How to take pictures with a flash in the afternoon and why in general a flash in the afternoon?
High speed sync. Using flash during the day.
The question seems pointless, but when it comes to practice, it turns out that a flash even on the sunniest day can be an indispensable tool in the hands of the photographer.
In general, it is generally accepted that a flash helps when there is little light, i.e. serves as an additional light source in poor light - in the evening, at night, in the house, in the shade of trees, in cloudy weather. But when there is a lot of light - it can and should be used too. As they say - there is never much good light.
High speed sync. The flash added contrast and highlighted the subject.
So during the day, a flash is needed as soften shadows from the sun or other strong and harsh light sources. Mostly flash during the day use for photographing portraits. The harsh light of the sun can make very strong shadows on people's faces. A flash can soften these shadows.
Shadow suppression on people's faces in high speed sync mode
True, there are day flash restrictions. For photographing portraits, it is recommended to use fast fixed lenses. For example, a lens with an aperture of F2.8 and a set value of ISO 200 will require on a sunny day excerpts about 1 / 2000s-1 / 4000s. But there is flash sync concept with a camera shutter and often this synchronization rests against a certain limit. Basically, built-in flashes can work with shutter speeds of at least 1/200, 1 / 250s, or 1 / 320s, of course there are exceptions - this Nikon D40, D70, D70s, D1h etc. which can use shutter speeds up to 1/500 s, but still, they are too long excerptsto take pictures in daylight. But even if you have external flashYou can take pictures at shorter shutter speeds only if your camera allows it.
Attention: None of the built-in flash on any of the central controllers can work normally with shutter speeds shorter than 1 \ 500s. The built-in flash does not have a single CZK quick sync mode.
Attention: High-speed sync mode is available on many cameras only in P, A, S, M mode.
An example of a portrait in the afternoon. Flash on camera with a diffuser card. The flash reduces the volume of the picture, but adds contrast and color.
In order to be able to use a flash with very short shutter speeds, was created quick sync mode, which is called differently for different cameras of different manufacturers. For Nikon, this is FP (fast pulse, fast sync), it allows you to use flashes and synchronize them with shutter speeds up to 1 / 8000s.
In order to be able to use this mode - need:
- For the camera to support fast sync mode
- For the flash to support fast sync
Not all cameras can use this mode - they mainly include advanced amateur cameras and all full-frame digital mirrors.
Here is the exact list of CZK Nikon that support mode FP:
D2h, D2x, D2hs, D2xs, D3, D3s, D3x, D4, D5, D200, D300, D300s, D500, D700, D800,D800E, D810, D850, D750, D80, D90, D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, D600, D610,Df
Flash in the afternoon. Shot with a flash in FP mode, mounted to the top left of the model to create the desired lighting.
As you can see, the choice among Nikon cameras is small. Younger cameras of this mode do not have, which will not allow taking photos with a flash and a small shutter speed. But this is not a problem, since you can use neutral filters for decreasing excerpts. Polarizing filters also reduce shutter speed. Usually the need for flash during the day is very small.
Flash during the day allows you to get a portrait in high key.
Not all flash units support this mode. – small external flashes SB-300, SB-400 do not know how to work in this mode. Nikon's FP mode works fine SB-500, SB-600, SB-700, SB-800, SB-900, SB-910, SB-5000. These flashes can shoot shutter speeds up to 1/8000. Many third party flashes also support FP mode, but it is often referred to by a different name such as flash Metz Mecablitz 48AF-1 for Nikon has an HSS mode that is completely similar to FP mode.
When photographing during the day with a flash, you need to remember that short excerpts and bright lighting requires a lot of flash energy. Funnily enough, high-speed sync flash recharges faster than normal flash, due to the unusual firing system in FP mode.
Portrait in the afternoon. The flash sometimes gives extra glare and may itself give extra shadows.
If you have an advanced camera with fast sync mode, then most likely there command mode for the built-in flash. This will allow you to use your external flash in remote control mode using the protocol Nikon CLS. That is, it will be possible to give light at the right angle and thereby create an excellent art photo. I advise you to experiment with photos with a flash against the sun to understand how effective the flash is in the daytime. For example, in the photo below, the girl lights up with a back (strong side) light, if I did not use the flash, I would get a dark face. The flash turned out quite differently. True, using the flash on the camera can lead to a loss of volume in the photograph.
A flash in the afternoon in the strong side light of the sun.
Is it worth using flash diffusers, reflective cards - you need to look at the circumstances. As practice shows, sometimes very effective flash on the forehead in daylight, which is unacceptable when photographing people, for example, at night. When using a diffuser, the leading number of the flash is lost, which, even with fast synchronization, is less than usual. With fast synchronization, the flash makes a series of pulses with a huge frequency (of the order of 50 KHz), the human eye does not see this, but it decreases the distance from which the flash can illuminate the subject. You can read how to increase the flash range in the section Tricks 7.
High speed sync. The flash highlighted the subject and added contrast.
Conclusions:
Flash during the day is just as useful as a flash at night, the main thing is to set it up correctly and remember that to get good shots it would be nice to have a quick sync mode between flash and camera.
Help to the project. Thanks for attention. Arkady Shapoval.
I never would have thought that a flash is also used during the day%) I liked the photos taken by the flash technique "on the forehead"!
I'd like to immediately try everything I read
It is very good to use a flash with an umbrella. Of course you need a synchronizer. very comfortably. I basically just shoot like that now. here are some examples. almost everything is shot that way. http://www.lifeisphoto.ru/page.aspx?id=20842
I also shoot with an umbrella or reflector in the light, but have not yet managed to write an article about it. True, there is not always enough power, and there is no way to carry studio flashes. Thanks for the examples.
I bought Metz 44 for Nikon D5100 today in Podorozhnik (metro station Republican Stadium in Kiev) and I see that it is fully coping with the tasks. I do not observe the effect of flare on the face. There is no slow synchronization, but for the sake of it, putting a bunch of bucks somehow fell into vain :)))
Of course, the last photo is spectacular, but I can get it with the built-in (!) Flash :) Why pay more?
Maybe fast synchronization was meant? Professionals know exactly what they pay for. Those who do not know and do not pay.
Does this mean that using the built-in flash on a sunny day is useless?
No, this does not mean that the built-in flash will be useless on a sunny day. Even the built-in flash can help when shooting on a sunny day, you can even illuminate the subject with the built-in flash. Well, if you need a shallow depth of field and backlight, then you can shoot in shutter priority mode at the minimum shutter speed (usually 1 \ 200, 1 \ 250, 1 \ 500), and the aperture will have the maximum value. In general, it all depends on the needs of a particular shooting.
Thank you, I will try!
Help me I have a nikon d5100 flash sb-910 how should i be? there is no high-speed sync function in the camera; how will fp 1/4000 be achieved?
It won't work. Try shooting in S (shutter priority) mode at 1 \ 200 - this is the maximum that will pull the D5100 from the SB-910
very helpful article!
Dear Arkady, I studied the EXIF of your examples, how did you manage to set the shutter speed to 1/1000 s when the camera was operating in aperture priority mode? I spent the whole evening today on experiments and for me it remained a mystery. The fact is that my D80 in A mode always sets the shutter speed to 1/60 with the SB-910 flash attached.
The “FP” fast sync mode is enabled in the camera settings, the TTL-FP mode is selected on the flash unit. I can only set such shutter speeds in the camera's manual mode “M”, but in your example, the programmed exposure is “Aperture priority” and the shutter speed changes from its value. How can you use fast shutter speeds in aperture priority mode?
1. In aperture priority mode, in bright light, a camera on a fast aperture lens at any ISO values will give an shutter speed of the order of 1 \ 500-1 \ 8000. Therefore, the camera considered that it would be just right for this photo 1 \ 1000.
2. 1/60 is the exposure rate for D80 in low light, go outside on a sunny day, and I can bet your D80 will set something like 3.5/1 even at F640. Also, the number 1/60 can be changed in the camera to a slower shutter speed, for example, 1/30.
3. You can also set these shutter speeds in shutter priority mode, not just manual mode.
4. Short excerpts are used as written in the article.
Thank you for your reply!
I understand correctly, it is enough to turn on FP mode in the camera and on the TTL-FP flash and you can safely shoot in A mode, will the camera do the rest by itself? Can you believe this technique? What about the AUTO ISO function? I have a threshold of 100-800. Should I turn AUTO ISO off while using Aperture Priority FP mode? If I shoot, for example, with Nikon 55-300 glass at 5,6 aperture? If you need to turn it off, then ISO 100 is probably not enough? How much ISO is best for outdoor shooting in FP mode?
I also wanted to ask, is it better to use puff in TTL-FP or TTL-BL-FP mode?
1. FP mode uses the usual flash mode at shutter speeds up to 1 \ 200 on your D80, and FP synchronization at shutter speeds from 1 \ 200 to 1 \ 4000 on your D80. Roughly speaking, we turned on FP and forgot about it, we’ll do the rest of the camera ourselves. Here is an example photo from this article http://500px.com/photo/3990552 data are indicated on the right, you can believe.
2. Read the ISO section, I highly recommend not using auto ISO when the flash is on.
3. ISO and FP mode are different things, they only interact through exposure. The optimal ISO, the one that suits you at every moment.
4. BL mode is needed to interrupt the backlight (if I'm not mistaken). I recommend to look at the instructions.
Now it’s kind of starting to move in little by little, thanks!
Should I use the Nikon SW-13H diffuser dome that comes with the puff for shooting in TTL-FP flash mode?
It all depends on the situation in which you are shooting, as well as on the needs for creating a photograph. I recommend reading the instructions for the flash.
It turns out that the fast sync mode will not work in the room, even if the option is constantly on in the FP camera, do I understand correctly? Does it activate automatically when necessary and only outside on a sunny day? Of course, provided that the flash mode is also on. And if this FP option in the camera is always on, will it not affect the power consumption of the flash batteries?
The consumption will not be affected. Most likely, you have not fully understood what FP gives. This mode allows you to simply use the flash at fast shutter speeds (from 1 \ 200 to 1 \ 8000). You can use a mode in a room, for example, shutter priority, but the flash power is likely not enough to provide the right amount of light. In FP mode, the guide number drops - this means that it decreases the distance at which the flash can illuminate the subject.
Hmm., I.e. if I go outside where the sun will be bright, will the camera, at its discretion, either take a short shutter speed or not? After all, if you disable this FP mode, the camera can use a range from 1/125 to 1/400, depending on the light, but disabling this mode in the camera will not allow the camera to make the shutter speed shorter if the subject is very bright, right? And this mode works selectively, it works when, for example, a person’s face or some other subject is in very strong light, otherwise there will be no short exposure. I understand correctly?
Without FP mode, the shortest shutter speed that your Nikon D80 can work out is 1 \ 200 and the point, no 1 \ 400 is out of the question. If you disable FP, the camera will automatically be able to vary the shutter speed from 30 seconds to 1 \ 200 seconds, depending on the choice of flash operation.
If the automation in FP mode considers that it needs a slow shutter speed (for example, 1 \ 80), then in fact a flash volley without FP mode will be produced. The mode itself is based on a stroboscopic effect with short exposures.
Those. you don’t have to think about this mode at all, turned it on and forgot it, the camera itself will do everything if it considers it necessary, right? But what about the scale in the viewfinder
+ _ _0_ _-? Should I ignore it at all when using this mode?
The exposure meter in the viewfinder and on the monochrome display when using the flash in normal mode will show an underexposed scene. Simply put, the light meter + _ _0_ _- will show how much light the flash will compensate.
What about exposure meter readings when FP mode is on and TTL-FP flash? Should he pay attention in this case or not?
There is no exposure meter on the flash, only exposure compensation. In our business, you need to pay attention to everything.
Well, I mean the light meter in the camera and I meant it. When shooting with a flash, do you often make exposure compensation at + 0,3-0,7-1.0? Or do you prefer not to touch it and then hold out in the editors?
Personally, I move from -2 to +2 from the situation, but this requires experience. If in the studio, then there is only manual control of the light flux and without a handbrake, there will be no business.
Do you shoot in Nef or Jpeg? What are the optimal parameters for Jpeg?
https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/01/hitrosti-na-nikon/
Ok, thanks for the answers!
There will be questions, I will write.
Arkady, and at what maximum distance will the quick sync mode work? And how can we understand from the display on the flash whether it will work or not?
The mode works at any distance before shooting. The SB-900, SB-910 flash units display the “working” flash distance for the current settings.
Those. does it get up to 200 mm? The rest is not guaranteed, am I right? Are you talking about the scale in meters?
The operating distance and flash zoom are different things. Understand this. I said about the scale in meters.