re. When you are indoors, it comes from common household
lamps, TV and computer screens, even the glow of lights on a stereo or DVD player. Light also streams
in through windows from outside. And when we step outside, the sun becomes the main light source. At
night, we see by the light of street lamps, shop windows, and car headlights.
Light not only allows us to see things, it also gives shape, dimension and color to our world. But as we
lack control of many of these light sources, it can cause problems when making great pictures. When it
comes time to take a picture, we frequently find the light is "wrong." There is not enough of it, or light is
coming from the wrong direction, or its color is not quite correct, or it is up too high or down too low --
and so on.
That's when we need to reach for a light source -- or two, or three or more -- to help us control the light
when taking a photograph.
Most cameras being used today have a built-in electronic flash. This light source is good, although
perhaps at times a little weak; get any more than 10 feet (3 meters) from your subject and the built-in
flash's light power just isn't enough to deliver proper exposure and color to the image. Another drawback
to a built-in flash is that the flash's light will only travel in one direction: the same direction in which the
camera is pointed.
This is where OPUS Pro and OPUS Lighting Systems can help. You may well have seen news
photographers with more powerful electronic flash units attached to their camera tops, often on a
Stroboframe® flash bracket. Lifting the light above the lens provides a little more angled light direction.
And you probably have seen movies and TV shows where fashion photographers capture beautiful
models in a studio setup, with big lights, white backdrops, and some unusual looking light accessories.
These lights and accessories are designed to give you control of the light and therefore, create a
superior photograph.
II. How is Lighting used?
OPUS Pro and OPUS Lighting Systems give you control of light, and thus, let you control the look and
"feel" of the image. OPUS Pro and OPUS Lighting Systems also improve your image's color fidelity.
OPUS Pro and OPUS lights are offered in a variety of power outputs, called watt seconds or w/s:
OPUS Pro and OPUS lights are of monobloc (monolight) design in that the power and flash are
self-contained in one unit. Because the power and flash are not separated, this makes for a small and
more easily transportable system. Sold as complete kits, OPUS Pro and OPUS Lighting Systems are
available in various combinations of lights and accessories to suit every budget and need.
Please visit your favorite camera retailer or www.nadel.ca to learn more about OPUS Pro and OPUS
Lighting Systems.
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III. Tools of the Trade: Components of a Lighting System
Reflector Bowl:
Your OPUS light comes with a Reflector Bowl that attaches to the front of the light. This
bowl helps to focus the light in the direction the monobloc is pointed. If you do not use the
bowl, the light will not be focused. It will scatter and be less effective in delivering full light
output directed to the subject.
Snoot: A Snoot focuses the light even more, with its tapered barrel creating a tighter beam of
light.
Barn Doors:
Barn Doors are designed to provide more precise control of direct light, allowing you to
feather the edges of the light by placing one or more of the doors into the light.
Soft Box:
A Soft Box is like a tent over the head of the light. It permits the flash light to go through a
diffused front surface. This will produce a very soft wraparound light with minimum
shadows.
Umbrella:
Umbrellas used in lighting have nothing to do with keeping water off the equipment.
Placed in front of the flash, umbrellas are designed to modify the direction and intensity of
the light. There are three kinds of umbrellas:

Reflective Umbrellas: Umbrellas with a dark exterior surface are designed to
reflect light back towards the flash; you set up the flash and umbrella so the flash
is pointed away from the subject, so the reflected light from the reflective surface
of the umbrella illuminates your subject.
Diffuser Umbrellas: An umbrella, with a semi-transparent surface. Diffuser
Umbrellas are designed so that the flash light goes through the umbrella; you set
up the flash so that the back of the umbrella is pointed at the subject, so the
diffused light illuminates your subject through the diffused surface of the
umbrella.
Convertible Umbrellas: Convertible umbrellas are a combination of reflective
and diffuser umbrellas. They provide a uniform diffused light and/or a reflected
light. The white translucent umbrella can be used as a diffuser and delivers the
softer light, while the black cover converts the umbrella into a reflective unit.
Reflectors (Five in One)
Reflectors are really just pieces of round or elliptical reflective fabric. Most reflectors are
made with varying reflective shades of black and white, while some photographers prefer
translucent white, silver or gold surface fabrics. Reflectors are designed to reflect the light
towards the subject, so the reflected light from the surface of the reflector illuminates your
subject. Depending on the color, the fabric reflects a cooling, neutral or warming tone to
subject.

Honeycomb:
A Honeycomb -- which gets its name from its distinctive grid pattern -- is also a light
modifier. It delivers directional and even light without diffusion. In many instances, OPUS
Honeycombs are packaged with color gel filters.
Reflector Bowl
Snoot
Barn Doors
Soft Box
Umbrella
Honey
comb
and Gels
40ws
100ws
150ws
250ws
300ws
500ws IV. Tools of the Trade : What every Photographer needs to Know.
Watt/Second.
Watt seconds (ws) is a term to define the amount of electrical power used to make the
unit flash (the metric equivalent of a watt second is a joule). Basically, the higher the
number of watt seconds, the more light that can be emitted by the flash. The output of
the power can be varied using the control on each OPUS Pro and OPUS monobloc's
back plate. Reducing the output of power reduces the amount of light emitted, thus,
giving you greater control over the amount of light hitting your subject. Reducing power
output also decreases recycling time of the flash.
Flash Meters.
Flash meters will determine the exact amount of light reaching your subject, and
therefore the correct f/stop and shutter speed to be chosen on your camera. We strongly
recommend the use of a Gossen Flash meter (www.Gossen.de) with your OPUS Pro
Lighting System.
Environment.
The environment in which the flash is used will affect the actual amount of light reaching
the picture subject. Both a large room (distant walls and ceilings) or a room with dark
walls and/or ceilings are less likely to reflect light on your subject. Likewise, the use of
umbrellas, diffusers, softboxes, grids, all help to enhance, reduce and control the quantity
of light reaching your subject, giving you the artistic control required. Also remember to
factor in ambient light (room lights or daylight coming in a window); while the flash may
overpower it, ambient light will have an effect on the finished image. Most of these effects
can be reduced or enhanced using various Tiffen filters (www.tiffen.com) designed for
controlling color temperature.
Color Temperature.
The distribution of different light colors in continuous spectrum light sources is measured
by its color temperature in Kelvin. The Kelvin scale of temperature measures from the
lowest possible temperature (absolute zero) with the same interval size as the normal
Celsius (Centigrade) scale. The color is recorded by these changes in light, while our
eyes largely adjust automatically to them. The recording media (electronic or film) needs
to be adjusted to the same color temperature as the light source by the use of camera
lens filters or color gel filters at the light source (blue to increase the color temperature of
the light, amber to decrease it.)
When using a light flash system please note the modeling lamp does not have the same
color temperature (measured in degrees Kelvin) as the flash. The flash is designed to
deliver light at approximately 5600K, equal to sunlight.The modeling lamp has a color
temperature output, approx. 3200K, like that of a household (tungsten) lamp, giving off a
yellow-red light.
Illumination.
The OPUS Pro and OPUS modeling lamp is not designed to provide picture illumination.
The modelling lamp is used for positioning the flash head, showing you where the flash's
light will fall and where shadows are created from the subject.
It is important to note that the white balance system on a digital camera automatically
sets the camera to deliver proper light color to the image when only one light color is
used; if daylight and tungsten light sources are both present, the color in the captured
image can be mixed and look unnatural.
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V. Tips of the Trade : What every Photographer needs to Practice
.

There are a number of excellent books on lighting that provide detailed instruction on how to use
professional lighting systems. Here are some tips when using your OPUS Pro or OPUS Lighting
System:
TIP 1. Reflective Light vs. Diffused Light.
A flash unit produces straight line light which make hard shadows on the subject (See
Figure. 2.1) Reflective or bounced light produces a softer, less harsh light quality. With
bounced light, the flash unit is pointed away from your subject. Reflective light becomes the
indirect light source, bouncing off a reflective surface back towards your subject (See Figure
2.2)
The OPUS 46-inch Convertible Umbrella is one such reflector, softening the light and
creating softer shadows (See Figure. 2.2). The w