j_c36 Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I recently made the switch from nikon to canon by buying an eos 1d mark II. it is an amazing camera to say the least, but i am having one problem. I shoot skateboarding among other things, and i can't seem to stop action during the day when using flash. I usually use 2 or 3 sunpak 555s on 1/4-1/32 power with pocket wizards, and either my 15mm fisheye, 70-200 L 2.8 or 50mm1.4 and i have the same results with all of them. at night i can use the same setup and take the sharpest pics i have ever taken. also, i have used the supaks with my nikon f5 and it stops the action pretty good. what am i doing wrong, it doesn't make sense to me why this is happeneing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisprice Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 "...at night i can use the same setup and take the sharpest pics i have ever taken..." Just a guess, but in daytime it may simply be a matter of ambient light and shutter speed. What's the fastest flash sync speed on the camera? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ransomsix Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Your flash duration isn't affected by your switch to digital, and 555's have a quick burst at the power you're shooting. Assuming you're shooting at 1/250th at 100 iso, your 555's should be doing the job if you get them close enough and aren't going above 1/2 power, which you aren't. You are in focus, right? You will need a bit more power during daylight. You may have to move your flashes in a bit to your subject. Try to keep them under 1/2 power, 1/4 is more ideal. Try and keep them close without them creeping in the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_c36 Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 my problem is definatly the ambiant light overpowering the sunpaks. i always shoot on manual mode on both the camera and the flash and during the day always at maximum sync speed (250th) and usually at 400 iso. my problem is only during the day, in low light or night time there are no problems. i want to use flash because i like to under expose the backgraound and fill the rest with flash to bring the subject out more. i have tried shooting at 2 stops or more under and i still have the problem. it is very problematic, and i need to figure this out. also, someone said i should just forget the flash and shoot strait and i do for sequences usually at 8000th of a second but for stills i really need to bring out the subject(skater). I think the problem is the flash duration, i need to freeze the subject and make the ambiant light secondary. i am sure someone out there has the exact info i need. thank you all so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_c36 Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 i usually have the flash within 5 ft and never more than 1/4 power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 If your Canon allows for high speed flash sync, try thinking in reverse: Set the camera's shutter speed as you would to freeze action based on the available light; use flash for fill only. The flash should be a secondary consideration. Don't try to freeze action with flash in daylight or bright ambient lighting. It's an exercise in futility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_wilkes Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 check out skateboardphotography.com you will learn everything there is about shooting skating there. it helped me out so much. i dont really know what the problem would be here because thats a normal set up for shooting skating, maybe if you post an example it would be easier to tell whats wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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