Last month I was in Tucson, AZ teaching a Speedlight workshop Popular Photography Magazines "Mentor Series".  I was teaching along with my friends, Dave Black and Lucas Gilman.  It was the first time that the Mentor Series had offered such a specialize workshop dealing with just lighting with speedlights.

Here is one of the photos I took as a demonstration using just a single grid on an SB-800.  I've ben using the Rogue Grid System for about a year now, I just love it.  The grid comes with 2 different grid sizes, a 25 degree and a 45 degree grid, when both are positioned together you get a 16 degree grid.  If your looking for a cool grid system, check them out, I carry two with me.

One of our location photographing was the Pima Air & Space Museum southeast of downtown Tucson.  One of the models which showed up was a gal dressed like the cultural icon Rosie the Riveter from the second world war era.

I position her under in front and below an airplane which was fitting for that time period.  The first exposure shown here is what the camera deemed normal.

I then deliberately underexposed the next frame by about 1 stop before turning on my flash.

If your interested in learn how to get studio quality light using your speedlights, join me for one of my Small Strobes, Big Results workshop.  I have space still available for my August 18th workshop here in Denver.  For more information about my workshops and how to register click HERE

I might also add that I'll be teaching at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops August 5-10, 2012.  I'll be teaching a course titled Corporate Photography and the Annual Report. If your interested in learning about the exciting field of corporate work, don't miss this workshop!  For more information regarding enrollment click HERE.

I'm currently in Dubai teaching several workshops.  I arrived here on the 20th of April for the Popular Photography Mentor Series Trek.  We photographed around the Dubai area for about 7 days and I am now teaching 3 days for the Gulf Photo Plus.

The photo above was shot using my new D800, and the lighting was a FourSquare™ softbox on camera right.  We were in open shade and the ambient exposure was one stop under what the camera indicated.  More about the Trek and workshops later, just thought I'd check in.  DT

I received news today that the videos I shot with Nikon late last year and now up on their site. I did 3 different videos for them, one dealing with a proper bounce technique, another about artificial sunlight and another about turning day into night.  Here are the links to those videos.

Artificail Sunlight

Bounce Technique

Day to Night

I had a lot of fun shooting these videos, I hope you like them.  I might also mention that I have an up coming Small Strobes, Big Results workshop here in Denver on August 18th.  For more informaiton click HERE.  DT

As it turns out, I have a 4 hour delay here in DC for my flight to Ghana.  Thought I'd run through the process for making the photo above.  The location was the Kempinski Hotel at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai.  I was told that we were shooting in a $10,000.00 USD a night room.  It was a 3 bedroom with a view of the Ski Resort in the mall.  Yes, a ski resort in the shopping mall, only in Dubai.

The lighting outside the windows over the ski resort was a Mercury Vapor type lighting. By shifting my white balance on the camera to tungsten, the color of those lights went very blue.  The ambient light in the room was a clean tungsten, however the light over the bed was dialed down by use of a rheostat. Dialing down that light made the color temp drop below a true tungsten level.  I used a single SB-800 fitted with a Rouge Grid, the speedlight was also fitted with a full cut CTO to balance with the tungsten setting on the camera.  DT

Recently in the news we're seeing new demonstration in Cario and total chaos in the streets. I feel very fortunite to have visited Egypt, who knows when it will be safe to visit that country again. Egypt is a beautiful country and it saddens me to see what is taking place in that country.

I have put together a sideshow of images from my visit to Egypt. I'll be doing another overseas trip for the Mentor Series in April. I'll be leading a Trek with Michael Clark to the wonderful city of Dubai, in the UAE. That Trek will take place April 20-27, 2012. For more information on this trek and other, please visit the Mentor Series Website.