SB600

[terilynne]

SO I bought the SB600 today--can someone give me an example of what it is best used for. I shoot mostly kids/family/seniors and weddings. I played with it a little tonight and I am not to impressed :/ Wondering if I should take it back and purchase something else??

 

[kundalini]

Congratz. You have purchased a fine piece of kit.

Understanding how to use the equipment will take more than a couple of hours/shots.

Have you read the flash manual? Have you read the pertinent sections of the camera manual that discusses flash shooting?

Post your photo to help us understand what is going on. Also make sure your post ALL your settings, camera and flash.

 

[white]

What were you expecting from your flash?

:banghead:

 

[NateS]

SO I bought the SB600 today--can someone give me an example of what it is best used for. I shoot mostly kids/family/seniors and weddings. I played with it a little tonight and I am not to impressed :/ Wondering if I should take it back and purchase something else??

No offense, but that's because you don't understand the potential of the unit, not because of the unit...to help you out..the most common use will be bouncing it off the ceiling or a wall. Doing this will give you natural looking light instead of hotspots and redeye.

Example: SB-600 bounced off ceiling

This one bounced off the top left corner of the room where the bride was facing

On a higher level, it can be used off camera (using CLS, depending on your camera body) and give some wonderful off camera lighting.

Example: SB-600 fired via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella

Often times when shooting outdoors, to expose the subjects properly, you get a blown out background and ugly landscape scene behind your subject. Using a flash, lets you adjust your settings to the background, then light your subject via SB-600

Example: SB-600 via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella. Scene exposed for the background, TTL light on the subject.

A lot of my shots could have used a second SB-600 and if I did any serious wedding or portraiture work, I would have a second 600....but a single 600 can get the job done. Of the above photos, the once with bounce flash would have had grain from using high iso or harsh shadows from using the popup. The shot with the sunset bride....just flat out wouldn't have been possible. The shot with the bride and groom would have had less pleasing skin tones and harsher shadows with a sky that was blown out white. SB-600 saved the day on all of those shots.

 

[KmH]

SO I bought the SB600 today--can someone give me an example of what it is best used for...

It's very useful for strobed light photography.

Strobed light photography is used by professional photographers to make images of "kids/family/seniors and weddings" among other things.

 

[NateS]

Oh, and my post doesn't even get into the number of uses that an SB-600 can have for non-people shots which is a list probably as expensive as the one above (or more).

 

[terilynne]

WOW!!! Thank-you guys! This makes me feel so much better about my purchase! You are right I need to get to know how to use it! I am still trying to figure out how to set me camera at the right settings for when I use the SB600--I am using a Nikon D3000

 

[terilynne]

SO I bought the SB600 today--can someone give me an example of what it is best used for. I shoot mostly kids/family/seniors and weddings. I played with it a little tonight and I am not to impressed :/ Wondering if I should take it back and purchase something else??

No offense, but that's because you don't understand the potential of the unit, not because of the unit...to help you out..the most common use will be bouncing it off the ceiling or a wall. Doing this will give you natural looking light instead of hotspots and redeye.

Example: SB-600 bounced off ceiling

This one bounced off the top left corner of the room where the bride was facing

On a higher level, it can be used off camera (using CLS, depending on your camera body) and give some wonderful off camera lighting.

Example: SB-600 fired via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella

Often times when shooting outdoors, to expose the subjects properly, you get a blown out background and ugly landscape scene behind your subject. Using a flash, lets you adjust your settings to the background, then light your subject via SB-600

Example: SB-600 via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella. Scene exposed for the background, TTL light on the subject.

A lot of my shots could have used a second SB-600 and if I did any serious wedding or portraiture work, I would have a second 600....but a single 600 can get the job done. Of the above photos, the once with bounce flash would have had grain from using high iso or harsh shadows from using the popup. The shot with the sunset bride....just flat out wouldn't have been possible. The shot with the bride and groom would have had less pleasing skin tones and harsher shadows with a sky that was blown out white. SB-600 saved the day on all of those shots.

VERY nice photos! How do you get them so clear looking?? This is the look that I am trying so hard to achieve!!!

 

[NateS]

SO I bought the SB600 today--can someone give me an example of what it is best used for. I shoot mostly kids/family/seniors and weddings. I played with it a little tonight and I am not to impressed :/ Wondering if I should take it back and purchase something else??

No offense, but that's because you don't understand the potential of the unit, not because of the unit...to help you out..the most common use will be bouncing it off the ceiling or a wall. Doing this will give you natural looking light instead of hotspots and redeye.

Example: SB-600 bounced off ceiling


This one bounced off the top left corner of the room where the bride was facing



On a higher level, it can be used off camera (using CLS, depending on your camera body) and give some wonderful off camera lighting.

Example: SB-600 fired via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella


Often times when shooting outdoors, to expose the subjects properly, you get a blown out background and ugly landscape scene behind your subject. Using a flash, lets you adjust your settings to the background, then light your subject via SB-600

Example: SB-600 via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella. Scene exposed for the background, TTL light on the subject.



A lot of my shots could have used a second SB-600 and if I did any serious wedding or portraiture work, I would have a second 600....but a single 600 can get the job done. Of the above photos, the once with bounce flash would have had grain from using high iso or harsh shadows from using the popup. The shot with the sunset bride....just flat out wouldn't have been possible. The shot with the bride and groom would have had less pleasing skin tones and harsher shadows with a sky that was blown out white. SB-600 saved the day on all of those shots.

VERY nice photos! How do you get them so clear looking?? This is the look that I am trying so hard to achieve!!!

Thank you. Basically just nail the lighting and nail the focus. That and using sharp lenses or the sharp aperture range with whatever lens being used. That and practice.

I leave all of my exif's in the photos as well so feel free to look at the settings I used for each. I learned so much from other people and their photos, that I ALWAYS leave the exif intact to try and help others in the same way.

 

[terilynne]

No offense, but that's because you don't understand the potential of the unit, not because of the unit...to help you out..the most common use will be bouncing it off the ceiling or a wall. Doing this will give you natural looking light instead of hotspots and redeye.

Example: SB-600 bounced off ceiling

This one bounced off the top left corner of the room where the bride was facing

On a higher level, it can be used off camera (using CLS, depending on your camera body) and give some wonderful off camera lighting.

Example: SB-600 fired via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella

Often times when shooting outdoors, to expose the subjects properly, you get a blown out background and ugly landscape scene behind your subject. Using a flash, lets you adjust your settings to the background, then light your subject via SB-600

Example: SB-600 via CLS through a 33" shoot through umbrella. Scene exposed for the background, TTL light on the subject.

A lot of my shots could have used a second SB-600 and if I did any serious wedding or portraiture work, I would have a second 600....but a single 600 can get the job done. Of the above photos, the once with bounce flash would have had grain from using high iso or harsh shadows from using the popup. The shot with the sunset bride....just flat out wouldn't have been possible. The shot with the bride and groom would have had less pleasing skin tones and harsher shadows with a sky that was blown out white. SB-600 saved the day on all of those shots.

VERY nice photos! How do you get them so clear looking?? This is the look that I am trying so hard to achieve!!!

Thank you. Basically just nail the lighting and nail the focus. That and using sharp lenses or the sharp aperture range with whatever lens being used. That and practice.

I leave all of my exif's in the photos as well so feel free to look at the settings I used for each. I learned so much from other people and their photos, that I ALWAYS leave the exif intact to try and help others in the same way.

I am super to new to Photography--what does exif's mean?? I know a lot of people are probably laughing at me!

 

[pgriz]

EXIF = EXposure InFormation.

Depending on your browser, you can right click a picture and get properties. Or if your browser doesn't have an EXIF reader, you can install a plug-in like Opanda Exif viewer : Opanda IExif - Professional EXIF / GPS / IPTC Viewer & Editor in Windows, IE & Firefox.

Learning to use the flash is like learning to play the piano. It take a little practice.

 

[NateS]

VERY nice photos! How do you get them so clear looking?? This is the look that I am trying so hard to achieve!!!

Thank you. Basically just nail the lighting and nail the focus. That and using sharp lenses or the sharp aperture range with whatever lens being used. That and practice.

I leave all of my exif's in the photos as well so feel free to look at the settings I used for each. I learned so much from other people and their photos, that I ALWAYS leave the exif intact to try and help others in the same way.

I am super to new to Photography--what does exif's mean?? I know a lot of people are probably laughing at me!

Nobody is laughing at you. We are here to help (at least I am) and to share the passion of photography. Exif is the data that is embedded in each photo. This data contains info such as the aperture used, the shutter speed used, ISO, whether flash was used and what flash setting was used, etc.... GO search for a program called Opanda Iexif. Download and install...then download their firefox plugin (if you have firefox). THen when you right click a photo (one of mine above) there will be an option to view the exif data.

 

[kundalini]

Seriously folks, can't we learn how to quote without having all the photos repeat themselves? :meh:


terilynne, the people that have already posted as well as the ones waiting in the wings are here to help. There is no dumb question. However, sometimes the reply might be "look on page 42 of your users manual". It's a two-way street. If you're willing to invest time, so are we.

 

[NateS]

Seriously folks, can't we learn how to quote without having all the photos repeat themselves? :meh:


terilynne, the people that have already posted as well as the ones waiting in the wings are here to help. There is no dumb question. However, sometimes the reply might be "look on page 42 of your users manual". It's a two-way street. If you're willing to invest time, so are we.

Didn't even realize it...fixed the one post I had quoted with photos.

 

[terilynne]

Seriously folks, can't we learn how to quote without having all the photos repeat themselves? :meh:


terilynne, the people that have already posted as well as the ones waiting in the wings are here to help. There is no dumb question. However, sometimes the reply might be "look on page 42 of your users manual". It's a two-way street. If you're willing to invest time, so are we.

Very true! Thanks a lot you guys! I appreciate it so much!