

    Hi Damien,

    Picked up an Orbis this morning.

    Gosh, this is awesome. What creamy light quality. Never used a ring before, but I can see what the fuss is about now.

    Hopefully they double up the flash ports for an Orbis2 so I can attach two 580s :) and get more juice.

    Well thought out design apart from the flash grip – I can see the frosted half of the ring is designed to balance the even light spread (which would be stronger near the source otherwise).

    Shame it’s not quite a full circle which spoils the catchlights.

    Some lenses don’t fit through the hole like the 16-35L (so no chance of using the hood if needed).

    Overpriced as a product but worth it for the results.

    They need a rethink on the optional bracket though – wrong colour and clunky design.

    Damien, any tips for getting a really good halo effect?

    Reply
    • damien

      Hi Tamz,

      One 580 is all I need in an Orbis. It’s great for portraits. If I need more oomph I’m lucky to have the fabulous Broncolor ringflash.

      Put the 16-35 through the Orbis then attach the camera. Simples.

      For shadow halo effect stand your subject 80cm from a plain wall ;)

      Cheers, Damien.

      Reply
  5. DaveT

    Damien,

    Thanks for answering my questions.

    Dave

    Reply
  6. Martin

    Great to see the Orbis shots – I managed to pick one up for £80 from someone who was selling off a load of gear.
    Do you find the need to dial in any flash compensation as recommended in the manual?

    Reply
    • damien

      Hi Martin,

      It depends upon how much flash is kicking back to the camera and how bright the background is. I think that most of my Orbis shots have some flash exposure compensation dialed in. I take a test shot and if it is a bit dark I put in + and if it is too bright I put in – and that is it. I’ve not noticed any consistent need for + FEC.

      Cheers, Damien.

      Reply
  7. damien

    Hi Gwyn,

    I’d say there is a lot of flashed pictures in the set. I placed my flash in the corner of the room on top of the wardrobe for the groom getting ready pictures for instance. I like the fact the shots look natural even though they were lit. If I’d have switched the flash off the skin tones would be muddy etc.

    Thanks for your kind words,

    Damien.

    Reply
  8. damien

    Hi George,

    Obis might well have four stops of light loss but if you use it TTL then the output of the flash compensates. With a decent Speedlight there is more than enough output to create amazing pictures.

    Orbis is about 3 times the size of a Speedlight and half the cost. I have a Broncolor ringflash that costs £1800 plus a further £2000 for the power pack and Orbis is way better value. It’s the pictures that count not the kit used to take them.

    You can zoom and use AF no problem. The great thing is Orbis is so easy to use on any camera, Canon, Nikon Sony etc and if you switch camera or flash you can still use Orbis with the new camera – brilliant.

    With the light source behind the lens you don’t need to use a lens hood so no worries there. I used a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens and a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 so that pretty much covers the needs of most pros.

    I don’t use the bracket either because I want a quick system I can pass between my delegates.

    Orbis is only worth the investment if you are going to use it and want to create striking pictures. I dont care how plasticy it feels because it is made from plastic. If you start out on an Orbis journey with negative cynicism you’ll hate it. As with all pieces of camera kit there are a few cons but the pros of picture making oportunities the Orbis gives me far outweigh the cons.

    Damien.

    Reply
  9. damien

    Tamz,

    I’ve not tried the Orbis at ISO 800 yet. I’ve not needed to. at 10ft ISO 400 @ f/4 is fine.

    It probably fills the frame on wide angle. Depends on what you are lighting. If you are shooting against a flat surface then the corners of the frame might be 4 times the distance from the lens than the centre and no light source near the camera will be even. If you are not expecting the Orbis to be the background light as well as the foreground light then no problem.

    The Ezybox doesn’t have a hole in it to put the lens through and is a much larger light source so there is no comparison.

    Kind regards, Damien.

    Reply
  10. damien

    Thank you everyone for your kind words especially Gemma, Mark, Darren, Daren, Fizmoo and Mark.

    Dave T,

    1. Thanks for your comments and your questions. Julie uses a monopod most of the time, more than me.

    2. If we get a blink we take another shot.

    3. We tidy the room. 2 minutes shifting bags, hangers and stuff is always necessary. It’s what makes our shots clutter free.

    Cheers, Damien.

    Reply
  11. Gwyn Cole

    Damien, absolutely fantastic set of images! Most of the images appear to be taken in natural light… is that true?

    Reply
  12. George

    I read the Orbis has as much as 4 stops of light loss?

    Nealy purchased one today – but it feels so cheap and plastic I had second thoughts at paying £190 for it.

    Also:
    Seems like you have to forget about focus and zoom dials with this fitted?

    And which lens hoods fit through without having to take the hood off first?

    Not liking the optional bracket either.

    Reply
  13. Mark Betts

    Lovely shot Damien.

    I love my Orbis, hoping to give it a bit of a workout in a few weeks on a Model shoot.

    Mark

    Reply
  14. Tamz

    Damien,

    The Orbis seems great! Few Questions.

    What sort of range can you get from it at ISO 800?

    Does the light fill the frame on a wide angle?

    How does it compare to the small Ezybox?

    Thank you

    Reply
  15. DaveT

    Damien,

    Great set of images and it’s wonderful to see how you have posed and set up the images to maximise the light.

    Having a copy of your wedding book and followed the blog for some time I can see why you like shooting at F4 (or thereabouts), it really does look impressive and sets the work apart.

    A few things stuck me though and would I appreciate your views on.

    Firstly, I know you like using a monopod, is that the same for Julie? I see there a number of images where the shutter speed is quite low.

    Also, I sometimes find that the Bride and/or Groom are ‘blinkers’ and using slow shutter speeds (even with fill flash hoping to freeze the eyes) can pick up the blur of the eye movement. What do you do in these situations?

    The second thing that struck me was how nice and tidy the Bridal suite was. I sometimes find that the bedroom is chaotic with the Bride, her bridesmaids, and all sorts of bags and bits that I have to carefully pick a place to get a decent backdrop. Do you use a separate room for the shots?

    Thanks
    Dave

    Reply
  16. Mark

    I was there too!

    What a great day with some amazing images. Damien and Julie have a great way of teaching how to take great images in a relaxed environment. I learnt so much in the workshop and am looking forward to applying this in the coming year!

    Looking forward to the next course whenever that will be……

    Mark

    Reply
  17. Darren Bell

    Can’t wait to go on the course in April! :-)

    Reply
  18. Fizmoo

    I bought an Orbis one year ago but I have not yet use it very often. Your shots with it are very intersting and I will make more tries.

    Reply
  19. Daren

    Wow… What amazing shots, and really shows the low light capabilities of the two cameras. I am hoping to get on a workshop this year… Just need to get space in my calendar and time off work..

    Reply
  20. Gemma

    I was there! :-)

    The shots are all fabulous, and thanks to Damien & Julie’s expert tuition and help on the day, mine look (nearly) as stunning too!!!

    Thanks so much for an amazing workshop full of useful advice.

    I will be back ;-)

    Gemma

    Reply

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