How to take Night Shot with Flash Setting

[virus530]

Hi,

I need to check how to do the above with Human Subject in it.
Situation is I want to take a picture of my wife posing in front of a Church and I want the Church to be clear as well. Surrounding got poor lighting could have use a f1.4 lens but depth of field too shallow so no choice have to use a flash.
However I am not familiar with Flash. Base on my thinking, if face flash head 45 degree or 90 degree upwards to act as Fill Light(there is no Ceiling to Bounce) its too weak to light up the Church behind right? If uses Direct Flash, it will be too harsh on the Subject.
Care to share how do we go about it.

 

[jimbok]

If the church is dark, you can either
1) Use off-camera flash to light
- 1 or 2 flash to light up the church (if the church is huge, it will be quite a challenge to light up)
- 1 flash to light up your subject (probably with a warming gel so your subject looks warm and naturally lit)

Or, another option with less equipments required
2) Place your camera onto a tripod, increase your ISO and slow down your shutter speed
3) Use a wide angle lens with big aperture, bump up your ISO and place onto a tripod

 

[wuyongzheng]

Mount your camera on a tripod and use slow sync flash.

 

[Complex13717421]

I think the main question is how far behind is the church?


If it's pretty far behind, i.e. u want to see the whole church, 1 camera mounted flash isn't going to cut it. You will need more lightning equipment to illuminate the church as mentioned earlier.

If you want to go with longer exposure, you risk movement blur from your wive, e.g. 5 sec exposure.

As jimbok mentioned, what equipment u use also makes a difference. If you're using a f/1.4, your dof will be shallow, so slap on a UWA with f/2.8.

But if u decide to increase flash power, u might overexpose your wife.
For the lack of bounce, u can use a bounce card (hire assistants?).

 

[zac08]

Mount your camera on a tripod and use slow sync flash.

This is the best method.

Expose for the church and reduce flash ev to illuminate your wife. You'd need some practise doing so to get the idea.

 

[luntut]

i wanted to reply you "point, aim, shoot" when i saw your thread title.

den i saw your scenario. haha.

what i tried before, was as such, if it is a delibrate rigged shot:
1. put camera on tripod. set it to M mode. set to f/11 or more. set speed to bout 5-8 sec.
2. flash fire it.
3. shoot like normal. but ask your wife that after the flash goes off, stay in position first. till the shutter closes.

concept: flash to light up your wife on the foreground. long shutter speed to naturally light up the background. asking her to stand still after the flash goes off, is so her body blocks off the background light, so tat she doesnt turn into a "ghost" in the picture, where both her and the background is captured at the same spot.

i tried it before. i quite like the effect.

 

[archon75]

Night shoot - ISO bump to 400 or 640 (capture more ambient light)
Flash - Slow Sync (agreed, can use colour gel to create more "warm" colour)
Tripod - a must have

 

[feeler]

try this: put in shutter priority and set to 1/8 or 1/10. Pop up your flash and shoot away. u may adjust the flash exposure that will suit u.

 

[deepanshus]

i wanted to reply you "point, aim, shoot" when i saw your thread title.

den i saw your scenario. haha.

what i tried before, was as such, if it is a delibrate rigged shot:
1. put camera on tripod. set it to M mode. set to f/11 or more. set speed to bout 5-8 sec.
2. flash fire it.
3. shoot like normal. but ask your wife that after the flash goes off, stay in position first. till the shutter closes.

concept: flash to light up your wife on the foreground. long shutter speed to naturally light up the background. asking her to stand still after the flash goes off, is so her body blocks off the background light, so tat she doesnt turn into a "ghost" in the picture, where both her and the background is captured at the same spot.

i tried it before. i quite like the effect.

i experimented that in such a scneario a "rear synch" is more pleasing effect...

another alternative is that if your wife is doubtful to be still for 4 - 5 sec, use a triopd and take 2 snaps, one with church and then with your wife with flash..adjust flash so that its not overexposed and then merge the two pics in Adobe.

hope it helps, do let us know how and what you did...

 

[lsisaxon]

i experimented that in such a scneario a "rear synch" is more pleasing effect...

Probably because subjects tend to hold their pose until they see the flash then they relax.. ;p

 

[ijnek]

use a flash, 90 degrees up and use a bounce card and a bounce diffuser.

but do note that of the background is very far away, it will not help much.u need more lightings on the background then

 

[dexpense]

why not use the night portait mode on ur cam and see what automatic settings it gives, usually it should be high iso and flash ON

See if u like the photo output from this auto mode and from the auto settings and do ur own manual adjustment? but i do agree tripod is a must for best results AND u do not need a fast lense for such situation, a cheap kit lense can give u similar output with the right settings

 

[virus530]

try this: put in shutter priority and set to 1/8 or 1/10. Pop up your flash and shoot away. u may adjust the flash exposure that will suit u.

I guess if thats the way, it wont have much difference if I use Aperture Mode and jack up the ISO.

another alternative is that if your wife is doubtful to be still for 4 - 5 sec, use a triopd and take 2 snaps, one with church and then with your wife with flash..adjust flash so that its not overexposed and then merge the two pics in Adobe.

If Using software then definitely no problem..LOL

why not use the night portait mode on ur cam and see what automatic settings it gives, usually it should be high iso and flash ON

See if u like the photo output from this auto mode and from the auto settings and do ur own manual adjustment? but i do agree tripod is a must for best results AND u do not need a fast lense for such situation, a cheap kit lense can give u similar output with the right settings

I doubt I have that mode..unless I am really ****. LOL....I am using D700.

 

[virus530]

If the church is dark, you can either
1) Use off-camera flash to light
- 1 or 2 flash to light up the church (if the church is huge, it will be quite a challenge to light up)
- 1 flash to light up your subject (probably with a warming gel so your subject looks warm and naturally lit)

Or, another option with less equipments required
2) Place your camera onto a tripod, increase your ISO and slow down your shutter speed
3) Use a wide angle lens with big aperture, bump up your ISO and place onto a tripod

I doubt this is useful. If I am doing a Paid Job then of cause.But from my post if I am asking this type of question obviously I am not a PRO.I am thinking of when I am traveling for leisure and its totally impossible for this set up or at least in my case cause I dont think i will wan to carry so much equipment. Not sure would anyone do that when they are traveling for leisure.

 

[virus530]

Mount your camera on a tripod and use slow sync flash.

I might try this...

 

[virus530]

I think the main question is how far behind is the church?


If it's pretty far behind, i.e. u want to see the whole church, 1 camera mounted flash isn't going to cut it. You will need more lightning equipment to illuminate the church as mentioned earlier.

If you want to go with longer exposure, you risk movement blur from your wive, e.g. 5 sec exposure.

As jimbok mentioned, what equipment u use also makes a difference. If you're using a f/1.4, your dof will be shallow, so slap on a UWA with f/2.8.

But if u decide to increase flash power, u might overexpose your wife.
For the lack of bounce, u can use a bounce card (hire assistants?).

LOL. your nick is definitely more complicated than my situation. I will assume Distance to be near. I will be using a UWA Lens 17-35 F2.8 on D700.

 

[voldisinarta]

This is the best method. Expose for the church and reduce flash ev to illuminate your wife. You'd need some practise doing so to get the idea.

Agree.... this need some practice. Would help alot if you have a light meter in-hand, and do the shoot in manual mode. Plus maybe a few flash if the church is big.

** Warning, these steps will not be applicable if the difference of brightness between the church and the object are too big, and if your flash has no manual mode. **

1. Meter the background (church) with all flashes that are going to light it.
2. Record the f stop and aperture
3. Put your wife in position
4. Meter your wife with the main flash that is going to light her
5. Adjust the flash power until you get around the same f stop and aperture as no 2.
6. Take the photos. If the result is not satisfying, plus/minus the exposure abit, and at the same time adjust the power of the main flash.

My two cents.

 

[ijnek]

if the distance is near, then the bounce card should work nicely

 

[lsisaxon]

LOL. your nick is definitely more complicated than my situation. I will assume Distance to be near. I will be using a UWA Lens 17-35 F2.8 on D700.

Regardless of the distance, it's insane to use a flash for the church. You'll probably need a couple of powerful strobes to do that.
For a UWA, the hyperfocal distance is usually not very far. There is a high chance that stopping down to f/5.6 or f/8 is sufficient to give a very deep DoF. Since the required DoF already dictates your aperture, the other variables are ISO and shutter speed. Depending on the lighting situation of the church, select as high an ISO as you're comfortable with the noise level. You are only left with the shutter speed.

Meter the church to give you the shutter speed. It would be easier if the church has sufficient illumination. Then knowing the shutter speed, place the subject under lighting that is darker than the church so that ambient light has little effect on the subject at the exposure setting.

Set the flash to give correct exposure or slight underexposure based on the aperture and the ISO.

 

[jimbok]

I doubt this is useful. If I am doing a Paid Job then of cause.But from my post if I am asking this type of question obviously I am not a PRO.I am thinking of when I am traveling for leisure and its totally impossible for this set up or at least in my case cause I dont think i will wan to carry so much equipment. Not sure would anyone do that when they are traveling for leisure.

Well, you'll never know how amateurs are crazy over strobist stuff. Pay a visit to strobist to find out more.
It really depends on situation, how deep you would like to go. On camera and off camera lighting is a whole world of difference.