Emily, Not suggesting it isn't done, suggesting it's not common practice. You get four minutes, are you going to waste time setting up lights reflectors, slaves, cables and connectors or are you going to shoot some film or digital pics? That's why at the news conferences all over the world more flashes pop than other form of lighting. >>>>> And I shot basketball for a season next to the regional paper shooter who showed with two light stands that extended to 25 feet and two radio fired strobes with power packs. He did that for night football too. He tied the light stands off to the bleachers and tripped them with his on camera flash which was aimed into the sky or at an angle.<<<< And, from what I can tell, you didn't. >>>>> He shot a New Year's First Night parade with the same rig and an assistant. Tied the stands to trees and used rear curtain flash to catch the 10-person dragon in motion.<<<< And, many photogrphers who didn't. Maybe not at that game or parade, but hundreds of others. Add to that dragon, the fact the a parade covers several miles, and in my case of covering such events, having to walk all those miles more than once and for up to a dozen hours. Are you going to carry all of those lights or have an entourage (sp?) follow your every move, just in case you need those lights for a dragon? What did that photographer miss while concentrating on that one shot? Jody Cobb carries almost 800 lbs of gear into the field, Sam Abell does not. There are times, when we get the chance to go the next step, do a little more and are granted more time to achieve a higher level of creativity, and there are times when we are enabled, to simply get the shot. It's not unheard of to set up a shot journalistically, to place strobes on light stands, run a bunch of cables or slave numeous stobes velcroed to the CEO's curtains or the Seahawk coach's window shades when time premits. It's also not unheard of to slap on the flash gun, put a diffuser on and get what you get. Havn't you seen the numerous 3x5in cards rubber banded to the flash head? Or the hastly taped toilet tissue on the front of the pop up flash unit? A good photojournalist IMHO knows both techniques, and develops the instinct to know the right time to use them. Take care, Gregory david Stempel FIREFRAMEi m a g i n g www.americanphotojournalist.com "The brave ones were shooting the enemy, the crazy ones were shooting film"
