worried starter pro question....flash and modes NIKON

[sam_clay]

Hiya

 

I am worried.

 

I have been a fairly successful natural light photographer

for around a year, portraits etc, lifestyle documentary.

 

However, I have been invited to shoot a wedding this

weekend. don't worry it's unpaid for work experience, but

being a perfectionist I want to get the indoor/church shots

nailed as best possible.

 

I have a nikon D600 and D3100.

 

I own the 70-200 Vr11, the 35mm 1.4, 60mm macro

(myvfavourite believe it or not), the 85 1.8, and some bog

standards which will stay at home.

 

I have the Sb700 and a sb40 flash.

 

I was hoping for some help. Because I am.new to flash.

 

I understand this - aperture controls flash power

dependant on distance to subject etc, and shutter controls

ambient.

 

Thing is, I want to use TTL in the church. I understand

that in keeping the camera in manual and setting it up to 3

steps underexposed - Ttl will deal with the situation fairly

well. (confirmation?)

However, for the church I may just put the camera in P

mode and basically let the camera and flash do the

thinking. Also in matrix metering.

Reason being, is this part of the wedding I want to be

quick candid documentary style. I won't have the time like

I usually do to do much else.

The lighting isn't great.

 

Based on the lens I have mentioned what would you use in

this tiny church (I fear my flash isn't powerful enough at

200mm?).

 

My other question is this: I am so worried that if I use my

70-200 on P mode the camera will get it wrong.

 

Basically I need crystal.clear sharp shots using flash

quickly in Ttl.

 

Maybe aperture priority? So I control depth or will

thisbhave no consequence with TTL?

 

I am.fine in natural light and can be very creative - the

church I just want quick well exposed shots using Ttl.

 

What modes would you suggest I use, which lens and

why?

 

I know many people scorn P or automatic, but I need to

keep this part as simple as possible given my limited

flash experience.

 

Help Very much appreciated.

 

Like I say - it's for a friend free of charge..... I am studying

flash. This part worries me.

 

Many thanks

[SCL]

<p>Do you have an opportunity to go to the church well in advance (several days?) and practice to see what works? I was recently at my daughter's wedding in a small remote chapel in farm country early in spring, and had an opportunity to talk with her wedding photographer for about a half hour before things began. The photog, who has over 25 yrs experience, told me that knowing your equipment and your venue were critical for success. She mentioned that she loved this particular chapel because it was smallish and after shooting many weddings here, she knew the lighting effects perfectly, and pointed out to me some of her ways of ensuring her clients were pleased with their photos. One trick amused me which I'll share with you...I noticed that when she prepared to take a shot, after framing, etc. she momentarily would drop the camera to the feet of the subject (or dress hemline for women). I asked her why and she said of course she wanted the eyes to be in focus, but most brides wanted their dresses to be in focus; since DOF generally extends rearward more than forward from the point of focus, she basically shifted the focus point a little forward from the eyes to get everything in focus. She mentioned that TTL flash was her friend as well, and after seeing the finished product, several months later, I was blown away with not only her creativity, but also her incredibly remarkable results...both inside the church as well as outside. I think lots of practice in advance of the wedding, with the TTL mode, should give you the confidence to use it and secure good results. But don't just walk in and experiment with it in the venue for the first time.</p>

[sam_clay]

Actually the penny may have just dropped! If I put the

camera in manual mode and set the shutter to 1/6th and

leave it at that, Iso 400, then set the aperture according to

depth I want then the Ttl should expose the shot correctly?

Given that it's the aperture which controls the power of

flash, so long as I stay within the distance the flash

suggests I should be ok? And that would give me a bit

more control then if in P?

Remember in this instance I am trying to get good

exposure quickly candid documentary style. Basic stuff.

Is this good?

[sam_clay]

Thanks Stephen great tip. Although my comment I meant

1/60th!! Good tip thanks x

[dan_south]

<p><em><strong>Short answer:</strong></em></p>

<p>1. Put the camera in P (Program Automatic) exposure mode and leave it there. Auto white balance.</p>

<p>2. Use exposure compensation + when you need to compensate for a white dress in the frame or - when you're pointing as a lot of dark suits or tuxedos (0 for the rest of the time).</p>

<p>3. Use flash compensation if you need to make the flash more or less powerful. For example, if you're shooting someone who's only a few feet away, you might want to dial the flash down to -1 so that it doesn't overpower their face.</p>

<p>4. Suggested ISO should be about the same as when shooting handheld without flash: 100-200 for sunlight, 400-800 for overcast skies, 800-6400 indoors depending on how dark it is.</p>

<p><em><strong>Complicated answers:</strong></em></p>

<p>1. Using flash beyond the basic automatic modes requires understanding, practice, and experience. Work on it and learn as you can, but for this event, it's probably best to go all automatic.</p>

<p>2. Flash has some complications when shooting at high shutter speeds. Shooting in P mode will help you to avoid these complications.</p>

<p>3. Increasing the distance of the flash to the subject will decrease the effective power of the flash regardless of what mode you're using.</p>

<p>4. Closing the aperture decreases the effective power of flash units. An SB700 might have plenty of power at f/2.8 or f/4 (as long as the distance isn't too great), but it's going to struggle at f/8 and be worthless at f/16.</p>

<p>5. Bouncing flash makes the light softer, but it also reduces the effective power of the flash unit. And in some cases, the effect can look too soft.</p>

<p>6. Flash on camera and pointed directly at the subject tends to produce a harsh, flat look that's unflattering, and it can cause the red-eye effect. Flash that's off camera (or on camera but effectively bounced) can help to reduce or avoid these problems.</p>

<p>7. Shooting at three stops below ambient all but eliminates the ambient light from your photo. All you'll see is the flash. If that's what you want, then you can try it, but it's probably not a good effect for a wedding ceremony.</p>

<p>8. Flash has the light temperature of daylight. If your photos include a lot of incandescent light, you might need to add an orange gel to the flash to get the light sources to balance. Otherwise, the light from the flash can look blue when you're shooting indoors (or outdoors in the last few "golden" minutes of daylight).</p>

<p>9. There's a lot to know about flash modes and flash sync speeds, but it's too much information to master in a short timeframe.</p>

 

[sam_clay]

Brilliant answer Dan I thank you endlessly!!

Yep! Flash is a complicated thing and I shall keep it

simple as you suggest and compensate accordingly. I will

study it further when I have the time.

I kinda understand off camera flash and have triggers etc

but shall leave this until I have more time and room for

error.

I may go off camera for portrait later in the day, but

probably not because I think I am safe enough with my

current natural light knowledge to carry off some great

shots.

Thanks so much for the info I really appreciate it. Just

hoping to get the ceremony out of the way and

concentrate on what I feel comfortable with.

Endless thanks :)))

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Sam, effectively putting the camera in manual at 1/60th, and varying aperture and let TTL deal with it is no different from putting it in A mode - it'll use the exact same shutterspeed and behave the exact same from there on. And in P mode (but not 100% sure because I usually stick in A), it'll probably also default to 1/60th. So, for this, I'd stick to the mode you're most used to, so that switching between flash and non-flash shots becomes as easy as possible.<br>

One possible advantage of manual is that you'd be able quicker to switch to longer exposures as well (<a href="http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/dragging-the-shutter/">dragging the shutter</a>); with A and P it'll stick to 1/60th, and stay there. But well, from experience, it needs a bit of practise, so it may not matter for a job that's so soon.</p>

<p>But personally, I'd go with Dan's first 4 points, and then work further on it. My skills with flash are limited, and TTL tends to work just fine. Just know to find the flash compensation button fast, and most shots will come out just fine.</p>

[Two23]

<p>For weddings, it really helps to have a modifier of some kind on the flash to soften the light. The Gary Fong is very popular, I've been using the Lumiquest Mini Softbox. I've been using Nikon SB-900 flash for this since the SB-700 really isn't powerful enough for weddings. You really, really need to take someone with you to the church the day before when the light will be the same to practice. I would plan on spending 6-8 hours prep learning how to use it, including reading the manual.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>