flash and motion blur - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

07/31/2005 09:59:42 AM · #1

I did a indoor shoot last night at a belly dance performance.
I used the d70 with a sb800 on a bracket bounced off of the ceiling. I shot pretty much auto the whole time. ISO was set between 800 and 500 camera was picking f6 consistantly.

Not concidering the really crappy angle I had on the stage (about 10 degrees either side of center space which was only about 6 feet wide from the back of the place)

I got some really good images BUT some had bad motion blur on the beads hands hair.

I have always believed that the strobe effect of the flash countered the motion... what am I missing and how do I fix this...

I have another one of these in 2 weeks and this one is for $$$

any ideas???

Dave

deapee

Kodak V803

07/31/2005 10:02:29 AM · #2

Well, do you have an example?

Anyway...you're right, the strobe of the flash will freeze the action no matter the shutterspeed -- but at the same time, ambient light, reflecting off of bright, reflective surfaces (beads, bicycle frames, etc) will expose also -- and if they're moving, you've got blur.

07/31/2005 10:06:14 AM · #3

not just moving but moving FAST....

I am doing post on what is usable now ... I'll put some up in a few.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/31/2005 10:24:16 AM · #4

Here is 1... look at the henna tat on the back of the one at center... It is close to being pretty point on focus wise...

as you get to the moving parts the motion blur is just out of control

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

07/31/2005 10:28:56 AM · #5

Hmmm... my first thought is: If you have belly dancers wildly moving their hips, and you can freeze the upper body while still showing motion blur down in the hips ... you've got some amazing possibilities!

I mean... freezing the entire image leaves you with a static image. But freezing just enough to get a good picture, while allowing motion blur to give some sense of the emotion in the moment, that's got to be good.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

07/31/2005 10:32:20 AM · #6

The shutter speed is what you have to watch. Too slow, and you'll get motion blur.

I have to agree with dwterry though. Some motion blur in these types of shots will make them dynamic and engaging.

07/31/2005 10:38:25 AM · #7

Originally posted by dwterry:

I agree fully BUT the problem is that the entire body is in motion (usually at different rates) and in controlled conditions I can play on that (I shoot a lot of dancers) but in performance conditions it is kinda difficult to control...

So the question is ... can I up the speed in which the SB800 syncs in order to better control the motion...say at about 1/125

hyperfocal

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 105mm f/2.5 AIS

07/31/2005 10:46:27 AM · #8

One of the best features of the D70 is its ability to sync up to 1/500. There is no advantage, even if you really don't understand exposure, to let the camera decide the ambient exposure when it is your sb-800 doing the job through iTTL. Set your camera to manual @ 1/500 and adjust your f-stop according to the depth of field your after making sure that its with in the flash range of the unit. If you point the flash directly at the dancers you will get a distance range (on the back of the sb-800) for your given aperture. Of course depending how high the ceiling is you will probably lose a stop or two or more with the bounce. I would suggest putting on the soft dome that came with the unit and point the flash directly at the dancers.

EDIT: for Typos

Message edited by author 2005-07-31 10:49:55.

07/31/2005 10:50:02 AM · #9

Originally posted by hyperfocal:

One of the best features of the D70 is its ability to sync up to 1/500.

I will remember that ...

Message edited by author 2005-07-31 10:51:42.

Nuno

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/31/2005 03:08:39 PM · #10

The sb800 opens another door in o photography in my opinion.

and you can NOT rely on the camera 1/60 sec. exposure so you don't have motion blur images. It's almost has if you where doing inside sports photos. If it's moving fast you must get a fast shutter speed. so if you turn to manual and set it to 1/250 sec f8, for example, the flash will automatically put the power to feet the settings that you introduce to get good exposure. But a warning must be made: the high shutter speed and the small apperture will draind your flash batterys dead quickly. Open a bit the apperture or pumping the iso to 400 for example can save them a bit.

kyebosh

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 80-200mm f/2.8L

07/31/2005 03:31:55 PM · #11

the strobes will only stop action if there isn't enough amient light on the subject to expose the frame. In complete darkness a flash will completely stop motion about equal to between 1/500 and 1/2000 shutter speed depending on the length of the flash itself. Some flashes can even do 1/50,000 of a second output. If you want less motion blur, and you want to do it with the flashes, you need to let less ambient light into the camera. So Change the settings for a smaller F stop, or lower ISO and have the flash put out more power. Otherwise, the only way to stop motion is to increase the speed of the shutter 1/320+ usually will stop slower motion. I even use it on cyclists sometimes when the light is bad.