Webinar: Blending Flash and Ambient Light for Beautiful Outdoor Portraits
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Learn more: bit.ly/30RahFK
For many photographers from novice to professional, the concept of mixing flash and daylight in portrait photography is a subject that causes their blood to run cold! When forced to use flash in such conditions, the results are often barely acceptable snapshots with bright faces and no shape.
Join host Joe Brady in this Live Video Presentation sponsored by Sekonic as we take away the mystery of blending flash with ambient light. The combination of off-camera flash and a light meter to measure ambient and flash contributions will give you complete control to craft portraits your clients will love.
Yeah, I am amazed that more folks do not watch this video. I have a keen appreciation for Joe's advocacy for light meters. Getting it right in camera beats screwing around in Lightroom for hours. This information withstands the test of time. Every time I watch this video I gain something new.
Hey Joe, the tutorial might be 6 years old but you have helped me immensely in understanding my 758 and flash units, it's now all down to practice, thanks a heap.
Bethany is the most beautiful model of the world !
I just wanted to say thank you for your efforts to "help" people like myself 'understand' flash / lighting the correct way. The way that you present the information makes it so much better than many of the other tuts / videos I find.
I thought this was a very nice, comprehensive review on light meters. I found it extremely useful. You are a heck of a teacher in this matter. The time flew fast watching you. Thank you for sharing.
Joe is the blending boss and a good instructor. I needed an light meter and bought an Sekonic meter because his tutorials. Really appreciate these videos!
That was without doubt the most informative and helpful videos on flash photography I have seen. Add to that, it was very well presented and all points were explained fully. Thank you.!
Great flash tutorial by a true master of the craft. A flash meter is definately on my list.
Great info. I've been doing manual settings for years. You are right on. There are those that don't use or Know how to use a meter and don't use one. They generally use the camera and hit and miss. usually their images are flat lit, because they cannot do a % or ratio of ambient to flash on a CONSISTENT basis. Good job on your explanation and in showing courtesy and respect on dealing with your model.
Amazingly well done, thorough lesson! Thank you so much, I have learned a lot from your videos!
I want to say thank you for making this tutorial. I watched it just prior to the shoot I was doing of a band playing in a dimly lit restaurant with bright sunlight spilling in from the windows. I couldn't meter and re-meter as they were playing, but I applied the principles by switching my camera to manual, slowing the shutter speed, and dialing down my flash. Managed to get some nice shots and hopefully will make some happy clients! :-)
It's always cool to hear the math/logic behind photography, as most seasoned photographers have learned their settings by feel or personal experience... it was a lot of fun hearing "why". For me it helps thing click.
I have been using TTL but because the camera is making all the decisions I'm finding it hard to understand what changes what without guesswork. My lovely wife bought me a basic Sekonic light meter for Xmas, so your video on manual flash is going to prove useful in knowing exactly what is going on. Makes sense really, because we are constantly told to get our cameras on manual for creative control, so why wouldn't that be the same for flash. Still trying to get my head around the numbers, but I do need to do some practice and get a feel for the power performance of my Canon 430EX and then I should start to get a feel for what is happening. Thanks for your help.
Fantastic!
Superb tutorials, in depth and clearly put over. Thank you.
Your knowledge about lighting is fantastic. Thumbs up! for sharing.
At 39:00 I liked it immediately and I have seen it before - it has a dramatic feel and the fact that the flash is not on the camera means you can be really creative.
Superb video! Very clear and detailed,. Thank you for doing this! Gave me all the information I was looking for!
This was an excellent learning video! I was really struggling with the flash positioning... much better understanding now!
Great video,I am just starting out in flash photography,so much to take in.
Hey that was great! it answered lots of lighting fundementals that many don't know about, learning to be a great photographer is all about shooting manual , then the TTL is just a breeze but knowing the concepts is what is all about!
Thank you , great video!
P.S. I absolutely love your choice of model! :)
Thanks for putting this vid out there. Very helpful. I like your teaching style.
Thumbs up for the model...very beautiful.
Thank you for your help and your times. Awesome tutorial.
great info, and that model is Gorgeous!
Very informative!!!...Also, tutorial was broken down beautifully with its explanations.
Thanks that was really useful. I'm now looking to get a nice sekonic meter. My minolta auto IV doesnt have the features needed for this level of accuracy. Thanks again, a very useful tutorial.
Thank you very much for sharing your time and this information - very helpful.
Great tutorial, and that Girl is absolutely stunning also !
Such a knowledge...surely comes with an experience ..,very nice tutorials love them all .Thumbs up :)
This video helped me so much when I first started out!!! I would pay $39.95 to find others, remotely as good!
Great tutorial, stunning model!
totally amazing video.....thank you.....I am so excited my belly button is puckering in and out
Great videos. I'm just starting to do paid shoots, and your videos are a huge help!
Thanks for this informative and nice video. I've learned lots of new things.
Wow, great tutorial! New to DSLR photography it answered so many questions on this topic. Very professional and easy to understand. Besides the technical aspect of using the light meter and it's benefits the Q&A sections were of great value too. Thanks! Subscribed and Liked!
What was the main thing I learned? I did not know that if I set my sekonic L358 to flash that it would read the flash output for up to 90 seconds without having them tethered. No one ever told me that before. Enjoyed the video.
It is in the manual. Really.
these guys are always selling something
+STEPHEN POLWART Well, why else would they do it? What have you got against making money? To many of us, we make a living from what we learn here. I know I do. I am in professional tv production and I earn over 300k a year with my gear and knowledge.
Well good for you bro hope you make more. You've totally missed the point.
+STEPHEN POLWART Oh... what is your point then?
give it up mate for gods sake...get a life hahaha
+STEPHEN POLWART You could get a job if you had some talent. That way you could probably afford to get some of these tools. You don't have to stay an idiot with no money..
Even a bit of community work would help you. Do you know how to get out of bed?
I learn a lot from this video, thanks for sharing knowledge!
omg the model is perfect...
Awesome Tutorial! Thanks so much for the insight. Your tutorial was very informative but done in layman's terms so it digested well (at least in my opinion). I just subscribed to your vids and will be watching much many more of your instructionals. Thanks Again!
For clarification once you got the shutter and f/stop, example 125th f8 then you set the meter to read shutter speed then adjust the aperture to register the f/stop to meet the target exposure.
What would you need to differently if you were using a 5 stop ND for example?
Great information thank you for this tutorial
with that model any shot settings will look perfect.
hehehe, yeah exactly
Mark right onbrother!!
I was thinking to myself "man, these aren't good pictures" and was relieved to see I was not the only one who thought so.
I was watching until the 3:45 mark. Once he mentions the use of pocket wizards and light meters I knew it was beyond my budget. For those of you that can afford it then I sincerely hope this video helps. :)
Hi Joe, Great videos, much appreciated. Your tutorials are very clear and easy to follow. However, there's one thing I don't understand. Would it generally be the case that you set your camera for the flash reading if it is greater than the ambient reading and for the ambient reading if the ambient light is brighter?
Light meters are from film and movie film camera days, when you couldn't see the results of your exposure and lighting decisions until after processing. Getting exposure wrong meant having to reschedule the whole shoot again at a huge cost.
But now we have digital cameras and can see the results of exposure choices instantly.
If I'm carrying a camera bag, there will be a meter in it, usually a spot meter, but sometimes an antique/recalibrated for new batteries Gossen Luna Pro. Over the decades, I've found that the camera meter doesn't always see what I see. I will also often carry a grey card. Remember those? Enjoyable and informative. Thanks!
No, not unless you're using iTTL and high-speed shutter sync with the flash on the hotshoe. If you're shooting with the flash (not just the camera, but also the flash itself) in manual mode (usually off camera), your max shutter speed for flash-sync is 1/250, and the shutter speed has no effect on the flash's exposure. This is because all of the light from the flash occurs in less time than the shutter is open, so whether your shutter is open for 1 second or 1/250th of a second, it all gets in.
Very Imformative!
I am an amateur photographer. I enjoy your videos. I just bought the sekonic 858. Any new video teaching on the newest model?
Hey Samuel
We have our Formula lighting show on the Sekonic youtube channel, as well as quick-start videos. Did you have any specific questions we can answer for you.
Thank you. I have a ST-E3-RT and I am not going to get any of the pocket wizard tranceivers...too much hassle....I will just take a few test shots to get my light right, and rely on ETTL when I need to hurry.
You're still going to get motion blur when trying to freeze action around the 1:06:00 mark. The flash will initially freeze her in the air, but the ambient will contribute to the motion blur immediately thereafter.
You really need an INSANE amount of power to perfectly freeze motion in broad daylight. Speedlights won't cut it unless you're right next to her. And most studio packs with extremely low flash durations cost a small fortune (save for maybe the PCB White Lightnings).
Simple and to the point. No jargon
No. When your flash is set to manual mode there is no pre-flash. TTL (E-TTL for Canon/I-TTL for Nikon) uses a pre-flash to send information to the camera so that the camera can make exposure decisions based on camera settings. I use an L-358 as well. Is your L-358 in the correct mode? Remember too that he is using a 580 EXII and if your flash is not the same it may not be as powerful and therefore the meter reading may not be the same. Check flash and meter settings carefully & try again. :)
Why did you calculate the 8 ft = f/8 at 1/4 power? I use 2 580 EXII as well and the default is 1/1. I also use the Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 with the AC3 Zone controller. Couldn't I just take the original ambient reading the fire the flash and just adjust up or down with the AC3 until I achieved the 30 to 40 percent you flash you recommend?
I also shoot with Alien Bee's and if this same lesson applies as well?
Great tutorial. I would recommend you show the adjustments made on the screen of the Light meter.
Donny
good honest tutorial, can't wait till i come to NYC in August, looks like some really neat places to shoot in Central Park. I think i lucked out by getting the 305s, would have preferred the next one up then it could do the maths for me on the light contribution! maybe if you typed out the manual way to work it out i'd be able to create an easy converter using excel which i could upload to my phone.......just a thought :-)
Well.....this webinar is sponsored by Seikonic. What did you expect ? Light meters (once you have mastered them) are time savers in my opinion and getting the shot right quickly. We don't always have the luxury to use trial and error.
I might add that using a hand held meter for E-TTL flash work just won't do. Remember that the flash will emit a "pre-flash" to determine settings before releasing the actual flash for the exposure thus giving the meter a false reading. Keep in mind that most TTL flash errors are focus related. Setting an aperture of f/8 or wider will help. Using single shot AF mode will help as well as using manual mode. Like with most things there is a recipe for success. Have fun & good luck!
Great help, thanks a heap, and how can we not congratulate a beautiful model also.
Great teaching! A tip from a video pro for your videographer. Colour is washed out and wold be great if they filmed from a monopod so they can move around easily on the outdoor shots.
Nice tutorial Video, Thank you Sir...
awesome Tutorial!
thanks so much for the information.
your tutorial was very helpful and 100 stars for you and your team
im subscribe in your chanel
Love it
Unfortunately, no. The Canon's flash does not incorporate the Pocket Wizard system as native technology. You can however use a Pocket Wizard connected to the 600EX-RT to fire it remotely with a Pocket Wizard equipped light meter.
you can do this with the cameras meter, you just need to know how to use it. Use spot metering to start with.
What about large family group? In the bright sun without any shade area. Do you use single speed light?
Will the light meter work with Canon 600EX-RT? Radio trigger to get flash reading, or line of sight?
While the model was jumping, why were here feet so blurry? Shouldn't the flash be freezing the motion? Or is the ambient light getting in the shot blurring the feet?
How do you measure multiple flashes and give them variable power as dialed in your camera...example i want main flash at f8 and my two rim flashes to be at f22??? still maintaining my ambiance on my subject ???
Could I have the manual flash contribution calculation written down, im having trouble following the spoken version. Sorry
I have a question, when I set flash to manual (1/4 power) and use a trigger to fire I get a reading on my sekonic l358 of about 1.6. I increase flash to full power and I still get 1.6. If, however, I push the test button on the back of the flash the f-stop changed dramatically depending on the power. Is it that when I fire my flash with the trigger I am reading a pre-flash?
Been watching your great tutorials Joe. Keep them coming please. What background are you using in the studio on this video? Thanks.
i like the squirrel at the background
thanks thanks thanks!
great info
What does it mean by f/5.6 at her face and f/7.1 at her hair? Does it mean we need to light her face to f/7.1 for a soft light looking?
What sekonic light meter you are using triggering the speedlight without a cable . ? Thanks
Joe, are you using pocket wizard 3 E? If you are how did you overcome the fact the sekonic 478 DR U not being compatible with the pocket wizard 3 E?
This video was made many years before PocketWizard introduced their "E" protocol. In order to have an "E" PocketWizard work with a Sekonic meter, you will have reset the PocketWizard to use the original frequencies. The procedure is here: wiki.pocketwizard.com/index.php?title=PocketWizard_E_Release
I wish people would stop saying that increasing ISO increases the sensitivity of the sensor. Nothing increases the sensitivity of the sensor. Increasing the ISO only increases the electrical gain of an underexposed sensor; it is nearly identical to increasing the "brightness" in post software on underexposed images. Any increase in ISO over the sensor's native value only utilizes the lower darker portion of the sensors full dynamic range - hence a higher percentage of noise and less dynamic range.
after all that math and science, i am still clueless you havent used a single softbox. Do you just like hard shadows?
I have L-358 , but I bought RT-32ctl. Can't stroke flash. Anything wrong ?
Hello Joe, I have question I have an SB 800 and my Sekonic is L 508 how to I get this to work together as this meter is pretty old and I can't seem to find a cable to make this work. any fix for this.
Is direct flash or Bounce flash better for a Portrait Photo
Thanks!
Love the video. Very informative. Thank you. May I ask what brand of light stand that is?
Thank you for the video. I have a question about meters. I use a polaris. It is not very advanced with bells and whistles. What I have a problem with is setting up for the shot. It seems 90 percent of my shots that I meter for with ambient light are always at an F stop my lenses can not go to. 2.0 or 1.8. I have a 2.8 lens. I do not get into 4.0 until .8 to a full second or more. I can not hold the camera still that long.
Pocket Wizard and Sekonic are overpriced yesterday news.
Use the latest and awesome ATG Gold MG8k Flash Kim X3 is wireless radio TTL.
Then use your histogram for metering.
Don't be fooled the trigger shown is just an outdated radio trigger only.
ATG Gold MG8k Flash Kim X3 specs:
* No overheating
* No shutdown
* 1st, 2nd & HSS
* Nine wireless flash modes
* dual flashtubes
* wireless radio 1st, 2nd & HSS
* wireless radio 24-105zoom
* wireless radio manual power adjuctment
* 0.5 recycle time from full 1/1 manual power
* ATG ETTL II, ATG ITTL, ATG ADI TTL, ATT radio manual flash for all cameras
38:17 who else noticed the squirrel? :D
I noticed it :)
I saw it but I thought it was a rat
Help! So I'm in manual both camera and flash when I take a photo and balance out the flash with the ambient light everything looks great. When I raise my shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/250 to darken the background the part of the image the flash is lighting also seems to get darker what am I doing wrong?
Is it possible that you exceeded your camera's synch speed? 250th is not available for flash synch on all cameras.
I wish she would hug my pole. Where does someone like you find a model like her? She must be your niece or something.
LOL........ I love it when all the commenters say why not do this or that which tends to be a lot more complexed than simply reducing the shutterspeed lol. Like one guy says "use matrix metering blah blah blah".... or "Fit an ND filter blah blah blah"
Well isn't it a lot simpler to just reduce the shutter speed? One finger is all I need lol. I usually meter for the background then stick my speedlight on ETTL for the main subject and your done lol
if up dont have a meter, how do you get your readings? can u just adjust your shutter speed?
i realise there is no use of softbox, can i know what the reason?
Can i Use my cellphone as a light meter, using the Photo Friend App
Thanks for your reply, As i mentioned when firing my 580EXII set to Master from 8ft my sekonic l358 read 1.3 (flash manual 1/4 power), if I just press the test button from the same distance it reads 7.1. So, after thinking I took off the 580EXII and put my 430 EXII on, set it to manual and fired at 1/4 power and it came out 7.1, then I switched to 1/2 power and it read 10, which is what I would expect.
However, on location I normally use both flashes. Can you tell me what the issue is here?
i like all natural light with no flash