Photo Assignment November '07: Flash Photography

[handicap18]

Here's a subject we haven't done yet, but seems to come up in a number of different threads. So lets get out there and see what our flash's can do.

Some will say that the on board flash of any camera is terrible, but if that is all you have, then you should learn how to use it. Or at least know its limitations. The more you know about your camera, the better your pictures will be.

There are many different times when we use our flash. There are many different ways to use our flash. It can be used as a main light or fill light. Most of the time we think of using our flash when taking pictures of people, but thats not always the case.

Do you know if your camera's flash has a compensation mode. In other words, you can boost the light or dim the light according to what you want.

Sometimes using a flash doesn't necessarily mean using the one on, or one you attach to your camera. Most portrait photographers use alternate lighting. I was watching a show on the DIY Channel and it was about taking portraits. The photographer had a small PnS camera and set up some alternate lights using the inexpensive work lights from Home Depot. The pictures came out great.

So lets get out there and take some pictures using our flash or other alternate lighting. Lets see what we can come up with.

Don't forget we still have the Seasonal: Autumn assignment thread going on. I think I'll keep that one around till a week or so before Thanksgiving, then start a Seasonal: Holiday assignment thread to run till New Years.

Once again folks, the purpose of these assignments is to give us a reason to go out and use our camera's and learn our camera's. These assignments gives you a specific subject to try. Everyone can learn and everyone can help others.

Above all, Have Fun and enjoy yourself.

Happy shooting.

 

[handicap18]

I'll start things off with a few examples:

This picture isn't a recent pic, but does show the use of my flash in a not normal situation: This is in Morocco in EPCOT. Bad lighting as its partially indoors and partially outdoors. I like the color of the ceiling, but without a flash the ceiling came out very darks. So I popped the flash and got this image:

Last month I found this pumpkin display. Got some decent shots with a slow shutter speed, but not everything came out the way I wanted. I took a pic with the flash, but it was way to bright and washed out the lights in the pumpkins. So I went into flash compensation and set it to -1.7 (IIRC), just enough to light the hay, yet not bright enough to wash out the lights in the pumpkins. I wanted to use a slow shutter speed to get the effect of the pumpkins, so I also set the flash to rear curtain.

This is my attempt at portrait photography. DD is turning 3 this week, so we needed to get some portraits of her for her therapists who, unfortunately, wont be coming around any longer as she will be out of the Early Intervention program. Though I will say that DD is MORE than ready for pre-school which will start next week. Its just that the therapists we have now are all GREAT and we'll miss them.

I used my 50mm f/1.8 lens at f/5.6 along with my SB-600 speelight flash with a Gary Fong diffuser along with 2 40watt lights. One on each side of the camera closer to the subject. On the left of the camera I positioned it about eye height pointed more towards the background and the one of the right of camera I positioned it lower around waist high. I think I need to use brighter bulbs as I'm still getting some shadow's on the background from the more powerful speedlight flash. This is where practice comes into play. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to portrait photograhy. Far from it. I still like the results though.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I'll start things off with a few examples:

This picture isn't a recent pic, but does show the use of my flash in a not normal situation: This is in Morocco in EPCOT. Bad lighting as its partially indoors and partially outdoors. I like the color of the ceiling, but without a flash the ceiling came out very darks. So I popped the flash and got this image:

Last month I found this pumpkin display. Got some decent shots with a slow shutter speed, but not everything came out the way I wanted. I took a pic with the flash, but it was way to bright and washed out the lights in the pumpkins. So I went into flash compensation and set it to -1.7 (IIRC), just enough to light the hay, yet not bright enough to wash out the lights in the pumpkins. I wanted to use a slow shutter speed to get the effect of the pumpkins, so I also set the flash to rear curtain.


This is my attempt at portrait photography. DD is turning 3 this week, so we needed to get some portraits of her for her therapists who, unfortunately, wont be coming around any longer as she will be out of the Early Intervention program. Though I will say that DD is MORE than ready for pre-school which will start next week. Its just that the therapists we have now are all GREAT and we'll miss them.

I used my 50mm f/1.8 lens at f/5.6 along with my SB-600 speelight flash with a Gary Fong diffuser along with 2 40watt lights. One on each side of the camera closer to the subject. On the left of the camera I positioned it about eye height pointed more towards the background and the one of the right of camera I positioned it lower around waist high. I think I need to use brighter bulbs as I'm still getting some shadow's on the background from the more powerful speedlight flash. This is where practice comes into play. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to portrait photograhy. Far from it. I still like the results though.

Nice photos! What does (IIRC) mean? Which Gary Fong diffuser are you using?

 

[Master Mason]

Nice photos! What does (IIRC) mean?

If I remember correctly

 

[handicap18]

Nice photos! What does (IIRC) mean? Which Gary Fong diffuser are you using?

Thanks. IIRC = If I Recall/Remember Correctly. I use the Gary Fong Lightshpere II Inverted Dome Diffuser. I believe it is the clear one that I have.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I used a softbox for the main light and reflected the fill light off of a wall.

 

[Groucho]

I wanted to use a slow shutter speed to get the effect of the pumpkins, so I also set the flash to rear curtain.

As someone who only recently replaced their 15+-year-old featureless Sunpak flash with a modern one, I am the farthest thing from a flash expert.

But I'm confused here - what's the correlation between slow shutter speed and rear curtain? Since you're basically shooting a still life, there should be no difference between front curtain and rear curtain, or am I missing something?

Regardless, this should probably be the month to try to do one of these assignments, I definitely could use some practice to understand my flash a little more!

 

[handicap18]

As someone who only recently replaced their 15+-year-old featureless Sunpak flash with a modern one, I am the farthest thing from a flash expert.

But I'm confused here - what's the correlation between slow shutter speed and rear curtain? Since you're basically shooting a still life, there should be no difference between front curtain and rear curtain, or am I missing something?

You might be right that it really didn't matter. My thought at the time was, I'm using a slow shutter speed, 1/15th, and I didn't want the flash to over power the scene. It probably was more along the lines of to much over thinking. Since I already had stopped down the flash power I probably didn't also need the rear curtain. If I come across a similar scene in the future I'll try and take the image with both rear and regular. It would be interesting to see if there is any difference. Probably wont though. Good catch.

Regardless, this should probably be the month to try to do one of these assignments, I definitely could use some practice to understand my flash a little more!

This is the exact attitude to have. The more you understand, the better things are. Lets see what you got Groucho.

 

[Gdad]

Finally got an excuse to get to this months Photo Assignment- decorating our Christmas Tree tonight. My goal was to use a few strobes but to keep them subtle enough not to completely wash out the ambient light- tree lights and such. I set up with the SB-800 in commander mode on the camera and two SB-600 slaves- one one each side of the tree- just pointed up to bounce off the ceiling. The SB-800 was also bounced in TTL mode- the slaves were both set to -1.0 EV. Alternating between using the 50/1.8 and the 180/2.8- just shooting candids and letting the strobes do their job.

Here are some of the results...

The whole gallery can be seen Here...