Maxxum 7 - Flash and People

[jpursley]

I'd like to rid myself of the title of <i>World's Worst People and

Event Photographer</i>, and the upcoming holidays seem like a

good chance to learn about people/event/low light photography.

Rather than buy new equipment, I'd rather learn to use my existing

setup to its fullest: Maxxum 7, 3500xi flash (w/Omnibounce), 24mm

2.8, 50mm 1.7, 100mm 2.0, and usually NPH.

<br><br>

The main problem seems to be in low- and very-low-light situations.

I shot an event in a very dark and large space last week, and

everyone looks like they're in a black cave. There seem to be two

major options to handle this:

<br><br>

<b>1) A Mode with Slow Sync</b> - Select an appropriate aperture,

and let the camera balance the ambient and flash exposures. Ensures

decent ambient exposure, but could lead to camera shake in very low

light.

<br><br>

<b>2) M Mode</b> - Meter ambient and adjust shutter and aperture as

appropriate (maybe a stop under?), keeping shutter in 1/60-1/15s

range. Generally controls camera shake, but in very low light

background could still go black.

<br><br>

Perhaps A Mode would be best in moderate- and low-light situations

and areas where bounce is appropriate, while M Mode would handle

very-low-light and large spaces where bounce won't work. I'm

interested in hearing how <i>you</i> determine indoor/dark event

exposures, and would be thrilled if you're willing to share some

examples.

[ivan_dzo]

Jeremy, good to see you having a go at low light photography. I shoot a few rock gigs and they are very difficult! You certainly want A mode with slow sync. I also tend to use rear curtain flash. The attached was hand held at F2 at 1/30th second with rear curtain flash and 50mm lens. Get shooting.<div></div>

[matt_neighbour___york__u.k]

Hi

 

The problem is getting to A mode slow-sync requires pressing (or holding, depending on your custom functions setup) the AE Lock button for every shot. Too much of a faff I find (I do a few weddings every year semi-pro with my 7). I tend to use fully manual for all indoor flash photography, setting the shutter speed to something appropriate for camera shake and ambient light and the aperture to ensure the flash reaches the subject. I keep metering the ambient and adjusting the shutter speed if necessary.

 

Matt

[michael_hohner]

Jeremy, your two options are more or less the same. Slow Sync selects exposure values about 1 stop under ambient exposure. Doing the same manually with M mode will yield he same results. At the same time, regular sync will not choose a shutter speed slower than about 1/60. Again, doing the same manually will yield the same results. When it's dark and you want increased ambient exposure, you have no other choice than selecting a slower shutter speed. This may, as you've noticed, lead to visible camera shake. If you don't want that, you have to use a tripod. If you don't want that, too, you have to choose a faster film. If you don't want that, too, you ran out of options. Sorry, you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

[ivan_dzo]

Jeremy, you've got some sensible replies. One point however is that wherever possible, I would avoid flash entirely. I seldom use it, as it kills the atmosphere dead. I normally use an f1.2 lens with a monopod and 800iso print film. Atmosphere is tons better than with flash.

[jpursley]

Thanks for the input, everyone - each post here has been informative and it's good to hear I'm on the right track. If there's enough time I'll try both shooting modes mentioned above, then also try some faster film and ditching the flash (or maybe turn it down 1-2 stops?).

 

One last question: with this kind of ambient light, do you like to adjust flash compensation? If so, how do you decide which setting to use?

[dave_yuhas]

If the ambient light is very low to non-existent in a large space you're stuck with it. Learn to use flash intelligently. Omnn-Bounce is fine as long as you're in a small white room. Digital is great for experimenting with flash without spending $ for film and processing. If you don't want to go digital, take good notes for each exposure. Everybody who uses flash and is good at it has climbed the learning curve. There just ain't any shortcuts.

[dave_yuhas]

<i>One last question: with this kind of ambient light, do you like to adjust flash compensation? If so, how do you decide which setting to use?</i>

<p>

 

If you have the capability, put your camera and flash in manual mode and vary the power setting, aperture, distance or all of the above. Shooting in TTL is a crap shoot. Each exposure, of the same subject at the same distance, can be different. Next best is an AUTO flash. The Vivitar 28x's, for example.

[tom_montemarano]

One of the things to remember with the 7 film camera is that it uses a 4-segment flash meter (default) that is linked to the active AF sensor. If you use the "focus and recompose" method of shooting, it is likely that the active sensor (set when AF locks) will not be over the subject when the shot is taken (and the flash meter reads the exposure). I had a number of problems with grossly overexposed flash shots until I realized that the primary metering segement was trying to read the flash reflected from the distant, dark, stage rear wall instead of the near subject. Once I corrected my technique, I have never had a problem.

 

Tom

[jpursley]

Thanks, Tom - I pretty much always use "focus and recompose" with the center AR sensor, so I'll be sure to take the multiple segments into account.