3.18.2011

Nerdiest LED configuration of the day. Kirk Tuck's nutty contraption with a nod to Syl Arena.

I know now that I have become truly a lighting nerd.  I was reading Syl Arena's good book on Canon flash when I came across a small section in which Arena needs more power and manufactures a "light bar" out of wood and nuts and bolts and proceeds to festoon it with six or ten Canon 580 EX2 flashes.

Not being a carpenter and not owning power tools I meandered over to Precision Camera, looked thru their bewildering collection of lighting stuff and found an already assembled and ready to go model that was under $50.  With shoe mounts.

I came home, put four of the DLC-60 LED units on it, threw a sheet of diffusion over the top and lit a portrait.  Those four little guys can really belt out some light.  Don't know what I'll do with the assemblage now but I'm sure it's enough to earn me membership into the GEEKS OF LIGHT private club.  If I can just  scrounge up a couple dozen of these units I could probably go toe-to-toe with Joe McNally himself......
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9 comments:

  1. Ed ZMarch 18, 2011 at 4:55 PM

    Hey Kirk - just curious what kind of exposure (on average) are you getting from these little guys. I've been shooting a lot of film recently and I've been considering picking up some little LEDs to use for the benefits of continuous lights... Im just wondering if these will put out enough juice to give me a workable exposure with ASA100-400 film? maybe like 1/125@f4 or 5.6 as at a minimum?

    'Course my primary film is Tri-X pushed to 1250-1600, so I'm sure they'll be plenty of light for that!

    Cant wait to see the book, do you know if it will be released simultaneously in kindle format as well? (I have the commercial photog. handbook in Kindle form, it's quite convenient)

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  2. AnonymousMarch 18, 2011 at 5:07 PM

    Power Nerd. Platinum level.

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  3. John WMarch 18, 2011 at 7:52 PM

    Do you wear a fuzzy white wig and mustache when you do this stuff? After all, this is a (Visual) Science Lab??? Or do you just laugh diabolically when you write about it?

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  4. Keith McGaughranMarch 18, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    Don't these units lock together anyway ?

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  5. Kirk, Photographer/WriterMarch 18, 2011 at 7:59 PM

    John, Mostly diabolical laughter. Intersperse with random crying....

    Keith, Yes. But that would be too easy. And they'd all be bunched together. I think this is more majestic.....

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  6. Debbi_in_CaliforniaMarch 18, 2011 at 9:36 PM

    What the heck is that bar called?
    I want to order one online

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  7. Wolfgang LonienMarch 19, 2011 at 2:21 AM

    LOL - you have to invent a middle name. I guess Kirk "numnuts" Tuck isn't possible, maybe Joe has a copyright on that one ;-) hehe...

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  8. DaveMarch 21, 2011 at 6:26 AM

    Me and all my friends at the Star Trek club think you aren't nerdy at all. But we have one request... would you mound this on a helmet? :)

    Way cool set up Kirk and I can see plenty of practical uses for it.

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  9. Bold PhotographyMarch 21, 2011 at 3:13 PM

    Oh, ooh! Oooh!! Can I be a member, too?

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