Here’s an example.  The following images were taken with the exact same settings from the same angle and shot within 30 seconds of each other. The top image has a shadow across the top. The bottom image is clean – no shadow.

Care to take a guess?  Solution at end of this post. Here is some background information:

Exposure: 1/80s @ f/5.6

Focal Length: 70mm

ISO: 400

Camera Body: Nikon D200 with Pocket Wizard attached to hot shoe

Lens: Nikon 28.0-70.0mm f/2.8

Lighting: Nikon SB900 and SB800 on tri-flash bracket on light stand with shoot through umbrella.  Pocket Wizard attached to SB900.  SB800 set on “SU-4″ with sensor pointing towards SB900.  Both speedlights are connected to Quantum Turbo 3.

Think its the shutter?  One might expect to see this shadow across all the images rather than sporadically, no?  Rebekah Johnson guessed correctly – one of the speedlights is not firing in sync with the other.  I took the whole set up to Pro Photo where we tried several different set ups and found that when the speedlight was set to SU-4 it sometimes had a delayed flash following the speedlight triggered with the Pocket Wizard.  Rob at Pro Photo tried to help me find a “cheap” way to “daisy chain” the two speedlights.  Made sense since they’d be so close to each other, right?  One would think that there should be a way to connect the two speedlights through the PC connection but such a device doesn’t exist (hint: new product for a genius out there to develop?)  After trying several devices, e.g. radio poppers, we had no success.  The conclusion is to bite the bullet and get another Pocket Wizard to attach to the second speedlight to assure that they all trigger at the same time.  I guess I shouldn’t complain.  I’ll take the $170 solution to buy a Pocket Wizard anytime over spending $3-5K for a new camera body.

This slide show is from the November 11 dinners:

- Bergstrӧm Wines and Evening Land Vineyards at The Heathman Restaurant

- Sokol Blosser Winery at El Gaucho Portland

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is my fifth “adventure” in covering these Winemakers Dinners. With each event I get the pleasure of reconnecting with winemakers and chefs from previous events and meeting new and exciting talent!

I reconnected with the charismatic and always entertaining Josh Bergström and his beautiful wife, Caroline of Bergström Wines.  Making its debut is Evening Land Vineyards with their petite and enchanting winemaker, Isabelle Meunier.  Wines from both winemakers were paired beautifully with dishes artfully presented and created by Chef Andrew Biggs and his staff.  As I overheard one guest saying that one will never be disappointed when dining at The Heathman!  To view more images from this dinner, click the following link:  09 CWA-Heathman

My second stop brought me to my first visit to El Gaucho located at the base of The Benson Hotel.  El Gaucho does nothing but impress with impeccable customer service.  Maitre d’ Sherwood Dudley greets you with the warmest smile and handshake leaving you feeling like a long lost friend.  With a full house on a Wednesday evening, Chef Alex Parsons runs the kitchen like a Swiss watch – extreme precision.   This dinner took place in El Gaucho’s intimate Vintage Room, where their wine selection would make any vinophile drool like a kid in a candy store.  Alex Sokol Blosser was every bit as charming and gracious as his handsome demeanor.  To view images from this dinner, please click on this link: 09 CWA-El Gaucho

So why is this also categorized as “Techie Talk?”  I’ve been playing with setting up directional lighting to give dimension and interests to my images.  This is the first time using it in an “event” situation.  Usually these dinners take place in low light situations so this would be a perfect time to practice.  I have to say it was a little more challenging to move lighting as I moved to grab different angles, adjusting power levels from the various light sources on the fly, and adjusting settings on my camera.  I do like the way that they turned out and this was one of my favorites from this event that illustrates this “directional” lighting technique .

This slideshow is a compilation of my favorite images taken over 3 nights for Classic Wine Auctions (CWA) Winemakers Dinners at Andina, The Heathman, Lincoln, DOC, Paley’s Place and Tabla. Proceeds from the 2009 CWA support children and families in Oregon and South Western Washington served by:  Metropolitan Family Service, New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children, Trillium Family Services and  YWCA Clark County.  

Click here to view the PROOFS of this event.