Using flash & lights at the same time (on a HiLite) - Help!

cambsno

cambsno

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Got a HiLite today. Put my 2 Lencarta Smartflash either side and worked straight away - Great. Put my SB900 on camera bounced off ceiling and got some nice shots. Recently got a 2nd sb900 so thought I would try that to light the floor. Used the one on camera as Master and the other as Remote. But when I did that the Smartflash didnt light properly (still beeped after the shot).

See the pics below. With my daughter you can see the floor not lit (1 bounced flash) but the background fine (these are SOOC from RAW and just to here to show what I mean rather than lighting skill or artistic talent!). With my son, you can see the difference... Any ideas?

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How would you go about lighting it using the equipment I have.
 
cambsno said:
Got a HiLite today. Put my 2 Lencarta Smartflash either side and worked straight away - Great. Put my SB900 on camera bounced off ceiling and got some nice shots. Recently got a 2nd sb900 so thought I would try that to light the floor. Used the one on camera as Master and the other as Remote. But when I did that the Smartflash didnt light properly (still beeped after the shot).

See the pics below. With my daughter you can see the floor not lit (1 bounced flash) but the background fine (these are SOOC from RAW and just to here to show what I mean rather than lighting skill or artistic talent!). With my son, you can see the difference... Any ideas?

How would you go about lighting it using the equipment I have.
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It sounds like the pre flash is firing the smartflashes early. You need to be firing the 2nd speed light optically, it sounds like you're using commander mode.
 
Can't comment on the Nikon kit, however I'd try one smartflash in the hiLite pointing at the rear, one to light the floor either side to the rear of the subject and one on a stand at about two o'clock just above head hight in a soft box or a shoot through brolly, see how that even's up the floor to the hilite.
You're looking to get your key light two stops higher than the hilite
 
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Phil V said:
It sounds like the pre flash is firing the smartflashes early. You need to be firing the 2nd speed light optically, it sounds like you're using commander mode.
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That sounds about right as everything was flashing, just not all together I guess.

Would putting both flash on wireless triggers solve this (and they would trigger the smart flash?
 
I sometimes use my SB800 (small hidden light behind subject) & I run the 240v main strobes with a wireless trigger, these then trigger the SB800 optically. This works fine.
 
If you don't have a wireless trigger, then a synch cable to a Smartflash should trigger the rest - you may have to turn on the optical trigger on the other smartflash (sorry don't really know that kit). Run both the SB's in manual..
 
cambsno said:
That sounds about right as everything was flashing, just not all together I guess.

Would putting both flash on wireless triggers solve this (and they would trigger the smart flash?
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Then it's simple:

Both Speedlights on Manual, with the off camera speedlight as an optical slave. The on camera speedlight should just be fill, I'd recommend;

  • Bouncing it off a large reflector behind you
  • Buying some simple triggers and putting it through a brolly from close to the camera position.

The off camera speedlight needs to be shot through a brolly / softbox as your keylight. You have all you need but triggers would give you a bit of freedom of movement - get some battery packs for the speedlights to enable them to recycle at a decent rate.
 
I get good results using two speedlites for the HiLite, having spent some time fiddling around to get even coverage. Use blinkies for this. I use radio triggers (Canons don't have optical slave) but I'd guess you could arrange things so they fire optically.

At around 1/4 power, they recycle quick and last well, leaving your Smartflashes to do what they do best.

Edit: Suggest turn gun 90 degrees so long side of head runs top to bottom, and optical slave is towards camera. Flip wide-panel down and aim towards far corner at the rear. Fit small flag to head (card/BluTack) so no light can hit front of the HiLite directly.
 
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HoppyUK said:
I get good results using two speedlites for the HiLite, having spent some time fiddling around to get even coverage. Use blinkies for this. I use radio triggers (Canons don't have optical slave) but I'd guess you could arrange things so they fire optically.

At around 1/4 power, they recycle quick and last well, leaving your Smartflashes to do what they do best.

Edit: Suggest turn gun 90 degrees so long side of head runs top to bottom, and optical slave is towards camera. Flip wide-panel down and aim towards far corner at the rear. Fit small flag to head (card/BluTack) so no light can hit front of the HiLite directly.
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I nearly said - use the flashguns in the HiLite, the Smartflashes could then be used with the modelling lamps :thumbs:, but I don't have a HiLite and wasn't sure how much power they'd need.
 
I am thinking it may be easier just to get 2 additional flashes (yongnuo) for the hilite and use the sb900s as key/fill.

More transportable and not as cumbersome (i shoot in customers homes so space is unknown and often tight).
 
cambsno said:
I am thinking it may be easier just to get 2 additional flashes (yongnuo) for the hilite and use the sb900s as key/fill.

More transportable and not as cumbersome (i shoot in customers homes so space is unknown and often tight).
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Disagree. You want to buy two more guns to use instead of studio heads you already have, on the basis of being more transportable? What about that massive HiLite, the stands, softboxes/brollies etc that you'll still have to take? How is a studio head going to make space tighter?

You'll be pushing hot-shoe guns hard with slow recycle and no modelling light, running out of batteries and faffing around. I'd take the Smartflash every time, even if it was more cumbersome, which it isn't.

Edit: Not sure what modifiers you're planning, but if space is tight, then brollies take up a lot less working room than softboxes.
 
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I know that in my lounge I do not have space for lights. Thinking about recent shoots the majority I would say would be the same which has made me think about flash. Totally agree that lights are best but flash much smaller.
 
cambsno said:
I know that in my lounge I do not have space for lights. Thinking about recent shoots the majority I would say would be the same which has made me think about flash. Totally agree that lights are best but flash much smaller.
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Like Richard says, the actual flash head vs flashgun is minimal, what takes up space is stands, modifiers and backgrounds. The difference in use between a flashgun in a softbox on a stand and a studio head in a softbox on a stand is minimal, the difference in usability is vast.

A long time ago in a far away land, I used to set up Jesops Powerflash heads in peoples homes, look up those babies with their softboxes :eek:.
 
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