Amber in Daylight: Slow shutter speed and a (fairly) Wide Aperture

[Sean Setters]

If you're a strobist like myself, how do you tackle a situation where you want to create a photo in broad daylight where you underexpose the ambient while using a fairly wide aperture while still staying below your max flash sync speed? And on top of all that, diffusing your flash for optimal results?


Answer? Click on the picture to find out how...



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2713/4468645192_66411a16b7.jpg ("http://www.flickr.com/photos/budrowilson/4468645192/)


Canon 7D, 17-55mm f/2.8 IS


ISO 100, 1/160 sec, f/3.2...in broad daylight

[Alan]

You're good. Very good.....

[ddt0725]

If I even had 1/4 of your knowledge, life would be good!Awesome photo!


I just setup all my new equipment today to practice taking portraits and heck, I was proud that I actually knew how to put everything together! Thanks for all the advice...the softbox & umbrella are just the right size for the room I have to work in!

Denise

[Sean Setters]

Great! I'm glad to hear it. Have you taken a few shots? Ready to post some examples? :-)

[ddt0725]

Great! I'm glad to hear it. Have you taken a few shots? Ready to post some examples? :-)
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Actually there are a few I really like but my model (my daughter) won't let me post them ...but I'm working on it! [;)]

Denise

[Sean Setters]

I had a wonderful model tonight (Amber, as usual). I'll probably post the best from the series on flickr tomorrow. I just sorted through them this evening and picked out a few favs...

[greggf]

Great shot Sean. Seems like you went through a whole lot of prep to get that shot!! Have you tried putting your camera on high speed sync, in manual mode, then you use the aperture for the subject with flash, and shutter speed for the ambient. Joe Mcnally has several books on the subject,and teaches this in his seminars. Tried it out, and it works fantastic. A little trial and error involved, but once you get it down, you can foo with multiple lights, so on and so forth. I have some examples if you're interested(that I have recently shot).

[Sean Setters]

Great shot Sean. Seems like you went through a whole lot of prep to get that shot!! Have you tried putting your camera on high speed sync, in manual mode, then you use the aperture for the subject with flash, and shutter speed for the ambient. Joe Mcnally has several books on the subject,and teaches this in his seminars. Tried it out, and it works fantastic. A little trial and error involved, but once you get it down, you can foo with multiple lights, so on and so forth. I have some examples if you're interested(that I have recently shot).
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Usually that's done by using all Canon flashes. I've tried it before using a 580EX on the camera's hotshoe and using optical slaves to trigger the off-camera slaves. The only problem is that you have to use the off-camera slaves at full power to capture the full burst of light emitted from the flash (flash durations are longer at full power and can cover the shutter opening/closing from what I understand).


To be honest, I'm the inconvenience of only being able to use full-power, coupled with the fact that each flash has to be able to "see" the hotshoe-mounted flash (in daylight) makes it a less than convenient solution.


If I'm wrong, or there is indeed a better solution, I'm all ears!

[jcrowe87]

[Edit]


*sigh* I blame fault internet for this double post.

[jcrowe87]

While the full power may be necessary to underexpose the ambient, it isn't really necessary for the shutter speed side of things.


You are indeed correct that a full power flash is longer than one at a fraction of its power, if you are shooting something around 1/160 like you did here it shouldn't make any difference. The main issue with flash coverage isn't that the flash covers the entire duration of the exposure, but rather that the flash isn't cut off by either of the curtains, which would leave an ugly dark band on the top or bottom of an image. Thankfully flash durations are super quick, and high-speed sync is even better in many regards.


The way that high-speed sync works is basically that the camera fires many many bursts in nearly instant succession. This allows a very brief shutter speed to still be evenly illuminated through flash, the main downside is a loss of power due to the quick bursts.


Syl Arena has a nice post ("http://pixsylated.com/2008/12/smashing-pumpkins-with-high-speed-sync-gang-light-part-2/) somewhat explaining this working in he opposite direction of you. He is trying to shoot at super high speeds to freeze action, which inherently lets him underexpose the ambient while illuminating his subject correctly. Mind you, his setup may be a tad out of many of our reach... still an interesting read.


Check it out!

[greggf]

You could be right. I only use Shoe mount flashes right now(several 580ll"s), with umbrellas and either a mounted 580exll on the camera, or an STe-2. When using hi-speed sync, the flash lets out multiple pulses to cover the duration of the shutter. So, you don't have to use full power of the slaves because of that. Plus you can always adjust your shutter speed to compensate. I haven't had any problems as far as triggering goes, as I'm usually pretty close to the subject, or I have the flashes turned to capture the pulse. I try to use the sun or existing light with fill from the flashes to overcome shadows. Of course, avoiding high noon or later bright light(ruins everything!!). Here is an example...and this was just a 580exll on camera with a sto-fen diffuser, sun at camera left at 7 o'clock....


MarkIV, 16-35ll, iso 100 2.8@1/1600th


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[neuroanatomist]

If you're a strobist like myself, how do you tackle a situation where you want to create a photo in broad daylight where you underexpose the ambient while using a fairly wide aperture while still staying below your max flash sync speed?


Great shot, Sean! [:)]


Of course, as a non-strobist, the first answer that leapt to my mind was part of your answer in the Flickr post - ND/CPL on the lens to cut the amount of light reaching the lens. A week after getting my T1i, while shooting portraits of my daughter outdoors in the daytime with an EF 85mm f/1.8 set wide open, I was confronted with a blinking 1/4000. Even the 1/8000 on my new 7D wouldn't have been nearly enough. A week later, I had a B+W ND #103 (3-stop) in my bag. Problem solved! I am now also playing with aB+W ND #110 (10-stop) for some interesting daylight long-exposure shots.

[Sean Setters]

I have a 2 stop ND filter, but I've almost decided that's not enough for what I'm wanting to accomplish (hence the stacked filters). The Vari-ND ("http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html) filters from Singh-Ray seem best, but they are out of my price range. However, I found an alternative--the Fader ND ("http://www.lightcraftworkshop.com/site/page1000.aspx) from Light Craft Workshop. It works in much the same way. From what I've read, it's not built quite as well and has a couple of quirks, but for the price, it's probably just what I need. Unfortunately, it's out of stock.

[neuroanatomist]

I have a 2 stop ND filter, but I've almost decided that's not enough for what I'm wanting to accomplish (hence the stacked filters)


Yeah. I debated 2-stop vs. 3-stop and decided on the 3-stop because, 1) the CPL provides ~2 stops, why duplicate that with an ND?, 2) looking at the number of stops I needed with f/1.8 on a bright day, 3 stops would have been enough (especially now that I have an extra stop of shutter speed), and 3) I could always stack the CPL, since that's a slim mount, for ~5 stops.


I looked at the Vari-ND, but decided that for cost relative to likely amount of use, and the desire to go to greater than 8 stops for some really long daytime shots (I have actually stacked my 0.9 and 3.0 filters on occasion), I'd stick with standard NDs.

[Keith B]

You could be right. I only use Shoe mount flashes right now(several 580ll"s), with umbrellas and either a mounted 580exll on the camera, or an STe-2. When using hi-speed sync, the flash lets out multiple pulses to cover the duration of the shutter. So, you don't have to use full power of the slaves because of that. Plus you can always adjust your shutter speed to compensate. I haven't had any problems as far as triggering goes, as I'm usually pretty close to the subject, or I have the flashes turned to capture the pulse.






I only use an ST-E2 to fire my flashes. I have heard so many people slam the ST-E2. I have only ever had one issue that was easily fixed, once when I was shooting the sun was beaming directly into the IR receiver on the flash keeping it from firing. So I set up a flag and it was done.


This shot was done with two 580EXIIs, ST-E2 out side with no problems.


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