High Speed photography

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appletart

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Tim
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Hey,

I have been reading up on High speed photography, and love the idea of it, just not sure how to set it up, nor what i need..

At the moment, i have an eos 450d, with the standard flash that it has.... and thats it...

What Flash would people recommend?
What is it about triggers? i have read that there are a few different ones, for example, sound ones etc, but i have never heard of them, and am new to photography in general... and where can you get them? and which ones are the best to use?

thanks in advance
 
Hi Tim
For high speed stuff you really will need an off camera flash with adjustable power, it doesn't need to be anything fancy and you can get them s/h on ebay very easily! As for the triggers it all depends what you are trying to do and how much you want to spend?
 
well, i would like to start off with the whole balloons, and water trick really. so anything that would set the flash off. not sure how they work...

off camera flash? how do they work?
 
i hadn't, no. amazing pics though...


still very confused about how the triggers work though, and what one is most suitable...
 
appletart said:
i hadn't, no. amazing pics though...


still very confused about how the triggers work though, and what one is most suitable...
Click to expand...

Are you asking about a sensor to detect sound or movement, then trigger the camera or flash?

This is a specialised area of photography but there is quite a lot of kit available if know where to look. It's expensive though.

For laser and IR triggers, PhotoTrap or ShutterBeam, maybe the Zigview movement sensor. I can't think of a sound trigger, but they are about.

For this kind of thing you need a flash with variable power output, so that you can adjust the duration of the flash to freeze very fast movement. I think most higher end guns will do that, but I would stick with Canon such as the 430EXII, or 580EXII as the basis for a powerful system.
 
There are some great water shots on display, but I hated getting myself and all around bleedin` soaked.
 
have a look at my set here. I have begun dabbling in it and only have a flash with fixed power output. Adjustable one is on the way, atm i get by by moving the falsh away from the object to get the light i want!

I built my own sound trigger, its quite easy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flat4/sets/72157620648258134/
 
This is my attempt at high speed photography. I looked online for ages and eventually got a circuit diagram and parts list for maplin. Built it and it works. It fires the flash when it hears a sound. Only down side is it can only work in the dark, and you leave the shutter open on bulb. Very hard to fire an air rifle in pitch black!


http://www.davechapmanphotography.co.uk/highspeed/highspeed.htm
 
sorry how do I resize an image?
 
thanks, just linked it to one of my photos and wasnt expecting it to come out at that size on the forum! Apologies.
 
Photo Plod said:
They are some amazing high-speed shots. How much would a laser trigger and a flash unit like that cost, though?
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PhotoTrap is the best one I know of commercially available.
http://www.phototrap.com/trap.htm

It used to be about a grand for an outfit and I think you have to import direct from the guy that makes them in the US. Works well though - I've used it. Flash gun/s extra - any decent flash will do.
 
WOW ! Was it Barnum who said there is one born every minute. A thousand notes eh, I think I will order a couple. Mine cost 9 notes plus flash gun.
 
There are two ways to do this type of photography, Cheap or expensive!
The cheap way is to set up your gear in front of a tap or other device that will give you a steady drop, then click away until you get a suitable shot. For more technical hi speed shots you will need a timing device of some sort. ie: Mumford time machine,Shutterbeam or Hiviz are the ones I can bring to mind at the moment. I have the Mumford time machine, also you have the options to connect various sensors that will allow you to capture great hi speed shots. Some are, Optical sensor, Laser sensor, Vibration sensor, Sound sensor. The flash you would use would be off camera with a speed of 1/64 or 1/128 of a second. The very short duration of flash allows freezing of movement, this is done in a dark environment. Check out photoopa on flickr for some outstanding Hi Speed Photography. Have fun :thumbs:
PS. Cost for a timing device would I suppose vary but allow at least 400 quid, flash extra.
 
classcams said:
WOW ! Was it Barnum who said there is one born every minute. A thousand notes eh, I think I will order a couple. Mine cost 9 notes plus flash gun.
Click to expand...

If you can replicate a PhotoTrap outfit for £9 then I would like to order 100 units now please :thumbs:
 
Sorry, all of my staff are on holiday at the moment. Seriously though, if you can tell me any extras I can fit to my unit I will be greatful for ideas. I can`t think of any way I can improve it.
 
classcams said:
Sorry, all of my staff are on holiday at the moment. Seriously though, if you can tell me any extras I can fit to my unit I will be greatful for ideas. I can`t think of any way I can improve it.
Click to expand...

LOL :) TBH I don't think the PhotoTrap is anything particularly special on the electronics front, but it comes in a nice neat box and you just plug everything in and go.

I've not seen the latest models which have changed recently (maybe they're cheaper ;) ) but the one's I'm familiar with have a selection of different sensors - laser and IR etc, sound, whatever - and one that doesn't require a reflector which is extremely useful for wildlife. And they don't need total darkness - fine in daylight. The sound trigger works with a squeak or a gunshot. Just plug it in.

It's aimed at wildlife photographers, for use in the field. It will fire two cameras and you can vary the delay, and set various timers so that it will do what you want when you want it. Basically unmanned operation - set it up at the safari waterhole and leave it overnight, and anything that comes in the camera's line of fire takes its own picture, time and again. The elephants might squash it, but rather the kit than you. Aim the beam across the entrance to a badger's sett and you'll have a hundred pictures by morning - inches from the subject if you want. As a bird flies to its nest or a feeding station, it breaks the beam and high speed flash freezes every feather. Anything that moves basically. Airgun pellets are a doddle. It's mm accurate if you need it to be.

I don't think there is anything else quite like it commercially available.
 
i still don't understand about triggers.

which type are the best for this type of photography? and how do you set it up, and then connect to the camera or flash?
 
appletart said:
i still don't understand about triggers.

which type are the best for this type of photography? and how do you set it up, and then connect to the camera or flash?
Click to expand...

i built the trigger from the link above. A sound (like a clap) or a balloon popping will activate the flash (set to 1/20000 of a second)

With my setup, you have to do it in the dark. Have the camera on Bulb mode, turn lights off, open shutter, pop smash explode whatever you are doing, then close shutter.

Your camera cannot capture anything near 1/20000 of a second, so this is why you need the flash unit to do it.
 
appletart said:
i still don't understand about triggers.

which type are the best for this type of photography? and how do you set it up, and then connect to the camera or flash?
Click to expand...

the type of trigger will depened on the type of shot you want to take, the trigger is connected to a external flash unit usually using a PC-SYNC hot shoe

hama-hotshoe-pc-sync-socket-adapter-with-cable-(6952)-lrg.jpg


If you are doing a water drop you would use a optical trigger and set it up so the drop breaks the beam on the optical trigger, when the beam is broken the delay timer (which is adjustable) would start counting down (you need this to ensure the flash triggers when the drop is where you want it in the camera frame) as soon as the delay is over the flash fires. you would set the camera up on a tripod prefocussed on the spot that you want to take a picture, use bulb setting on the camera and a darkened room, and essentially the flash acts as the camera shutter.

For a ballon popping you could use a sound activated trigger it would work the same as above but the delay timer would start when the trigger heard the noise of the ballon popping.
 
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