trendy canon flash assignment

djon · 10-21-2005

Meter a shot and set your camera to *underexpose by a stop* when you set it to 1sec or 1/2sec @ some aperture.

Also use the flash, setting it *also* to underexpose by a stop at the same aperture at the given distance...

... move the camera during the long exposure (or make the long exposure of a moving subject).

This will make an interesting overall blur, but the flash will stop your subject (eg a skateboarder) sharply against it..

You'll want to play with the exposures, but the idea is to give your subject half of its exposure by flash and the rest by ambient light. Your mileage will vary: Vary the ratio of flash to ambient light to get different effects. You see this all the time in magazines.

Correct me if I've explained something wrong here...it's early

chenick · 10-21-2005

How about some samples?

djon · 10-21-2005

I'll make some color samples over the weekend with my P...

P's may not be the best flash camera..the shoe's not grippable by my on-camera Sunpak and the tripod screw, combined with the bottom-opener thingie prevents a regular right-hand mount of a flash bracket...

Sooo...I'll dismantle and reassemble an old Metz flash bracket so I can mount the Metz potato-masher flash on the left...good old 45CT1.

back alley · 10-21-2005

djon,
have you tried an m grip on your p?

it centers the tripod hole and leaves the 'opener' free to use easily.
they also make the p much more handholdable.

joe

Kin Lau · 10-21-2005

Otherwise known as "dragging the shutter", 2nd curtain sync also works much better, but I don't think you'll have a choice on the P.

djon · 10-21-2005

Kin...right... your nominclature's modern, but the technique's been around since ancient times, long before there were synch alternatives or even Canon P's.... IIIC/F synched Leica's for example.

When I stop doping myself (no, I'm not a talk show host, I 'm just recovering from this AM's minor surgery) I'll look for some skateboarders, ballet dancers, or nudes on trampolines.

Joe...what's an "M" grip? A Gandy gizmo?

back alley · 10-21-2005

here's a couple of very quick pics of the mgrip, on and off the p.
it was made for the leica m cameras but fits the p perfectly.
this is an older model, available only used now afaik, but i think they make a newer version also.

i can't find the web address just now, maybe someone can help here.

joe

Toby · 10-21-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by djon

Meter a shot and set your camera to *underexpose by a stop* when you set it to 1sec or 1/2sec @ some aperture.

Also use the flash, setting it *also* to underexpose by a stop at the same aperture at the given distance...

... move the camera during the long exposure (or make the long exposure of a moving subject).

This will make an interesting overall blur, but the flash will stop your subject (eg a skateboarder) sharply against it..

You'll want to play with the exposures, but the idea is to give your subject half of its exposure by flash and the rest by ambient light. Your mileage will vary: Vary the ratio of flash to ambient light to get different effects. You see this all the time in magazines.

Correct me if I've explained something wrong here...it's early

I've shot a lot of this kind of stuff (no current examples sorry). I meter the ambient light I usually shoot the flash -1 stop to that aperture reading and then close down 1/2 a stop ie 1 secs @f8 ambient + flash at 5.6 = 1 secs @ f8.5 if you think about the mathematics it makes sense. A one stop under exposure of flash is only adding 50% extra light.
If you meter a scene at 1sec at 5.6 then add flash at 5.6 you are doubling the amount of light hence -1 stop you do not meter to underexpose you compensate for the additional light. I know this is slightly a semantic point but I hope it explains the idea more clearly you do not underexpose you correctly expose for the extra light the flash provides.

djon · 10-21-2005

Toby, Thanks. You're not making a mere semantic point, but maybe you could re-write... I tried to describe only the simplest approach. It's inherently not an exact technique, it will give different effects with different balances.

I proposed a total of one proper exposure on the main subject, half blurred and half sharply flashed. The "subject" would be properly exposed, the "background" would be one stop underexposed, at least outdoors. Indoors, in a small enough room, it might be "proper" both foreground AND background if the flash was adequate to bring up the overall lighting.

Joe, I like your use of Weston's Daybook. My longtime girlfriend gave me a vintage pair, I and II, for my birthday. Straight to the heart!

Want to sell one of those brackets?

back alley · 10-21-2005

i'm actually thinking about selling the silver one.
i have an extra one.
i have 4, one each for each p and i bought an extra thinking i would be getting a fourth p.
but it's more & more doubtful that i'll get that 4th p as i think maybe 3 is enough.

it's taking time to convince me absolutley that i do not need one more p.

joe

kaiyen · 10-21-2005

Yeah, it works with any flash. I did one at a friend's wedding with my QLIII 17 and a canolite D. This was in a very dark room, shutter about 1/5 and aperture at 5.6. I didn't even meter, just fired.

http://www.kaiyen.com/photos/gallery...album=13&pos=5

allan

Kin Lau · 10-21-2005

If you're using c41, then don't even worry about compensating. 1stop over-exposed is nothing... even 3 or 4 stops over will print normally. Just make sure the shutter speed is a bit longer. 1/10 or longer should work.

Gabriel M.A. · 10-21-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by djon

Meter a shot and set your camera to *underexpose by a stop* when you set it to 1sec or 1/2sec @ some aperture.

I'm already lost. I underexpose when I already meter it, or I set it to 1 sec to underexpose by a stop after I meter?

Perhaps I don't not have a not case of the not double negatives?