Attention all flash experts, I need advise!

[Jim Poor]

OOO, I really like the rim light in the first one! A second flash with snoot to keep the light just on the face and dialed way way down to just barely penetrate the shadows would be a nice touch too.

[low-wattage]

Your on-camera flash can be turned down to just light the guy enough, letting the rim light shine still. Its a Flash Exposure Compensation setting as shown here in the photo, center icon, and is controled by the wheel under your index finger when camera-is in-hand:


On the Fuji S5 Pro, it will be in the set-up menu #1. Bring it up, highlight it, scroll for a reduced value, and shoot. The camera will trip the SB800 and you'll be fine.

Here's another interesting thing to try: Put your camera in manual, pop it on a tripod, set for ISO 100, 8 seconds at f/22 [if you can go to f/22, if not wiggle the exposure around] and, having your subject remain dead still, take your SB800 in hand, walk to about 45° of him and pop it once, walk around to his back side on the opposite side, again 45 ° off and pop that flash again.

So, ISO 100, 8 seconds, f/22, 1 pop full power at 45° front left, 1 pop full power at 45° rear right. Make sure he stays absolutely still between the two pops. =) Its kinda cool. If he moves, youve just wasted 8 seconds =)

[candleman]

Originally Posted by low-wattage

Here's another interesting thing to try: Put your camera in manual, pop it on a tripod, set for ISO 100, 8 seconds at f/22 [if you can go to f/22, if not wiggle the exposure around] and, having your subject remain dead still, take your SB800 in hand, walk to about 45° of him and pop it once, walk around to his back side on the opposite side, again 45 ° off and pop that flash again.

So, ISO 100, 8 seconds, f/22, 1 pop full power at 45° front left, 1 pop full power at 45° rear right. Make sure he stays absolutely still between the two pops. =) Its kinda cool. If he moves, youve just wasted 8 seconds =)

nice post.

i've been wanting to try that actually.
i was planning to just hit the test fire button.. is that how you would do it? thats 1/16th power on the sb600 i believe

[candleman]

Originally Posted by Boscopix

Speaking of, this whole TTL thing...not really sure if I get that either. But to be honest...my questions could go on for days about flash...so if you have other things to do, I understand, haha!

well after a nap.. lets start

TTL Through The Lens
heres my "photography for dummies" explaination... simply because thats all i understand

the flash will fire as bright as necessary to achieve 18% grey (provided the flash exposure compensation is set to "0" )

anyway,
give this a try.. it will blow your brain.
find yourself a dim room (late afternoon is good)
1. set flash exposure compensation to "0"
2. flick into manual mode
3. ensure flash is set to TTL and is ON/up (it will work for built in flash too)
4. dial in what your camera meter tells you is corredct exposure. say f/3.5 and 1/20th # iso200 ...and take a shot.

result?
nothing special, maybe a little blurry because of a slow sutterspeed because its getting dark.

5. dial in a faster shutterspeed, say 1/100th, even if it looks like it will be underexposed and take a shot.
Result? the exposure is pretty much the same.. a bit less ambient but hardly a difference.
subject still correctly lit.

6. repeat, this time drop back the to say f/11.. (by now it should be horribly underexposed right?) take a shot
result?
chances are you'll have similar ambient and a correctly lit subject, but flash highlights wil be different on the subject.

TTL basically fires the flash as bright as required.
it knows what flash power to use because it fires a pre-flash. the camera's meter reads this based on the metering mode and the shutter snaps, flash fires.

both flash es are so fast it looks like one flash

i hope that helped. just experiment with manual mode.
and use the guideline as stated before.. shutterspeed controls ambient, aperture controls the flash

this link should help too
http://nikonclspracticalguide.blogsp...ot-ttl-bl.html

[Boscopix]

You guys rock! So much good advise Now just to get my camera out and practice!!
Thanks