Basic Camera Settings for Studio Flash - Portrait

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bboy

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Tariq
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Am I right to think that the basic camera setting for studio flash are

iso 100, apeture f8 and shutter 125.

then you play with studio light position and power and modifiers.

This is for portrait shots.
 
The settings i use are f11 125 iso lo 1 (iso 100 in nikon) white balance set to 5500k

Hope that helps
 
Mr. Fish said:
:agree:
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There has to be a starting point for someone who switches on studio lights for the first time, I'm not saying my settings are rigid they can't be but you need to have a base where you can start being creative from :(
 
It's obviously going to depend on your light power, modifiers etc. for the few seconds it will take, just shoot and adjust, or better still use a light meter :)

Tariq, the settings you described will give you a good starting point.
 
cameradaft said:
The settings i use are f11 125 iso lo 1 (iso 100 in nikon) white balance set to 5500k

Hope that helps
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There is some fairly techie info on the web suggesting that Lo 1 on a Nikon is still a bad idea unless you have to. Basically it underexposes ISO 200 by 1 stop then gains up the shadows. IIRC noise at Lo1 on most Nikons is worse than noise at 800 ISO.

On my lighting courses, I start people off at ISO 200, 1/125/ f8, 5200K. We swap around from there for creative reasons but it's a good starting point.
 
bboy said:
Am I right to think that the basic camera setting for studio flash are

iso 100, apeture f8 and shutter 125.

then you play with studio light position and power and modifiers.

This is for portrait shots.
Click to expand...

certainly a good start mate. then play with the settings and positioning of the lights and modifiers to learn what they do. :)
 
If you can manage to shoot tethered, do so, really handy to see exactly how things are progressing.
 
Why do most people shoot 1/125th? Is it better at that speed, I have been using at 1/200th?

Tar
 
treeman said:
Depends on the triggers I think, some won't sync that fast. I shoot at 250th in the studio.
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Oh ok I see, is it best to stay at something like 1/125th to make sure you dont miss the flash sync? Is that a fast enough speed to ensure crisp and sharp photos.
 
mattchewone said:
Oh ok I see, is it best to stay at something like 1/125th to make sure you dont miss the flash sync? Is that a fast enough speed to ensure crisp and sharp photos.
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1/125th because Canon full frame cameras only go to 1/200th. Just better to be safe rather than sorry.

As to freezing the motion, the ONLY thing that matters here in a studio environment is the duration of the flash. If you're at a shutter speed/aperture that means you have very little ambient in (i.e. you turn the flashes off, take a photo and essentially get a black image) the shutter speed becomes the speed of the flash duration. Richard King posted this link the other day: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10053-10715

Absolutely brilliant demonstration of how flash speed dictates the sharpness of quickly moving objects.
 
My approach...

I set my camera to 1/125th
I decide what aperture I WANT to shoot at (from a creative POV)

I then set the power of the background lights using a meter to the amount of F stops above or under I want them to be over my base setting

I then check that the bounce back from the background is OK with a meter at the subject position

I then turn off the background lights, and light the subject with separate lights, I use a meter to ensure these match up with my camera settings, adjusting out the power of the main light as needed

I then visually balance out the fill light

I visually balance the hair light

The key to this is treating the background and foreground as 2 different entities, and ensuring you have enough separation between them

Obviously a your choice of background colour makes some difference to the background lighting settings

Read this: http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/

Zack makes a really interesting point about separating the background from the subject, in this case using bi-fold doors. Other flash experts dont bother. The amount of stops people quote between background and foreground is a bone of contention, the reality is that physical separation is very important in most cases if you want a pure white white background
 
Thanks I'll read both of those when I get a chance!

Just out of interest what would be the best distance between background and subject and subject and me?

Is it best to be the farthest point away with them filling the frame and zoomed out rather than being closest and zoomed in? Assuming your using a zoom lens like my 17-85mm.

Also I assume it's best to have IS off?
 
between you an the subject - anything between 1 foot and 20 - depends what lens you are

Between the background and the subject - assuming separation, six feet or more is really helpful
 
Thanks very much.

Also I've seen alot of people use ISO200 as there base is this the norm? If so why? I assumed ISO100 would be the best as its the highest quality. Well that's what I assumed.
 
mattchewone said:
Thanks very much.

Also I've seen alot of people use ISO200 as there base is this the norm? If so why? I assumed ISO100 would be the best as its the highest quality. Well that's what I assumed.
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See my post above. It's going to vary for different cameras and gets, um, a bit techie. But for example, see this page on the Nikon D90

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90/page22.asp

You have almost a stop less dynamic range at 100 ISO than 200 ISO. Some people are reporting that on recent Nikons ISO 320 gives best results. But in actual real use especially under controlled lighting conditions you are unlikely to notice a difference.

At ISO 200 the lights don't have to work as hard ;)
 
I use Canon will that make any difference? Ill try ISO200 next time and 1/125th shutter speed.

Got loads of new Settings to try next time!!
 
No, if your a canon shooter iso 100 should be your chosen iso, as for shutter speed, just make sure your camera can sync at your chosen speed and that no ambient light is effecting your pictures(unless that's what your wanting ofcourse) :)
 
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