A lesson learned in flash photography

01/14/2007 06:43:50 PM · #1

Until last night I had never tried 2nd curtain sync for my flash. I knew from what I had read that it would leave light trails following the subjects movements. I thought this might be a pretty cool effect so I gave it a try. As it turned out I didn't care for the effect in this paticular instance and it also cost me a really cool shot of this guy flying thru the air after the bull caught him from behind as he was trying to get away from it. This guy was flying. I'm sure 2nd curtain sync isn't a bad thing used in the right situation. I guess I just chose the wrong time to experiment with it.

Message edited by author 2007-01-14 18:52:01.

DjFenzl

01/14/2007 06:55:33 PM · #2

It looks like you got some camera shake in there too.

The effect works best with a Tripod (or I suppose image stabilization) because it usually involved slow shutter speeds.

When used right you'll get motion blur and the main details of your subject locked in all at once.

I don't think the shot is a total loss though, still kind of a fun shot if you ask me.

01/14/2007 06:58:26 PM · #3

Any sort of motion panning (even with second curtain flash) has to be done with a steady hand. This looks like camera shake.

01/14/2007 07:05:12 PM · #4

Originally posted by Megatherian:

I was using 24-105 IS. Some could be camera shake as I was chasing this shot because I could see it getting ready to happen. Nevertheless I don't think I would have liked it much had it been executed properly.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II

01/14/2007 07:07:44 PM · #5

Originally posted by NstiG8tr:

Nevertheless I don't think I would have liked it much had it been executed properly.

I'm not a big fan of the technique when used in sports photography either.

chimericvisions

Canon EOS-60D

01/14/2007 07:18:52 PM · #6

The only difference with second-curtain sync is that the motion blur appears to move TO the subject instead of away from it. i.e. you freeze the motion at the end instead of at the beginning.

So much of this picture would be moving (audience, bull, rider, handlers) that I don't think it would have gotten what you wanted anyway.

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/14/2007 08:00:28 PM · #7

I have swapped to 2nd curtain cause it seems more natural - having the blur then the frozen still at the end. This just looks like motion blur to me.

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/14/2007 08:37:35 PM · #8

Hmmm... To me, the subjects look too far away to have much "flash exposure". And, unless your flash was off camera (to the right side of the frame), I suspect what you really caught was the flash of a couple of other cameras going off.

amandak

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

01/14/2007 08:44:09 PM · #9

So does anyone have a photo demonstrating what 2nd curtain sync is *supposed* to look like???

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/14/2007 08:54:43 PM · #10

Originally posted by amandak:

So does anyone have a photo demonstrating what 2nd curtain sync is *supposed* to look like???

Here's one I found on flikr. With first curtain sync, the card would have been at the top of the image and the blur would come after.

//www.flickr.com/photos/latitudes/133206615/

Message edited by author 2007-01-14 21:05:59.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

01/14/2007 09:04:16 PM · #11

This is first curtain snyc, but I moved the car backward to simulate second curtain.

amandak

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

01/14/2007 09:04:50 PM · #12

Wow....that's really cool looking! Thanks for posting the link!

LanceW

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D

01/14/2007 09:06:10 PM · #13

Originally posted by amandak:

So does anyone have a photo demonstrating what 2nd curtain sync is *supposed* to look like???

One of my favorites:
//www.airliners.net/open.file/1147166/M/

Message edited by author 2007-01-14 21:06:32.

01/14/2007 09:10:53 PM · #14

Originally posted by dwterry:

Originally posted by amandak:
So does anyone have a photo demonstrating what 2nd curtain sync is *supposed* to look like???

Here's one I found on flikr. With first curtain sync, the card would have been at the top of the image and the blur would come after.

//www.flickr.com/photos/latitudes/133206615/

I like that... very cool. FWIW, if someone didn't have second curtain snyc capabilities, that same shot could have been done by flicking the wrist backward instead of forward.

01/14/2007 09:13:10 PM · #15

Originally posted by tooohip:

Originally posted by amandak:
So does anyone have a photo demonstrating what 2nd curtain sync is *supposed* to look like???

One of my favorites:
//www.airliners.net/open.file/1147166/M/

I may be wrong, but that can't be flash... would take a pretty bad-ass flash gun to hit a plane. Sure that's not PS'd?

LanceW

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D

01/14/2007 09:15:10 PM · #16

Originally posted by fotomann_forever:

Originally posted by tooohip:

Originally posted by amandak:
So does anyone have a photo demonstrating what 2nd curtain sync is *supposed* to look like???

One of my favorites:
//www.airliners.net/open.file/1147166/M/

I may be wrong, but that can't be flash... would take a pretty bad-ass flash gun to hit a plane. Sure that's not PS'd?

It's flash. Wide angle lens and that aircraft is closer than it looks. ;-)

01/14/2007 09:17:46 PM · #17

Originally posted by tooohip:

It's flash. Wide angle lens and that aircraft is closer than it looks. ;-)

Awesome!

LanceW

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D

01/14/2007 09:18:49 PM · #18

I'm waiting for the next long exposure challenge to give it a try myself. ;-)

01/14/2007 09:24:50 PM · #19

Another question. If my flash is set to 2nd curtain sync, should the custom function in camera be set to that also?

01/14/2007 09:43:57 PM · #20

Originally posted by NstiG8tr:

Another question. If my flash is set to 2nd curtain sync, should the custom function in camera be set to that also?

Which flash are you using?

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

01/14/2007 09:47:05 PM · #21

Here is an extreme example. Robbie was swinging a little lighted thing around. Exposure 15 sec, flash at the end, normal flash. It was night time when this was done. On camera flash, Fuji S3.

Message edited by author 2007-01-14 21:48:10.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/14/2007 09:50:55 PM · #22

Originally posted by fotomann_forever:

Originally posted by NstiG8tr:
Another question. If my flash is set to 2nd curtain sync, should the custom function in camera be set to that also?

Which flash are you using?

Sigma 500 DG Super

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

01/14/2007 09:53:15 PM · #23

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

Here is an extreme example. Robbie was swinging a little lighted thing around. Exposure 15 sec, flash at the end, normal flash. It was night time when this was done. On camera flash, Fuji S3.

I bet that image would look just about the same whether 1st or 2nd curtain sync is used... The only time 2nd curtain sync matters is if the blur leading up to the 2nd sync will make more sense than the blur leading away from 1st curtain sync.

alanfreed

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

01/14/2007 09:55:08 PM · #24

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette uses this technique a LOT when they're covering ritzy events. They use it for those charity events featuring rich people amusing one another.

They have a portion of the paper called "SEEN" which is entirely about rich people amusing one another. The guy who usually covers those events uses rear-curtain an awful lot -- way too much for my taste -- but that's where I see it often. I guess it gives a sense of motion, or a sense of "Wheee! Look how much fun we have amusing each other!"

Here's one example I found on their web site (note the first shot, and to a lesser degree, the one at the bottom of the article):

Rich people amuse one another