REVIEW! ~ Canon Speedlite 320ex

Good afternoon and welcome to the next ravimi blog post! Today I will be doing something special, not because I'm reviewing a special product (but it is special in some ways) but because I do not write many reviews on my site, unless requested (like this one).
Anyways, today I will be talking about one of Canons latest products: the Canon Speedlite 320ex. I've owned this for about 2 months now; therefore, I will only be able to give a review based off my knowledge and experience of 2 months. I would like to think my reviews as being a little unique; I personally am not a person that looks at a product and talks about the negative aspects of it (unless it's really obviously bad) but I focus on the good, and reinforce those good aspects and how they serve to your advantage. So lets get down to business!

The 320ex is a part of the Speedlite series that consists of the 220, 270 (II), 320 (yours truly), 380,420, 430, 550, 580, and 600. When I bought this flash one of the main things that caught my attention was the on-flash shutter button (shown in the picture below).

Courtesy of Google images

This flash was the very first of the canon ex series to have this accessory, which is one of its special aspects. I use it pretty often when I use the flash and it has helped a lot because now I can stay with the flash and move it where needed without having to go back to the camera to take the picture (to use this the flash has to be pointing towards the camera when pressing the button and then you have 5 seconds, or so, to move the flash back into position. The furthest I got with the flash was about 20ft and I still had the ability to use the shutter button.
Another special thing about this camera is that it has an LED light source (as shown in the image below).

Courtesy of Google images (the red arrow was my little edit)

This LED light serves for the video mode of the camera and is used during video shoots in dark locations. This was the first Flash to carry this capability when I bought it about 2 months ago. The LED is useful but it is also not very powerful because it is small; therefore, it cannot carry a large LED power source that projects a lot of light. The light does work when the subject is about 3-5ft away in total darkness, but that is the limit if you want to maintain the subject visible.

This flash has been very helpful when I needed it. It serves great as a bounce flash (using surfaces to reflect the light off) and is great as a slave flash. It cannot be used as a Master flash from my current knowledge but for a flash that is not to expensive relative to it's siblings it is a great purchase. The battery life is great: I shot about 200 pictures with full power and it always kept up to my needs (which was 1 picture every 5-15 seconds) and there was enough power left that I was able to use it for half of  another event without having to change batteries (uses 4 AA batteries). The 320ex also has a telephoto mode where the head piece (where the bulb is located) can extend about half an inch forward; this allows for images to be taken from about 5-10ft further than the normal position.

Some issues:
The only issues I had were personal preferences:
1) Lack of diffuser card (the little white card that can be popped onto the front of the bulb)
2) Cannot control the strength of the flash when in slave mode. (If someone knows how please do let me know and I will update this review.)
3) nothing, that's it, not too many complaints.

As my first Flash, I am very pleased with this product. It is very useful and inspires me to continue learning more on how to use it. I very much recommend this light as a first flash for all the reasons I talked about and because I have very little complaints for it. It is very light (weight) and easy to manipulate. If this is NOT your first flash and you own 1 or more flashes that have "slave" capabilities then I recommend buying a different flash that has "master" capabilities (ability to control "slave" flashes) I would recommend the 430ex from what I have read and seen from other users, but as a first time flash I highly recommend the 320ex.

This information is straight from the canon website and I'm sure will be of interest to those who are are interested in the specifics of the 320ex Speedlite.

Type
On-camera, E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash Speedlite

Compatible Cameras
Type-A EOS cameras (E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash)

Guide Number 

Flash Coverage	ISO 100 (m)	ISO 100 (ft.)
Normal (24mm)	24	78.7
Tele (50mm)	32	105

Flash Coverage
EF lens: 24mm/50mm

EF-S lens: 15mm/31.3mm

Manual switching

Number of Flashes
Approx. 180 - 1000 flashes, with fresh AA-size alkaline batteries

Recycling Time
1) Normal flash: Approx. 0.1 - 2.3 sec.

2) Quick flash: Approx. 0.1 - 1.8 sec.

Flash Range
Normal Flash

Guide No. (ISO 100)	Aperture Value
	f/1.4	f/2	f/2.8	f/4	f/5.6
24 (Normal)	56.1 ft.	39.4 ft.	28.2 ft.	19.7 ft.	17.1 ft.
32 (Tele)	75.1 ft.	52.5 ft.	37.4 ft.	26.2 ft.	18.7 ft.

Quick Flash

Guide No. (ISO 100)	Aperture Value
	f/1.4	f/2	f/2.8	f/4	f/5.6
13.8 (Normal)	32.5 ft.	22.6 ft.	16.1 ft.	11.2 ft.	8.2 ft.
18.4 (Tele)	43.0 ft.	30.2 ft.	21.7 ft.	15.1 ft.	10.8 ft.

High-speed sync (at 1/250 sec.)

Guide No. (ISO 100)	Aperture Value
	f/1.4	f/2	f/2.8	f/4	f/5.6
13.8 (Normal)	28.2 ft.	19.7 ft.	14.1 ft.	9.8 ft.	6.9 ft.
18.4 (Tele)	37.4 ft.	26.2 ft.	18.7 ft.	13.1 ft.	9.5 ft.

AF Assist Beam
Intermittent flash firing system

Effective range:

1) At center: Approx. 13.1 ft./4m

2) Periphery: Approx. 11.5 ft./3.5m

3) LED light: Approx. 13.1 ft/4 m

*Compatible with model EOS 5D Mark II and later. Available via firmware update for: EOS-1Ds Mark III, EOS-1D Mark III, EOS 40D, EOS 50D, and EOS Rebel XS.

Custom Functions
1) C.Fn-01: Auto power off (Enabled/Disabled)

2) C.Fn-06: Quick flash w/continuous shot (Disabled/ Enabled)

3) C.Fn-10: Slave auto power off timer (60 minutes/10 minutes)

4) C.Fn-11: Slave auto power off cancel (Within 8 hours/ Within 1 hour)

Power Source
1) Four size-AA/LR6 alkaline batteries are used. Ni-MH or lithium batteries can also be used.

2) This Speedlite is equipped with a power-saving function that turns off the power after 90 seconds if no operations are made.

External Power Source
External power supply accessories cannot be used.

Dimensions
Approx. 2.8 x 4.5 x 3.1 in./70.0 x 115.0 x 78.4mm

Weight
9.7 oz. / 275g

I hope this review served it's purpose and that you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, comments, or answers please write them in the comments below so others cans see them. Feel free to email me at anytime about my photography and remember to SUBSCRIBE!

Keep on Snappin',
ravimi

Photo TIPS! ~ Negative Space

Today I'm going to be talking about something I love to use in my photography, Negative Space! Negative space refers to any space in an image that....that's it!; "any space in an image!"
Some people might disagree with that extremely tiny definition, and I understand why they would. Negative space can be used in MANY ways and can become anything within the frame of the photograph. I'll try to explain this with some of my photography (Nothing better than actual examples!) :

This image uses a lot of negative space to
support the themes: smoothness, creamy
delightful. The negative space is that creamy
looking space surrounding the flower.
The effect of blurring the background is termed
BOKEH! (Boe-Keh)

In a lot of my pictures I move the subject
to a corner of the frame. By doing so, I
fill the frame with empty space and this
space represents the "Negative space" in
the image. I used Negative space to show
the Habitat of the bird and also to highlight
the beautiful blue colors it has and how it
almost blends with the water.

The "Negative Space" in this image is
used to portray the themes: desolate, not
of nature. By allowing more of the sky to
appear the viewer might notice how the smoke
from the factory starts to disappear into the
sky, what does that make you think? 

Negative space here also creates a sense
of separation/loneliness and some may
interpret it differently (that's one beauties
of "Negative Space", it is free).  In this image
the negative space represented by the light
grey (a lake) also takes form.***

 ***The reason I gave negative space such a small definition is because it has such immense possibilities that I doubt I would be capable of truly defining it for the Universe. One of the ways it can be used is as the actual focus of the image, how? By boxing (more like fitting) it into a frame. Notice how the picture above shows a light grey space, that is a lake. The hills in the image were used to "box in" the lake, I gave it a form. By giving it a form I am able to use it for a purpose other than a nice light shade of grey in the image; the light background was used to highlight the head of the bird; "The Crown". By doing so, I gave the bird a specific personality, which I intended to be ....... (you tell me.)

This is one of my favorite uses of "Negative
Space". It can be used to give a dramatic
push to a theme or a persons personality.
My friend (the guy in this image) is a goofy
guy, but he is also very smart and seems
to enjoy thinking so I decided to capture
that part of his personality.

If you have any questions about my pictures, posts, or photography over all send me a message or comment below (comments are preferred since they may serve the purpose of answering the question for everyone with similar questions.) If you like this post please tell me below and share it on your social media sites, and remember SUBSCRIBE! 

Keep Snappin',


ravimi

Photo TIPS! ~ Fill Light

Today I will be talking about Fill Light! The last post talked about "The Golden Hours" (pretty holy stuff) and I mentioned fill light when talking about the effects of the morning and evening sunlight (The Golden Hours). The light from these times of day seems to envelope the subject from multiple directs because the main light (sun light) is not so powerful as too outmatch the Fill light. Well, what is fill light?

Fill light is soft (softer than the main light) light that is used to expose the features of a subject that might be hidden by the shadows created by the main light (the main source of where the light is coming from, ex: sunlight, light bulb, etc.). In portrait photography fill light very often comes from a reflector.

This is a light reflector. It is positioned at an angle
that will help redirect the light (that is not heading towards
the subject) towards the subject. This will help light up
multiple sides of the object. 

A reflector can be many things: a wall (preferably light colored walls, dark colors absorb to much of the light unless the subject is right against the wall), a table, a ceiling, and many other surfaces that redirect light in a desired direction. 

Some photographers use flashes in order to create fill light. Flashes can be positioned in multiple angles, and some can even be shot independent of the actual camera. One example of using Flash as fill light is when I took the picture of the baby below. This picture was taken under a 10x10 beach tent at night. I did not want to much light coming from one direction to hit the babies face so I angled the flash directly upwards. By doing so, the light from the flash bounced off the tent's ceiling and so the entire tent became a huge light box. By examining the picture you will see little, too none, notable shadows that are over powering (the background is dark because I took this outside during the night and so the amount of light inside the tent drained out the visible objects in the background, and a low f/stop also helped). 

Bounce light is VERY useful, especially during portrait photography. So make sure to be aware of it's usefulness and how to best control it. Observe your surroundings for possible "reflectors" (i.e. walls, tables, flat surfaces) and be creative with light sources and when to take pictures (refer to my "The Golden Hours" post).

If you have any questions about my pictures, posts, or photography over all send me a message or comment below (comments are preferred since they may serve the purpose of answering the question for everyone with similar questions.) and remember SUBSCRIBE!

Keep Snappin',ravimi

Photo TIPS! ~ "The Golden Hours"

First I would like to start off by welcoming the first ever follower of RPB (Ravimi Photography Blog) "TheLittlePictureBox"! Yay (fireworks in the background, while drunk people fall over from the after after after party). Thanks for joining me on the journey through photography!

Now back to the normally scheduled program. Today I would like to discuss "The Golden Hours" which I referred to in the last "Photo and Personal Style" post. The Golden Hours refers to a time of day in which photographers in the photography community (I know, redundant) generally have dubbed "The best time of the day for taking pictures". The reason for the nice title is because it's a time when the sun gives off it's most vibrant light. This time is from when the sun rises to about 9-10am, and when the sun is setting, mostly the period after 5pm (lol, sorry Alaska), to when it is completely gone. I'm sure a lot of you, if not all, have seen a picture of the sunset/sunrise, it contains vibrant colors that shine beautifully which is one of the reasons it is so greatly praised.

This is one of my Sunset pictures, taken on Christmas day.

During "The Golden Hours" the sun light can be strong but it is coming from an angled direction that is not directly above. Sunlight during the middle of the day, in most cases, is very harsh and may cause pictures to look bleached out (over exposed) even when the settings have been adjusted. The reason for this is because shadows created by the harsh light creates too much of a contrast which will make skin exposed to the light look "washed out" relative to the darkness of the skin that is covered by shadows. I would describe this effect similar to that of a camera trying to take video of a dark subject while there is a light reflector surrounding the subject and is pointing directly at the lens. Midday light comes directly from above which is not always forgiving towards the person being photographed. The example picture of the foot prints below (Image is called "Bajo Relieve") shows how shadows from the Golden hours can be used, and how midday sun can actually destroy interesting shadows.

The light of "The Golden Hours" comes from a lower angle and this allows the photographer to dictate where the model will stand for the best exposure. The less-harsh light seems to wrap around the subject because there is very little contrast between the actual direct sunlight and fill light (light that is reflected from surfaces or comes from other mediums with the purpose of lowering the amount of contrast created by the main source of light: in other words I'll leave it for a later tutorial). An example of this is the portrait below.

So be sure to use "The Golden Hours" as a very important tool. It serves as a great time of day when the sun creates favorable and colorful light, and is also the coolest part of the day (excluding night of course).


If you have any questions about my pictures or photography over all send me a message or comment below (comments are preferred since they may serve the purpose of answering the question for everyone with similar questions.) and remember SUBSCRIBE!
Keep Snappin',
ravimi

I took this in the afternoon when the sun was setting.
If I would have taken this during the middle of the day
the shadows that help create the feeling of the feet popping
out would not have been possible. 

As described above, the afternoon light from
"The Golden Hours" (so holy)
contains light that is not to strong and allows
the rest of the subjects face enough light
that the contrast wont be too noticeable.

Photo and Personal Style

I took this today at my friends party. I love this image because of how much it shows the girls personality: huge amount of energy and wonderful smile. The details of the image are below the image, all the images I will be posting on this blog along with ALL the other places I post consist of photographs straight from the camera. I'm trying to build a name for myself as a straight out of camera photographer; some may call it crazy, others stupid (for valid reasons that I do understand), BUT I have decided this path therefore I will follow it, and so far it has worked to my expectations, and beyond. Also! please forgive me for grammar mistakes and everything else haha, English grammar is not my forte.

If you have any questions about my pictures or photography over all send me a message or comment below (comments are preferred since they may serve the purpose of answering the question for everyone who sees it.) 

Keep Snappin',

ravimi

ISO 100

1/320 shutter speed

2.5 Aperture
50mm

Sepia

Photo TIPS! ~ Manual Mode

One of the main steps (if not the biggest) in jumping onto the path of making better photographs is using MANUAL!! Manual mode allows the user to make adjustments to the camera to accommodate the surroundings(brightness, speed of subject, etc.) of the subject being photographed.
It may be much more difficult than Auto Mode, BUT when mastered Manual Mode can help produce photographs that cannot be done by Auto. Give it a try and if you find yourself stuck ask me questions and I will try my best to help out.

Keep Snappin',
Ravimi

What it's all about!

Hey I'm Ravimi and this is my blog. Here in RPB (Ravimi Photography Blog) I will be posting my photography, some information about my pictures, some info will be longer than others, and photography tips and maybe sometimes the random cool thing I find on the internet.

If you like my blog you can look at more of my photography at http://ravimiphotography.photoshelter.com or just look up "ravimi photography" on most big name social networks (Facebook, twitter, etc.)

If you have any questions about my photography or photography in general let me know and I will find you the most suitable answer!

Welcome to
RPB!!!

"Call for Omega"