Going in, I had all sorts of gadgets I wanted to try out. Along with the gadgets I wanted to experiment with some ideas I had been playing with in my head. As I listed in my previous post, you will notice that I had packed a shoot through umbrella and a manfrotto magic arm. Shoot through umbrellas create unique light and I wanted to experiment with that light as a fill inside the boat. In the past I have just used the standard hot shoe flash for fill. I wanted to add something different, though.
With the magic arm, umbrella mount, and super clamp combined, I was working with a miniature, mobile studio setup. I could position the light anyway I wanted, anywhere I wanted. My immediate issue was the enormous amount of sunlight. In order to get a proper exposure in my particular situation It would have been necessary to have 2-3 speedlites setup. So I really didn't get to use the umbrella the way I intended. I was hoping for low light situations which would have given me the opportunity to create some soft, dramatic lighting. Maybe the boat is not the place to bring such equipment. It never hurts to try, and I definitely will try again to see if it's worth having. Aside from the experimenting, I did my normal thing and shot at every angle possible trying to pick up something fresh and new. Did I achieve fresh and new? I guess I will leave that to those that view my photos.I did find use for the umbrella indoors, though. In the Spirits Hall, which is where the bar is, I setup the umbrella on the balcony. Spirits Hall has high walls and ceiling which made it easy to bounce light. My one umbrella lit up the entire room allowing me to get a higher shutter speed when shooting hand held.
It was a great trip and I learned so much. It would have been great to have water clarity for underwater shots, but I always have Los Roques to look forward to for that! For all the images on this trip please go to my website. http://www.theflyphoto.com
Matt, you are so in your calling. Keep going, brotha!
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