from what i recall they stuff the Gary Fong with paper towels or other material to diffuse and soften the light output which lightens the deep shadows.
the rail system is also a DIY design. it is the rail from the old Canon FD auto bellows with the bellows removed, fitted with a custom bracket quick release attachment. the most recent iteration has newly modified flash bracketing, tripod mounting ring and is self contained. all of the imaging system is independent of the focusing rail and tripod. this enables one to detach from the tripod and rail (when needed) and rapidly move to the hand held mode bringing the dual flashes, battery pack, etc. into play in pursuit of dynamic targets. the rail only comes into play when the lens is set to 1:1 or greater for mechanical focusing.
Thanks RH, I added a layer of material to the Lightsphere and can see improvement, will work on improving it more. My keeper rate increased this morning due to better lighting, morning walks will not be the same as before! without any filters, here are some shots using your suggestion ( RH Sock ):
very nice Roses, Karl, that new lens is fantastic and the second picture is killing me! Reno, the RH Sock is a light translucent material that goes over the Lightsphere like a sock. I used a sweatband to keep it all together, and shot through the top while pointed at the subject 90 degrees, if that makes sense. Essentially, ymmv, so make your own sock and the point RH was trying to make I think, is to soften the light as much as possible, seems to work well and does make a difference. Ram, your style can it be categorized as Japanese Zen Flower Photography? Thanks much for the kind comments!
You know when you are getting old when you go in search of grass to shoot rather than smoke. Guess the rocking chair on the porch is just around the corner.
lol @ shooting vs. smoking grass.
Amazing stuff from everyone, very inspiring.
Being stuck in a fly-in/fly-out only work camp without access to my camera is killing me,
I have a p&s but it's not the same.
keep posting!!!!
