I forgot to add that this simple method of shooting does not require any
radio or IR slaves. The best reason for the radio slave would be to get
the flash off the camera and onto a light stand about 45 degrees away
from the camera and high up toward the ceiling to serve as a "main
light". The secondary and lower powered flash would then be close to
and at the same level as the camera and serve as the "fill light". As
before, this light would be triggered by an optical slave such as this:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/SYK-3-Hot-Shoe-adapter-Remote-Optical-Slave-Flash-Trigger-For-Canon-Sigma-Canon-/111092342366?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item19dd9e9e5e>
Dirt cheap, very sensitive and they work well.
In addition to light stands you need some brackets to hold the flash
units, preferably with the ability to hold an umbrella for a diffuser.
But this is all getting ahead of the game. Stick with what's below for
a cheap and easy solution.
Dr. Flash
On 2/18/2014 2:32 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> Now I'm not sure what camera you're using. I was thinking you must be
> using your E-M5 but, with the pop-up flash installed on the E-M5 you
> can't use the hot shoe for another flash. Must be something else.
>
> Yes, I'm going to suggest exactly what you were afraid of. I think it
> may be easier to shoot digital in manual mode than try to be a "TTL
> wimp". It's certainly easier than trying to decipher the FL-600 user's
> manual. I just read it or tried to. Ugh!!!
>
> Let's start real easy. Go into your living room or den or wherever you
> typically take family pictures indoors. Put a kitchen or other light
> chair where your subjects might be. Drape a white shirt (or similar)
> over the back of the chair such that the open side is away from you.
> This is the "bride's dress" which you must keep from getting blown out.
> Set the camera in manual mode, ISO at minimum.
>
> Situation: Dark outside, inside: low level of incandescent light
>
> Set the shutter speed at 1/30 (to pick up some ambient light). Aperture
> at f/8. Position yourself as far back** as you can with the flash set
> for ceiling bounce about half way between. If you have some sort of
> diffuser that can bounce some of the light forward use it. A small
> white card taped to the back of the flash head and jutting up a few
> inches will do. Set the flash to full power (which, in the case of the
> FL-600R, means setting the largest guide number rather than power level).
>
> Take a test shot and check the histogram. Is the shot overexposed? If
> so, cut the guide number in half. Underexposed? open up a stop or two
> depending on your judgement. Take another test shot. If still over or
> underexposed adjust aperture or flash power depending on where you have
> the leeway. Keep in mind that you don't want an aperture too small or
> too large for good depth of field control. If you start running out of
> flash power then start boosting the ISO. Keep taking test shots and
> making adjustments until you get a histogram you like. With a little
> practice you should be able to determine proper exposure after 2 or 3
> test shots and the people don't have to be present for that part.
>
> All of the exposure adjustments are things you're familiar with except:
> changing shutter speed will only affect the exposure of the ambient
> light in the background. Changing aperture or ISO affects the entire
> scene while adjusting the flash power affects mostly the subjects and
> other foreground.
>
> Situation: Daylight outside, inside: low level daylight
>
> If it's still daylight and you have a fair amount of sun getting into
> the room try to set an ambient light exposure with shutter speed at max
> sync speed. You'll probably have to keep away from the windows. What
> does the ambient light say about aperture for the exposure? If you're
> already at some small aperture you may not be able to or need to use
> flash. Otherwise continue as above. Just remember that you're limited
> in your ability to use shutter speed to control the ambient exposure
> since you can't use speeds faster than the sync. speed.
>
> Situation: Add a small flash unit for fill.
>
> Got a T-20 or some other small flash unit? No? Buy a 1980's
> manual/auto mode flash on ebay for $10-20. Set it on a light stand or
> other support with a cheap optical trigger to fire it. Put some sort of
> diffuser in front of it if you have one. A white handkerchief might do.
> Use the same setup for the night shot as above only close down the
> lens about 1/2 stop for your first test exposure to account for the fill
> flash. Rebalance the histogram from there.
>
> ** The intensity of the flash is going to fall off with the square of
> the distance. Getting far away will minimize the brightness difference
> between front and back subject. It also causes direct flash to appear
> more like a point source and cast harsh shadows but, remember, we're
> bouncing off the ceiling, not using direct flash.
>
> Good luck (you don't need no FL-600 or other steenkin' TTL flash)
> Dr. Flash
>
>
>
> On 2/18/2014 10:04 AM, Paul Braun wrote:
>>>> I have no definitive info on it but I would also be suspect of flash
>>>> mode working at all if the pop-up flash is down.
>>>>
>>>> Which is what I discovered.
>> The one thing that bugs me about this setup is that now I have the goofy
>> little popup flash throwing direct, unfiltered light on the scene. I guess
>> another option is to pick up another of the FL-XXr strobes and put that on
>> the camera, and let it talk to the off-camera flash. I realize I can do a
>> lot with ambient, but there are situations where it just doesn't produce a
>> sharp enough image. I'd like to learn proper flash usage just so I have
>> some more knowledge in my little bag of tricks.
>>
>> I'd suggest you get yourself a real radio transmitter and receiver of
>>>> which there are many on the market. I like my Alien Bees units... the
>>>> little battery powered CyberSync units shown here
>>>> <http://www.paulcbuff.com/cybersync.php> but there are many others on
>>>> the market. I gave up on my original cheapy ebay units because they had
>>>> not much range and were very unreliable.
>>>>
>>>> Note: some of the CyberSync units are AC powered for studio strobes.
>>>>
>>>>
>> That's also a possibility. Seems like almost all of them will talk to
>> Canyon and Nykon, but basically nobody speaks Olympish. Oh, sure, you
>> say. Don't be a TTL wimp. Learn how to do flash the old-fashioned way.
>> Well, maybe.
--
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