Tag Archive for: small flash

Tip for light meters and ambient light

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Often I get messages from people that their light meter is not reliable outside, inside no problem but outside…..
Do always remember that outside there is also ambient light.

Let’s say you have a small flash system (the system flashes like Canon/Nikon/Sony) and your shooting full manual and get a reading of F5.6 inside, now when you go outside a day later and you get F11 don’t expect that the strobe is actually on F11, it could very well be that the strobe is outputting only F8 or lower.

8 Juni 2014 Marie 0066 1

The meter works very simple
When you press the button to meter in strobe mode (the lighting bolt) it will actually wait for a pulse and start metering, now the pulse from the strobe is registered of course and the meter does it’s work BUT if the ambient light (on the giving shutter speed) is higher than the strobe the meter will of course give you the F stop for the ambient light (since it overpowers the strobe).
So the next time you’re outside and want to check if your strobe is registering, or if you suspect a problem…. first set the strobe on the lowest setting and meter, now start raising the strobe and if the meter value doesn’t change you know you’re metering ambient (or in other words, ambient is overpowering the strobe).

 

So don’t bash the meter, understand how it works 😀

now let’s look at some solutions….

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Some images from Sharon

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Today some images from Sharon I shot during a workshop small flash.
Sharon Mei 31 2014 (4 of 101)-EditThis image was shot with just the bare strobe, nothing more.
I love the look of the shadow on the background, a lot of people are afraid of shadows but for me they create the mood and let’s be honest without shadows there is no three dimensionality 😀

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Small flash outside with Sigma 35mm 1.4 and Sharon

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During a small flash workshop with Sharon it was the first time I tried out the Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art lens.
I was looking for a wider angle lens that was fast for some time now and finally ended up with the Sigma 35mm 1.4 due to it’s many many positive reviews. And I have to say WOW I’m not easily impressed by lenses but this lens is something else, even on 1.4 (wide open) it’s pin sharp and the whole lens just feels very solid and professional, well done Sigma (I will post more about this lens in the coming weeks).

 

Back to the pictures.
One of the things I really love about small flash is the option to use HSS *high speed sync, which makes it possible to shoot a lens wide open and still cut off the ambient light. When you use the zoom of your strobe and let someone hold it really close to the model you can create some really nice “flagging” effects which I always find very interesting.

Sharon Mei 31 2014 (46 of 101)-Edit

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Cherelle small flash

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A few months ago I started teaching the small flash workshop.
I did use small flash before this of course but somehow never taught a workshop about it, until I talked a bit with Joe McNally who pointed out to me that there was a lot of interest for small flash workshops in a more technical approach, and because I’m a strong believer in understanding what’s going on when you shoot I decided to write a workshop that does not only tell you about ETTL and show some light setups, but a workshop that tells you where ETTL goes wrong and how you can solve this, but also how to shoot (and meter) for full manual mode, and of course how to use creative light setups, groups, ratios etc.

Last week it was time for Cherelle to be my model for the small flash workshop.
In this blog post some more information about the techniques, gear and of course some of my favorite shots from that day.

 

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