Live Learning Tour

Although this CLL Speedlite Workshop was held much earlier in the summer, the timing of this video’s release is perfect. Thanks to my friends at Canon USA, this week will find me “on assignment” to create a ten-part series of instructional videos on this very same subject; Environmental Portraiture with Canon Speedlites.

Bruce reports on the latest episode of Video Victims Unit from the Canon Live Learning tour's stop in Seattle, Washington. 

Even though our Editor Paul has been swamped with other projects, I held his feet to the fire and conned him into editing the footage the attendees gathered during the Dallas stop on the Canon Live Learning Tour.  The result, CLL Dallas, is the second installment of our ongoing mini-mini-series, Video Victims Unit. 

I'll be giving EOS HD Video Basics presentations and teaching HD Video workshops in Dallas and Seattle as part of the Canon Live Learning Tour.  On November 7th & 8th we'll be in Dallas and December 5th & 6th will find us in Seattle.  If you're anywhere near these areas you mustn't miss this chance to get in on the action! Click the Continue Reading link to find out more details.

If you read my posting about the Canon Live Learning Tour (Boston) you know that I wasn't 100% satisfied on my audio recording. We have updated the original video with some ADR (Additional Dialog Recording) to improve audio problems from the original capture.

A couple of weeks ago I zipped out to Boston for a Canon Live Learning event. I offered a lecture on Saturday and taught a day-long session on Sunday. My topic, on this occasion, was HD capture with the Canon 5D MK II.

I walked into the Sunday session with a plenty to share about tools, technique, and workflow but no particular idea as to subject matter for our capture session. I had requested actors, rather than models, and figured we would come up with some sort of concept, in the moment. Our venue was the tiny light-drenched interior of a talent agency and there simply wasn’t a lot of inspiration to be found in either the offices or the surrounding neighborhood.

Upon meeting our two young players, however - Erica and Steve - I instantly conceived a scene. Steve arrived with a stylish two-day stubble and Erica was polished to a fine sheen. I instantly pictured Steve as a street-wise Suspect and Erica as a clever-beyond-her-years Good Cop. Add one Canon field rep, Eric Stoner, as the stoic Bad Cop and we began to improvise.

This speedlite show is my opening act when I'm onstage with the Canon Live Learning Tour.

I think one sun-gun image might have snuck into this bunch but everything else is 100% speedlite derived.  Well, speedlites and my very own collection of iDC lighting gadgets.  Yep, even a lowly speedlite can become a potent lighting instrument  when combined clever light modifiers.  All images were produced using Canon speedlites mated with a variety of iDC speedlite accessories.  These include the trusty Strobe Slipper, the very compact Triple Threat, the clever Softbox Double-Header, the versatile Asymmetrical Strip Bank,  and both of my new brand new Westcott/Bruce Dorn Select Soft-Boxes.  I really like these new soft-boxes; they're big and shallow - just like me!

Watch the slide-show then browse our web-store to learn more about these nifty iDC gadgets! 

Well, I've been busy lately.  My friends at Canon asked me to help create content for this summer's nationwide Canon Live Learning Tour.  I've spent the past several weeks creating illustrative images and video clips for both the Speedlite and HD Video segments.  The sessions will be presented in New York, Chicago, Los Angles, San Francisco, and Seattle initially; more cities will probably be added to the schedule.  The content that I helped to create will be presented by Vincent LaForet, Bob Davis, and lil' ol' me, depending upon the city.  Here is the footage that I have prepared as my opening sequence for the HD segment...