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12/08/2007 04:32:10 PM · #1 |
| I am taking portraits tonight at a large company Christmas party tonight. Last year, I took pictures with the couples in front of a beautifully lit Christmas tree. I had two octaboxes, one left and one right and you cannot even tell the tree was lit up in the pictures. Is it possible to get the lights on the tree to show up in the picture while using my strobes? |
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12/08/2007 04:40:21 PM · #2 |
Yes.
If possible, keep the room lights low and use a longer shutter speed.
Shoot in M mode. Adjust your shutter speed and aperture to make the tree lights look good. Then adjust your strobes to that f stop or a bit darker.
Get set up and do a few test shots first so you can tweak it. If you need more from the tree lights, you'll have to shoot with a slower shutter speed or open the lens and lower the power on your lights.
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12/08/2007 05:02:58 PM · #3 |
| Thanks... I'll have an hour to set up, so I should be able to get it right. |
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12/02/2008 09:35:30 AM · #4 |
looking for the same advice...
If I have two umbrellas (one black/silver and one shoot-thru white)with my SB800 and SB600....where would you place them?
I am taking a photo of a family of 6 in front of their tree. one of the six is an infant so I don't want to flash his eyes!
I'd like to have the xmas lights show up but not be too dark on them
Very small living room...so will have to use the wide end of my 18-200
Any and all suggestions please!
Message edited by author 2008-12-02 10:15:20. |
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12/02/2008 11:10:16 AM · #5 |
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12/02/2008 11:33:40 AM · #6 |
If you do this with a longer shutter speed then use a tripod so the lights are sharp.
As said.
Low ambient lighting.
Set your aperture to about F8.
Use faster or slower shutter speed to brighten or darken the lights.
Adjust the power of your flashes to get the right exposure.
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12/12/2008 09:22:02 AM · #7 |
| does it matter if the flash fires at the beginning or end of the exposure? When you say longer shutter speed, are we still talking 1/15 or 1/30, or as long as 1/2 or 1"? Do the people end up blurred at all? |
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12/12/2008 11:25:07 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by tpbremer:
Do the people end up blurred at all? |
Not if you wrap them in duct tape, tie their arms behind their backs and nail their feet to the floor.
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12/12/2008 11:30:39 AM · #9 |
| Tripod. Place it where it will be. Shoot a photo of the tree in low light - so that it looks good - without anybody in the background. That way you have a reference photo from which to work some edits, if need be. Snoot the flash perhaps, block the flash from the tree..... |
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12/12/2008 11:33:11 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by NstiG8tr:
Originally posted by tpbremer:
Do the people end up blurred at all? |
Not if you wrap them in duct tape, tie their arms behind their backs and nail their feet to the floor. |
LOL
and toddhead, one more trick is to use barn doors or better honeycombs infront of your strobes/diffusors so the light won't spread on to the tree.
i'm also thinking why not to only use the moddeling lights of your strobes to shoot?
that way you don't have to worry about balancing the ambient/tree light and your strobes...just a thought though...
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12/12/2008 01:02:46 PM · #11 |
You'll need a long shutter speed/ISO to get the tree lights. Use AV mode and no flash and see what exposure gets a nice tree. Use F4 perhaps and ISO 400-800 and see what you get.
Now move to manual on the camera with those settings and you should still get a nicely exposed tree. Now it's time to add the flash. You will use the same ISO and shutter as before but vary the aperture to get the proper subject (flash) exposure.
Take a shot and see what you get - it should work or be very close. You may need a tripod if the shutter speed gets too low and of course watch for shadows from the flash on the tree.
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