Mech Tech Shoot!

shutter 1/60 sec
f/ 5.3
ISO: 800
focal length112 mm

1 - The available was not used as the main light in the end. 2 speedlights were used at two stops above the ambient at the subject. One was used to fill in the face while the other was used to add some punch to the hands. The ambient at the subject was at f / 4 whereas it was f / 5.6 in the background with the same settings.
2 - Switched to a longer lens to get the background out of focus. To do this, I had to change the crop of the shot. But I think the image works better with the tighter crop.
3 - I wanted to use the lowest possible aperture I could. Considering the lens I was using. At 112 mm, the lowest I could get the aperture was 5.3. So I went with that.
4 - Shutter speed stayed consistent at 1/60 sec. Enough to grab the ambient light and not blur the subject. Since the model was not moving, I was able to use a shutter on the lower spectrum for shooting a person.
5 - Ambient light was cooperating for the shoot.
6 - Speedlights were the right choice. They were even dialled down. The light would have been too strong with monoblocks.
7 - Nope
8 - Working on the photo in post, I noticed that the light on the subjects right hand was a little hot. Also, I repositioned the lights from my original diagram ever so slightly.
I also find the photo to be slightly out of focus.
9 - I gelled my speedlights. Colour was pretty accurate.
10 - Had all I needed except a better camera & lens!

Assignment 4 - pre light!

1 - The available light will be the main light in the shot. The background and the machine will all be lit by the available light.

2 - I want the background to be thrown out of focus. I pulled back as far as I could which allowed me to go up to 55mm. The machines directly behind the subject are pretty crisp, but everything beyond that is out of focus. I'll try shooting at 3.5 the day of the shoot and see if I can keep my subject sharp enough with that and if the trade off is worth it.

3 - Oops, I just covered the f-stop. My bad. Overzealous?

4 - I'm going to shoot at 1/60th sec. My light meter gave me a reading of 1/80th with the my chosen ISO and f-stop, but I know my camera shoots darker than the meter suggests. If I end up shooting at f/ 3.5, I may be able to get away with 1/80th. Even if it's dark, it won't be too dark that it cannot be fixed in lightroom.

5 - The settings were chosen with the ambient light in mind.

6 - The settings are pretty high. So I'm using speedlights instead of strobes. The spread of the speed lights is easily controlled so I can really focus the light on the subject's hands. And I have fluorescent gels to balance the colour temperature.

7 - Definitely not much light. Not an issue in the mech tech lab.

8 - My main problem with the shot, which is probably the same as many other people, is the lack of wiggle room. Not much space to move around.

9 - A shot with a gray card and then balancing my speedlights with gels should keep everything happily balanced.

10 - On the day of, I shall have with me:
Camera
24-70 mm f/ 2.8 lens
memory cards
Camera batteries
tripod and clip
3 light stands
3 Nikon speedlights (if I can't get my hands on a third, I'll borrow a non-Nikon flash and a peanut slave)
many AA batteries
SU-800 wireless trigger for flashes
3 umbrella mounts for speedlights
Laptop for viewing
card reader (because my old camera doesn't get along with lightroom
lens cloth
clamps