articles/Review/whalestailsandleprechauns-page6

Whales, Tails and Leprechauns - part 6 of 1 2 3 4 5 6

by Mike McNamee Published 01/06/2007

Also there are two DVDs, the first is a tutorial aimed at getting the best from the WhaleTail, and the second is an overview of Gary's other products, including the original Lightsphere. I would recommend looking at the first; you will get a comprehensive overview of the WhaleTail in a live photo-shoot, but also the assembly and fitting on your particular flash as a 'one-size-fits-all' unit - this is a departure from the Lightsphere, which was made in various sizes to accommodate different flash units.

A word of advice - don't lose the rubber band, as this is placed on your flash head, in order to act as 'anchor' to the WhaleTail which is secured by a Velcro strap. You'll easily sort it out, but watch the DVD first and read the leaflet. I did not find the need for either of the two spacers included, but don't throw them away.

Having tested it with my set-up and 'got a feel' for the WhaleTail, it was brought into use at a portrait session. In the picture shown, the flap was opened at 45° and a soft shadow of model, Stacy, allowed to form on the background. Confident from the initial testing I brought the WhaleTail into real use, as second-shooter at a wedding with Tom Lee. It passed this tougher test and I have to say that I am impressed with it for the following reasons.

1.The compact shape makes it less obvious than the Lightsphere's larger dome.
2.The ability to 'sculpt' the light by using the flaps is an added bonus in certain situations, where you may wish to direct more or less light on the subject from the flash or 'foof' the flash, as it is known.
3.The fact that the WhaleTail stays attached to the flash unit. (In fact, dependent on the flash and camera you can hold both by just holding the WhaleTail.)
4.I found that the light has an even spread especially with groups with no visible hotspots, or fall-off at the edges.

All shots were made using aperture priority on various ISOs to suit conditions, I always have the 580EX flash set to 'High Speed sync', and ensure that the rechargeable batteries are replaced at least once during the wedding. All images were recorded in RAW, and the 5D is set to centre weighted, and set athird of a stop less exposure - my preferred settings. A set of filters can be obtained which are designed to fit into a slot at the bottom of the WhaleTail. There are red, blue and green colours (which will givea coloured background with a second unit, (this is explained in the DVD), and a amber filter for use in tungsten lighting).

I feel that Gary has built on the strengths of the Lightsphere with the added features of the WhaleTail to come up with another practical and effective unit. With so many diffusers to choose from, you pays your money and takes your choice - I'm happy with mine.

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1st Published 01/06/2007
last update 09/12/2022 15:00:19

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