I had a short photo session with a friend today. He was cosplaying as Shizuo from “Durarara!!” The show is basically a modern day rendition of the headless horseman. For the session I decided to go with strong high contrast light. When using a flash, I didn’t attach a diffuser. Partly because of the dreary conditions and partly because of my first intention. The show takes place in Tokyo, often at nighttime. While the setting used for the shoot wasn’t exactly like that, I kept setting in mind for the background and overall feel of most images taken. I was expecting rain but I wasn’t sure just how much. The light sprinkles worked out well as it wasn’t a hindrance and added a bit to the feel of the photos.
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I used the flash off-camera quite a bit of the time. Sometimes I held it in my hand and others I placed it on the ground. The standard method of wireless flash communication where the built-in flash acts as a controller is very far from ideal. I was having distance and signal blocking issues. One of these days when I can afford it, I’ll look into getting 2-4 RF wireless triggers. The Cactus V5 seems like the best out there at the moment for Pentax.
The equipment used was the Pentax K-5, DA* 55mm f1.4, DA 14mm f2.8, and Sigma EF-530 DG Super. Those two lenses have been my go-to lenses for a few weeks and have performed admirably. I usually seem to go in phases with lenses, which often seems to spur from what works for me at the moment and I know I can depend on it.