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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Wanted: flash help!
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01/24/2016 09:04:54 AM · #1
Hey all

Getting sick of pulling my hair out over this, so thought I'd toss it out here. What I want to do seems pretty simple but figuring out how to do it is driving me a little nuts.

I am doing a long exposure in the home studio with my strobes. All I want is the flash to fire at the start of the exposure and again at the end. I thought this would be dead simple to do but it ain't!

Flash is an SB-910. I am reading the manual, but not finding anything useful...doesn't help that Nikon manuals truly suck in terms of how they're written and laid out.

Any ideas?

ETA: Apart, of course, from getting someone else to trigger the flash manually...I know that would work but 99.9% of the time am working alone.

Message edited by author 2016-01-24 09:10:02.
01/24/2016 09:10:53 AM · #2
Can you not flash manually or am I woofing in the wrong park.

Message edited by author 2016-01-24 09:11:25.
01/24/2016 09:57:40 AM · #3
Originally posted by Tiny:

Can you not flash manually or am I woofing in the wrong park.


Yes, but that means I need someone to be there behind the camera to do it for me. I forgot to mention, I'm the one on set too!
01/24/2016 10:42:04 AM · #4
Multi strobe, assuming that you aren't exposing for more than a second, set it to use first curtain sync
01/24/2016 11:27:33 AM · #5
Would that work? Two strobes, one set to first curtain and one set to second curtain? Can that even be done? I can't think of a way to have the same flash shoot twice -- unless you can set it to stroboscopic mode with a longer interval between?

Message edited by author 2016-01-24 11:28:19.
01/24/2016 11:50:16 AM · #6
Originally posted by Cory:

Multi strobe, assuming that you aren't exposing for more than a second, set it to use first curtain sync


Already tried repeating flash. I'm going for a multi-second exposure so it won't work unless you are going for a strobe effect.

vawendy...I honestly don't think my strobes can be set to individual curtains. They're slaved off the SB-910, so it all has to do with what the flash can and can't do.

Ah well, if it's any consolation not even google can turn up anything helpful. So will just have to save my brilliant concept for another challenge!

Thanks all for your help :-)
01/24/2016 01:00:01 PM · #7
Originally posted by vawendy:

Would that work? Two strobes, one set to first curtain and one set to second curtain? Can that even be done? I can't think of a way to have the same flash shoot twice -- unless you can set it to stroboscopic mode with a longer interval between?


That's what I thought, too
01/24/2016 01:24:24 PM · #8
Originally posted by tanguera:

Originally posted by vawendy:

Would that work? Two strobes, one set to first curtain and one set to second curtain? Can that even be done? I can't think of a way to have the same flash shoot twice -- unless you can set it to stroboscopic mode with a longer interval between?


That's what I thought, too


Me too!! But apparently not, unless there's something I'm missing. Have to go re-read that section anyway.
01/24/2016 04:08:05 PM · #9
BTW, a flash and a strobe are not necessarily the same thing :)
01/24/2016 04:33:46 PM · #10
Originally posted by tanguera:

BTW, a flash and a strobe are not necessarily the same thing :)


I know. But the strobes are slaving off of the flash.

Besides...at least I have a manual for the flash...not so for the strobes, which are 3rd-hand.

Message edited by author 2016-01-24 16:42:22.
01/24/2016 04:56:50 PM · #11
Do you have a second camera?
01/24/2016 05:08:14 PM · #12
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Do you have a second camera?


No.

Here's what the SB-910 manual says, which is written in typical Nikonese:

Setting flash output level, number and frequency of
flash firings

• The number of flash firings is the number of times the flash fires per frame.
• The frequency of flash firings is the number of times the flash fires per second.
• The number of flash firings is the maximum number of times the Speedlight fires
when the camera’s shutter is open. This number cannot be achieved with a high
shutter speed and low flash firing frequency.
• The maximum number of flash firings differs depending on flash output level
and flash firing frequency. See the table below for the maximum number of flash
firings.

01/24/2016 05:23:00 PM · #13
Unless you can set it for a frequency less-than one/second I don't see how it would work for a longer exposure with that device.
01/24/2016 05:28:43 PM · #14
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Unless you can set it for a frequency less-than one/second I don't see how it would work for a longer exposure with that device.


Exactly. So now I've put the flash aside and am looking at the back of one of the strobes (I know it's actually a flashhead but strobes is faster to type), and there is - annoyingly enough - what looks like an icon for a remote. So these lights probably did come with their own remote trigger at some point. I just tried the cheap trigger and no luck, will see if I can find the other trigger...off to dig around...

*dig, dig* Found it but the battery's dead, seems unlikely it would have worked anyway. Damn. There is a radio trigger but it mounts onto the hotshoe and has no separate power source, like a battery, which would enable it be used off-camera. You can see it here:

And final proof for me that I'm on a mission impossible. Even the biggest studio geek I know, my ex=bf Magnumphotography has come to the same conclusion that either front or rear sync and manually triggering the second or first flash. So now it's official. Can't be done.

Must win the lottery so then I can build me a nice big studio and get some decent gear!!!! At least another camera body so it can trigger the strobes!

Message edited by author 2016-01-24 18:04:14.
01/24/2016 06:03:27 PM · #15
Originally posted by snaffles:

Must win the lottery so then I can build me a nice big studio and get some decent gear!!!!

Or ... buy a cheap P&S (or used SLR -- could even be film) with a timer (or remote) and use it to trigger the second flash ...
01/24/2016 06:05:38 PM · #16
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by snaffles:

Must win the lottery so then I can build me a nice big studio and get some decent gear!!!!

Or ... buy a cheap P&S (or used SLR -- could even be film) with a timer (or remote) and use it to trigger the second flash ...


Yeah, that's probably what I'll do. Should be able to find a used p&s locally for $50 or so.
01/25/2016 03:37:23 AM · #17
Originally posted by snaffles:

Originally posted by Tiny:

Can you not flash manually or am I woofing in the wrong park.


Yes, but that means I need someone to be there behind the camera to do it for me. I forgot to mention, I'm the one on set too!


get a friend

hire a someone
01/25/2016 07:31:45 AM · #18
Originally posted by Tiny:

Originally posted by snaffles:

Originally posted by Tiny:

Can you not flash manually or am I woofing in the wrong park.


Yes, but that means I need someone to be there behind the camera to do it for me. I forgot to mention, I'm the one on set too!


get a friend

hire a someone


I have friends, but they're often not available, and I don't really want to pay someone to hit a flash button!
01/25/2016 10:21:27 AM · #19
Susan, have you thought about getting remote trigger software? I've recently invested in //www.triggertrap.com/ and I can trigger camera or flash guns from a phone or tablet.
You can do it via sound activation, or even a timer that you can set at any repetition rate and interval.

You just need to get the one adapter that fits your flash gun.
01/25/2016 10:36:29 AM · #20
That looks like a tethered set up, Joao. Is there an untethered option? I know there are a ton of apps out there for triggering your camera with your phone, untethered.
01/25/2016 11:13:26 AM · #21
Originally posted by snaffles:

Originally posted by tanguera:

Originally posted by vawendy:

Would that work? Two strobes, one set to first curtain and one set to second curtain? Can that even be done? I can't think of a way to have the same flash shoot twice -- unless you can set it to stroboscopic mode with a longer interval between?


That's what I thought, too


Me too!! But apparently not, unless there's something I'm missing. Have to go re-read that section anyway.


I don't think this is possible. Since the strobes are being triggered by the 910, and that one can only be set to first or second curtain, there is no way to send both signals to the strobes (optically triggered I assume). I don't think you could accomplish this with any radio trigger either, since (I think) it is still the camera that will send the signal based on how it is configured (1st or 2nd curtain).
01/25/2016 11:19:15 AM · #22
Originally posted by tanguera:

That looks like a tethered set up, Joao. Is there an untethered option? I know there are a ton of apps out there for triggering your camera with your phone, untethered.


Hi Johanna, that one does, but you'll need two devices running the same app (2 phones, 1 phone and 1 tablet, etc). You do get some lag, I guess, because of the time of transmission, and doesn't work right for high-speed photography.
But for remote triggering it works great :)
01/25/2016 01:44:32 PM · #23
Originally posted by FromDaRock:

Originally posted by snaffles:

Originally posted by tanguera:

Originally posted by vawendy:

Would that work? Two strobes, one set to first curtain and one set to second curtain? Can that even be done? I can't think of a way to have the same flash shoot twice -- unless you can set it to stroboscopic mode with a longer interval between?


That's what I thought, too


Me too!! But apparently not, unless there's something I'm missing. Have to go re-read that section anyway.


I don't think this is possible. Since the strobes are being triggered by the 910, and that one can only be set to first or second curtain, there is no way to send both signals to the strobes (optically triggered I assume). I don't think you could accomplish this with any radio trigger either, since (I think) it is still the camera that will send the signal based on how it is configured (1st or 2nd curtain).


Yep, got it in one. Wish now I'd kept the old p&s.
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