Chapter 9: Strobes

Question 1

Should a photographer use strobes?

Answer 1

There are debates on digital flash photography

• To harsh of light
• Unnatural shadows
• To distracting to subjects

The cause is not with the strobe but the flash photographer themselves

Question 2

What are the advantages and disadvantages to using strobes?

Answer 2

Advantages of shooting with a strobe include

• Shooting in low light areas
• Stopping motion of your subjects
• Producing crisp photos even with a little camera shake

One major disadvantage is that if you have your shutter speed set too high it will not be lit correctly
-Average sync speeds of digital strobe are usually around 1/200 or 1/250

Question 3

How can you combine natural light with digital strobes?

Answer 3

You may want to shoot with a slower shutter to allow more light to be absorbed by the camera.

• This is essentially two pictures, one with the flash and one with the natural light over the first one.
• This technique causes the background to come out brighter as the flash lights the subject.
• Make sure the background is about 2 full stops darker than the subject
• This technique also allows freezing of a subject by adding motion in the background as the subject is still

Question 4

How can you determine aperture?

Answer 4

Manual
-Determines the power of the flash by what f/stop your using lower f/stops give the flash “more distance”

Through-The-Lens (TTL) Metering
-Using a pre-flash the camera sets the aperture accordingly

Using Histograms
-This allows you to check your exposure immediately

Question 5

What are some issues with direct strobes?

Answer 5

Uneven lighting
-Due to the inverse square law (If one subject is 5 feet away and the second subject is 10 feet away the second subject will only receive ¼ of the strobe as the first)
-Solutions:
Bounce flash, combining available light with flash, use a detached flash that lights both subjects equally

Shadows on the wall

• When shooting directly at a subject in an average room you will get shadows behind
• Solution: Use a dark background or move the subject away from the wall, or put a light source behind the subject

Reflections

• When shooting someone with glasses or a bald head you often get glare
• Solution: Angle the strobe so as to not go off directly at the subject

Incomplete coverage area
-Most strobes are designed to illuminate a 35mm if you shoot with a narrow or wider lens you will have to adjust accordingly wider lens spread the light narrow lens concentrate the light.

Question 6

What are some effects with flash?

Answer 6

Fill-flash negates heavy shadows
-When there are shadows and light in your frame use flash to fill in the shadows and create an evenly lit photo

Bounce the strobe for softer light
-Direct light can cause harsh shadows, bouncing off of a wall, ceiling, soft-box, or umbrella can give you the light needed without the shadows.

Off camera lighting
-Move your strobe around the area and you will find that it will dramatically change your photo

Question 7

What are powering strobes?

Answer 7

Built-in
-Drains the camera battery when used

Shoe-mount strobes

• Usually powered by AA batteries, now some LI-ION
• Usually no more than 100 strobes on one battery

Medium Powered Strobes
-Give you more power for heavier duty strobes

AC-Powered Strobes
-High light output and shows you where the light will fall with out a lot of test shots