Skateboarding/BMX Photography | Lighting

MichaelHenson · Jan 6, 2015

Question, I'm looking to expand my portfolio and experience a bit and am wondering about lighting for these types of sports. Will a typical speedlight be fast enough at 1/250 to freeze the motion? Or do I need to be looking for some HSS options? If I need HSS, what are some resources/options you would recommend I look into?

Thanks in advance!

Vtec44 · Jan 6, 2015

Are you doing off or on camera flash?

MichaelHenson · Jan 6, 2015

I would really prefer to have it off camera...

Braineack · Jan 7, 2015

The shutter speed doesn't really matter, that will control the ambient.

which is good because you D5200 can only flash sync to 1/200

MichaelHenson · Jan 7, 2015

That's what I was thinking but I was worried that my little Yongnuo wouldn't have a short enough flash duration to freeze the motion...After doing a bit of research, it appears that if I lower the output it should more than have enough stopping power. Worst case, I can just increase the ISO some to make up the difference in exposure...

Am I thinking through this correctly?

Braineack · Jan 7, 2015

Yes, if you increase the ISO, you can decrease the flash output, but the ambient will also increase.

Even at full power, it will still stop motion--just go and experiment.

I can't remember what the flash power was here, probably 1/4, but it was also bounced. Shutter speed was 1/60:

too slow of a shutter, and you risk double exposing--where's there enough time to capture ambient blur of the subject + the flash exposure freezing the subject when it fires.

MichaelHenson · Jan 7, 2015

Perfect! That answers my question...I just didn't want to get out there and be completely frustrated/disappointed because I wasn't thinking things through all the way.

Thanks!

curtyoungblood · Jan 7, 2015

What time of day are you planning to shoot, because your plan isn't going to work in full daylight. However, it is likely to work in the evening or at night.

Salio · Jan 12, 2015

You can do HSS in the day Time no problem. Just Look up Gary Fong on Youtube. Guy Makes sense and after watching some of his vids its easy to do yourself...

MichaelHenson · Jan 13, 2015

Salio said:
You can do HSS in the day Time no problem. Just Look up Gary Fong on Youtube. Guy Makes sense and after watching some of his vids its easy to do yourself...

I'll check it out! Thanks!

KmH · Jan 13, 2015

At full power the flash duration of your Yongnuo unit is likely about 1/1000.
The YN-460 has a flash duration of 1/800 at full power and as power is decrease flash duration gets shorter and maxes out at 1/20,000.
It looks like the YN-5XX units have a flash duration range of 1/200 - 1/20,000

MichaelHenson · Jan 13, 2015

Yeah, I think it'll be fast enough to freeze motion... Just not enough power to compete with the sun if it comes to it...

KmH · Jan 14, 2015

Compared to studio monolights even the most expensive and powerful Nikon flash unit is weak.
And the Nikon flash cost a lot because of all the bells and whistles it has.

Two speedlights set up side by side deliver 2x as much light as just 1 speedlight.
When I was still shooting on location regularly I used several Vivitar 285HV flash units with iShoot radio flash triggers that had 2 hot shoes per receiver so I could use 2 or more speedlights per light location.

The Vivitar 285HV has a thyristor on it that provides a semi-automatic function.

Third party knockoff flash unit's main attraction is their price. Their price is low because they have few bells, whistles (many are manual operation only), less power than the camera maker flash units, and a lower build quality.

MichaelHenson · Jan 14, 2015

Good to know!

I'm planning on trying my hand at this for the first time this Saturday. There's an "Ice Carnival" going on this weekend and there's a skateboarding demo going on on the top of a hotel. I'll probably go down there and try my hand at getting some good photos with my flash on camera to begin with (depending on how overly conspicuous I am). Hopefully, I'll end up with some pictures to post for critique!