Family Christmas lights photo (at night)

[Mr. J]

Struggling with making this work. Fairly new to photography, but very new with flash and off-camera flash. I took this at night in my garage. Lighting is continuous modeling lights on either side of family, an off-camera flash is positioned to camera left shooting through an umbrella. Using 6D with 70-200 / 2.8.

This one shot at 1/4, 7.1, 400 ISO, 87mm.

Obviously very slow shutter speed (really did not want to raise ISO). I assume this is the term "dragging the shutter?" Is that correct?

I will be doing more of these for friends, but it has to be done at night, so I am trying to get this squared away.

Any help or input is appreciated!

 

[tirediron]

Okay... just so I understand, you used both continuous and strobed light to create this image? Why? A single speedlight & umbrella could easily provide all the necessary light, and your long shutter speed has caused a LOT of ambient light in the image meaning that your Christmas lights in the background are blown out.

What specifically do YOU feel are the issues with the image and with what would you like assistance?

 

[Braineack]

I'm assuming you want to do something like this:


Merry Freakin' Xmas by The Braineack, on Flickr

 

[tirediron]

What? Take a picture of a cranky kitty?

 

[JustJazzie]

I'm assuming you want to do something like this:


Merry Freakin' Xmas by The Braineack, on Flickr

(Sorry to hijack OP) That is AWESOME! How in the world did you get swirls in the bokeh balls?

 

[Braineack]

(Sorry to hijack OP) That is AWESOME! How in the world did you get swirls in the bokeh balls?

Buy a lens with aspheric glass elements.

 

[JustJazzie]

(Sorry to hijack OP) That is AWESOME! How in the world did you get swirls in the bokeh balls?

Buy a lens with asymmetrical glass elements.

*Blank stare* What the heck does that mean??? :headscratch:

 

[Designer]

(Sorry to hijack OP) That is AWESOME! How in the world did you get swirls in the bokeh balls?

Buy a lens with asymmetrical glass elements.

*Blank stare* What the heck does that mean??? :headscratch:

JustJazzie; the bokeh that you see in the cat shot is called "onion bokeh" or "onion-ring bokeh". What Braineack is referring to is the construction of his lens which is what contributes to that type of bokeh.

Read about it here: The end of onion-ring bokeh? Panasonic beats the curse of aspheric lenses

 

[JustJazzie]

(Sorry to hijack OP) That is AWESOME! How in the world did you get swirls in the bokeh balls?

Buy a lens with asymmetrical glass elements.

*Blank stare* What the heck does that mean??? :headscratch:

JustJazzie; the bokeh that you see in the cat shot is called "onion bokeh" or "onion-ring bokeh". What Braineack is referring to is the construction of his lens is what contributes to that type of bokeh.

Read about it here: The end of onion-ring bokeh? Panasonic beats the curse of aspheric lenses

Awesome! Thanks!

 

[Braineack]

Read about it here: The end of onion-ring bokeh? Panasonic beats the curse of aspheric lenses

this is exactly the link i was about to post. I meant to say aspheric. It's a "flaw" in the construction.

 

[Designer]

You mean I've finally done something right today? Whoo-Hoo!

 

[Designer]

Any help or input is appreciated!

The composition here is very good except for the mother's arm being so central.

tirediron has asked why the mix of lighting. Me too now. 1/4 second exposure is quite long, IMO.

Seems to me that you could use large white reflectors for fill and forget about using those continuous lights.

 

[Mr. J]

Sorry, should have been more specific on the feedback. Just wondering if the lighting looks okay?

Regarding the mixed lighting, not sure why! Noob move I suppose. I started out with the continuous lighting during my test shots and then added the flash and kept them. I really have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of flash freezing motion. The shutter speed of 1/4 is so slow and it seems okay with the flash. At some point though, it's going to show motion if it's slow enough I suppose.

Designer, you are right about the arm, it now stands out to me like a sore thumb!

Thanks much!

 

[Braineack]

the final result actually doesn't look half bad. I would like to see the xmas lights more as bokeh balls for effect.

 

[Forkie]

When using off camera flash, your shutter speed and aperture have slightly different functions to when you are using natural light. The flash "takes over" the freezing of motion and you use you shutter speed to control ambient light. A slower shutter speed will allow more ambient light into the camera and your aperture will [appear to] alter the intensity of your flash.