Slow Sync Flash
One camera function that can be a lot of fun to play with (and that can get you some interesting results) is slow sync flash.
Low Light Photography Options
When shooting with a subject in low light situations you generally have two options; either to shoot with a flash or to shoot with a slow shutter speed.
1. Flash - When shooting in low light with a flash in auto mode your camera will choose a relatively fast shutter speed. This means that your subject will be well lit and that if it is moving it will be frozen and as a result will be sharp. The problem with this is that it can also leave your subject lit up too brightly and can leave it’s background looking very dark as there is not enough time for the camera to collect any ambient light.
2. Slow Shutter Speed - The other option is to turn your flash off and shoot with a longer shutter speed in order to collect enough available light from the image to get a well exposed shot. This can be an effective technique if you’re shooting landscape or environmental shots where everything is nice and still - however if you’re shooting a moving subject it means you’ll get motion blur which could ruin your shot.
Both of the above options are legitimate technique but both have their weaknesses. Another options to consider is slow sync flash.
What is Slow Sync Flash?
Slow Sync Flash is a function found on many cameras that tells your camera to shoot with both a longer shutter speed as well as firing the flash. This means you get the best of both worlds above and can both get a relatively sharp shot of your main subject as well as get some ambient light from the background and foreground.
Some cameras allow you to access slow sync flash manually and set exposure length and flash strength but on many compact cameras there is a little less control given and it’s presented as an automatic shooting mode, often called ‘night mode’ or even ‘party mode’ where the camera selects the slower shutter speed and flash strength for you.
Rear and Front Curtain Sync
If your camera gives you some manual control when it comes to slow sync flash you might find yourself presented with two options called ‘rear curtain sync’ and ‘front curtain sync’.
These two modes sound a little technical but to put it most simply they are the way in which you choose when to fire your flash during the longer exposure.
Rear Curtain Sync - this tells your camera to fire the flash at the end of the exposure. ie when you press the shutter your lens opens up and starts collecting light and just before it closes the flash will fire to light up and freeze your main subject (see the card shot to the left for an example where you’ll see the card trail ending in a nice crisp shot of the card).
Front Curtain Sync - this tells your camera to fire the flash at the start of the exposure. ie when you press the shutter, the flash will fire immediately and the shutter will remain open afterwards capturing ambient light.
You might not think there’s much difference between these modes but when you’re photographing a moving subject it can have a real impact. You’ll find many action/sports photographers will use Rear Curtain Sync when shooting with a panning technique.
Tripod or Handheld?
When using either slow synch in either mode (or in the automatic ‘night mode’ you will want to consider whether or not to use a tripod. Traditionally when shooting with longer shutter speeds it is accepted that a tripod is essential in order to stop any camera movement. Even the steadiest of hands will not be able to stop a camera moving over even a 1 or 2 second exposure. So if you want to eliminate blur from your cameras movement definitely use a tripod (and consider a shutter release cable).
However in some circumstances hand holding your camera while using slow sync flash can lead to some wonderful effects. For example if you’re at a wedding or party and are out on the dance floor the results can be great at capturing the mood of a night with those you’re photographing largely frozen by the flash but the lights on the dance floor blurred from you moving your camera during the shot.
Of course hand held techniques won’t work with every situation so experiment with both methods at different shutter speeds and by using both rear and front curtain sync and find the best methods for your particular situation.
Post your Slow Sync Flash Shots over at our forum assignment on the topic.
This post was previously posted in January 2007 but today has been reposted with updates.
Read more posts like 'Slow Sync Flash'
January 18th, 2007 at 2:46 am
I just love that technique and as luck would have it I posted a picture of swans in a local pond yesterday using a long exposure and flash. Love the movement and they look a lot more menacing!
http://inphotos.org/the-swans-they-are-a-coming/ (in case the above link gets eaten by a filter)
January 18th, 2007 at 4:47 am
Thanks for tip, I bought new flash this week for some project, but flash is more usefull…
January 18th, 2007 at 4:51 am
I was looking for some information to give to a friend of mine about how to use ISO/ASA in her camera because it was much better to provide her with rather new information than the one I had on a book by Michael Langford, “The step by step book of photography”, and I’ve found dPS. What a great site.
Already subscribed.
Looks like I’ll be using my camera more often. Or even buy a new one.
Thank you,
Filipe
January 18th, 2007 at 7:07 am
fantastic tut, any idea on where these settings are on a 400D ?
January 18th, 2007 at 8:07 am
On a 400D you could try either AV/TV or manual modes. Manual is probably the best one to go for because you can adjust the speed and aperture.
Try a speed of about 1/4 second to get a nice blur on moving people or animals in your image!
January 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Rear curtain sync generally gives the more natural effect, but if you’re shooting with a timed shutter speed (instead of bulb mode, where the exposure ends when you say it ends), it’s really hard to judge when the flash is going to go off — imagine if your camera had a two-second shutter lag.
January 18th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Totally cool, THIS is the type of stuff that makes me want to get out there and fill up my memory cards.
January 18th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Another name I’ve heard for this technique is “open flash.”
As far as the front and rear curtain sync, how can I control when the flash fires on a Rebel XT?
January 19th, 2007 at 3:51 am
Robert: The Digital Rebel XT has a Night Portrait option and you can also use Av (aperture priority). To set 1st (front) or 2nd (rear) shutter curtain sync, see the custom function setting of the manual (p. 150).
January 19th, 2007 at 5:32 am
Thanks for the great tips. This is very helpful.
January 19th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Great tips, just had a couple of tests, and it does create a nice effect. Never knew what that setting was for, now I know. Thanks!
January 19th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
When I turn on the flash on on my Canon Rebel XTi, the shutter speed automatically moves to 1/100 or 1/200, even in manual mode.
January 19th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I can’t get Tv or Av to work. Help?
January 19th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
This is very useful information, thanks so much. I have got to try this soon. -NAT
January 20th, 2007 at 7:53 am
this is one of my favorite ways to shoot. :)
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:21 am
Thanks for the really simple and lucid explanation.
February 7th, 2007 at 3:45 am
smokingmonkey, would you mind explaining exactly how you got that shot? Looks great! Desiree
February 8th, 2007 at 2:34 am
New at this, just got my first DSLR (d70s) Any Nikon users that can point out how to set rear or front curtain synch on the d70s?
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Press and hold the flash pop-up button, then rotate the thumbwheel. Try having the camera in the “M”, “A” “S” and “P” modes to see the different flash sync options in different modes.
March 25th, 2007 at 4:04 am
I have a sony A100, and I cant figure out how to get it to flash after the shutter opens. Any suggestions?
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:08 am
How do i get the rear curtain sync with a Canon 30D?
May 7th, 2007 at 7:04 am
Superb shots - many thanks for that.
- http://www.photographyvoter.com
May 7th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I did this shot with a long open shutter and a flash at the end in a dark room.
http://gallery.jmaresca.com/photography/11.jpg
May 7th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Thanks for the tip, I’ll try that out with my Nikon D50 tonight!
Best,
Jakob
May 7th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I was curious if any one could tell me the settings for this on either a Kodak Dx7590 or Kodak C743, I have tried messing with the 7590 in manual mode to no avail any ideas?
May 7th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
This technique is great in really dark clubs where it won’t get overexposed. I’ll shoot F4, ISO 100, 1 second, front curtain, and then move the camera around after the flash fires.
You can paint streaks out of the lights.. here I made hearts out of all the candles on the tables. http://www.flickr.com/photos/davematthews/330415502/in/set-72157594433785054/
May 7th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Becca rear curtain sync with a Canon 30D is set in custom function 15
May 7th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Great tip thanks for that, explained it alot better than most the magazines out there.
Jack.
May 7th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Check out my link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/black.horizons/Donegal2006
that was using a slow shutter speed, and a couple of mobile (cell) phones that have a LED “flash”. stick on the LED, use a tripod, go “painting”…oh and the longer the exposure the longer you have to draw :)
May 7th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
does anyone knows if on the Panasonic DMC-FZ5 you can set the slow sync flash to fire at the end of the exposure? I checked the manual but it didn’t say a lot about about slow sync flash and I checked their website but couldn’t find the camera.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:31 am
Not bad, I do some long exposure as well, check it out. I prefer modeling photography though…
May 8th, 2007 at 3:27 am
So that’s what Slow Sync Flash means on my Canon SD600. I’ll have to try that more often - thanks!
May 8th, 2007 at 3:49 am
Recycled post :|
May 8th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
It doesn’t seem to work for me, I only have a 1 and 1.6 second exposure choices, is that to short to pull this off.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
what buttons do i press to switch between rear/front curtain sync?
May 8th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
never mind previous comment got it working
May 9th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Thanks mark!
May 11th, 2007 at 12:15 am
you people must not hear this enough, but RTFM! it’s all in there. I’m surprised that a lot of you don’t even have a basic understanding of your camera, enough to figure out where a simple menu item might be. when in doubt, rtfm first, then ask questions
May 11th, 2007 at 4:21 am
I have the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 - and reading the manual it suggests that the flash fires first ie front curtain, I would presume that the DMC-FZ5 would be similar - hope this will help Ziv……
A smashing article……
May 12th, 2007 at 2:45 am
Have a photo of my #4 son’s Formula Vee race car trailing a long, red blur with the front half of the vehicle sharp and wondered how it was taken…thanks for the answer. My Olympus C740UZ offers 2nd curtain flash, so now I’ve just gotta find me a red race car.
Rog Patterson
May 12th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Great tip!
Anyone knows if where can I set the ‘Rear Curtain/Front Curtain Sync’ on my Canon 10D?
May 12th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
just fantastic info.
very simple yet very rich with information, thanks for sharing
May 13th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I’m not even sure my camera has slow sync flash. I don’t think its called that exactly but I’ll have to check it out.
May 26th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Slow speed sync is a cool technique. It certainly opens up a lot of creativity in people.
May 29th, 2007 at 9:40 am
hey I cant find this on my Canon Digital Rebel.
May 31st, 2007 at 12:22 pm
The original Digital Rebel didn’t support 2nd curtain sync, unless you used a flash that allowed you to set it on the flash itself. The 500EX for instance, will work, but unless you want/need a high-end bounce flash, it’s a pricey solution.
Canon purposefully crippled the original Rebel firmware, to keep it from gutting the sales of their 10D, etc. If you check around, you will find hacked versions of the firmware for your camera that (if you are brave enough) you can install that will restore most of the removed menu settings (like mirror lockup, etc). One of the most aggravating ‘features’ was the way it coupled certain shooting modes together. For instance, the JPEG ’sports’ mode is the only one that uses the predictive focus system, but it forces you to shoot in JPEG, and disables the flash (like I’d never take sports shots with flash?). The Rebel firmware is essentially identical to the 10D, with a bunch of the menus NOP’ed out of the code.
I gave up on the original Rebel as hopelessly crippled, and upgraded to a 20D. Much more flexible, for someone that cares about such things as mirror lockup, 2nd curtain sync, and being able to choose which focussing mode to use with which exposure mode, and to always be able to shoot RAW, no matter what.
And for all the folks with Canon EOS bodies (whether film or digital) there is a great FAQ that will help you understand how to get the most out of your flash system at:
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
June 1st, 2007 at 7:33 am
why do i have to be “brave” to install that? Is it dangerous or something? Viruses? Crashing the camera? Erasing data?
June 1st, 2007 at 7:36 am
two more things…..
1. what is RAW? is it really low quality or really high?
2. what is mirror lockup, and what else did they take out of the original Rebel?
3. can you get firmware that supports 2nd curtain flash?
ok i guess thats 3…..
thanks
-Evan
June 1st, 2007 at 7:44 am
Hey!! i tried it with a friend that was skating, front curtain sync, unfortunately in the shot the background looks awesome but mi friend looks like a ghost. Does anyone know a way i can correct this in photoshop? Should i make it in rear curtain sync??
June 1st, 2007 at 8:51 am
louis- You cant really fix that in photoshop as far as i know. It happened because when you use a slow shutter speed and the subject moves too much or moves out of the frame it gets faed since it was such little time that the subject was in the position. To fix it:
take the pic again, try using a different aperature setting to make your friend stand out more, and use a faster shutter speed. I use around 4-8(hundredths) for this kind of thing, you may want to bring it to 10 depending on the speed of the subject (in this case, the skater).
but a good rule is if its really fast, make the shutter speed 3-5 stops slower than you “should.” otherwise do 4-8 or so. and to keep the background from distracting from the subject, play around w/ the aperature to control whats in focus and whats not.
Another cool thing you can do that might have been mentioned here earlier is to turn off the flash, put shutter speed to 4-8, and move the camera around while exposing. Try rotating, steaking across, up, down, anything. my personal favorite thing to do is zoom in while exposing. gives it a great motion. its awesome.
June 11th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Really Cool snaps alex mcroberts cud you share how you took those . Really amazing… Can anyone tell me how to do this in Canon IXUS 800 IS
June 11th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Yuva. Get a mobile (cell) phone with an LED light “flash”. Go on to manual settings. Set iso to your second highest number. Set the exposure time to something like 5 seconds, and I usually use f8.0 too. put the camera on a tripod. Set the self-timer to 5 seconds. Setup your phone to put the LED light on. Click the button. Draw the shape. The Longer the exposure times the more complex the photo you can get. Use more than one phone to draw big things - like the “Revolution” photo - it took three phones at 15 second exposure.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Have been trying this last weekend with my 40d, it’s a great techniques to try - am loving it :)
November 1st, 2007 at 3:39 pm
For owners of the Canon XTi (400D)- Check out page 106 in your instruction manual. All is revealed there.
November 20th, 2007 at 8:57 am
how do i make my subject clear and bacground blur I have a 400D canon
December 5th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Mike:
You need to set your camera to rear curtain sync, set a shutter speed slow enough to record a bit of action and click away, everything you need to know is on this page!
December 14th, 2007 at 9:47 am
This helps a lot… I’m buying a flash this weekend, because I have to take pictures at a wedding next week. I’m a horrible flasher and thought it was no fun. But looking at these pictures, makes me wanna grap my cam and go play. Thanx, really helpful.
Greetz, Bojoura Stolz
January 9th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
My point-and-shoot has the front/back curtain option and i never knew what it is. unfortunately my brother just broke the screen so i can’t see what settings I’m on, or else I’d try this out. Only a week until my new Digital SLR arrives though, so this will be one of the first things I experement with!!
January 25th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Loving the rear-curtain sync stuff, will try that, thanks :)
February 20th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Amazing tutorial. One question though, how do I get the rear curtain sync on my Canon EOS 5D with a Canon Speedlite 580EX?
Many thanks.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
i started with a E-500, and upgrade to a D200 and im really happy with it. but when i had my E-500 i when to the Colorado spring air force base and did a few pics of the church and i would like you opinion on my work. where is the is the website http://picasaweb.google.com/xthefrenchmanx/ColoradoSpring/photo#5082757806182616306
it goes for a few pics.
Thanks
Dorian