Do I need a 2nd flash?

Wheels

Wheels

Julian Keeler
Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,812
Name
Julian
Edit My Images
No
Trying out portraits at home with some bits I bought mainly blinds from Ikea, the white 1 has 2 halogen lights behind the backdrop and the flash on a tripod and built in flash on camera, the black is with sb900 directly on the camera.

How ever the black works we have just spent 4 hours trying different lighting and settings etc and these are just some of the results.

1.

JDS_0783.jpg


2.

JDS_0787.jpg
 
Julian, it's hard to tell in the first one that there is an Off Camera Flash directed at the subject. Just to clarify... you ARE using two flashes?

The shadow under the chin suggests that the camera flash was the brighter of the two and the catchlight in the eyes indicates the off camera flash didn't actually fire. If you can, disable the flash from firing on the camera, meaning that the single off camera flash then has to do the work.

This will allow you to gauge better how well the lighting is on the single flash - as the image looks a touch underexposed :)

Cheers!

Ads
 
Ads I had the built in flash on the camera and the sb900 on a tripod with a 33inch umbrella.
 
This is another attempt No lights behind
JDS_0773.jpg
 
Wheels said:
Ads I had the built in flash on the camera and the sb900 on a tripod with a 33inch umbrella.
Click to expand...

ah...!

ok where is the tripod flash located? I don't think you've got the flash set high enough to light sufficiently. Try bunging it up a bit, and move it further left/right away from subject and see how that comes out...!

Ads
 
Ideally you want to set the onboard flash to "--" so that it's not contributing to the exposure
 
anyway sorry... back to the original question. If you're using an SB-900, you don't need a 2nd flash unless you're wanting to expand your portraiture capabilities. Personally I like what you've done with the halogen lights in the first pic, you just want to nail the subject light with that single flash. Get confortable with that then get yourself a second flash - but you don't need one at this stage!
 
Graham I set it in the bracketing mode to commander and -- in the camera menu.

Ads I was just trying to achieve what I did in Cowasakis studio with his background and 3 flashes but just using the halogen lights and the flash and umbrella, as for the umbrella it was a good 2 ft above my daughter and about 3 ft if that to the side of her
 
You can't mix flash and halogen lights without getting the colour balance problems eveident in two of these pics. Are you sure the SB-900 was set on 'remote' when it was being fired by the camera flash?
 
100% sure Andrew both fired, mrs watched 1 to see if it fired and i watched other and both fired
 
Assuming the D300 and 300s menus are the same, you need to set

e3->Commander mode->Built-in flash->Mode --

which wil (in theory) prevent the onboard flash contributing to the overall exposure.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Assuming the D300 and 300s menus are the same, you need to set

e3->Commander mode->Built-in flash->Mode --

which wil (in theory) prevent the onboard flash contributing to the overall exposure.
Click to expand...

definately on that setting Graham and the built in 1 flashes also as the sb900
 
was the sb900 set up to the same group and channel as the commander mode on the camera? also I have had issues with my sb900 not firing if the little ir receiver window was facing the camera. Just thoughts.
 
Davec223 said:
was the sb900 set up to the same group and channel as the commander mode on the camera? also I have had issues with my sb900 not firing if the little ir receiver window was facing the camera. Just thoughts.
Click to expand...

Yeah Dave they were both firing and the camera was behind the tripod holding the light umbrella
 
You are saying two different things about the black background pic. In the OP you say the SB900 is on the camera and then you say it's firing the brolly :thinking:

Either way, that shot is lit with the on-camera flash, and nothing else. If the brolly is firing, it's not firing in sync. Presumably, if it's firing, it's being triggered by the camera's pre-flash.

You need to sort out your sync issues first, as described above. Sorry I can't help with Nikon's way of doing things, but it's only a question of getting the switching right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top