Advice - wanting to replicate a shot.

[Thommo]

I have a couple of bands interested in me doing some promo shots for them so i have been thinking about a few differant shots.

One style that keeps coming back is as seen below


photo taken from cog myspace

Now i was just wondering if an SB800 would be powerful enough to balance out the sky.

If i was to take this shot, this is how i would approach it.

Meter for the sky, set sb800 to +2/3-1 stop with head pointed directly up and bounce card out. I would try a few shots with a band members head blocking the sun and a few without, the ones without set to a smaller apeture to get a star effect from the sun

Am i on the right track?

[Ronza]

I daresay you'd probably be able to leave the camera on Av and the flash would balance itself right.

Only thing that does strike me is to get those shadows in the same way, you'd be shooting with the strobe offshoe just up and left of the camera or into a reflector to the left.

[Thommo]

I daresay you'd probably be able to leave the camera on Av and the flash would balance itself right.

Only thing that does strike me is to get those shadows in the same way, you'd be shooting with the strobe offshoe just up and left of the camera or into a reflector to the left.

but it should be doable with a speedlite

[PiroStitch]

Definitely do-able with a speedlight. I say meter for the sky, then set the speedlight to manual maybe around 1/8 then chimp and adjust the power to suit.

[Thommo]

Definitely do-able with a speedlight. I say meter for the sky, then set the speedlight to manual maybe around 1/8 then chimp and adjust the power to suit.

Chimping was a large part of my plan to get the flash right. would you suggest the flash head straight at them or using the bounce card.

After your suggestion about off shoe i was also thinking about fooling around with the d200 flash triggering the sb800 off camera.

just thinking out loud, i dont really trust myself as its going to be a paid shoot.

[PiroStitch]

If you can borrow a SC28 or SC29, do it. It will give you a few more options in terms of flash positioning. I personally don't trust Nikon CLS for paid stuff.

If you're nervous, get a couple of friends to help you out by being guinea pigs for a test shoot so you can at least get the settings right. Another alternative is to set it to TTL, meter for the sky in manual mode and adjust flash compensation accordingly.

[Antsl]

I daresay you'd probably be able to leave the camera on Av and the flash would balance itself right.

Only thing that does strike me is to get those shadows in the same way, you'd be shooting with the strobe offshoe just up and left of the camera or into a reflector to the left.

Here's a question for you... why put the flash onto AV mode to get this image?

If you were to do your homework you would know that AV mode lets you set the Aperture and then goes off and sets the Shutter Speed for you. The fact is though to get the most effect and range out of your flash you need to have the aperture at its widest setting available to you for the conditions and in bright conditions that Aperture setting is going to be governed by the fastest Sync Speed you have for the camera (excluding High Speed Sync Mode).

To make this image go to Manual Mode, Set your Shutter Speed to the maximum Sync Speed (250th for the D200, 500th for the D70) and without using the flash determine the aperture that is going to get the background looking the way you want it to. At this point you have determined the best exposure for the background using the maximum sync speed and widest suitable aperture. Now turn on the flash and in Manual Flash Mode control the rest of the exposure by adjusting the flash power and position...... DO NOT ADJUST THE CAMERA SETTINGS.

If the flash component of the exposure is looking weak then increase the power or, if you are already at the full power setting, move the flash closer to the subjects. If the flash is too powerful for the exposure settings then pull back the power setting, move the flash back a little or, given the luxury you might also get to diffuse it a little. DO NOT ADJUST THE CAMERA SETTINGS.

ONE THING YOU SHOULD LEARN AND REMEMBER.....

SHUTTER SPEED CONTROLS THE AMBIENT (AVALIABLE LIGHT) EXPOSURE ONLY.

APERTURE CONTROLS FLASH AND AMBIENT TOGETHER.

[PiroStitch]

Was wondering when the master was going to speak up

[moz]

Don't fight the power.

One really, really easy solution is to use a reflector. Even one of the foil-covered car shades will work and the power available is a lot more than most flashes can deliver, plus you have the modelling light built right in. If you want to be more professional about it you could buy a set of folding reflectors for about $30 on eBay (possibly cheaper if you want to bid and wait). 110cm diameter is about 1 square metre.

Some rough numbers: you're getting about 1250W/m/m on a good day in Australia so you will need to deliver about 5Ws at 1/250th second to match a standard 1 square metre shade. That's studio flash territory.

[PiroStitch]

If you have a look at the reflection from the sunnies, you can tell that it's from a speedlight held off camera. You could use a studio strobe but in that shot doesn't look anything like a studio strobe.

[Ronza]

(excluding High Speed Sync Mode).

...well

[Matt. K]

Antsl said it for me.
By the way....I don't think much of that shot anyway. Surely you can do better.

[Thommo]

Antsl said it for me.
By the way....I don't think much of that shot anyway. Surely you can do better.

Thats what i am hoping, but somehow i doubt it.

I only trust myself when there is no light and i dont have to direct people.

[Matt. K]

Thommo
Can I suggest....firstly, spend a day or 2 cruising around looking for interesting backgrounds. Do this early in the morniing and photograph them. Photograph them in and out of focus beacause sometimes these things look better out of focus. Examine them on your monitor and when you have found one that sings....take your group there at the same time of day and shoot lots of pics trying different poses. Take pics of the background with you as a reference. Doing it this way will give you the best chance of success.

[Aussie Dave]

Thommo,
Some sage advice above. One other thing I'd suggest you keep in mind is to be critical of what is actually in the shot (and it's placement).

One thing I find let's down the image you posted above is the car (or should I say half the car).

You won't want things like telephone poles sticking out behind people's heads or other constructions in the background merging with your subject, unless on purpose (for effect).

As Matt suggests, scout out areas and perhaps even take note of things in the background that may be a hinderance.

Remember, TTL is your friend. You can see what the camera is seeing before you take the shot, so try to look at all the negative space & background, not just the subject(s).

[Mr Darcy]

If you can borrow a SC28 or SC29,

I have an SC29 and an SB800 you can borrow, provided I am in Canberra at the right time. (ie during Uni term time)