...I can hardly sit still to type this. I have had a frustration with flash these last few years & haven't been able to do anything about it, until now. Flash is Not one of my favorite things to use, however it's sometimes needed. It doesn't look natural at all, I really don't like it on my camera blowing people away, bouncing it isn't always possible & most importantly, it takes away from the moment. With that frustration comes really, really exciting news to share, I have added "PocketWizard" to my photography arsenal & I can't wait for my next wedding to use it. Don't I sound like an infommercial? The excitement you are reading is NO comparison to the absolute joy I feel & could never express it enough in writing. I was literally dancing on the inside, when I got it yesterday but didn't want to scare the kids by actually dancing in front of them, plus... I was sitting in the car with very little boogy room. Jon knew how excited I was though. He smiles & gives his standard "Ahhhh, is that your new camera part?" As if he didn't know, I've only been talking about it since the beginning of the year. But I Love it when he feeds my excitement. I love how happy he is for me, how he keeps me growing with my passion & keeps me strong believing in myself. Oh how I love this man.
Now I'm not saying this product fixes all my flash frustrations & don't get me wrong, there are still times I will refuse to use flash of any kind but Love the idea of having this for the moments that are right. I had previously purchased a light stand & an umbrella for more indoor posey shots. Now I can take the flash off the camera, put it on the stand, adding more depth & direction of light without the frontal blast, giving me even more control. It's like a huge bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup to me, it gives me that warm, comforting kinda feeling. This is huge, especially for family group photos in homes with not so ideal lighting &/or bad weather outside.
The word Flash has now changed, in a positive, almost loving way, almost. The possibilities are endless incorporating this into certain future portrait sessions but I definitely see a "grunt" (as Lee @ Crown Camera would put it for a helper) in my future for those sessions. I always want to continue with my current photography style, staying Me, by using as little artificial light during most of my sessions as possible.
This "PocketWizard" set was over $400.00 but was needed more than the 70-200mm 2.8 IS lens I want for weddings (approx $2,500.00, no wonder why some artists starve, lol). When I started photography, I was so sure I would be completely satisfied with the kit lens (Canon 18-55 along with a Promaster 70-300mm I got from Crown) & I made it clear to Jon I wouldn't need anything new for a looooong time. That was a stupid thing to say, lol. I will have to post some photos of what I have as camera gear now, what I use most, what were smart & not so smart purchases (for me) & what I want next (the want list just keeps going & going & only gets more expensive. I should also tell you how I want Jon to propose...it involves the 5d, Mark II around my neck instead of a ring on my finger. I would totally use a camera more than a ring ;)
& it's about $2,500.00 anyways. Hey, whatever I have to do to get what I want, lol & how many people do you know that got proposed that way, totally unique to us).
I'm trying to be humble but really jumping & screaming on the inside...Really, How exciting for me, this opens huge doors especially how I see my future 1st dances, portrait sessions, my own art & so much more. There are times when I had wished for something like this & didn't think it would ever happen this soon,...It's like Christmas in April for me. Learning on my own is the only way to go in the beginning, so I don't see any limitations, boxes or rules. But I am thinking about attending the next flash course at Crown Camera, I never want to stop learning. BTW, if I haven't mentioned it before, Crown Camera in Redding is the best place to have your photos developed. In my opinion you're wasting your money by going to dept stores, the quality just isn't there, they tend to come out dark & if I don't process the photos perfectly, Crown will make sure they come out their best, other stores just don't do that. If it's important enough to get the photos taken, to get them developed & to have as a forever memory in your album or scrap book, make sure they're developed by people who care about photography. NO I don't get $ to say that.
So, to wrap this up, (and still keep my feet on the ground) I'm so excited to use my flash for the 1st time since getting the Canon 580 EXII Speedlite late last year (I already have the Canon 430, since 2009). I can't wait to be challenged in so many ways & to start, the 1st challenge is learning how to operate the "PocketWizard", LOL. Bring it on!!!!
This is my beautiful niece Amanda, her charming husband Geoff & their incredibly smart, pretty, adorable, happy, silly daughter, (& my new BFF) Andrea. They came to stay with us for a couple of days to relax & so Amanda could check out my DSLR cameras for a future purchase of her own. This photo was taken as they were getting ready to head back home to Oregon this morning & I couldn't wait to post them for our entire family to see how big Andrea is getting.
