The problem is that while this device is impressive, it’s my opinion that the Lightsphere is a little overpriced. Gary charges $50 for the actual lightsphere, and another $20 for the amber dome (which helps under tungsten lighting). I’m all for personal business ventures, especially in the photography world, but when I found the Lambency version of the Lightsphere on eBay for 1/4 of the price – I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on Gary’s original version… especially after hearing stories like this and this. So I bought the eBay Sphere.

While I applaud Mr. Fong for his ingenious device, and would be willing to throw some money his way for it, I’m a little confused as to why this replica diffuser can be manufactured and sold at such low costs in comparison to his “authentic” Lightsphere. If you feel the same, and want to save yourself some money, check out the Lambency diffusers.

In fact, I find the opposite to be true, and you will too, once you try it out.

When you’re shooting outdoors in bright, sunny conditions, you’ll find it’s hard to control the lighting. Sunlight is harsh, and will create harsh shadows on your subject, not to mention a tough situation to balance out. There aren’t too many light sources which are brighter than direct sunlight.

Cloudy conditions filter the sunlight. The sky becomes like a giant softbox, and a little flash can suddenly accent your subject, giving you the ability to create focal points in your scene and light it more like you would in a studio.

Add to that the effect of having clouds above your subject, which are infinity more interesting to look at than a blank, clear sky.

Just remember to keep your gear dry and clean, and a fresh set of batteries in your flash, and then try shooting on those less-than-perfect days. Soon you’ll find that your outdoor shoots pop just that little bit more, and before you know it – you’ll be begging for cloud cover.

I ran across this article on Photonovice that was in response to a post from Oliver Neilsen, who asserts that strobists are loosing out on the point of their photography by concentrating on the lighting.

You are killing your photography with this technofetish you all have for your speedlights. I have also recently bought a couple speedlights, to supplement my real strobe setup, but in the past I’ve shot many images without any flashes or modifiers at all. You can do a lot of stuff by working with the surrounding walls, available light etc.

While I have to agree that Strobists generally have a real fascination and, dare I say it, obsession with their lights and lighting methods, I don’t think this needs to have any kind of impact on how we view our photography. Lighting is another tool, a way to control and enhance the mood, the emotion, and the design of a shot. Strobes (of all sorts) allow you just the same sort of control and flexibility (in many cases, more) than bulky studio lights. It’s not that we are letting our enthusiasm for lighting overpower our vision, but to compliment it.

The pro does not worship his equipment.

I think this statement underlines a misunderstanding about strobists. Like I said before, strobists are enthusiastic about their equipment and their capabilities, but not to a fault. Photography is all about finding the easiest way to get to an end vision. If that vision is interesting and unique, and you can come to terms with realizing it – you’ll end up being successful. Having more tools in the toolbox, and understanding how each will work in the context of the situation, that’s the art. That’s what this is about. Not worship – but education.

There are three planned Radiopopper units in their initial lineup. Two of those are TTL systems (the P1 and P8) and the third is a $25 Radiopopper Jr, which is a non-TTL unit. Here’s an image of the P1 prototype. Excited yet? If not, read on.

The P1 (single channel) is expected to cost $175, the P8 (eight channel) about $225. The Radiopopper Jr (non-TTL) is expected to cost about $25.

That’s an incredible price for the little Junior unit, which runs on one AAA battery and has a projected range of 2,000 ft. How these Radiopoppers will work exactly, and how it will compare to the current leading brand transmitters remains to be seen.

Release dates for the Radiopoppers is January for the P1 and summer for the Juniors and P8′s.