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tsitalon1

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In bounce flash!!

All this time I only wanted to work with available light because I love candid pics and a huge honking flash unit with flash pulses every few minutes really gives you away :)

But after buying my first SB-600 and going over to a friend's house, I am simply amazed at the difference in photo quality. I am not saying I can't do better, hell I'm learning every day, but I think these are damn good. Tell me what you think...

All shots taken in TTL-BL and D7000 camera in manual mode around 2 - 2.8 Aperture, and SS around 160-250.

I tried kicking the ss up past 250, but the camera wouldn't do it, I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong.







 
Nice pics!

The highest sync speed of the camera is 1/250, you can however shoot in higher speeds on other flash modes(not TTL-BL)
 
tsitalon1 said:
In bounce flash!!

All this time I only wanted to work with available light because I love candid pics and a huge honking flash unit with flash pulses every few minutes really gives you away :)

But after buying my first SB-600 and going over to a friend's house, I am simply amazed at the difference in photo quality. I am not saying I can't do better, hell I'm learning every day, but I think these are damn good. Tell me what you think...

All shots taken in TTL-BL and D7000 camera in manual mode around 2 - 2.8 Aperture, and SS around 160-250.

I tried kicking the ss up past 250, but the camera wouldn't do it, I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the real world of photography.

Now take the next step, use the CLS and get your SB600 off your camera.
This is a real benefit of being a Nikon guy/gal.

Set the built-in to '--' and the remote to 'ttl'.

Hold the SB600 in one hand, even better on a monopod if you have, and take some pics. Move the SB600 around. Vary distance and flash comp.

Get ready for a whole new world of Clarity, Better Color, Better expressions as your flash will not be directly in the eyes of your subjects.

You are the first photog to 'come in out of the cold' with your admission.

Welcome.
 
Nikonworks said:
Welcome to the real world of photography.

Now take the next step, use the CLS and get your SB600 off your camera.
This is a real benefit of being a Nikon guy/gal.

Set the built-in to '--' and the remote to 'ttl'.

Hold the SB600 in one hand, even better on a monopod if you have, and take some pics. Move the SB600 around. Vary distance and flash comp.

Get ready for a whole new world of Clarity, Better Color, Better expressions as your flash will not be directly in the eyes of your subjects.

You are the first photog to 'come in out of the cold' with your admission.

Welcome.
Click to expand...
Yes Sir. I plan on playing with CLS to see what happens. Any SB600 placement suggestions for taking the type of pics I posted?

I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong. This is how others learn, by people admitting they had bad assumptions/were wrong. :)

Don't mis-understand I won't give up on available light shooting because I think it truly is the only way to get candid photos. However, I will be bouncing my flash most of the time now :)
 
tsitalon1 said:
Nikonworks said:
Welcome to the real world of photography.

Now take the next step, use the CLS and get your SB600 off your camera.
This is a real benefit of being a Nikon guy/gal.

Set the built-in to '--' and the remote to 'ttl'.

Hold the SB600 in one hand, even better on a monopod if you have, and take some pics. Move the SB600 around. Vary distance and flash comp.

Get ready for a whole new world of Clarity, Better Color, Better expressions as your flash will not be directly in the eyes of your subjects.

You are the first photog to 'come in out of the cold' with your admission.

Welcome.
Click to expand...
Yes Sir. I plan on playing with CLS to see what happens. Any SB600 placement suggestions for taking the type of pics I posted?

I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong. This is how others learn, by people admitting they had bad assumptions/were wrong. :)

Don't mis-understand I won't give up on available light shooting because I think it truly is the only way to get candid photos. However, I will be bouncing my flash most of the time now :)
Click to expand...
Using flash does not mean 'giving up on available light'.

In fact, as you learn you will realize that the available light can become your fill or your flash can become your fill. You will increase your possibilites by learning to blend flash and available light.

Bouncing flash is just 'attempt' to overcome the problems that come with on camera flash, usually. Bounced flash is subject to color shifts by the surface it is bounced from.

Try this: built-in at default power, ttl. SB600 remote at +1,

Equidistant from subject, SB600 45 degrees to left or right of subject from line drawn from you lens to subject. Hold settings but move SB600 toward subject and away for several shots. Note shadows on face, the resulting 'moods' captured, etc.

Note which shots appeal to you, write down settings, distance, angles, even hoeght of your SB600, etc.

Now you can repeat these shots at anytime and just about any location.

This becomes a 'tool' that will always be in your bag.

Enjoy.
 
Flash is an absolute must. No camera in this world can overcome the lack of light and create something from nothing. Even a D3s can't do that. Even when you cannot bounce, such as when the ceiling is just too high or if you are outside at night, using direct flash as a fill works very well.

For example, rather than using ISO 6400 and slow shutter in an attempt to use available light only, using a lower ISO, like 3200 or 1600, AND using direct on board flash as a fill will give you much better results and much sharper pictures due to the lower ISO.
 
I am pretty much in the same situation and got my first SB600 a couple of month ago. I missed a built-in flash card so I added a Rogue FlashBender to the equation. One of my best buys ever, great as a flash card but I also use it when I got nothing to bounce at and as a flag. I am now always carrying the SB600 and the FlashBender wherever I go. I am amazed how often I pick it up and use it as a fill flash or any other means of adding some extra light. I still believe in no-flash-photography but why limit yourself? :)
 
I started as well with an SB600. Then I started reading about one light portraits (do a google search) and I began to produce much nicer photos of my family. Although recently my son knocked over my lightstand that had the sb600 on it and it broke the flashbulb. So now I have three vivitar 285's and wireless triggers to replace the sb600 and that has opened up a whole new world of things I can do with three flashes instead of one.
 
tsitalon1 wrote:
[snip]
tsitalon1 said:
Don't mis-understand I won't give up on available light shooting because I think it truly is the only way to get candid photos. However, I will be bouncing my flash most of the time now :)
Click to expand...
What candid photo scenarios do you engage in where the flash is a problem? Are we talking street photography or family/friends?

larsbc
 
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I will try to look into all of them.

This forum is incredibly helpful!
 
larsbc said:
larsbc said:
Don't mis-understand I won't give up on available light shooting because I think it truly is the only way to get candid photos. However, I will be bouncing my flash most of the time now :)
Click to expand...
What candid photo scenarios do you engage in where the flash is a problem? Are we talking street photography or family/friends?

larsbc
Click to expand...
Mostly family/friends for now. I may branch out later. Photography seems to be more and more addicting :)
 
Provided that your walls/ceilings aren't dark colored or red, bounced light looks pleasant as yours do.

As for changing the shutter speed to 1/250sec, that's too fast of an exposure indoors in that type of lighting. Decent for outdoors but too fast for indoors.
--
Dez

http://dezsantana.com

 
DezM said:
Provided that your walls/ceilings aren't dark colored or red, bounced light looks pleasant as yours do.

As for changing the shutter speed to 1/250sec, that's too fast of an exposure indoors in that type of lighting. Decent for outdoors but too fast for indoors.
--
Dez

http://dezsantana.com

Click to expand...
I was mainly looking for faster SS for stoping action on the kids play wrestling on the carpet. I was getting slight blur at 200 and 250 solved it....not sure what I would've done if 250 wasn't fast enough.
 
tsitalon1 said:
DezM said:
Provided that your walls/ceilings aren't dark colored or red, bounced light looks pleasant as yours do.

As for changing the shutter speed to 1/250sec, that's too fast of an exposure indoors in that type of lighting. Decent for outdoors but too fast for indoors.
--
Click to expand...
I was mainly looking for faster SS for stoping action on the kids play wrestling on the carpet. I was getting slight blur at 200 and 250 solved it....not sure what I would've done if 250 wasn't fast enough.
Click to expand...
That speed is too fast for indoors. Your photos will come out underexposed.

You can freeze some action indoors with flash at 1/60sec.
--
Dez

http://dezsantana.com

 
DezM said:
tsitalon1 said:
I was mainly looking for faster SS for stoping action on the kids play wrestling on the carpet. I was getting slight blur at 200 and 250 solved it....not sure what I would've done if 250 wasn't fast enough.
Click to expand...
That speed is too fast for indoors. Your photos will come out underexposed.

You can freeze some action indoors with flash at 1/60sec.
Click to expand...
but then make sure you're using the rear curtain sync flash mode.. otherwise the pictures will look strange ;)
 
It sounds like you have very little understanding when it comes to flash photography...

Shutter speed just about does not matter when using flash, aside from the two outside limitations...sync speed and the point where ambient over powers the flash.

I can easily 'freeze' action at a shutter speed of 5 seconds. As far as 1/250 being too fast of a shutter speed indoors, that's ridiculous. When I want to control all of the lighting, I'll usually shoot at 1/200 at base ISO. If I want to bring in the ambient, I'll go down to 1/15 or 1/30.

I would recommend you look at that link I posted earlier. Either you have some concept errors or you just aren't stating yourself very clearly, but when using flash as a main source of light, shutter speed has nothing to do with freezing action.
--
--George

Who is John Galt?
 
DezM said:
Provided that your walls/ceilings aren't dark colored or red, bounced light looks pleasant as yours do.

As for changing the shutter speed to 1/250sec, that's too fast of an exposure indoors in that type of lighting. Decent for outdoors but too fast for indoors.
Click to expand...
Dez speaks truth here... unless you're shooting action photography. You can go faster than 1/250 once you enable Auto FP Sync, but your flash power will go way down at shutter speeds above 1/250 sec. There is also a way to freeze action with much slower shutter speeds provided the flash provides the lion share of the light (i.e., ambient light approaches darkness) since the strobe duration is much faster than the shutter speed -- but that is seldom the case when you want to shoot action indoors. There's usually plenty of mostly lousy light for those cases. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's easy to argue about equipment and technique, but hard to argue with a good photograph -- and more difficult to capture one .



Gallery and blog: http://esfotoclix.com
Special selections: http://esfotoclix.com/store
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Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22061657@N03
 
wlad said:
DezM said:
tsitalon1 said:
I was mainly looking for faster SS for stoping action on the kids play wrestling on the carpet. I was getting slight blur at 200 and 250 solved it....not sure what I would've done if 250 wasn't fast enough.
Click to expand...
That speed is too fast for indoors. Your photos will come out underexposed.

You can freeze some action indoors with flash at 1/60sec.
Click to expand...
but then make sure you're using the rear curtain sync flash mode.. otherwise the pictures will look strange ;)
Click to expand...
Or close down aperture and/or reduce ISO to bring down the ambient light contribution so that the fast strobe cycle will result in light that freezes the action. It's a neat trick.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's easy to argue about equipment and technique, but hard to argue with a good photograph -- and more difficult to capture one .



Gallery and blog: http://esfotoclix.com
Special selections: http://esfotoclix.com/store
Wedding & Portrait: http://esfotoclix.com/wedevent
Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22061657@N03
 
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