Better Beamer

Dave Brewer gave, as he often does, a short instructional presentation to the monthly meeting at ALPS. The following is a synopsis. of that information.

Better Beamer by Dave Brewer.
I gave a short presentation on the use of the Better Beamer, with a demonstration, using a stone-cut model of a Black-capped chickadee (image attached). This image, down-sized from an 11.3 megabyte 8×10 original, illustrates the utility of a Better Beamer in small bird photography to a) isolate the bird from the background, 2) diminish the area of the image outside the subject (note the white table fades to black as the light diminishes with falloff, 3) light only the subject, 4) bring out exquisite detail in the feathers, and 5) separate the eye from the dark black head feathers. Such is the power of using a Better Beamer. To obtain this image, I set my camera for ambient light (room light) then adjusted the setting to adequately light the subject. Ordinarily, I use the Better Beamer to add fill flash or for additive light. Because the room light levels were so low, in this instance, the Better Beamer furnished the primary light source for this image

BETTER BEAMER PRIMER
ALPS, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

The Better Beamer is a “flash extender” used to establish constant lighting as fill, additive, and/or primary lighting. It works by using an additional fresnel lens to concentrate flash output as a narrow beam of light, extending the reach and guide number of the base flash unit.
1. Take you flash OFF automatic (TTL, ITTL, etc.); use the flash in manual mode for a constant flash output.
2. Set your flash zoom to normal (50mm) or telephoto, NOT wide angle.
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4. Go into your camera menus and set your camera for high speed sync.
5. Set initial exposure for ambient light; adjust exposure and flash compensation to gain requisite/desired shutter speed and aperture.
6. Determine exposure values for subjects in shadow, mixed, and bright light beforehand, so as to be able to “change settings on the fly” to achieve desired results.
7. Monitor changes in available natural light; adjust EV accordingly.
8. Remember to bring extra batteries (fully charged)
9. Do NOT aim the Better Beamer directly into the sun.

For More Info About the Better Beamer:
Article on Luminous Landscape – http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/better_beamer.shtml
Where to buy Better Beamer – http://www.naturescapes.net/store/better-beamer-flash-extenders/
A Review by Digitalcamera.com – http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3651