douglascott

Thank you for all of the answers. I've had some success with placing a small thumb tack in the middle of the white board that I use. It gives the camera something to focus on, and therefore allows me to push shutter release. The modeling lights on the strobe, when the strobe head is in close proximity, usually puts out enough light. I will definitely keep the flash light trick in mind.

I'm having difficulty capturing a custom white balance with studio monolight

strobes. Part of the reason, I imagine, is that until the flash fires, there is

not enough light on my white card to allow the camera to focus and lock. I've

tried to lock the focus on the edge of the card and then shift back to the

center, but it hasn't worked - I get a "no good" response. I've had more

success when there's some ambient light in the area, but in this particular

studio setting there is none. I'm familiar with other white/gray cards used in

post-processing, but I would prefer to resolve in camera, if possible. I would

appreciate any suggestions.

Regarding shutter speed, I committed the photographic cardinal sin of deleting the photo series out of frustration instead of saving them to learn something. I am going to try to recreate the series today in same spot at same time of day.

Thanks everyone for responses. Are there really limitations to autofocus in low light?

 

Although I never shoot in Auto mode, I have noticed that in Auto mode, the camera will use multiple focal points (focus areas)to focus. I haven't been able to duplicate this in manual mode. Does anyone know how?

 

Let me try to paste Niko Guido's low-light photo in here (I hope this is allowed).

If anyone is interested, I'm posting a link to a photographer who posts on Photo.net alot. Looking at this low lighting situation, how does he get such clarity in the photo?

 

www.photo.net/photo/4422766

I've had two frustrating portrait lighting experiences lately with 1. outdoor

overcast lighting and 2.indoor natural lighting 15 feet from large window. The

noticeable problem in both series of photos is blur. The indoor natural light

photo (no fill flash)was more surprising because I was using a tripod at f5.6

and 400 ISO and still blurry (Nikon 55-200 telephoto lens). The lens doesn't

have vibration reduction and I wasn't using reflectors (also didn't have meter

with me).

 

Is this an issue mostly of lens just not being fast/good enough? It's possible

my model (wife) was not completely still, but all the photos were blurry.

 

By comparison, how do professional photographers using large telephotos and

standing 20-30 feet from subject get good exposure in low lighting.

 

Thanks for suggestions.

Ellis - always a pleasure to read your answers. I have 3 Alien Bees 800s. It's my understanding that they have slave eyes, but that was my original problem - that the slave eye must be facing the key light to react. This works well if using umbrellas. But if I'm using softboxes and the backs of the heads are not facing one another, the slave eye becomes useless. That's why I originally bought the wireless transmitter.

 

So your saying that I'll need flash receivers on each head? I'm starting to see the beauty of a pack and head system.

I have three (3) monolight strobes. Because I use softboxes on all three most

of the time, I've recently purchased an inexpensive wireless radio trigger

system to fire them. The transmitter attaches to camera hotshoe and fires to

receiveers on all three monolights.

 

My problem now is how to incorporate my flash meter (Sekonic L-358) into the

mix. Attaching sync cord to flash meter and key light works fine, but how can I

get all three flashes to fire when I want to get an overall reading for all

monolights? Essentially, I need the flash meter to serve as transmitter.

 

I don't even know what keywords to search for to do previous search for this

question.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

DDS

In this type of mixed light composition, what effect does the flash really have on the final photo? Given 18 seconds of ambient light and 1/2000 of a second of flash, it seems that the flash's effect would insignificant to final photo.

What is the best way to "resize" images for posting to Photo.net? I'm certainly

no master of Photoshop (I have CS2), but when I need to resize an image for

posting here, it seems I have several confusing options. While I have the jpeg

in Photoshop, I can alter the pixel "size" and the image "size." And then when

I go to save the image, I'm always prompted again to choose "dimensions." Can

someone please clarify. I posted a picture under my "workspace," but the image

looks horrible. I'm not sure where I went wrong.

I'm experimenting with new studio strobe flash set up and I'm considering making

the additional investment in flash meter, but I'm wondering, in the digital age,

how much value they still provide to more experienced photographers (not me). I

shoot entirely indoors in small studio and I do product shots for my own web

site. I submitted a picture recently on another post and several people

commented that it looked underexposed. With that particular item, I essentially

just kept tweaking the exposure until it looked "right," but apparently it

wasn't right to better trained eyes. Would a flash meter have helped, or is it

always trial and error? If so, could you recommend one that's under ~$300?

Paul,

 

I have the Nikon D80 and it does have a connection for the laptop. I also use the Nikon Camera Control Pro, which I think is great, especially for the money. There were certainly more expensive options. The only thing I might caution is the "approved" shot on your computer and the final, printed image (if it is to be printed). I don't know anything about color management, but I'm consistently amazed by the difference between how something looks on my computer screen and what it looks like in print. Good luck!

You all are great. I really appreciate the feedback. Yesterday was the first day with new 800 w/s studio strobes with softboxes. I've also experimented with different backdrops. My initial issue was that the entire photo would either have a blue or red overcast to it. I couldn't get it "clear" or "white" like I could previously with my hot lights. And I don't currently have a light meter. What I want is minimal work post-photo: a. Is this overcast issue common with strobe? Is a grey card really the way that most of you more experienced photogs would approach the solution apart from other suggestions already made?

 

Regarding underexposure, I'm a little lost. I think the strobe heads are too powerful for this small of an item. I felt like the picture would jump from severely overexposed to underexposed. I just couldn't get it right. I enjoy the challenge, but this is really a lot more complex than I ever imagined it would be. I can't sleep at night.

I'm having an impossible time adjusting the white balance on my camera. I've

literally gone up and down the custom Kelvin settings and not one setting seems

correct. The closest I've gotten is in the posted photo. Can anyone offer any

advice on the setting white balance with studio flash?

 

Also, any critiques in general of the photo I would appreciate. These photos

are for web postings, so they are supposed to be product shots.

 

Thanks in advance.

Brooks - when you are in the studio, I assume you use a flash meter? But while your strobes are off, and no other lighting around, what exactly are you measuring with the meter?

Brooks - thanks again for the reponse. For Speedotron systems, I found a 2400 ws system online for sale, but I think it could be almost 10 years old, or more. Is it worth getting this older pack, which apparently works fine, or to invest in something newer? Would one 2400 ws pack be enough light for my very small studio, or would I really need two? Can you mix packs - e.g. one 2400 ws and one 800ws?

How many heads could I set up on one 2400 pack? Could I assume that the total output (2400 w/s)divided by the number of heads would equal the w/s per head? For example, if I could put 4 heads on one 2400 pack, would that mean that each head would get 600 w/s?

 

Anything to be aware of if purchasing these used? How best to verify that it's a good, working piece of equipment?

Brooks - I've looked through at some of the photos you've posted on this site. What type of lighting do you primarily use for product photos (large or small)?

Frank - thanks for the reponse. What's the difference between diffuser cloth/screens and scrims? Are they designed to do the same thing or do they have different functions? What about softboxes? For shooting furniture, do softboxes spread out the light enough, or would something larger be needed (e.g. scrims)?

I'm currently using hot lights with umbrellas. I rented strobes for one day to get a sense of how they work because I'm evaluating whether to upgrade the hot light system or go with a new strobe system (the picture above was with the rented strobes and umbrellas). With the hot lights, I've been using hand-held diffusers, but as you noted, with larger pieces like in the photo, this doesn't work all that well. Regardless of the system I decide to go with (hot lights vs. strobe) I had planned to purchase softboxes to go with them. I hadn't considered scrims based on space constraints in my very small studio. What are your thoughts on softboxes vs. scrim?

Everyone - thanks for the detailed responses. Brooks - you mentioned larger lighting, how could I achieve "larger" lighting - with a soft box? Larger umbrellas? And how important is the strobe reflector in terms of either size or quality? With the strobes I rented the other day, the reflector was 7". How does anyone feel about Alien Bees products? They have a studio package with a good assortment of equipment for a reasonable price, but I also want a kit I can keep for awhile and expand on.

 

...This paragraph removed by moderator...

Gary - I am tethered to a PC screen. I use a Nikon program called Camera Control Pro that allows me to see the images large size as soon as I take them. That said, and without a flash meter for the moment, should I still set the shutter speed first (while in manual mode) and then shoot several shots to get the correct aperture?

Sorry - I think I uploaded original file. Quite large. Let's try this one.<div></div>

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but how should I properly control a

strobe while shooting in manual exposure? Testing rented strobes today, I

thought that it was odd how long the exposure would take after the flash fired -

sometimes up to 4 or 5 seconds. Am I doing this right? If the flash lasts only

a split second, what provides the rest of the exposure during the remain 3-4

seconds? Should I be doing something different? I am shooting with a Nikon D80

/ ISO 100 f/5.6 mostly. Ultimately, the end result was decent, but could I be

doing something better? I'm attaching a sample shot that I took today with a

combined strobe and natural light. I would apprciate any input.<div></div>

Garry - thanks for the response. My boss isn't that bad actually. I'm the one who has been pushing the strobes and I was disappointed that I had talked them up and then achieved ho-hum results. But, as you pointed out in my other thread / question, I wasn't even shooting the flash properly today. As a matter of fact, to make this day even worse, I somehow just blew one of my rented strobe bulbs (I don't suppose that happens naturally to these bulbs?) Is there a good book anyone could recommend on the basics of strobe lighting. I should take a class, but I haven't had much luck finding any in the Miami area.