Ok this one is a wee bit different than the others in that it focus specifically on Canon flash photography.

NO NIKONS ALLOWED!

Ok I totally just made that part up. Realistically if it works with a Canon flash it will work with a Nikon… Just better! (Sorry I must have forgotten to take the pill that keeps my inner Canon user voice in check! Please send all hatemail to webmaster@nikonians.com)

Speedliting is the bastard stepchild of Pixslylated a photography blog run by Syl Arena and it’s one of my regular stops around the interwebs. The official about page of speedliting states:

Speedliting.com is the first Canon-centric site that focuses on the how-to and why-to for flash photography with Canon gear.

Rather than me just jabbering on about it. I thought who better to ask about the new site than Syl himself. So… Who is Syl and why should we listen?

Perhaps because I’m proof that audacity and stupidity are two sides of the same coin.

A - I’m an average-Joe shooter who had the audacity/stupidity to think that “anything McNally can do with his Speedlights, I can do with my Speedlites.” I didn’t wonder this from afar either. I’ve been an assistant to Joe on a number of McNally-sized shoots (like the elephant under the 20-by silk with the silk acrobat hanging from the crane in the dry lakebed shoot that Joe did for the D3 promo in 2007). More recently, I’ve produced two weeklong workshops for Joe during the past year here in my hometown of Paso Robles. And, largely because Joe is empathetic towards Canon shooters, he hauled me out to NY last summer to assist the Canon shooters at his eight day Dobb Ferry workshop series. So, I’ve spent — I dare say — more time in McNally’s shadow than any other Canonista. This is significant because, in my opinion, no other photographer has done as much as Joe to push the boundaries of what small flash can be used for.

B - I’m the guy who had the audacity/stupidity to fire off a dozen Speedlites in high-speed sync mode at his son while he was smashing a pumpkin with a bat (as seen here )

C – I’m the guy who had the audacity/stupidity to tell the whole world that the Canon Speedlite system is not perfect via My Canon Speedlite Wishlist on PixSylated. I had no idea that Hobby would Tweet this within seconds. Nor did I expect that more than 250 photographers from around the globe would would use my Wishlist as a platform to append their very detailed thoughts about the future of Canon’s Speedliting system.

I’m just going to skip right past the speculation part and be obvious. Why limit yourself to Canon only?

A – I’ve been shooting Canon for 25+ years. It’s what I know.

B - There’s no need for another voice in the Nikon world. If I shot Nikon and wrote about Nikon, I’d have a very small audience… like just my dog.

C. Funny thing is, that the more I dig, the more I become convinced that the Canon system is pretty much the equal of Nikon’s. Sure, the user interface sucks. Sure, the use of ratios instead of EV is antiquated. But, each week, I come to understand that there is no need to jump ship if you want to shoot small flash.

D. If you take a close look, 70% of what I write and say is brand-agnostic anyway. The inverse square law does not work differently for Canon shooters than it does for Nikon shooters. Often times, it’s just the difference between typing “Speedlite” and “Speedlight”.

Care to dangle a carrot? What have you got planned for speedliting over the coming year?

No secrets here. I’ve likely bitten off more than I can chew.

A - Ideally I’ll get one to three How-To articles posted each week. OK, let’s be realistic, hopefully one.

B – The Speedliting Forum has grown by leaps and bounds since it’s launch a couple of weeks ago. I’m thrilled that Canonistas from around the world are using the Forum to ask questions and get good answers. I’m hoping that this will become the go-to spot for specifics on Canon flash.

C – Speedliting’s roadshow, the Speedliter’s Intensive, will take me to at least 15 cities this year. There is the possibility of a few stops in the UK and Europe this summer as well. I have a few extended workshops planned as well (Atlanta 2-day in May, and Paso Robles 5-day in October).

D – Sometime this spring, I’ll complete the Speedliter’s Handbook. I’m trying to cram everything I know about Canon Speedliting into 400 or so pages. The Handbook will release sometime during the summer.

E - If I have the energy next fall, I’ll do a DVD version of the Speedliter’s Intensive seminar.

And what will become of PixSylated?

No one has ever accused me of flooding the web with content. PixSylated will continue to be my forum for random postings on the world of photography. Only from this point forward, if it relates to small flash, it will be on Speedliting. My other interests, HDSLR cinematography, prognostications about the future of photography, etc., will continue to pop up on PixSylated.

I look forward to reading Syl’s posts and no matter how you skin it, it’s a great little site for those looking to learn a little sumthin sumthin.

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