What’s Your Preference?

Pichead · #1 (**permalink**) 03-30-2010, 06:02 PM

I was taking some photos during a beach vacation a few months back and a friend of mine said, "Do you know your flash is turned on?" It was a very sunny day on the beach and he didn't understand what possible benefit my flash was giving me since the sun was obviously lighting everything.

I explained to him that with bright sunlight, comes harsh shadows. And with the implementation of a flash you can often eliminate or decrease the harshness of those mid-day shadows, providing a much nicer image.

This was the case with the shot above:

This was taken before a client arrived for a shoot in a local park. Any time I have an on-site assignment I try to arrive early, preferably with someone who can pose for me so that I can determine where I'll shoot, what my settings will be, and how long I should stay in each spot before moving on. This time, my wife came along...

To overcome the harsh shadows which were detracting from the overall image quality, I put my SB-600 in line with her line-of-sight on 1/2 power. Despite it being a mildly overcast day, it was still bright enough to bring the flash up to 1/2 without it being very noticeable, which was the goal. It simply evened out the light and produced an image that looks diffused.

I had my D700 in aperture priority and dialed my 24-70mm lens down to f/2.8 to keep her face sharp while providing a nice blurry green background. The shutter was 1/100th @ ISO 200.

She was actually looking directly at the camera for most of the shots. But at one point, she heard something in the direction she's looking and I took a shot, which I thought was the best of the bunch.

After the shot, I adjusted the crop in Aperture and added a subtle vignette, but all else is as it was in-camera, including the green color.

The old saying, 'I could fill a book with what I don't know' applies to me tenfold with regard to photography. But there's one thing I know for sure: If you ever have an on-site job/project/event, get there early and get things figured out. Have a handful of shots nailed down before the subjects arrive. Then, everything on top of those shots you nailed down beforehand will be a bonus...

evader · #2 (**permalink**) 03-30-2010, 07:14 PM

Great picture...and thanks for sharing that information. I just recently got an sb600 and have been playing around with off camera flash but so far only indoors.
It's supposed to be really nice here this weekend so my plan is to try the flash outdoors with some shots of my wife and kids. My son is actually having a birthday party this weekend so maybe I'll give it a try at the party.

Did you use the sb600 bare or was there an umbrella or anything else used?

Thanks again for sharing

Pichead · #3 (**permalink**) 03-30-2010, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evader

Great picture...and thanks for sharing that information. I just recently got an sb600 and have been playing around with off camera flash but so far only indoors.
It's supposed to be really nice here this weekend so my plan is to try the flash outdoors with some shots of my wife and kids. My son is actually having a birthday party this weekend so maybe I'll give it a try at the party.

Did you use the sb600 bare or was there an umbrella or anything else used?

Thanks again for sharing

I used it bare, as I do in most outdoor instances. I might have had a 'half-cut' CTO Gel on the front of the flash to warm up the light a bit, as I do in most situations. But, no umbrella, softbox, etc. was used...

Thanks.

evader · #4 (**permalink**) 03-30-2010, 08:48 PM

thanks.

About how far away is the flash from your wife? And when you say "in line with her line-of-sight" do you mean the flash was at her eye level aimed directly at her and not above looking down?

Sorry for what probably seems like basic questions...I'm just trying to figure this stuff out

Pichead · #5 (**permalink**) 03-30-2010, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evader

thanks.

About how far away is the flash from your wife? And when you say "in line with her line-of-sight" do you mean the flash was at her eye level aimed directly at her and not above looking down?

Sorry for what probably seems like basic questions...I'm just trying to figure this stuff out

No need to apologize. That's what this stuff's for...

I just meant that if you were to draw lines from her eyes in the direction she's looking, you'd hit my flash stand. The flash was positioned probably a foot above her face, pointing down only slightly. And, it was just out of frame to the left of camera which was probably about 8 - 10 feet from the wife.

Thanks.

evader · #6 (**permalink**) 03-31-2010, 12:23 AM

cool, thanks.
It's people such as yourself on this site that have helped make photography for those of us not as experienced enjoy it even more.
Oh ya...and that "Rain and Flash" shot you took is amazing...the fact that you explained how you took it is awesome as well!

Thanks again!

Pichead · #7 (**permalink**) 03-31-2010, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evader

cool, thanks.
It's people such as yourself on this site that have helped make photography for those of us not as experienced enjoy it even more.
Oh ya...and that "Rain and Flash" shot you took is amazing...the fact that you explained how you took it is awesome as well!

Thanks again!

Thanks a lot. Best compliment I've received so far...

PreethiT · #8 (**permalink**) 04-09-2010, 05:03 AM

Hi, this is a great shot for sure. The background gives it a very lazy and relaxed feeling....I'm simply loving that

I'm still working on my off camera flash techniques, so this may sound a little too basic. I use Speedlight SB800 and there are different modes. Which one is best you would recommend and how exactly do you control the power.