Flash 101 | Journey into the Sun

[cenelson]

So, now that I own a DSLR, there's positively no excuse why I am not actively trying to decode the mysteries of using flash. That stated, I began tinkering tonight.

I've scoured the Planet Neil site for insight, as well as The Strobist site. Both offer no-nonsense tutorials for conquering the light.

My first question tonight was, What would it look like if I set my flash to manual and my camera to aperture-priority and worked my way down through the power-range of my flash?

The answers:

Camera set to 18mm, f4.  Flash set to f4 and manual power. Shots were only resized, no levels or other adjustments. Note: I wasn't trying to focus on anything, just cycling power.

Shot 1: 1/1 power (Full)


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/01.jpg

Shot 2: 1/2 power


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/02.jpg

Shot 3: 1/4 power


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/03.jpg

Shot 4: 1/8 power


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/04.jpg

Shot 5: 1/16 power


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/05.jpg

Shot 6: 1/32 power


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/06.jpg

Shot 7: 1/64 power


http://nelsonfoto.com/mein/film_archives/2006/November/112806/flashing/07.jpg


Tomorrow: Auto-flash with camera set to aperture-priority, and some experiments with bouncing the flash.

[Scott]

Thanks for the links, Craig.  I'm trying to figure this out, too.  I think I need a little more sophisticated flash than my SunPak GX33.  Something that allows manual setting and bouncing...

[Kin Lau]

Beware of reading strobist... I now have about a dozen flashes including 2 large potato-masher jobs and a couple of wireless flash trigger kits.

Oh yes... get some rechargeable NIMH's.

[jtzordon]

Digital makes a cheap and easy learning tool for these sorts of things.  At my friend's wedding I shot there were a number of outdoor shots in the almost pitch black night.  Flash on auto blew out the people, 'til I thinks to myself, "put it on manual."  Couple of test fires and I knew, as long as I stood the same distance from them, everything would be a-ok.

[cenelson]

Bouncing. In theory, seemed like a nightmare. In practice, seems more like something I can grasp. Of course, trying to do this into a corner area with crap everywhere isn't the best routine, but I'm having fun with the self-timer, a bounce flat, and my SB26 popping off behind me in slave mode.

These are both converted using the TLR Conversion Actions posted elsewhere.

Two flashes:

1) SB25 mounted on-camera, set to manual 1/4-power, zoomed to 24mm and f8. Flash head adjusted to burst into a 2x3' piece of foamcore set up off scene-left.

2) SB26 in slave mode. Powered manual to 1/16, zoom head at 18mm with difuser extended (has to be in order to zoom to 18mm), set at f8. Flash is sitting on its back, just behind on the desk, light pointed more less at ceiling.

3) Camera set to manual 1/60th f6.3

[TravisM]

Having fun with that D70 eh?  

Man where is that UPS guy? They deliver in snow don't they ?

I have always liked the wireless flash capability. I played around with it quite a bit on the Maxxum 7. Kind of hard to get real results to learn from due to film wait time.  I usually forget what I was trying to do.  

Whew Q!  Better be careful of that flash bounce. Any stray beams hitting the crome dome might be disasterous on yer sensor.

[Rockford]

Thanks for that strobists link, Craig.  What a fantastic sight.  I find myself wondering how I missed that.  These shots are very good.  Digital has destroyed the market for flash meters.  What a great way to work, seeing results immediately.

[cenelson]

I want to try some of the ideas for making homemade snoots to put on the SB units to try to control the light. Contrast on these above - and I shot a bunch of them - was not very satisfying, but with light being scatter back from a bounce flat and the blast of light from behind me, not hard to figure out there's a bit of washing-out taking place. I might spend some time tonight experimenting more, first with just the lens hood on, and if that doesn't make me smile, then perhaps I figure out a blind which will allow the  on-camera flash to be aimed at the bounce flat while shading the lens. Might be better to try using the on-camera unit as the trigger for the slave and putting the slave out of sight but used as the key light.

Or maybe I just buy some proper damned lighting.

The one thing regarding real lights is whether to go with strobes or continuous lights inside of softboxes. I would REALLY like to get into some classic portrait stuff with the face structure softly lit, but little other lighting to fool with. Dark, eerie.

We'll see.

C.

[grizzz]

Check out this book if you can find it somewhere:

http://www.nelsonfoto.com/v/showthread.php?t=5013

It has lots of setup ideas. Also look at :

http://www.photoflexlightingschool.com/

Not sure if they can help but if your thinking non strobe maybe there is something there for ya. You already hit the Strobist site which is great.... griz.

[cenelson]

John, that Photoflex site is worth a fortune for what it illustrates. I've been looking at their kits as well - any feedback on Photoflex lighting? Anyone?

Cooking dinner.. .still waiting on the snow.

C.

[jake]

I dunno what kind it was, but the strobe & soft-box light that Sam's friend Al had was amazing. We just read the meter, set the camera, and blam - everything came out like a charm. Colors and countours were great. Makes all the fumbling I have done with on-camera flash seem kind of well, fumbly.

[Graham Serretta]

Go, Craig, Go!  Once you master the principles and techniques of lighting, it won't matter what conditions you shoot in - daylight, flash, studio lights, whatever, the quality of your shots will become predictably higher.

I have looked at the Photoflex site's lessons section, and don't see anything to argue with - nice site.

[cenelson]

Here's another example:

Slightly under-exposed, but not by much, this was manually set to 1/160th at f5 200ASA. Flash was set to manual at 1/8th power. Flash head was at 60-degrees (one click forward of vertical), shot in portrait mode, so flash was bounced off the bookcases to the left of me.

[Byuphoto]

Since I do a lot of studio and bridal portraits, here is a link to some articles I wrote.http://cameracollector.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=stulite
 I do the majority of my work with a variety of flashes. I have a
Canon 430 EZ
430 EX
300TL
Vivitar 5600
and two Vivitar 285's.
I use the Chinese Ebay radio triggers and use $10 inflatable mini soft boxes.
I also have Alien Bees but leave them in the studio and use the shoe flashes for everything else.

[Byuphoto]

Here is my favorite test model, Toady.

and a photo of the set up

The main flash to right is set for an exposure of f8. the fill flash, on camera, is set for f4. I used a Polaris flash meter to set the flashes individually.
You can see the radio trigger in this shot