Salem Oregon Strobist

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About Salem Oregon Strobist

Hey! You found us!

Salem Strobist is a photography group for Salem and surrounding area based photographers to post strobist related photos, discuss all things related to off-camera lighting through the use of flash units, referred to as strobing, particularly in the Salem,Oregon area.

To avoid having your photos deleted from the pool, please read the rules below - your pictures could be removed without warning during busy periods - so please read carefully BEFORE posting.

Don't know how to use your flash(es) off-camera? That's okay. Just head on over to Strobist and start reading. You have nothing to lose but a good night's sleep. (It's free.)

There is a full lighting course, hundreds of articles (uh, they are kinda into this stuff) and even a section of dozens of photos from real-world assignments with exact instructions on how they were lit with one or two small flashes.

We are an organic, growing, learn-by-reading-then-by-doing community. The visual idea sharing that is going on here is phenomenal.

Wanna share your photos with us? We'd love to see them. But please, make sure they follow the rules!

And just as important, please take a moment to comment on a photo in the pool. This thing is about feedback and discussion more than it is about "Hey, look what I did." by feedback, we don't just mean "That is good" Help each other out a little, what is GOOD about it, what is BAD about it. What would you do?

Also, please do not pull and resubmit your photos to the pool just to bump their position. We saw it the first time. Go out and shoot something different for us. :)

You get what you give - and this group has a lot to offer.



Currently we are having monthly meetup/photoshoots so please check back often for announcement/RSVP Lists.

What do we do? We lear how to use off-camera flash with your dSLR to take your photos to the next level, or the next ten levels.

The Main Flickr Strobist Group:
Strobist Flickr Group:
www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/

Great Information, from Beginner to Advanced
www.strobist.blogspot.com/2006/02/welcome-to-strobist.html


Please read carefully. If your photos do not meet the first three of the following rules they are subject to removal.

Please...


1. We are specifically about off-camera flash, so photos posted to the group pool should reflect that. Sadly, people miss this rule all of the time, opening the door for these kinds of threads. Don't be that guy. ... (FWIW, on-camera flash is fine if it is used to trigger other off-camera flashes.)

2. Images posted to the pool must include the following lighting details, in the caption of the photo (or in the first comment): the number of flashes used, where the flashes are placed in relation to the subject or camera, how the flashes were modified (umbrella, soft box, beauty dish, snoot, etc.) and how they were triggered. If you do not want to have the lighting info in your caption, please place it in the first comment. We want to make it easy for people to find.

Pictures using on-camera flash is not allowed unless it is being used in conjunction with off-camera flashes.

Images using only continuous light sources are not allowed with the exception of images using the "light-painting" technique.

The idea of this Pool is to share pictures taken with off-camera flash, and the details of how (the more detail the better.) Hey, we wanna learn from you...

3. Ensure your photos are work safe as many of our members browse from work. If you have something you'd like to share that would not be appropriate for work viewing, just post the (word) link in a discussion thread with a little warning.

This is not your private art house. People read this site at work. A lot. If you would not leave the photo up on your monitor in an office environment while you head off to lunch, it is probably not appropriate for here. And if your photo is deleted, do not re-insert it.

Specifically: Topless women - even with their hands over their boobies - are better posted in the groups that cater to that stuff. Ditto full nudes, butt-floss bikinis and very suggestive poses.

Be aware that people from many cultures view this group, and what may be art in your country might very well be illegal in someone elses. Be respectful of that.

It is common sense. Please do not push it. Thanks.

4. This should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Please do not use the threads as a classifieds section. Selling your stuff on Flickr is against the site's TOS, and it endangers the status of our group. Thanks.

Also, I would have thought this one would have been obvious, but it is not. So here goes. The Strobist group is associated with Strobist.com. That is the name of my site, which is my family's livelihood. I coined it in 2006.

I very much support the idea of your educating people about lighting. But please, respect my site's name enough to refrain from creating other "Strobist" sites, or designing and selling "Strobist" gear, or creating "Strobist" contests. This confuses people into thinking that we are associated when, in fact, we are not.

You are a photographer. Be creative. If you are going to trade on a name, think of your own name. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.


Optional, but highly encouraged (and great karma:)

5. Post a picture? Leave a comment. Just doing this one, simple, quick thing will improve the quality of cross education immensely. Note a technique, offer an idea - anything, really. Just be nice. We're all about civility here.



Exceptions? Heck, there's always an exception:

Photos of your lighting gear (and mods) that you may wish to share are always welcome, lit or not.

One more heads-up:

You may note that Flickr does make the meta data viewable for many caption plug-ins. So if you are trying to protect the innocent with respect to names, etc., you may want to kill your captions before uploading.

Please note: Any photo in the Flickr pool may be pulled up to the Strobist blog, where it would be seen by a large group of the coolest photographers in the world.

If that would irk you, say so clearly in your caption, so we'll know to steer clear.

And one final, non-photo thing. Above all, this group seeks to be an inclusive, mutually supportive place for people to learn about off-camera flash. You are encouraged to ask questions as well as answer them.

(You are encouraged to search the archive - and especially to read Lighting 101 on the Strobist.com main site before firing off a bunch of newbie questions.)

That said, no one here knows everything. I learn stuff here every single day. Read, and ask.

Also, members of the Main Flickr Strobist group have created a FAQ, for the benefit of new members.

More important than the subject matter is the approach to helping (or being helped by) others. It only takes a few chronic antagonists to ruin a community.