Strobism

For Christmas just gone (2008), I saved up money from relatives and bought myself a Canon 400d DSLR.

Photography is something I’ve been into on and off for about 25 years.

When I was around 10 years old, I saved up my Christmas and Birthday money (spotting a trend here?) and bought a 35mm Ricoh SLR from my Uncle Nigel, who was a professional photographer.

At school we had a photography club, and along with Mr Bonnelli the Biology teacher, we setup a dark room. We bought 35mm film in cartons, re-loaded our own rolls of film, developed them and printed them. Not bad for a bunch of 10 to 13 year olds.

Just after I left university, one of my best friends was still Loughborough working on his PhD, and the physics department had a new fangled thing a Digitial Camera.

A Kodak DC210. I went and played with it, and then went out and bought one for myself. I was a consultant at the time, and so had plenty of disposable income.

I then spent a few weeks writing a driver for windows 95, as Kodak had only drivers for Windows 3.xx at the time. I think it was around £600 for a 1.1 mega pixel camera, I still have it today and it still works.

Then about 5 years ago I sold all my 35mm kit and bought a semi-professional digital, but I couldn’t quite stretch to a DSLR. At that time I was working for a design company in Luton, and just opposite was a second hand camera shop. I used to go in about once a week, and one time there was a studio lighting kit that had come in. For a snip at £50 I got two lighting stands, two 250w lamps and attachments and two umbrellas. I only ever used it only a couple of times.

Now with my latest purchase I’ve discovered a new photography meme, strobism. Basically the use of off camera flash. With already owning several tripods and mirror umbrella, difussor umbrella, an external flash and remote trigger plus some lighting stands, I’m already most of the way there. So in the coming few weeks, months and probably years, I’ll try and post some photo experiments that I plan to do.

Also here is a really good tutorial for all would be strobists.