Setting flash power with umbrella

[adrianthegasman]

I am new to flash photography. I have an old SB-22 Nikon Speedlight that I would like to use with an umbrella, non-TTL. My problem is that with the flash on Manual it always fires at full power. The only other modes use the AF which I assume would meter for the umbrella itself rather than the subject. Is there any other way of changing the flash output (other than buying a different flash)?

 

[Dao]

If the flash itself cannot adjust the power manually, I guess you may need to look for a different flash. A Vivitar 285Hv often selling for $50 used is one of the good choice.

 

[Big Mike]

The distance from the flash to the subject will largely affect the amount of light reflecting off of the subject. So since you can't control the power of the flash, you can move it close to or farther away from your subject, to control the exposure from the flash.

 

[Derrel]

I do not own an SB-22, so I looked up the instruction sheet from Nikon USA, found here: http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/Speedlights/SB-22s.pdf

It looks like Manual control is ONE, single power setting, full, then there is TTL, and then there are FOUR different A or Auto-thyristor settings, A1,A2,A3,and A4, which correspond to different aperture values, and thus differing flash output levels, with the different apertures being determined by the ISO value in use. Have you tried using the flash in any of the four Auto modes, as away of regulating its output? In an AUTO mode, the one extreme will fire the brightest,most-powerful burst of flash, while the other extreme will be for using flash at the wier apertures, like say f/1.4 at ISO 100, and therefore that end of the AUTO scale will fire a very short, weak pop of flash. So, you do in effect have at least one workaround to get four different power output levels, A1,A2,A3,and A4.

 

[gsgary]

Get a shoot through umbrella and some tracing paper or grease proof paper and just and extra layers to the outside of the umbrella or drape layers of thin white silk or similar, all you need is imagination

 

[KmH]

And a basic understanding of how light works.

Mike was referring to the Inverse Square Law of physics. The amount of light on the subject changes as a square function when the light sorurce is move closer or father from the subject.
If you double the distance from the light to the subject, the amount of light that reaches the subject is reduced 4 times, not by 1/2.
If you halve the distance from the light to the subject, the amount of light that reaches the subject is increased 4 times.

With an umbrella ( the effective light source), the distance the umbrella is from the subject also changes the umbrella's apparent size and affects the quality of the light and shadow edges.