Easter style (?)

My husband has started (I fear) a new tradition of wearing an Easter "bonnet" on Easter Sunday.  This year's creation was a cheap black fedora with yellow Peeps glued to it.  It caused quite a stir at church this morning, I can assure you.

I had to take a picture of him wearing it, of course.  I am working on my portraiture lighting, so I lit him with two flashes.  The afternoon was actually totally overcast and cloudy, and a bit gloomy.  White balance set to Shade helped correct for that, warming up the scene.

I set one flash on the ground to his left and slightly behind him to get some separation between him and the tree.  It created something of a sun-lit look on the tree, which I hadn't planned on, but really liked.


I held the second flash in my left hand, as far away from the camera as I could reach, and had him rotate his head until the flash wasn't reflected in the sunglasses.

The dark shadow on his arm is caused by my fingers blocking the diffuser on the flash head.  That sucks, but it also shows you how dark he would be if that flash weren't there at all.

I wish I was good enough to create some separation between the black sunglasses and the black hat - but I'm not.

I could also wish for no shadow on the Peeps, but I didn't notice that until it was too late.


Canon 5D Mark II
Promaster 70-300 1:4-5.6
70mm - ISO 320
1/250s- f/7.1

Nikon SB900
14mm zoom @ 1/16 power
Fired at same height as subject approximately 6' away

 Canon 580EXII
14mm zoom @ 1/16 power
Fired approximately 6; below subject from 4' away

Flashes triggered with Pocket Wizard II's