External flashes

[AndrewWG]

Sweet, I'm glad that worked out. They have SUPER fast customer service. Even last night (Sunday night!) they got back to me within the half hour. I'm glad I signed up with them.

 

[MICKEY88]

Sweet, I'm glad that worked out. They have SUPER fast customer service. Even last night (Sunday night!) they got back to me within the half hour. I'm glad I signed up with them.

when I was considering hosting with them I asked about setting prices to sell photos, and watermarking,they told me they were working on that and gave me a rough timeline, they have actually emailed me a few times telling me how progress was on adding the premium service.., \\whether those emails went out to everyone or just me in response to my inquiry, I don't know, but nonetheless I liked being kept informed..

 

[DVC Jen]

with all of the amazing photography minds on this forum - I was wondering if someone could write a very easy to understand flash tutorial?

Something that starts very basic and goes into something more advanced.

Flash is still something I am struggling with - understanding exactly how to use it for the best results - how to actually do all of the settings.

OR - at the very least - does anyone have any on line tutorials - something like flash for dummies.

 

[dpuck1998]

with all of the amazing photography minds on this forum - I was wondering if someone could write a very easy to understand flash tutorial?

Something that starts very basic and goes into something more advanced.

Flash is still something I am struggling with - understanding exactly how to use it for the best results - how to actually do all of the settings.

OR - at the very least - does anyone have any on line tutorials - something like flash for dummies.

I'll be looking for some of those same answers. I'm getting a speedlite for xmas so it will be another new toy to figure out!

 

[Furgus]

I don't know if you have ever seen the site, strobist.com, but there are some wonderful, easy to follow instructions for using flash. I really like this site because he deals with everyday people, read not people who have a ton of money to throw away on lighting. Check the site out.
Start on the right under the section "first time here?" and lighting 101.

 

[Steve's Girl]

I should know the answer to this, but can't seem to figure it out at the moment. (I have been studying for a HUGE professional exam for months now, and my brain is completely fried! I can't think straight to save my life!) I have noticed that when I am using a flash for fill, the shutter speed is the same whether I use the flash or not. If I am using a flash, shouldn't the shutter speed be faster? An example, last week I was taking pictures of the kids outside before they went trick or treating. Without the flash, the camera meter indicated a shutter speed of 1/20th given the ISO and f stop I had selected. When I used the external flash, the shutter speed was also 1/20th. Shouldn't it have been faster? Is there a way to increase the shutter speed without having to increase ISO? (aperature was already wide open).

So, yes, a flash for dummies tutorial would be really useful. I have looked at Strobist, but that kind of makes my head spin. I'm having a hard time trying to get the hang of a flash on-camera much less off-camera.

 

[MICKEY88]

I should know the answer to this, but can't seem to figure it out at the moment. (I have been studying for a HUGE professional exam for months now, and my brain is completely fried! I can't think straight to save my life!) I have noticed that when I am using a flash for fill, the shutter speed is the same whether I use the flash or not. If I am using a flash, shouldn't the shutter speed be faster? An example, last week I was taking pictures of the kids outside before they went trick or treating. Without the flash, the camera meter indicated a shutter speed of 1/20th given the ISO and f stop I had selected. When I used the external flash, the shutter speed was also 1/20th. Shouldn't it have been faster? Is there a way to increase the shutter speed without having to increase ISO? (aperature was already wide open).

So, yes, a flash for dummies tutorial would be really useful. I have looked at Strobist, but that kind of makes my head spin. I'm having a hard time trying to get the hang of a flash on-camera much less off-camera.

first start by reading te flash manual... all flashes have a max sync speed generaly 1/125 or lower. except top of the line flashes which have a hi speed sync setting.

when using fill flash the idea is for the flash to just light up your shadow areas, not overpower the ambient light, so the speed most likely would not change, you still want some exposure of your background, you could go with manual and set a higher shutter speed but then you will end up with a very dark or black background, with a bright subject which doesn't look very natural, although sometimes this may be the look you're going for..

I've already taken daytime flash pics, with my lens closed down all the way and my shutter as fast as possible, , and getting a nighttime look..

 

[handicap18]

Sounds like we are thinking about this months assignment.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1629723

Flash photography is certainly something that many of us tend to just do and not think about. My approach, especially now in the digital world, is to experiment and see what works. I don't' think I'll ever really come close to mastering this part of photography.

Steve's Girl,,, what mode were you in? Aperture Priority or Manual?

 

[Steve's Girl]

Steve's Girl,,, what mode were you in? Aperture Priority or Manual?

Aperature Priority

Thanks, Mickey88. I know I need to get the manual out, but that will have to wait right now. If it doesn't involve standard deviation, covariance and other hot topics for cocktail party discussion it is on the back burner!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

This thread had a lot of discussion around flash use.

AV mode is handled differently (at least for Canons, I'm not familiar with those other weird brands I sometimes hear mentioned). With AV mode, your camera uses the same exposure that it would use without the flash and then supplements with the flash. Why the heck would it do that? It is useful when you want to make sure that your background is exposed properly but you still want a flash to add light on your foreground subjects.

Here is an old (and not very good) shot that illustrates the technique. I used the flash to illuminate my wife and son, but I didn't want the distant fountain to look too dark. Using AV mode gave me a compromise exposure. The exposure was long enough to get the background. The flash mostly froze my foreground, but you can see some fringe areas where my wife and son moved during the picture.

If don't want this behaviour, you can turn it off with a custom function. Alternatively, you could use shutter priority, program, or manual exposure modes to get the speed and aperture that you want.

 

[mabas9395]

Not exactly basic or easy to read for beginners, but this is one of the best short write-ups I've seen on Canon flash photography. Part II on the next page is where they dig into the differences between how the camera behaves in P, Tv, Av and M.
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Steve's Girl, I have to ask what kind of exam are you studying for where you get to talk about standard deviation and covariance at cocktail parties? Some people get to have all the fun.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Here is another lighting link: http://super.nova.org/DPR/#Canon

 

[handicap18]

I should know the answer to this, but can't seem to figure it out at the moment. (I have been studying for a HUGE professional exam for months now, and my brain is completely fried! I can't think straight to save my life!) I have noticed that when I am using a flash for fill, the shutter speed is the same whether I use the flash or not. If I am using a flash, shouldn't the shutter speed be faster? An example, last week I was taking pictures of the kids outside before they went trick or treating. Without the flash, the camera meter indicated a shutter speed of 1/20th given the ISO and f stop I had selected. When I used the external flash, the shutter speed was also 1/20th. Shouldn't it have been faster? Is there a way to increase the shutter speed without having to increase ISO? (aperature was already wide open).

So, yes, a flash for dummies tutorial would be really useful. I have looked at Strobist, but that kind of makes my head spin. I'm having a hard time trying to get the hang of a flash on-camera much less off-camera.

This is a very good question. There probably is very good answer right in the manual, but its something I've had running though my head the last few days.

I find it odd that your getting 1/20th. I only say that because everytime I turn on my camera (D50) and then turn on my flash (SB-600) in aperture priority it automatically goes right to 1/60th.

Also I've noticed that with the flash on, the meter still reads the scene as if there will be no flash used to take the image. I just tested it out with my D50. I didn't take a pic, I only played around with the settings based soley on the meter reading in the view finder.

I'm guessing that even with iTTL (or what ever it is) the meter in camera has really no way to know exactly how much light from the flash will be used. I guess that's why with my camera it defaults in aperture priority to 1/60th for a shutter speed.

Apparently this is why many experts say to use a light meter with flash photography. You'll get much more accurate settings this way.

 

[Lizziejane]

If you are using canon, then flash with Av and Tv settings assumes you want to expose the background properly, and therefore will fire assuming you only want fill light for your subject. In other words, it will not speed up your shutter - your camera settings and exposure are the same as if you were not using flash at all.

P assumes you want to handhold your camera and not rely on a tripod. It reads available light two ways - if ambient light is fairly bright (above 13 EV) it assumes your flash is for fill, so it will fire at a low-power setting. If EV is lower than 13, it assumes you want to light the foreground subject, so it sets a shutter speed between 1/60 and your fastest x-sync speed. The result is that your background may appear dark.

M allows you to specify both aperture and shutter speed and your exposure settings determine how the background is exposes. The subject can still be illuminated by the automatic flash metering system since the flash can calculate the output levels for you.

A suggestion I received was when shooting in Manual with flash, was to underexpose my settings by 1 or even 2 stops, then take a test shot. The flash will (or may/should) light up the background but because you've underexposed to start with, it won't be that harsh, over-bearing flash light. You will have to experiment, and I've found that also dialing down the flash output by one stop helps greatly in a more natural shot.

This all sounds great in theory of course, but remembering it all at the moment is a whole other story!

 

[BecBennett]

Can someone give me the basic run down of the best way to do this? I want to be able to take the occassional photo while on some rides and I've just discovered how much flash photography annoys a lot of people plus it's not allowed on some rides.

I've got a Kodak Easyshare digital camera. Sorry, not entirely sure what model at the moment because I'm at work but I'll update as soon as I know.

Thanks!

 

[ukcatfan]

It depends on the ride. For IASW for example, the lighting is not bad, so just make sure you get a fast enough shutter speed to prevent blur. I prefer manual mode, but the priority modes or something like the sports or children modes might work. For something like HM or POTC, just forget about it and enjoy the ride. Even DSLRs with wide aperture lenses (i.e. ~f/1.4) and shooting at ISO 1600 have a tough time.

Kevin

 

[mabas9395]

The short answer is not something you are going to want to hear.

But you are not going to get results you will be happy with using a P&S in a low light environment, on a moving ride, without a flash. You will need to change one of those variables. You will have better luck with a dSLR. Their sensors will handle the low light better, and you can get upgraded (i.e. fast) lenses that will help even more. You can take low light pictures with a P&S if you and your subject are not moving and your results will be best if you use a tripod (but that won't work on a ride).

 

[rtphokie]

Can someone give me the basic run down of the best way to do this? I want to be able to take the occassional photo while on some rides and I've just discovered how much flash photography annoys a lot of people plus it's not allowed on some rides.

I've got a Kodak Easyshare digital camera. Sorry, not entirely sure what model at the moment because I'm at work but I'll update as soon as I know.

Thanks!

Cameras need light so this is a challenge with any camera. Your camera probably has some adjustability that can help. Dont expect excellent quality but for your best low light photos:

• Switch to aperture priority mode
• choose the lowest Aperture number available (f2.8 is probably the lowest)
• choose the highest ISO number available (800 is probably the highest available on your camera, if 1600 is available, pick that).
• up the exposure compensation, you may have to go all the way to 2.0

This may still produce a dark picture. Use something like Photoshop Elements or Picassa to add some fill light if necessary. It will definitely produce something grainy. Noiseware community edition may help there.

Here's a shot from Pirates of the Carribean with at f1.4 and 1600 ISO plus some additional post processing.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It's a challenge but it can be done, with practice, luck and providing the creek don't rise.

I got this with a Canon S3 IS on The Great Movie Ride, while we were moving. It's not as dark as some rides but I've never been able to get it before. I used a high ISO but ran it through noiseware reduction software; I used the viewfinder and leaned it against my forehead staying as still as I possibly could. This was my best GMR shot but my DH got some that were pretty good also, using his S2 IS. Minimal movement is half the battle.

 

[TigerLaw]

I want to take a bunch of pics at the MVMCP parade in a coupe weeks, and was wondering what all the experts do for these types of parades in terms of flash/no flash. (BTW, my camera is a panasonic TZ3)

I know for a point and shoot, my flash will have a very limited range, but it doesn't look like the lighting from the floats themselves would be enough to see anything with otherwise

can anyone help me out?