Lighting dilema

mjwman

mjwman

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I hope you folk can help. I have a dilema and am not sure how to approach it.
Here is the scenario:

Photographing people chatting in a large room, with high ceiling.

Light reading for ambient using camera meter (matrix): ISO 200 = 1/8 @ F2.8
Nikon D200 used in manual mode
SB800 Flash - BL TTL mode

Q: Using my flash, if I set my camera to 1/8 @2.8 I'll get the ambient light
but camera shake on the people. What do I do? At what point is the shutter
speed irrelevant because the flash will freeze the movement.

I want the ambient light in the pics, I don't want to increase my ISO (maybe
I have no choice?) & F5.6 ideally.


Am I being too cautious with the ISO. I would like the images to be saleable and am worried about noise.

I always shoot Raw by the way and use Aperture or Photoshop to manage them.
 
I don't use a lot of flash, but when I have to (totally dark wedding reception or something) I find I can use my flash and drag the shutter to 1/30th or even 1/15th if necessary with the subjects still sharp. That will allow in enough ambient light in your situation to record the subjects' surroundings.

- CJ
 
Your exposure calulation is based on using the flash for fill rather than as the main light.

The brightest areas of ambient light will still be captured if you under expose it by a stop or two and use the flash as the main light source. So start with say 1/60th @ f/5.6 and see what kind of mix between flash and ambient you're getting. From there drop the shutter speed and/or up the ISO until you're happy.

If the ceiling is too high for bounce try turning the head around and bounce it off the wall behind you instead.
 
mjwman said:
At what point is the shutter
speed irrelevant because the flash will freeze the movement.
Click to expand...

The flash will always freeze the movement. But the longer the shutter speed, the more can be registered – in the same image – before and after the flash: subject movement and/or camera shake.

I want the ambient light in the pics, I don't want to increase my ISO (maybe
I have no choice?) & F5.6 ideally.
Click to expand...

I would do a test run with different ISO settings, different F-stops(including F/5.6), and different fill-flash settings (–1EV, and –2EV) to actually see what works best.
And to have an opportunity to come up with a Plan B if it doesn't work.

Am I being too cautious with the ISO. I would like the images to be saleable and am worried about noise.
Click to expand...

You can do a lot about that in PP, so I would definitely not rule out using ISO 200 and/or ISO 400!
 
If you set the camera to second curtainflash the it may help, u could have a slow shutter to expose for the ambient light and then the flash fires at the last moment to freeze the action..
 
If you don't want to go up to 400 or 800 ISO then just underexpose it and push it a couple of stops on photoshop. It'll be more grainy though.

The problem with using the flash too is that it will counteract some of the natural light, unless you can fire it from the light source and use it to duplicate the natural light.

And as someone has already said, the flash will freeze the subject at whatever speed you use, but at slower speeds you'll create flash blur, which is actually one of my favourite techniques. The other is Wheelbarrow Style.
 
:popcorn:

pxl8 sits quietly watching for the first person to ask for a link explaining the wheelbarrow style of lighting...
 
sssh, I'm starting a rumour...
 
OK, first, she has to be naked, and it's definitely better of she's the wheelbarrow...
 
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