Portraits Using a Flash

I'm fairly new to Digital Photography and just started using a new DSLR (Nikon D300), I have an 85mm F1.4 lens and an

SB800 flash. I'm trying to get better at taking portraits and want to utilize the 1.4 lens to get the right depth of field in

Portraits. Is there rules of thumb I can use to set up the proper exposure with my set up to get a good portrait? Any

Suggested exposure/flash settings that have worked for you?

 

thanks in advance for your help!

 

Best Regards, Gus

Gus,

 

I've found this to be a deep subject, a topic for study in its own right, but to try to get you started, set things up so you bounce the light from the flash off a wall, ceiling, or even a homemade reflector wrapped around the unit. Ideally you want the flash off of the camera, but this is both more expensive and less convenient, so it doesn't always fit the situation. Strobist.com is a good sight to read, and you also should peruse the lighting forum here for more. I'd start shooting and ask further questions based on the results you get and the issues you confront. Though I'm sure someone else can jump start you further. :-)

Gus, with that lens, you probably won't be needing flash very much, perhaps a little fill flash to brighten the eye sockets, but not a lot. As long as you meter on the eyes of your subjects, and adjust your exposure so that the light meter in the viewfinder is in the middle, or close to it (experiment), you'll get good shots. You'll probably get the best results (sharpest images if you shoot at f2.8 or in that range. At 1.4, your depth of field might be so narrow that the eyes will be focused and the nose will be out of focus. You want enough depth of field that the whole head is pretty much in the range of focus.

 

In daylight, your flash should be pointed toward your subject, and with that lens, you won't want to use the built-in diffuser panel. In lower light, your flash might produce redeye when pointed directly at the subject, so be careful of that. You can use a white or silver reflector held off camera up close to the subject in place of a flash.

Hi Gus,

 

You have the all the right equipment to start off. With the 1.5X crop factor on the camera, your 85mm lens gives you

a 127.5mm. Unless you want to figure out all the math for positioning I suggest to just trust what you see in your

viewer. Start by photographing without your flash. If you try a few shots in Auto mode you will get different results.

Check the Exif of your best photos then move to Aperture Priority. Here you can control your F-stops. Depending on

the effects you want to achieve will be based on how wide your aperture is set at and what is in the background. If

shooting indoors, I like to open it all the way. This puts everything I photograph (except my subject whom I have

focused on) out of focus. Next to work with your flash I suggest bounce light if you are indoors. The SB800 is a great

flash as you can use it off your camera as a Master or a Slave Flash. Not sure how it works on the D300 but on the

D200, I found instructions at Ken Rockwell on how to do that. Make a bounce card to aid you on light reflection if

you can't afford a diffuser as flash lighting is very harsh. Another suggestion is to learn how light bounces. If you can

control the light, you will master your photos. Yes there are lots of little things but I hope this will get you

started.

Great! Thanks for all the helpfull suggestions and I've already started looking at the Lighting forum and even toying with a

portable kit. Braketing on the camera was usefull in viewing different combinations, but I agree, there are a ton of things to

play with. Thanks again for your help.

 

Best Regards, Gus

Some sample Shots using your suggestions - thanks again for your help!<div></div>

One more test Shot<div></div>

Get a Lightsphere from Gary Fong - or make your own diffusor. They're the best $39 I've ever spent. --Rich