Questions regarding Sunlight (My arch enemy )

[TamiAz]

I love the first picture..Your daughter is adorable!! This thread is very informative since I'm new at all this.

 

[cgipson1]

Try one of these: Demb Flash Products - Flip-it! the variable-angle flash reflector



I use one a lot when shooting moving subjects outdoors and in.... this was a bright sunny day...

Could you tell me which of these you prefer most and why? It looks very useful!

I have two of them.. the 4x4.5 and the 6.5x7. I find myself almost always going to the 6.5x7.... love the light it puts out for what it is! I have considered getting the 5x5.5 Saucer.. but plan to build my own a little larger 7x7 or so.

With light modifiers.. bigger is better! The larger the light source, the softer the light it will throw.

 

[cgipson1]

Have you tried using the high speed sync on your camera/flash for those outdoor shots? You are not trying to light the whole scene with the flash when shooting a subject like that, you are only looking for small bit of fill light to touch up the shadows a bit, the sun is your main light source. In bright sun it's often times easier to use a reflector only, a large piece of white poster board can work nicely for this. There's been a few times I resorted to pulling out the sun shade my wife puts in the windshield of her car as a reflector. It's handy and since it folds it can be set up so no one has to hold it by using the folds.

I didnt know about High Speed Sync, I just googled it and enabled it! I tried it out and I am excited to see it in action! I will try it out tomorrow if I get the chance and report back my results! Thanks for that! There is a lot I don't know yet!

If its just you & you have to shoot a child (boy that sounds wrong).... how would you go about using the reflector? Any tips?

Usually, using a reflector can require an assistant to hold it, or a lightstand with a reflector boom on it. You can also get some reflectors that you can manipulate one handed while you shoot with the other... of course, this requires the subject to be fairly close to you.... check these out... http://www.amazon.com/Lastolite-LL-...CM4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325346334&sr=8-1. For fast moving kids... reflectors are more difficult to use than flash is.

If you put a reflector near a person and move it around.. you can literally SEE the light change on their face.. it is cool! You get the hang of it pretty quick!

 

[willis_927]

Has anyone used one of these? LSU

A photographer I know uses one fairly often. Might be another thing to think about.

 

[KmH]

Try one of these: Demb Flash Products - Flip-it! the variable-angle flash reflector

I use one a lot when shooting moving subjects outdoors and in.... this was a bright sunny day...

Could you tell me which of these you prefer most and why? It looks very useful!

The bigger the better.

About flash and shutter speed - the duration of the flash of light with the flash set to full power is right about at 1/1000 of a second. As flash power is reduced the duration of the flash of light gets even shorter.

In other words, the flash of light can often be used to stop motion in place of using shutter speed to stop motion.

One of the issues with using HSS is that the flash unit has to fire multiple times for each exposure. To fire repeatedly during a short exposure the power output level of the flash unit has to be drastically reduced.

At the same time battery power is being consumed at an accelerated rate becuase the unit firs so often.

 

[cgipson1]

Has anyone used one of these? LSU

A photographer I know uses one fairly often. Might be another thing to think about.

They work pretty well. A lot of light loss since it is totally omnidirectional....and it is still a pretty small light source. It is like any of the other modifiers.. once you learn to use it, it can give nice light!

 

[azlpeterson]

Try one of these: Demb Flash Products - Flip-it! the variable-angle flash reflector



I use one a lot when shooting moving subjects outdoors and in.... this was a bright sunny day...

Could you tell me which of these you prefer most and why? It looks very useful!

I have two of them.. the 4x4.5 and the 6.5x7. I find myself almost always going to the 6.5x7.... love the light it puts out for what it is! I have considered getting the 5x5.5 Saucer.. but plan to build my own a little larger 7x7 or so.

With light modifiers.. bigger is better! The larger the light source, the softer the light it will throw.

Ok, thanks for those tips. Thanks to everyone, I am going to see if I can make one of the bouncers up and try out the HSS and see how I go with the outdoor/sunny pictures.

One last question, when I was doing my little bits of research, something called the Sunny 16 rule came up. Does this only apply for landscape type pictures (that was the examples given mainly). Anyone have any thoughts on this "rule"?

 

[Tony S]

You can easily make a bounce card for your flash and attach it with an elastic band.

I have a "Litescoop" made from a guy up in Canada near me that I like when in close for fill. It slips right into my camera bag taking up no room or even into my back pocket or fanny pack so it's readily available. Lite Genius Lite-Scoops home page

 

[cgipson1]

Could you tell me which of these you prefer most and why? It looks very useful!

I have two of them.. the 4x4.5 and the 6.5x7. I find myself almost always going to the 6.5x7.... love the light it puts out for what it is! I have considered getting the 5x5.5 Saucer.. but plan to build my own a little larger 7x7 or so.

With light modifiers.. bigger is better! The larger the light source, the softer the light it will throw.

Ok, thanks for those tips. Thanks to everyone, I am going to see if I can make one of the bouncers up and try out the HSS and see how I go with the outdoor/sunny pictures.

One last question, when I was doing my little bits of research, something called the Sunny 16 rule came up. Does this only apply for landscape type pictures (that was the examples given mainly). Anyone have any thoughts on this "rule"?

Sunny 16 is just a basic rule to get decent exposures ... it gives you a starting point on which to base a calculation in situations where the meter is going to be fooled (snow scenes for instances). Personally, except in odd circumstances, I would just trust your meter.

 

[azlpeterson]

WOW! Thanks a lot guys for all the tips. I want to share with you a picture I took today! It's not SOOC but I only did some minor tweaking. Either way, I am SO happy with how this came out! I made my own bounce card like the one in the DIY link, and I enabled HSS and this was one of the nicest outdoor/sunny shots I have EVER taken! Thank you all for your advice and comments!

 

[bazooka]

MUCH better, nice job!

 

[willis_927]

Agreed! Much better!!

 

[cgipson1]

Definitely much better! Congratulations.. a nice step forward! :0

 

[azlpeterson]

If only I had worked up the courage to ask sooner! LOL, I think I might have to stick around here, I could learn heaps! Thanks again!