Beginner's lighting. What do you want to know?

[Big Mike]

I have a old Vivitar 2000 flash. (I bought it long long time ago with my 2MP digicam) I know I cannot use it with my Canon Xti as the trigger voltage is more than 100V (I measured it with my multimeter).

I can't confirm this, but I'm pretty sure that the XTi is rated for up to 250v. You could also use a 'safe sync' to go between the flash and the camera.

Do you think I can use it as a off camera flash?

Absolutely.

Or I should better off throw it away

You could send it to me

 

[Village Idiot]

I heard the term 'feathering' to get softer light on a subject. What is it?

It's basically firing your light past your subject instead of directly at your subject. It's used a lot in portrature but can be used for any application. It's supposed to create a softer light on the subject as it falls across them.

Found this link. It has diagrams that explain it better.
http://www.studiostyles.net/wp/archives/92

 

[im_trying11]

how exacly does this fire if its not on the hotshoe?
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/531660769.htm?bct=t13031003%3Bcidigital-cameras-and-accessories%3Bciflashes i was looking into gettin it for the price is it better than the pop up thanks in advance

 

[medic001918]

This is a great thread. I've learned quite a bit just be reading these posts so far. I have some more reading to do with the links that were provided.

When shooting indoors do you ever find it a good idea to fire the flash straight at the subject? I seem to get more pleasing results when I bounce the flash. Is this because of something I'm doing? Or is bouncing simply a better technique indoors?

I also have a set of three omin-bounce diffusers. One is white, one is a brownish/yellowish color and one is blueish. What scenario's are best for these to be used? The white one seems to soften the light quite a bit. The others cast their respective colors over the entire photo and I haven't found a shot that really appeals to me when trying to use them.

This is a camera specific question. I have a Nikon D80 that can fire another flash wirelessly. Is it possible to trigger that flash wirelessly without having the on camera flash fire? I've tried and can't make it do it. It seems that the signal for the flash is coming from the initial light of the on camera flash. I think I might be doing something wrong with it though.

Thanks
Shane

 

[Village Idiot]

how exacly does this fire if its not on the hotshoe?
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/5...3;cidigital-cameras-and-accessories;ciflashes i was looking into gettin it for the price is it better than the pop up thanks in advance

It has an optical slave and fires when it "sees" another flash fire, like your pop up. I didn't see if it was even adjustable. A great link for learning about off camera lighting is www.strobist.com

Check out the drop downs on the right to find the lighting 101 section. It's going to be more expensive, like $130ish if you go used, to get a nice one light setup, but you'd probably be much more happier with the results.

 

[Village Idiot]

This is a great thread. I've learned quite a bit just be reading these posts so far. I have some more reading to do with the links that were provided.

When shooting indoors do you ever find it a good idea to fire the flash straight at the subject? I seem to get more pleasing results when I bounce the flash. Is this because of something I'm doing? Or is bouncing simply a better technique indoors?

I also have a set of three omin-bounce diffusers. One is white, one is a brownish/yellowish color and one is blueish. What scenario's are best for these to be used? The white one seems to soften the light quite a bit. The others cast their respective colors over the entire photo and I haven't found a shot that really appeals to me when trying to use them.

Thanks
Shane

It depends on the look you're going for. Bouncing is reliable for a nice soft light. Direct is going to give you a hard light and harsh shadows.

Diffusers like that are a touchy subject. Some people use them, some don't. The act like a bare bulb and through light in a near 360 degree direction. This uses extra power of course and some people argue that a simple bounce card will work.

The colored ones are most likely for if you're shooting and getting ambient light and need to change to color cast of the flash to match the ambient so your white balance is consistant, like if you're shooting under incandescent light bulbs, you'd use the yellowish one to have your flash match.

 

[Big Mike]

Sorry if I'm stepping on your toes by answering posts in here...but it's fun.
*edit* dang, you beat me to that one.

When shooting indoors do you ever find it a good idea to fire the flash straight at the subject? I seem to get more pleasing results when I bounce the flash. Is this because of something I'm doing? Or is bouncing simply a better technique indoors?

Bouncing is a great technique for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it changes the angle of the light, so that it's not coming from the same direction as the camera. This lets the light 'model' the subject and gives them depth and dimension (that is also why off camera light is so good). Also, bouncing the light effectively increases the size of the light source, in relation to the subject. So instead of the light being the size of the flash, it's the size of the reflection off of the ceiling. A bigger light source makes for softer lighting, which is usually beneficial for 'better' looking shots. Lastly, the light might be bouncing off of several surfaces and 'surrounding' the subject, getting rid of harsh shadows...this could also be called soft light.

 

[Village Idiot]

Sorry if I'm stepping on your toes by answering posts in here...but it's fun.
*edit* dang, you beat me to that one.


Bouncing is a great technique for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it changes the angle of the light, so that it's not coming from the same direction as the camera. This lets the light 'model' the subject and gives them depth and dimension (that is also why off camera light is so good). Also, bouncing the light effectively increases the size of the light source, in relation to the subject. So instead of the light being the size of the flash, it's the size of the reflection off of the ceiling. A bigger light source makes for softer lighting, which is usually beneficial for 'better' looking shots. Lastly, the light might be bouncing off of several surfaces and 'surrounding' the subject, getting rid of harsh shadows...this could also be called soft light.

20 heads are better than one.

 

[.Serenity.]

How can i reduce harsh shadows in a subject in bright light? Actually any natural light and i end up with some harsh shadows.

 

[Big Mike]

How can i reduce harsh shadows in a subject in bright light? Actually any natural light and i end up with some harsh shadows.

The harshness (hardness) of a light is determined by the distance and effective size of the light source. The sun, for example, is a hard light source. Sure it's huge, but it's so far away that it's effectively a small source.

If you were to put up a large diffusion screen (say a white bed sheet) and put your subject behind it. The light source would then be the sheet, which would be large in comparison to a person...so the light would be much softer.

Outdoor light can be very soft, clouds can act as a diffusion material. An overcast day may allow you to shoot with almost no shadows at all.

Another thing you can do, is use light to fill in the shadows cased by the bright hard light from the sun. You could use something to reflect some of the light back into a person's face, which would even out the light on their face and allow you to capture that as a photo without harsh shadows. You can also use an artificial light source (like a flash) to fill in the shadows and even out the light.

 

[im_trying11]

what do you need to do with a manual flash compared to a auto one

 

[Big Mike]

what do you need to do with a manual flash compared to a auto one

With a manual flash, you need to find a way to figure out the exposure...you need to find out what aperture to use or what flash power setting will give you the desired effect.

You could use a flash meter, the flash's Guide Number or just guess and test.

 

[im_trying11]

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/531660066.htm?bct=t13031003%3Bcidigital-cameras-and-accessories%3Bciflashes i was looking at that for a beginer and possibly a slave

 

[Big Mike]

Yup, that's a pretty simple manual flash.

 

[Village Idiot]

what do you need to do with a manual flash compared to a auto one

With a manual flash, you need to find a way to figure out the exposure...you need to find out what aperture to use or what flash power setting will give you the desired effect.

You could use a flash meter, the flash's Guide Number or just guess and test.

As in another thread currently going GN = the distance a flash can fire at ISO 100, full power, and an aperture of f/1.0.

Say your Guide number is 150', the means your flash can fire (theoretically and according to the manufactures) 150' @ ISO 100 and aperture of f/1.0.

Well you don't own a $3000 f/1.0 prime? Use this: GN = distance to subject / aperture or Aperture = GN / Distance to subject or distance = GN / aperture.

so say you want to shoot at f/5.6 with a flash that uses a guide number of 150', you would do the equation: distance = 150'/5.6

That gives you 26.79' as the place you would place your flash to properly expose a subject with ISO 100 and f/5.6. You can of course affect this by cutting the power down. Also, different flashes have different GN's.