# With a flash



## JackPhotography1998 (Jul 2, 2013)

I am looking into buying a flash for my nikon d7000 so could you post a photo and what flash was used/settings used. Just looking for inspiration as well.

Thanks. Jack M'crystal Photography


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## cgipson1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Sure! Nikon SB-900 flash used...




Settings from Metadata:

[PhotoME]
PhotoME version: 0.79R17 (Build 856)

[Overview]
URL: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachments/photo-themes/49068d1372766862-flash-monarch1.jpg
File type: JPEG
File size: 312.9 KB
Creation date: 9/8/2011 13:48
Last modification: 7/2/2013 06:08
Make: NIKON CORPORATION (http://www.nikon.com)
Camera: NIKON D7000
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 Windows
Dimension: 960 x 1200 px (1.2 MP, 3:4)
Focal length: 200 mm (equiv. 300 mm)
Aperture: F11
Exposure time: 1/200" (-0.33 EV)
ISO speed rating: 200/24°
Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Center-weighted average
White Balance: Auto
Flash: Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, return light detected


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## JackPhotography1998 (Jul 2, 2013)

cgipson1 said:


> Sure! Nikon SB-900 flash used...
> 
> <img src="http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=49068"/>



I honestly don't know how to do that! I mean do you just let the flash go or do you Change settings or what? (I know how to change the manual settings on my D7000 but its just the flash I want to know the flash setting and how to do it)

Thanks. Jack M'crystal Photography


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## ShooterJ (Jul 2, 2013)

He sleeps with his damn camera, that's how..  :lmao:  J/K


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## SCraig (Jul 2, 2013)

D7000 and SB-700
1/1000 @ f/5.6 and ISO 800


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## JackPhotography1998 (Jul 2, 2013)

ShooterJ said:


> He sleeps with his damn camera, that's how..  :lmao:  J/K



Ha ha ha lol

Thanks. Jack M'crystal Photography


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## cgipson1 (Jul 2, 2013)

JackPhotography1998 said:


> cgipson1 said:
> 
> 
> > Sure! Nikon SB-900 flash used...
> ...



Flash exposure is subject to the Aperture size, and the ISO used. Flash output is usually either TTL (through the lens metering) based, or set based on the distance and aperture desired. I started shooting back in the old days... when we had only Manual Flash.. and used GN (Guide Numbers) to calculate exposure. Basically a table showing what aperture to use at a given subject distance. If I remember correctly.. I had the flash in this shot set to either 1/8 or 1/4 power just for a bit of fill (makes the subject POP, really stand out)!

If you have other questions, please feel free to ask!


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## JackPhotography1998 (Jul 2, 2013)

SCraig said:


> D7000 and SB-700
> 1/1000 @ f/5.6 and ISO 800



Did you just take the photo and the flash did that automatically or did you change settings?

Thanks. Jack M'crystal Photography


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## cgipson1 (Jul 2, 2013)

ShooterJ said:


> He sleeps with his damn camera, that's how..  :lmao:  J/K



How did you know that? :blush2:


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## SCraig (Jul 2, 2013)

JackPhotography1998 said:


> Did you just take the photo and the flash did that automatically or did you change settings?
> 
> Thanks. Jack M'crystal Photography


It was shot in shutter priority at 1/000 second using spot metering.  The flash was on a light stand near where the birds were feeding, possibly bounced through an umbrella (I don't remember now).  I shot the Hummingbirds there several times and tried different things so I don't remember exactly what I did for this one.  Some I used an umbrella, some I used a diffuser on the flash, some used two flashes.  All had the flash set up near the feeder and used Commander mode on the camera to trigger it.


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## cgipson1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Jack... I am going to post the links I sent you in a PM also... I think others may find them useful

Distance to the subject / Aperture (Guide Number table) (in manual mode) 

Guide number - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/12...ash-meter.html

Four Flash Photography Basics we must know - Guide Numbers


TTL will meter it automatically (but not always well) if you need to be fast on your feet.

The TTL Flash System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through-the-lens_metering


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## ShooterJ (Jul 2, 2013)

cgipson1 said:


> ShooterJ said:
> 
> 
> > He sleeps with his damn camera, that's how..  :lmao:  J/K
> ...



Lucky guess.. I sleep with a gun. It kinda made sense. :lmao:


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## hirejn (Jul 2, 2013)

Joel Nisleit Photography | Colors of Hawaii | Kaanapali Sunset

I know; people prefer pictures. Well, then don't click on it. I don't post pictures in forums.

This is a simple setup with a 24-85, everything hand-held, flash off camera in hand, triggered with pop-up, ISO 400 @ f/16. I think the flash was on manual at about 1/16. I had the trusty SB-800. The key is exposing for the sky and using the flash to illuminate the foreground. 

With knowledge of flash, you can do amazing things. But you have to understand it. The SB-700 is a great novice flash because it has nice controls and decent power and a lot of pro features. But it doesn't take an external battery pack. The SB-900 and 910 are simply too much for beginners unless the extra couple hundred is nothing to you. A more powerful or advanced flash won't help you if you don't know how to control it.


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## ktan7 (Jul 6, 2013)

Love the colours in picture #1.


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## R3d (Jul 7, 2013)

I don't see a flash theme in the index, so I'll contribute.  I generally don't like shooting with a flash, but when shooting for portraits it can be a bit of a must sometimes.




Jason &amp; Joss by R3d Baron, on Flickr




Joe by R3d Baron, on Flickr


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## DanOstergren (Jul 8, 2013)

I don't use flash often as I prefer to use natural light, however in some circumstances it works for me. Each of these were shot using a single Canon 580EX MKI mixed with ambient light. I use ETTL as I am completely unfamiliar with manual strobing [I DO always use my camera in manual mode though, lol]. I feel like I get decent results, and am happy to share any advice and settings that I feel could help or inspire you. 
The first piece of advice I can offer is to get the flash off your camera. This is basic and I'm sure someone has already posted this advice as a response to this thread. My favorite lighting advice to follow is that interesting light also requires interesting shadows. Shadows and light create depth, and in order to get both in the shot you have to make sure that the light source isn't coming from where the lens is being pointed from. I use a very long [and sometimes awkward to use] ETTL cord. It's 90ft long, but it gets my speedlite off the camera and allows me the freedom to choose the direction and angle from which the light is coming from without having to worry about a radio unit being unreliable. I got mine from here: Off-Camera Flash Gear | Canon ETTL Cord OC-E3 | Nikon ITTL Cord SC-29 | Syl Arena . I like to use a lightstand, and sometimes a GorillaPod [ JOBY flexible camera tripods for DSLR/SLR cameras and point-and-shoots ] with a hotshoe attachment. The gorillapod is very useful for location shoots where the location makes it too difficult to set up a lightstand at. You can attach it to a tree branch for example, or piping in a burnt down warehouse or abandoned house. The ETTL setting automatically meters the power of the flash needed for the exposure by reading the meter setting in the camera, and allows you to make some manual adjustments if you feel that it's too bright or not bright enough for the look you're going for. Along with getting the exposure right to your tastes, it's important to choose the direction of light to convey a particular mood or look. The best advice I can give for this is to experiment by trying different angles and locations. I always try to keep the height of the light just a little bit above my subject because I personally feel it looks more natural, but I am always trying new angles. Never limit yourself to just one look, otherwise your lighting skills wont evolve and grow.
The same can be said really for any art technique. 
Using a flash will also in most cases limit your shutter speed to 1/250th of a second, or a little faster or slower depending on the sync speed that your camera is capable of, or capable of being set to. My 5D Classic, which is my main camera syncs at 1/200th of a second, while my 50D syncs at 1/250th of a second. When I first started using a speedlite I didn't realize this; I was using a fast lens set wide open at f/1.8 and didn't understand why I kept overexposing in situations where there was a lot of ambient natural light. Eventually I learned that I had to stop up the aperture in order to prevent this, because the limitation of shutter speed prevented me from using a wide open setting on my lens in order to get a properly exposed image. For most of the shots I'm posting here, I am using a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens with the aperture set usually to at least f/3.5. This aperture setting keeps me well within the range of what I consider a good exposure, and as an added benefit the stopped up aperture setting causes the focus point to be sharper, and also widens up the depth of field just enough to keep all of the important details in focus. By all means though I encourage you to experiment with these settings. This is just what works for me. Also, get creative with how you use the light; while for some of these shots I aim the light directly at the subject, I also like to bounce the light off of walls, reflectors, or blow it through the diffusing disc the is inside my reflector kit. I'm cheap as hell, so I don't buy expensive light modifiers like softboxes and instead find cheaper alternatives like getting a friend to be my assistant and hold up the diffusing disc in front of the flash. One day when I can afford it I may look into the fancy modifiers, but that day isn't today. Anyway, sorry for the novel of a post; here are some of my shots using a speedlite, as well as the settings, light location and what I did to get the light to illuminate my subject: 

1. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




For this shot I had the speedlite on a stand to camera left and had placed a mirror behind my subject to camera right in order to reflect some of that light back onto him in order to create a subtle rim lighting effect to make him pop out from the background more. I used the diffusing panel that comes attached to the speedlite in order to spread the light out a bit. 
 Shutter Speed: 1/160 second
                 Aperture: F/3.5
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 250

 2. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



For this shot I had the flash located at camera right, however I bounced the light off a stone wall onto the model rather than aiming it directly at him. This creates softer diffused light. One thing to be careful with when bouncing light off of walls is to watch the color of the wall or object you are bouncing the light off of. If the object has color to it, that color is going to reflect back onto the subject. This can be used to your creative advantage though. I was also able to use a wider aperture setting with this shot because there wasn't a lot of ambient light, so there was little worry of over exposure.
Shutter Speed: 1/250 second
                 Aperture: F/2.8
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 160


3. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



This shot was fairly simple. There wasn't a lot of available ambient light for this shot as well, so I was able to use a wider aperture again. I had the speedlite to camera left, pointed directly at him with no modifier. This direct light mixed with low ambient light will result in higher contrast. Since there is little ambient light, details that are cast into shadow by the speedlite lose more detail causing darker shadows. 
Shutter Speed: 1/250 second
                 Aperture: F/2.0
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 250

4.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



In this shot the flash is located to camera right at a high angle to the model. The aperture was also set to 7.1, so even though there was a lot of ambient light, the flash overpowered it because the aperture setting didn't allow for too much light to enter the lens other than from the moment that the shutter opened. This is another way to create darker more dramatic shadows. Also, since there was no light source coming from the ground to illuminate him from below, the shadows are much darker. 
Shutter Speed: 1/250 second
                 Aperture: F/7.1
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 250


5.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



In this shot the flash is located to camera left. Again, low ambient light contributes to darker, more dramatic shadows. I used the speedlite's on-board diffusing panel to spread out and soften the light a little bit. 
Shutter Speed: 1/125 second
                 Aperture: F/3.2
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 250



6.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



In this shot the flash is located to camera right. A high amount of natural ambient light allowed me to use the flash to illuminate the model while still capturing detail in his surroundings. The ambient light was also reflecting off of the surroundings and illuminating some detail in the areas that the flash cast into shadow, so the shadows aren't too dark. 
Shutter Speed: 1/160 second
                 Aperture: F/3.5
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 250

7.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



This shot is a little different from the rest. The flash was the only light source along with a single dim tungsten light bulb in the ceiling behind the models. I also had a piece of lace being held about an inch away from the flash unit in order to cast some textured shadows onto the model's faces. As well, since the flash was the only light source, I used a wide aperture mixed with a high ISO setting in order to make sure that enough detail was captured in the areas that would be cast into shadows by the flash. This photo was the result of experimentation and trial and error, which is something I definitely encourage if you want to take better more interesting photos. 
Shutter Speed: 1/125 second
                 Aperture: F/2.2
                 Focal Length: 85 mm
                 ISO Speed: 800

8. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



The flash for this shot was located to camera right, and bounced off of the silver side of my 42 inch reflector [which I purchased for $12 off of Amazon]. Bouncing the light off of the reflector filled the room with light, but the lighting still retained direction since the reflector was aimed at my subject, still causing him to have depth by casting some shadow. 
Shutter Speed: 1/200 second
                 Aperture: F/2.8
                 Focal Length: 50 mm
                 ISO Speed: 320

I hope this was informative. Sorry again for the huge wall of text.


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## JackPhotography1998 (Jul 8, 2013)

DanOstergren said:


> I don't use flash often as I prefer to use natural light, however in some circumstances it works for me. Each of these were shot using a single Canon 580EX MKI mixed with ambient light. I use ETTL as I am completely unfamiliar with manual strobing . I feel like I get decent results, and am happy to share any advice and settings that I feel could help or inspire you.
> The first piece of advice I can offer is to get the flash off your camera. This is basic and I'm sure someone has already posted this advice as a response to this thread. My favorite lighting advice to follow is that interesting light also requires interesting shadows. Shadows and light create depth, and in order to get both in the shot you have to make sure that the light source isn't coming from where the lens is being pointed from. I use a very long [and sometimes awkward to use] ETTL cord. It's 90ft long, but it gets my speedlite off the camera and allows me the freedom to choose where the light from the speedlite comes from without having to worry about a radio unit being unreliable. I got mine from here: Off-Camera Flash Gear | Canon ETTL Cord OC-E3 | Nikon ITTL Cord SC-29 | Syl Arena . I like to use a lightstand, and sometimes a GorillaPod [ JOBY flexible camera tripods for DSLR/SLR cameras and point-and-shoots ] with a hotshoe attachment. The gorillapod is very useful for location shoots where the location makes it too difficult to set up a lightstand at. You can attach it to a tree branch for example, or piping in a burnt down warehouse or abandoned house. The ETTL setting automatically meters the power of the flash needed for the exposure by reading the meter setting in the camera, and allows you to make some manual adjustments if you feel that it's too bright or not bright enough for the look you're going for. Along with getting the exposure right to your tastes, it's important to choose the direction of light to convey a particular mood or look. The best advice I can give for this is to experiment by trying different angles and locations. I always try to keep the height of the light just a little bit above my subject because I personally feel it looks more natural, but I am always trying new angles. Never limit yourself to just one look, otherwise your lighting skills wont evolve and grow.
> The same can be said really for any art technique.
> Using a flash will also in most cases limit your shutter speed to 1/250th of a second, or a little faster or slower depending on the sync speed that your camera is capable of, or capable of being set to. My 5D Classic, which is my main camera syncs at 1/200th of a second, while my 50D syncs at 1/250th of a second. When I first started using a speedlite I didn't realize this; I was using a fast lens set wide open at f/1.8 and didn't understand why I kept overexposing in situations where there was a lot of ambient natural light. Eventually I learned that I had to stop up the aperture in order to prevent this, because the limitation of shutter speed prevented me from using a wide open setting on my lens in order to get a properly exposed image. For all of the shots I'm posting here, I am using a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens with the aperture set to at least f/3.5. This aperture setting keeps me well within the range of what I consider a good exposure, and as an added benefit the stopped up aperture setting causes the focus point to be sharper, and also widens up the depth of field just enough to keep all of the important details in focus. By all means though I encourage you to experiment with these settings. This is just what works for me. Also, get creative with how you use the light; while for some of these shots I aim the light directly at the subject, I also like to bounce the light off of walls, reflectors, or blow it through the diffusing disc the is inside my reflector kit. I'm cheap as hell, so I don't buy expensive light modifiers like softboxes and instead find cheaper alternatives like getting a friend to be my assistant and hold up the diffusing disc in front of the flash. One day when I can afford it I may look into the fancy modifiers, but that day isn't today. Anyway, sorry for the novel of a post; here are some of my shots using a speedlite, as well as the settings, light location and what I did to get the light to illuminate my subject:
> ...



No don't worry about the huge page of text it was killing time for my lonely night (I'm in Australia) so thank you for the great advise its helped a lot thanks again. 

Thanks. Jack M'crystal Photograph


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## Buckster (Jul 8, 2013)

You'll likely find this thread elsewhere on the forum very interesting and helpful:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/lighting-hardware/225858-strobist-post-your-photos-setups.html


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