How To

Blending Air and Fuel - Blending Light and Dark

So it turns out that a carburettor, by definition, is close to that of a camera.


One creates art from blending light and dark and the other creates art (yes, it does, really it does! Have you not heard a V8?) by blending air and fuel.


Today was just a grotty, rainy, miserable, cold, wet and grey day so I took the opportunity to strip and clean the two carburettors off of my Fugitive sandrail; one was in desperate need of a clean out.


As is usually the case when I'm stripping engine components I just cannot resist a photo opportunity and Jared Polin's weekend theme on his forum added some inspiration for the shoot. The theme was Direction and I thought the main jets would make for an interesting photograph if I could show all the different angles the jets work at.


Unfortunately I don't have a speedlight yet so it was a case of getting as many lamps as I could as close as I could to maximise the light and shoot with a high shutter speed rather than a fast flash duration.

Carburettor Jet



This is probably one of my favourite from the collection, along with this one too but didn't really show the direction I was envisioning. The setup was adjusted, camera was lifted and lights were dropped in behind.

Carb shoot setup




Carburettor Jet



Have a watch of the video to see the setup and see why I'm scouring every auction site I can and asking every photographer I know to get my hands on an SB900. It's turning up more and more in my thoughts and plans now that I need to have one in my arsenal. Then it'll just be a case of... playtime!



Thanks guys, please subscribe on the right hand side. Don't miss that shot, and I'll see you anon!





Chris