SB-700 arriving today

This is my first flash that I will be using.

Tomorrow, I'll be shooting some indoor shots for a coworkers retirement ceremony. The thing I'm worried about, is the ceiling is not flat. It has more of an industrial look to it. I'll mess around with trial and error, but you think the flash pointed up with the card out will still suffice?






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on the new flash! I read here somewhere that sometimes setting it at a 45 degree angle can work good too.

Philth said:

This is my first flash that I will be using.

Tomorrow, I'll be shooting some indoor shots for a coworkers retirement ceremony. The thing I'm worried about, is the ceiling is not flat. It has more of an industrial look to it. I'll mess around with trial and error, but you think the flash pointed up with the card out will still suffice?






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Yup....card out, flash at about 45°, and you're good to go.

fotojack said:

Yup....card out, flash at about 45°, and you're good to go.

Click to expand...

Another notion is 75 or 90 degrees (straight up).... because 45 degrees suffers huge risk of direct light from flash lens going 0 degrees to subject, which would obliterate any bounce light. This direct light spill is "just too much bounce card".

We can and should closely examine the shadows in the picture, to judge how much light from where. If you obliterate the bounce, there won't be any shadows Below objects, like chins.

Thanks all. Best to just start off in TTL?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

•

Best to just start off in TTL?

Well, yes… It's the best chance to succeed good shots, this is if you work within the
range and capacity of you flash.

In any case, spend a few hours shooting in all kind of conditions using the TTL Mode:

in a dark room,
in a totally black room,
against the sun at 2,3,4+ meters and see what happens (get spare batteries!),
direct, w/wo diffusor
indirect w/wo diffuser…

Just try anything, go for it and…

Have a good time!

The nice thing about it is you can shoot a couple and then look at them and adjust at that time. Get there early and play a little first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

WayneF said:

Another notion is 75 or 90 degrees (straight up).... because 45 degrees suffers huge risk of direct light from flash lens going 0 degrees to subject, which would obliterate any bounce light. This direct light spill is "just too much bounce card".

We can and should closely examine the shadows in the picture, to judge how much light from where. If you obliterate the bounce, there won't be any shadows Below objects, like chins.

Click to expand...

Wayne is absolutely right. I should have explained my answer better.

Here is an outdoor shot. The SB700 is in my left hand holding it high, making sure the sensor for CLS is pointed at my D7K. The onboard flash is set to commander but also TTL. You can see the catch light in her eyes.
Even if you cannot bounce, put the wide angle diffuser on to spread the light... also the dome. Look at the switch on the SB700 on the upper right for flash... set it to the bottom one.
If you're not sure which Nikon DSLR you have, if you have commander, you set up the way I did.

Ciao,
Lou Cioccio

Cute girl, and a good picture, but arguably a bit flat. A bit too much flash, IMO (your opinion may vary). But there are no gradient tones of shadows left on the face (flat), so it is not quite a natural light.

The SB-700 always uses TTL BL mode, and the Commander always does TTL BL anyway, so automation decided the degree of the fill light. But we can compensate it to be a bit less, like -1/3 EV Flash Compensation (applies to all flashes used), or same -1/3 in this group in the Commander (applies to only that one group).

If using TTL mode (instead of TTL BL), then this normally would need about -1 2/3 stop EV Flash Compensation. (TTL BL tries to do that automatically, TTL Mode does not).


Try it, you'll like like it. Leave some traces of gradient tone shadows on the face.

FWIW, if it had been indoors, or night and dim (no significant ambient), so flash becomes main light instead of fill, TTL BL may need +2/3 or +1 EV Flash Compensation then. (assuming Auto ISO is not sky high, making flash be fill again).

Situations vary, and the scene that TTL is metering varies, so we just pay attention, and do what we see we need to do.

Thanks all. I'll start messing around with it here in a second...just was delivered and need to go buy some AA batteries.

Speaking of batteries, I've read that Eneloop rechargeables are the way to go. What is the general consensus?

Philth said:

Eneloop rechargeables are the way to go. What is the general consensus?

Click to expand...

Hey,

Yes for the "black" Eneloop (forget the whites). Don't know about a general consensus…

Sanyo eneloop Mignon AA NiMH Akku 2500mAh, 4er-Pack (HR-3UWX-4BP) 19 Angebote ab € 13,99
Sanyo eneloop Mignon AA NiMH Akku 2000mAh, 4er-Pack (HR-3UTGA-4BP) 6 Angebote ab € 17,95

These are the prices where I live. The larger capacities are selling more so the prices go down!

Forget the blacks. 25% more capacity, for 100% more price.

The whites are fantastic for a flash, only way to go. Buy a second set for same money, 100% more capacity.

Here's my first stab at it...be easy on me. This is with my D5100 and 35mm prime.

Looks Good! If you have any doubts about what bounce flash contributed to it, just try the same picture with direct flash.

Thanks!

GREAT SHOT. Did you use the little White pop-up card that is built into the flash? And did your bounce at 45° OR 90° ?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Ah you had to put me on the spot. The card wasn't out and the flash was at 90* ( I THINK).

Now I'm thinking about something else. Do I leave my ISO in Auto mode, or do I set it low to something like 200? Or does it matter? Reason why I'm asking, is that I'll probably be shooting from distances not "close". Meaning, I don't think I'll be able to use my 35mm prime lens. Will probably have to use my kit lens or the 55-200mm. I'll def try to use the 35mm prime if the opportunity allows it though.

The last few camera modes (since D300S) are different than older ones, like D300 and D90.

Old ones, Auto ISO stayed at minimum with flash, because, after all, you are using flash. A hot shoe flash could increase ISO if it needed more flash power, but even then, the viewfinder never shows a higher Auto value (with flash). The Exif data in rear LCD shows it later, in red, if it advanced. So... Auto ISO didn't much matter for hot shoe flash.

Newer ones, indoors, Auto ISO will go sky high due to the dimmer ambient, and the flash has to work into that high ISO ... as fill flash (TTL BL) instead of main light. That means the orange incandescent also registers well, and well, it is orange with Flash WB. Turn Auto ISO off. Low ISO(400) and shutter speed up near maximum sync speed (1/200) makes the ambient be insignificant.

The D4 and D800 improved from this bad development. If using flash, their Auto ISO will only advance two stops from minimum, and then stop. Bounce needs ISO 400 anyway, so that works out real well.

You generally want the pull out white card with bounce. It provides a little forward spill, direct frontal fill. It fills the shadows in eye sockets, etc. You picture seemed close though, so maybe only pull it out half way. When you get boring flat lighting on the face, that's too much card. Good results will show some gradient tone shadows, like your picture. Much more pleasing and interesting light than just flat.

With bounce, it is good to stand back a bit, 6 or 8 feet anyway, and then zoom in if necessary.
This greater distance and angle helps fill those frontal shadows. And such distance is always best for perspective, to avoid showing noses larger, etc.