I've been shooting with a pair of Ikelite DS160's since last summer. They're great strobes but bulky. I've gotten familiar enough with reliable positioning for standard macro, but I'm struggling a little when I switch to a wet diopter for super macro as the strobes are too deep to tuck in next to the port without pointing markedly inward and washing out the shot.
Does anyone else shoot with these, or DS161/125 and have tips for supermacro positioning?
I rarely position my strobes (used to use DS-161s & DS-125s, now Inon 330) right next to the port. About the only time I do that is if the subject is recessed in a den and that's the only angle to light it. Most often I have one strobe extended past the subject and pointed back toward the lens for backlighting, and the other out to the side or above pointed inward. I also usually have one strobe at 1/4th power and the other at 1/8th. I find this results in better definition with shadows, texture, and dimensionality.
Here is an example below of a Lumpsucker, a little fish no bigger than a quarter. Shot with a 105mm lens and +5 closeup lens.
Thanks for the reply, and great shot! My standard macro position is with both strobes out to the side, slightly behind the port and pointed slightly outward, but I've also been experimenting with pointing both back toward the lens with just the edge of the beams "kissing" the subject and leaving the background mostly dark. I'll just have to keep experimenting, and will try your positioning as well.
On 1/24/2021 at 4:14 PM, davehicks said:
I rarely position my strobes (used to use DS-161s & DS-125s, now Inon 330) right next to the port. About the only time I do that is if the subject is recessed in a den and that's the only angle to light it. Most often I have one strobe extended past the subject and pointed back toward the lens for backlighting, and the other out to the side or above pointed inward. I also usually have one strobe at 1/4th power and the other at 1/8th. I find this results in better definition with shadows, texture, and dimensionality.
Here is an example below of a Lumpsucker, a little fish no bigger than a quarter. Shot with a 105mm lens and +5 closeup lens.
