Photography Is An Expensive Hobby

By Rob Meronek

I got some new photo gear - basically, some equipment that allows for the use of remote flashes. I'm still learning all this photo stuff. The remote flash thing was not as easy as I expected. Here's the first set of photos I took using that set up during a fun session in the empty Skatepark right before construction of the new street course begins. If you're interested in the stuff I'm using, there are links below the photos.

The flash is attached to the pole you can't see on the left. There are all kinds of settings to mess with. Something's wrong with this photo of Yonnie and Oliver Giles besides the fact that they're couples skating like at the roller rink. Maybe the flash needs to be either brighter or put in a different spot. It has to stay out of the photo, though. Plus, I wanted to show the empty warehouse. More trial and error is needed to get this right

For some reason I haven't figured out yet, every now and then, the flash would not go off - sketchy. It's real easy to miss stuff like Dave Cruz's noseblunt slide. Maybe it's dying batteries? To far away? Not sure. Even more trial and error needed. Anything but read a book

Robby Kirkland's - kickflip front cook. I wanted to get him lit up a lot more, but when you turn the flash level way up, it blows out the left side of the photo. Maybe it needs to be higher in the air or something. More trial and error needed

Maybe if there was also a flash coming from the camera as well as the one on the left, this photo of Ian Gow's crail grab frontside bluntslide would be lit up better. I'll try that next time and see what happens

The lighting on Yonnie's switch backside tailslide is a little more balanced out except for the left side. The flash is still attached to the pole about head high. Maybe a better spot would be on the ground in front of the box right outside the frame on the left. Trial and error. I'll try that next time

Same situation with Dustin Eggling's backside nosegrind back 180 out, I just turned the flash level up a bit

Camera

Flash

Lens

Remote Flash Things

Here's the gear I've been using lately. I don't know if it's good, bad, right, wrong, etc. I'm still learning all that. The reason for this particular camera is the nine frames per second it can shoot - that's needed for sequences. For the flash, that particular Nikon model is required to use the remote flash thing. There's a cheaper version of that flash that doesn't have the input for the radio device thing that sets the flash off remotely. The lens is pretty expensive but it's good for what I need it for - shooting photos at events. It goes from near fisheye to a decent zoom in one lens so I don't have to be that dude carrying a mountain backpack full of different lenses. Plus, not having to change lenses means I miss less skating going on. The transciver things - I just bought the first ones I came across. They seem to be working fine. Now I just have to learn how to place them and use them to light things up properly. That should be another year of trial and error to figure that one out.