Sean Molin

There are a few ways to tackle this. You first have to decide if you want to go natural light or not. If it's something like a party and no one cares that you use flash, by all means, use it. I'd recommend bouncing the flash and using a CTO (tungsten) gel to match the warmth of the candle light. Also, make sure you keep the flash level low (maybe -2 EV) to keep as much of the natural candle environment as possible.

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If it's something like a wedding ceremony where flash should never be used, you're just going to have to use fast lenses and maybe higher ISOs. If you're having focus problems, try focusing on something else that's the same distance that has more contrast. That means looking for zippers, the area where the neck meets the shirt, or where the tux jacket meets the shirt. Camera autofocus does best when it can find detail to lock on to.

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The more megapixels we have, the more fine detail we capture, but that also enhances our mistakes... specifically from three sources:

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1. Lens quality
2. Camera shake
3. Inaccurate focus

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So, if we want pixel-level perfection with 36+ megapixels, we need to tackle those three things.

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Use the best glass you can afford. If critical sharpness is necessary, that means stopping down usually to somewhere between f/2.8 and f/5.6 on most lenses. We also need to be careful of diffraction when stopping down. On the D800/D810, you can easily begin to see the softening effects of diffraction around f/7.1. If you need the depth of field, don't hesitate to stop down to f/11 or even f/13, but know that you will be sacrificing some sharpness.

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Use high shutter speeds, low ISOs, and if necessary use a SOLID tripod and head. Never skimp on your support. Get to know your mirror lockup mode to prevent camera shake when shooting technical long-exposures.

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And when focus is critical, use live view. Normal autofocus uses "phase detection" which is fast, but less accurate, especially at medium to long distances. Live view uses "contrast detection" which is slow, but extremely accurate.

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I'm not sure if you're the same person who posted the nearly identical question before this, but I will answer the differences. Be sure to check the other answer for my equipment choices for portrait photography.

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As far as product photography, not much changes. It does depend on what I'm shooting. I shoot small products like cameras, books, computers, animals, alcohol, etc. If they aren't reflective, I'll just use two big umbrellas. If they are, I worry about catch lights, and I'll use a softbox or a beauty dish as my key. I'll many times use a gridded rim light to add extra definition or, in the case of alcohol, to light up the bottle. Here's a nice walk-through of a product shoot with just two lights: http://seanmolin.com/blog/2011/11/27/up-a-creek-behind-the-scenes/

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Speedlights do a lot. In most situations I have the luxury of altering the situation to fit my lighting demands, but as you start to dive in, you flat-out need more power. If you're on a budget, don't scoff at Alienbees. I've heard nothing but great things about them for the money. May also want to look at the Einsteins from the same company. They are a bit more expensive, but have more power, and most importantly, more manageable and consistent output.

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If money's basically no object, or you want to do it right the first time... and keeping portability in mind... I think Elinchrom is my dream. Their Ranger series is killer. Ultra-portable studio lighting with SERIOUS output in small packaging. But one place where these high-end makers shine (haha punny) is with their modifiers. Many people will pick a brand, be it Elinchrom, Profoto, Broncolor, based solely on which modifiers they get to use. I personally am eyeing Elinchrom just because I like their total package, they have great modifiers... and while still very expensive, actually not quite as expensive as either Profoto or Broncolor.

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Speedlights when using high-speed sync will let you use flash in bright conditions requiring faster than 1/250th sec... but at the expense of power output. That means that your light needs to be very very close to your subject. Sometimes this can be prohibitive. Most of these studio strobes just put out enough like to flat-out overpower the sun. Period.

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There is... another option... if you already have money invested in speedlights and want to be able to shoot in the daylight: Neutral density filters. In my opinion it's a cut-and-dry decision on which one to get. Get the Singh-Ray Vari-ND. It's super expensive, but it's the first and last ND filter you'll ever need. It's adjustable from 2-8 stops, and it's ultra high quality. Just get the largest one, and you can hold it in front of your smaller lenses.

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I use Nikon SB-700 and SB-900 speedlights for just about everything. I trigger them with Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 (oh, and an AC30 Zone Controller). For a serious in-depth look at my views on that system, check out my blog: http://seanmolin.com/blog/2011/11/05/with-great-power-comes/

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For modifiers, I have a few favorites. When I need super soft shadows and I'm doing fairly close-up (3/4 and tighter) portrait work, nothing beats my Westcott Apollo 28" softbox. It's the best softbox for speedlights money can buy. The only downside is that, true to softbox form, it's not the quickest setup and teardown... although it's still faster than a traditional softbox because it opens like an umbrella..

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For my edgier work, like senior portraits, I have a 22" beauty dish designed for speedlights. The light it produces is out of this world. It's got huge throw, it's still fairly soft, but it gives you extra shadow definition. Great for modern or fashion looks.

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And then I've got my trusty umbrellas. Never underestimate their inexpensive and easy-to-use awesomeness. The only flaws with umbrellas are that there tends to be a little bit of a hot spot where the strobe hits the surface, but the biggest (sometimes) downside is that you cannot control spill with them. When you want to light a bigger area, OR you're doing closeups and fall off doesn't show anyway... Umbrellas are still the way to go. I LOVE my 60" umbrella, especially if I am shooting wide.

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And then my final major modifier I use is a small speedlight grid. I don't know what I'd do without it. It lets me put a small hit of light where ever I want with precision. I use it exclusively with my edgy back-lit modern shots as it prevents fall off from hitting everything else in the scene.

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1. Intuos4 or 5? If you're going to be wired and/or have your tablet on a table at all times, look for a good deal on the 4. The 5 didn't really upgrade anything aside from the RF wireless ability. The 5 also took away the (very cool) LED button assignments and the ability to replace the writing surface if it gets damaged beyond use. If you're going wireless, the Intuos5 has noticeably better performance. The two downsides are that the wireless is an optional $40 extra, and that it uses up one of your USB ports anyway for the RF transmitter. EITHER WAY, both tablets have the same pressure sensitivity and the same number of buttons.

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The Intuos5 does have one other major difference; it supports gestures. That's right. You can use it with your fingers. Now, if you're used to any of Apple's glass trackpad offerings, you'll find the Intuos5 to have a little "stickier" surface. You'll want to lighten your touch.

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2. Small, Medium, or Large? If you're a photographer, small or medium. If you're on one monitor smaller than 21-24", the small will do just fine, but you may want to consider medium if it's always going to be on your desk regardless of monitor size. Running two monitors? a medium helps, but you can also set up one of the buttons to be a monitor switch and then your tablet takes up the entire monitor you want to work on.

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I would not get a large unless you are an artist who draws in long brush strokes. You will have to move your arm too far to do anything. Remember that tablets map pixel-to-pixel on your monitor. It's not like a mouse.

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I will say this. The small isn't really that small. I was really sort of surprised. I got the small because I wanted, well, a small tablet that could be wireless for my new MacBook. Laying the small on top of the medium, it's exactly one inch smaller on every edge. That's not a whole lot... but I guess it's enough to make it really portable. Interestingly enough, the medium Intuos4 is nearly EXACTLY the same footprint as the 15" MacBook Pro. Thus, the small is also 1 inch smaller on every side.

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