Studio strobes and Digital Portrait photography
Michael Bird
I have set up a studio so that I can take better portrait shots using my
digital Olympus C900, I have Bowens 500w heads (two) and the requied
accessories that are set up to fire on the photocell when my camera flash
fires!
This seems to work well and when the camera flash which I have diffused
fires the strobes also fire! great you may think... now the problem is that
all the photo's come out dark, very dark, or just a glimmer of an image!
If I turn of the studio strobes and modelling lamps and undiffuse my camera
flash and use just the digital camera the photographs are fine, start using
the stobes again and the same occurs!
any help would be greatful!
Regards
Mike
Dennis Bradley
"Michael Bird" <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote in message
news:ZXyy7.25745$U97.122934@NewsReader...
pre-flash might be setting the main lights off too early.
Dennis
Phil Wynn Photography
don't know if this will help, but some camera flash systems use a pre flash
to calculate different things,
I know the Nikon does this, so whilst the camera may not be doing red eye
reduction it still could de doing a preflash have you tried extending the
shutter time? I'm not really sure how they work on digital , but if you are
using flash you could use a shutter speed of around 1/15 with no problems
--
Phil Wynn Photography
http://www.f16.co.uk
Michael Bird <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote in message
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Michael Bird
Mike
"Dennis Bradley" <den...@nospampleasedbradley.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in
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Greg
Just some suggestions, please excuse if comments are inappropriate or
stupid.
As suggested some studio flashes do not have a short flash duration.
How much diffusion on your camera mounted flash?
It works OK on normal but underexposed when defused . Monobloc's aside.
Are the mono's firing. Stupid but must ask. Hard to see from behind the
camera.
Are the mono's firing with accurate power output.
Have you metered your mono's from target. It doesn't take much under exp.
to go dark.
Is your outfit on manual. Best option when probs. abound.
Timing is rarely a prob. but fire and look through the open back to check
sync.
Just serving to confuse. -- Greg. -- gre...@ozemail.com.au
Don't just do something... sit there.
-
-
Richard Corbett
Try turning off the autoexposure function and using a flash meter - the
Jessops is very good value.
dnb
I believe that it is not as simple as letting the flash on the camera
trigger the strobes.
I think it does some sort of calculation pre-flash to ensure correct
exposure which will work ok for camera flash only but, goes haywire when
additional flash is used.
Dave
Bruce MacNeil
"dnb" <fingle...@virgin.net> wrote in message
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Michael Bird
Thanks for the replies Ive contacted Olympus and yes the camera has a pre
flash( not seen by the eye about 200ms pre flash) this is what is setting
off the strobes and I can not adjust the camera exposure or speed :( looks
like ill have to buy another digital camera! the D1X looks cool :)
thanks for the advice
Mike
"Greg" <gre...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
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Phil Wynn Photography
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Michael Bird <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote in message
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Phil Wynn Photography
sensors on the flash heads, I guess it will need some experimentation but
may work.
--
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http://www.f16.co.uk
Michael Bird <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote in message
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Phil Wynn Photography
something like x8
The pre flash won't be very powerful, so you could try desensitising the
> sensors on the flash heads, I guess it will need some experimentation but
> may work.
--
Phil Wynn Photography
http://www.f16.co.uk
Phil Wynn Photography <ph...@f16.co.uk> wrote in message
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Ray Smith
Hello Mike,
Not familiar with the camera but assuming it has some kind of histogram
function and manual mode available then do the following. You don't need a
flash meter with a digital camera providing it has a histogram function.
(although a flashmeter will get you closer to the correct exposure quicker
than this!)
1. Set the camera for manual mode and 1/60th at f8. If your camera has an
adjustable white balance setting, set it to flash. The test shot scene
should have a reasonable balance of bright, dark and mid tones. Preferably
some white and some black as well. If you are doing portraits, then maybe
get the model to hold a sheet of white paper in one hand and something black
and non reflective in the other.
2. Use the diffuser method you have to trigger the strobes and then take a
test shot.
3. Look at the histogram of the test shot. If all the data is bunched at the
dark end of the range, open the aperture to f5.6 and repeat. Vice versa move
to f11 if all the data is at the bright end of the range in the histogram.
Keep taking test shots and moving the aperture until the data is nicely
centred in the range. You should be able to see a white peak and a black
peak at either end of the histogram representing the black and white samples
held by the model.
That should be it. Keep that setting for all shots providing you don't move
either the lights or the model and both colour balance and exposure should
be spot on.
If the room has strong ambient light, then you may need to correct the white
balance by taking a custom reading, but you can also try a faster shutter
speed.
As others have already mentioned, it is essential that your on-camera flash
is not firing ANY kind of monitor pre-flashes either for exposure
measurement or red eye reduction etc. These monitor preflashes are sent
BEFORE the exposure takes place, so they might well be firing the external
strobes too early.
HTH
Ray
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Paul Ferrara
how to get rid of the pre-flash on my Canon flashes. I used two layers of a
Wratten .9 ND filter (that's six stops total).
Paul
Michael Bird <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote in message
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Bill Pitcher
"Michael Bird" <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote
> Thanks for the replies Ive contacted Olympus and yes the camera has a pre
> flash( not seen by the eye about 200ms pre flash) this is what is setting
> off the strobes and I can not adjust the camera exposure or speed :( looks
> like ill have to buy another digital camera! the D1X looks cool :)
Hi Mike,
This should solve your problem: http://www.srelectronics.com/sa10.html
Bill
bill@GoldenBCphotography###.com (remove###)
http://www.goldenbcphotography.com
Steve
preflash. I was using one for about a year and just changed to the D1X and
went back to the old way. This was shot with a Nikon 880 and a digislave.
http://www.fotofx.net/images/bikegun.jpg As you can see it worked real
well..
Steve
"Ray Smith" <rays...@callnetuk.com> wrote in message
news:3bcc8a94$0$8508$cc9e...@news.dial.pipex.com...
mountainman
wider area causing less light to fall on the subject. The advantage of
diffused light is it's softer, hiding the harshness and blemishness, the
disadvantage is there is much less illumination on the subject. Best get
yourself a flashmeter, you'll get consistantely good exposures.
Chris Gannon
news:lU6B7.37156$B3.10...@e3500-atl2.usenetserver.com...
> Just buy a digislave ( http://www.digislave.com ) and it will handle the
> preflash. I was using one for about a year and just changed to the D1X and
> went back to the old way. This was shot with a Nikon 880 and a digislave.
> http://www.fotofx.net/images/bikegun.jpg As you can see it worked real
> well..
>
I use a digislave as well. It solves the problem nicely!
Chris
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Michael Bird
mike
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"Chris Gannon" <cganno...@aol.com> wrote in message
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Steve/Foto FX Photography
http://www.srelectronics.com they have standalone slaves in addition to the
flashes. You may have to call and get the price because they have the most
screwed up website I have seen for an online store..
Steve
"Michael Bird" <micha...@btconnect.com> wrote in message
news:f6hC7.2991$Y47.23509@NewsReader...
Dooey
> > >
> > > I have set up a studio so that I can take better portrait shots using
my
> > > digital Olympus C900, I have Bowens 500w heads (two) and the requied
> > > accessories that are set up to fire on the photocell when my camera
> flash
> > > fires!
> > >
> > > This seems to work well and when the camera flash which I have
diffused
> > > fires the strobes also fire! great you may think... now the problem is
> > that
> > > all the photo's come out dark, very dark, or just a glimmer of an
image!
> > > If I turn of the studio strobes and modelling lamps and undiffuse my
> > camera
> > > flash and use just the digital camera the photographs are fine, start
> > using
> > > the stobes again and the same occurs!
"Steve" <st...@fotofx.net> wrote in message
news:lU6B7.37156$B3.10...@e3500-atl2.usenetserver.com...
> Just buy a digislave ( http://www.digislave.com ) and it will handle the
> preflash. I was using one for about a year and just changed to the D1X and
> went back to the old way. This was shot with a Nikon 880 and a digislave.
> http://www.fotofx.net/images/bikegun.jpg As you can see it worked real
> well..
>
> Steve
>
These cheap flashguns are hardly competition for a Bowens portable studio
flash. Am I missing some trick that uses a digislave to fire a "real" flash.
--
Dooey.
foto...@yahoo.com
slaves????!!!!
Steve/Foto FX Photography
studio with white lightning, Norman, and Bowen's flash systems. The
corrected link is http://www.srelectronics.com
Steve
"Dooey" <do...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
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