Documenting The Times

Jen from WPcomMaven recommended an online photography course, run by MOMA. I am still working my way through the videos and the text, but listening to photographers has been inspiring.

It came just at the right time because I have been lamenting not being able to get out. Actually, I can get out. Tamara and I go for a walk most days. And we stick within the confines of the Government guidelines, of course.

Just this last time we went out I thought I should photograph the shops, all shut. And I will, but somehow it is anonymous to me, or not ‘of me’ or ‘of us’. I know it is, because we are experiencing it, but it felt more like an obligation than a task I look forward to.

Then, after watching the photographers talking about their work, I brought out my camera and started to photograph things in the house that are of this time, this Coronavirus time.

The house is quite light, but light levels for a camera on base ISO are still low. Then I realised that with a little bit of effort I could improve on what I was doing. So I got out the Phottix Ares trigger and receiver that I bought on Amazon two-and-a-half years ago and have hardly used.

At the time I intended to take advantage of the leaf shutter on my Fuji, which meant I could shoot at any shutter speed. And I did for a couple of things. And then put it away. Every time I go to the cupboard, it looks with a beady eye, asking when I am going to get it out. And I didn’t have much direction to use it until now.

Now I photographed the hand sanitiser by the front door, the packages that arrived in the post, stacked in their own special quarantine for a day or two.

The photos are personal to us, so no point in posting them here. But for anyone who interested in the flash trigger, this is the setup.

The Phottix Ares is made up of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter fits in the camera shoe and the camera flash is set to Commander mode. The receiver part fits in the hotshoe of the flash.

To use it, I hold the camera is one hand and with the other I point the flash wherever I want. Or I could put the flash in a little stand that comes with the flash and use it that way.

Why I Don’t Use The Fuji’s Built-In Flash

I could use the Fuji’s built-in flash. And as you can read in reviews online, the built-in flash has a good reputation for filling in shadows.

However, with the off-camera flash I can bounce the direction anywhere I can point the flash. And it is more powerful.