With D7000, Leave the Flash Behind

That's what I should have done when we left for our vacation.  I used my external SB-600 flash for about 15 minutes and I used it to take pictures of our cabin.  That was it.  I'm documenting it here as a lesson learned that I don't need to bring everything with me.  That's how great the D7000 is.  I did bring a spare battery with me.  I'm still averaging about 1200 pictures per battery.  Really cool!

Here's some pictures taken without flash:

Art Gallery on board (I did spend some time here)

Hubby's breakfast

Welcome Aboard champagne

Fellow cruisers dropping off their liquor purchases in Cozumel...they get it back on the last evening of the cruise

The gym on board

Galley tour!

My breakfast of champions (including oatmeal and granola)

A visit to the Medical Center for dear Hubby.  

A martini demonstration

Pouring different martinis...neat trick!

The captain's champagne fall...I watched the crew stack the 616 champagne glasses!

There were times while on the ship I left my camera(s) in the cabin.  There were many times I missed some wonderful shots.  There is always something going on or an event taking place on the ship.

Next time, I'm leaving my flash behind.

(Note:  all pictures taken in P-mode)

Went Over 10,000 Pictures on My D7000

My seven month old D7000 went over 10,000 pictures while on vacation.  After the 9999 picture was taken, the camera reset back to 0001.  Our ship the Crown Princess was leaving Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) to start the second week of our cruise.  Ahead of us was the recently refurbished Grand Princess.  Here's the "milestone" picture I took from our balcony:

The Grand Princess sailing out of Ft Lauderdale

"C' is for the Island of Cozumel!

Crown Princess & Carnival Paradise docked at Puerta Maya

Colorful shops in Puerta Maya pier

We had a wonderful opportunity to snorkel at the barrier reefs:  Columbia and Palancar.  It was breathtaking to see all the varieties of fish and coral!

Underwater with S90

Underwater with S90

Underwater with S90

Underwater with S90

After snorkeling for 1-1/2 hours, we cruised over to Playa Mia for rest and relaxation.

Playa Mia (S90)

Life guard stand at Playa Mia (S90)

Colorful sombreros in the shops at Playa Mia (S90)

This turned out to be our favorite island.  A fantastic experience for us!

A Stop in Belize

Geoff's Cay

Geoff's Cay

Geoff's Cay

Some Photos from Week One of Our Cruise

We’ve completed the first week of our cruise.  Here are some pictures from our adventures in the southern Caribbean.

Princess Cays, Bahamas:

Curacao:

Arriving at the Mega Pier in Otrabanda

Renaissance Resort

Aruba: 

Our colorful transportation.  Now, this was one fun bus! (AW100)

Moomba Beach (AW100)

Moomba Beach (AW100)

Moomba Beach (AW100)

We have started our second week of cruising.  We are headed to the western Caribbean. 

Somewhere in the Caribbean

 

A day at sea.  Starting with this sunrise:

Simple Flash Techniques with My D7000 and SB-600

Photography is art.  When I look through my camera's viewfinder, I'm looking for art.  The camera is my tool.  I can adjust the zoom, aperture, shutter speed, and produce something creative.  Something of my own.

A tool that I use with my camera is an external flash.  This changes the mood, light, and colors I see.

The Nikon SB-600 flash is a great all around external flash to use.  I've used it with my D40, D5000, and D7000 cameras.  While the SB-600 feels cumbersome and bulky on my D40, it feels well balanced with my D7k.

What's included with the SB-600?  A plastic flash stand to mount on a tripod and use as a slave flash, a soft case, and a sliding diffuser that's built into the flash head.

The accessories I've purchased for my SB-600 include a StoFen Diffuser and a Gary Fong Lightsphere (Cloud).  Both products work well.  When I use my flash, I always have the StoFen attached.  It softly diffuses the harsh projected light.  I've experimented with the GF Lightsphere and use it primarily for portraits and taking pictures of flowers.  It's best used for up close pictures.

The first year I had my SB-600, I used the flash straight on.  I didn't know any better.  I noticed huge shadows appeared behind my subjects.  I also noticed a lot of red-eyes.  As you can imagine, a lot of my pictures were blown out.  The flash was too bright...even with the flash exposure set to 0.  It was frustrating.  I didn't like my pictures.



Sto-Fen Diffuser:

I started doing some research and noticed a lot of photographers were using diffusers.  That's when I bought this Sto-Fen Diffuser made for the SB-600.  It sits over the flash head and diffuses/spreads the light over a wider surface area.  It lessons the shadows (some are still there but not as pronounced) and softens the light on the subject.  I was happy with the results I was getting, but I was still getting some red-eyes.

I then played around with the flash head.  Moving it straight up to bounce off the ceiling.  Moving it around (swiveling on the base) and point the flash head behind me towards a wall.  Bouncing the flash reduces the harsh light directed at the subject.  I'm not a technical person when it comes to photography.  If one is interested in knowing the technical aspects of external flashes and the bounce techniques, I would research this on Google.

This is my typical flash setup with the flash head pointed slightly upwards

I used this setup when I take portrait pictures and I turn the camera sideways

When I don't want a lot of flash (softer light), I will bounce the flash behind me towards a wall or ceiling

After experimenting with the movements of the flash head, I noticed something else was missing or lacking in my pictures.  Sometimes the flash was still too bright.  I've learned to play with the adjustments right on the flash itself.  While my camera exposure remains at 0 (zero), I've learned to tweak the flash settings.  Many times I've been inside a dark house, room, or church setting and the flash pushes out immense light...even when bouncing off the walls or ceiling.  I've learned to adjust the flash exposure down.  Typically for portraits and still life, I will adjust the flash down to -0.7.

My typical external flash settings I use.  I press the "-" button until I get to -0.7

When I take pictures of my artwork, the -0.7 setting on my flash will produce a harsh glare on my paintings.  I've had to adjust the flash down further to -1.0 and sometimes -1.3.  

Again, press the "-" button until I get to -1.0

If I just want some soft lighting, I will go all the way down to -2.0.  

Pressing the "-" to get to -2.0 for just some soft lighting from the flash

All this depends on how far away you are standing from your subjects.  The settings above are good for distances of 5-10 feet from your subject.  If you are further away, you will need to up the flash exposure...possibly going up to +0.7 or even +1.0.  I hardly ever have to go in the + side of exposure.


Note:  pictures were taken with my Nikon D40 and SB-400 external flash:

My 4 year old D40 used to take the pictures for this post.  It's my back up camera.  This camera has taken over 15,000 pictures and still produces beautiful colors!