Transcript Off Camera Flash on a Budget

Off Camera Flash on a
Budget
J.C. Soniat
Topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
Equipment
Technique
Shopping List
Links
Equipment
• What do you need
– Flash / Connections / Stands…
– Light Modifiers
• How am I going to save you money
– Reuse Old Equipment
– Find Deals Online
– “Do It Yourself”
Flashes
• Electronic Flashes
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Powerful
Flexible
Compact & Portable
Very Easy to Use
Flashes
• What To Look For
– Manual Control – Most Important!
– PC Socket or Hot Shoe
– Swivel / Angle Head
– Zoom Feature
Flashes – What To Get
• Nikon
– SB-900’s are nice, but an SB-24 is much cheaper!
– Good Bargains:
• SB-24, SB-25, SB-50DX - $75 - $100
• SB-26, SB-28 - $100 - $125
• SB-28DX, SB-80DX - $100 - $150
• Canon
– Good Choices, but they don’t include PC Socket:
• 420EZ - $25 - $40
• 430EZ - $50 - $65
• 540EZ - $80 - $150
Flashes – What To Get
• Vivitar 285HV / Cactus KF36
– Same old Vivitar 285 made for Digital Cameras with a
low trigger voltage.
– Renamed as the Cactus KF36.
• $99 Brand New – Questionable Build Quality.
• LumoPro LP120
– New Custom Design made for manual shooters.
– Special Feature: Built-In Optical Slave.
– $129 and a 2 year warranty!
Connections
• PC Cord - $25 - $65
• Light Slave Syncs
– Wein Slaves - $20 - $105
• Wireless Systems
– Pocket Wizards – 1 Pair - $340 - $560
– Radio Poppers – 1 Pair - $500
– Cactus Wireless – 1Pair - $33 – Huh?
Stands and Brackets
• Westcott Umbrellas
– Silver & Shoot Through – $20
• Basic Stands
– Any 8’ or taller sturdy stand will do – $35+
• Flash Brackets
– Make sure it can hold an umbrella and has a
pivot. - $20 – $30
Snoots, Gobos & Reflectors
• Used to control Light
• Snoot
– A Tube around your flash to “Pinpoint” light.
• Gobo
– Short for “Go Between”, used to keep light
from going to far to one side.
• Reflectors
– Reflects light, and can add a warm or cool
tone.
Gels
• Simply a colored piece of plastic.
• Can be used to add drama or remove
color casts.
– Two are very important
• Color Temperature Orange (CTO)
• Window Green
• Available in rolled up sheets - $7+
– Roscolux Sampler Pack
Technique
• How do we use all this equipment?
– No TTL, All Manual.
– Don’t be scared to use your flash in manual
mode!
• Very Intuitive
– Uses basic light ratios
– Uses your eyes and a histogram
Light Quality
• Hard and Soft
• Light Source
– Large and Small
• Light Color
– Flash matches the Sun
– Tungsten Lighting
• Use CTO Orange Filter
– Fluorescent
• Use Window Green
Balancing Light Color
• Balance your flashes to the ambient light
color.
• Turn off offending lights if necessary
• If you have mixed lighting sources that you
cannot turn off, then try to match the color
of the most predominant light source.
Using Light Modifiers
• Umbrellas
– Give a larger light source.
– Most efficient when used as reflector.
– Light will spill out all over the place.
• Softboxes
– Large diffuser box.
– Less efficient than reflected umbrella, but also
less spill.
Camera Setup
• Remember this starting point:
– f/4.0 - 1/60 - ISO 400
• Use your main light to get your primary
exposure.
• Make sure any fill or accent lights are 1
stop lower.
• Adjust your shutter speed to bring in the
ambient light around 2 stops lower than
the main.
Shopping List
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Flash - $25 - $150+
Stands & Brackets - $50+
Umbrellas & Softboxes - $20+
Connections
– Low-End - $30 - $50
– High-End - $350 - $560
• Reflectors - $20 - $60+
• Gels - $7+
What Have We Learned
• How to find the right equipment for less
money.
• What type of equipment to get.
• How to use all of this new equipment.
Links
• This presentation: http://www.jcsoniat.com/convention.html
• Strobist: http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/
– Extra Special Thanks to Strobist and David Hobby!
– Be sure to checkout the Lighting 101 section.
• Light – Science and Magic
– Best Lighting Book - $32 @ Amazon.com
– ISBN: 0240808193
• Flash Voltages: http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html
• Flash Kits from MPEX: http://www.mpex.com
Questions?