Reflector bowl test shots

[gardenersassistant]

As described in this post at talkphotography.co.uk, I have been experimenting with flash diffusion using reflected light rather than multiple diffusion layers in front of the flash heads. Here are some examples from the first test session I did using the latest version of this reflector bowl setup in the grounds of the church opposite our house. This album at Flickr has 1300 pixel high versions of these images and the other images I kept from the session.

I used a Sony A7sii with two 2X teleconverters and a Laowa 100mm 2X macro lens and Yongnuo YN24EX twin flash. I shot raw at f/45 with 1/4 flash power .

The raw files were processed in DXO PhotoLab and Adobe Lightroom using presets, with image-specific adjustments in Lightroom and image-specific masked output sharpening in Topaz DeNoise AI. Images #3 and #5 had round trips from Lightroom to Photoshop and back to damp down reflections of the flash source on highly reflective surfaces.

#1

1922 04 2021_06_20 DSC00515_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#2

1922 05 2021_06_20 DSC00575_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#3

1922 07 2021_06_20 DSC00601_PLab4-Edit-Edit LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#4

1922 11 2021_06_20 DSC00640_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#5

1922 18 2021_06_20 DSC00687_PLab4-Edit LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[AlanLichty]

Looks like a successful ploy - I don't see any flash reflections in these tiny scenes.

Are you able to use autofocus with this lens/converter combination or do you have to focus manually?

 

[JimFox]

Wow Nick!!! Simply amazing the level of detail you are able to obtain. Your quality far surpasses the quality I remember from the school books growing up. Just amazing!

My favorites are #2 and 4.

 

[Ben Egbert]

You are taking this to levels of capture and processing above and beyond, but you are getting detail and perfection too. Good job.

 

[Tom Narwid]

Beautiful work.

 

[gardenersassistant]

Looks like a successful ploy - I don't see any flash reflections in these tiny scenes.

Are you able to use autofocus with this lens/converter combination or do you have to focus manually?

Wow Nick!!! Simply amazing the level of detail you are able to obtain. Your quality far surpasses the quality I remember from the school books growing up. Just amazing!

My favorites are #2 and 4.

You are taking this to levels of capture and processing above and beyond, but you are getting detail and perfection too. Good job.

Beautiful work.

Thanks all for the very encouraging comments.

Alan, thanks for the feedback on the flash reflections. As to autofocus, no. The Laowa is manual focus only. I used autofocus for over a decade and was hesitant about getting a manual focus lens, but it turned out ok. That is partly because the A7sii gives me usable focus peaking signals much of the time, and that makes manual focusing much easier.

 

[David S]

This is insanely awesome. I see electrons next for you.......

 

[gardenersassistant]

This is insanely awesome.

Thank you.

I see electrons next for you.......

LOL. Impressed by some of @Tom Narwid's microscope images I got some advice from him several weeks ago about using a microscope, but not for subjects quite that small !