Exposure, lighting, etc..., help needed, please

[Daf]

Hi all!

Below is a test shot I took today to see if I could get the settings and setup correct on a planned shot. I am working with my new D7000 and using a Nikon 50mm f/1.8G lens. Also used an SB 600 flash.

It was sunny on our bleached out deck. I threw my old DCs out there and that's the shot. The settings are ISO 100 - f/7.1 - 1/5000th. Additional question here would be, seeing how it was so sunny I had to stop it down quite a bit more than I wanted to keep from over exposing - is the shutter speed excessive? Should I have used an ND filter to get the DOF at the desired shallowness?

The first shots had some dark shadows on the laces so I use the SB 600 for some fill - may have over-filled? Not sure.

Processing consists of setting WB with grey card in LR and backing off the blacks a bit as they were clipping. Nothing else.

If you guys would be so kind as to critique my settings and setup I would greatly appreciate it. No CC needed on the artistic value altho I did use the rule of 3rds

Thanks!
Daf

 

[Rephargotohp]

Did you use HSS?

 

[Big Mike]

The settings are ISO 100 - f/7.1 - 1/5000th. Additional question here would be, seeing how it was so sunny I had to stop it down quite a bit more than I wanted to keep from over exposing - is the shutter speed excessive? Should I have used an ND filter to get the DOF at the desired shallowness?

Going from 1/5000 to the fastest speed of 1/8000 wouldn't have made any difference in terms of motion or sharpness, so yes, if you had wanted to use a wider aperture, you could have upped the shutter speed to compensate. It wouldn't get you far though...It's only 2/3 of a stop, which would have allowed you to use F5.6. (If my math is right).

So yes, if you had wanted a wider aperture for the shallower DOF, an ND filter would be the tool to use.

Another option would be to turn down the ISO. I believe that your D7000 can go below 100, into the 'Lo' range. That would have allowed for a wider aperture, but it may not be the best solution. Using the 'Lo' range will limit your dynamic range.

 

[Big Mike]

Did you use HSS?

Nikon calls it 'Auto FP'....and I would guess yes...since flash was used with a shutter speed of 1/5000.

 

[Rephargotohp]

Did you use HSS?

Nikon calls it 'Auto FP'....and I would guess yes...since flash was used with a shutter speed of 1/5000.

Hahah. sorry had my Canon Head on today..and that was the reason I asked

 

[Daf]

Ack - I'm sorry!! Earlier in the session I had used the higher shutter - this was 1/250th - when you mentioned the Auto FP it reminded me that the Flash Sync would have prevented anything over 1/250th without it. Same scenario tho in that in order to use the flash I was still "forced" to stop down to maintain the right exposure. I'm going to try the shot with some ND filters and see how that goes.

Overall - how is the exposure and WB - look okay?

Thanks for the replies!!

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, the same theory applies. Using ND filters will allow you to use a larger aperture.

But since you have an SB600, you could use Auto FP and then shoot at higher shutter speeds, allowing you to use a larger aperture for a shallower DOF. Auto FP does limit the flash's power/working distance, but when you're this close, I don't think it would be a problem.

Exposure wise, it looks good to me. The WB looks good too...maybe too good. I'm assuming that you have sunlight coming in from the left? If so, it would probably have a cooler color temp to it, so it would have a red or orange hue to it. So if that's the case, you have successfully white balanced the color out of the light...which is usually what you want to do...but there's nothing wrong with letting some of the sunlight's color come through in the image.

 

[jwbryson1]

Using the 'Lo' range will limit your dynamic range.

I did not know that. Does it make a big difference?

 

[Daf]

Okay - good, good info! I think I may actually be getting the hang of working for the right exposure. Thanks for the replies and advice on WB. Will be trying some more practice sessions tomorrow - losing the sun for today.

Thanks!
Daf

 

[Big Mike]

Using the 'Lo' range will limit your dynamic range.

I did not know that. Does it make a big difference?

The camera can't actually expose at the lower ISO value....so it uses it's native (lowest normal) setting and just under exposes the image by one stop...but then uses in-camera highlight recovery and possibly some other processing. This will end up giving you less true dynamic range than a properly exposed photo at the native ISO (100 or 200, depending on the camera model).

So if the goal was to get even lower noise by using the 'Lo' settings...that won't happen. But in a case like this, where you aren't necessarily looking for lower noise, just less exposure, it would be a quick & easy way to do it.

 

[Rephargotohp]

Exactly Mike and also you need to concider the situation, In this case you are trying to Lower the dynamic range of the shot with the use of fill flash. So sometimes you do what you have to do