Indoor Rodeo
JSPhotography
Registered Users Posts: 552 Major grins
Went to the rodeo yesterday, what a struggle. It was very dark, the ceiling was high and painted flat black, couldn't get a bounced flash to work. Tried every setting I could think of. I noticed what I assume was the pro following the series had a mirror set up that I had not seen before. His flash was pointed straight up at a mirror about 6" above and on a 45 degree angle. Not sure what effect that would have. Any ideas people have to handle the lack of light or processing techniques would be greatly appreciated. I wish the exif data included flash settings.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
Comments
A lover of all things photography.
Olympus E-500
My Smugmug Gallery
I've had little indoor experience, and basically none with a flash. I'm curious about how you got these shots.
S.C.
He really got up, too bad he came down on his belly for a reride. Thanks, these shots are not bad but I'm thinking I can do better.
I used a Canon 7d with a Sigma 70-200 2.8. All shots were in manual mode. The first two were at 1/250, f3.2, ISO 800 with flash in Ettl. #3 was 1/200, f5, same iso 800 and flash. #4 was 1/125, F2.8, iso 2000 and no flash. Next 3 were at 1/250, f8, forgot and left the iso at 2000. And the last was 1/250, f4.5 and 800 iso, flash ettl.
If i'm using flash I set things up for a about 3 stops under ambient so the flash freezes the action. If my distance is constant I will run the flash in manual with the lowest possible settting. Normally I bounce the flash or use a diffuser.
Hope that helps.
If you are under, your flash is FILL light. If you are over, your flash is MAIN light. You need to be over so you can freeze with the 1/1000 or 1/5000 (whatever the flash duration is and that's based on the strobe and power setting.)
Shooting with flash under ambient you are always going to get some kind of blurring.. Hell, even over at sync max you will get some blurring as well, but it will be much less noticeable than if you underexpose the flash.
A large place like that I'd say bigger flashes and find something really big to bounce off. I just shot indoor soccer this weekend, lighting without flash was 1/200 @ 2.0 ISO 1600. Took my 750Ws Calumet Monolights, pointed them to the ceiling and got 1/200 @ 4 pretty much anywhere in the center of the field. Toward the edges I really needed to either stop down or open up depending on where the players were (closer to the flashes I needed to stop down, farther, open up) but worked quite well. I could had done it with my 580's, but to be honest, I would need all of my flashes to get the same results I had with 2 studio strobes. Sometimes you need raw power.....
I think we are talking semantics here or maybe I was just not clear enough. You are not saying that you want my camera settings to be overexposed and then add more light with the flash are you?
Some day I will have some big strobes to work with.
So, if ambient reads 1/200 @ 2.8, ISO 1600, you need your flashes to read 1/200 @ 5.6 ISO 1600 to stop the action.
You don't need big flashes either, I probably could had done what I did with speed lights, just wouldn't get the range I did with studio lights. You can always fire directly with speedlights, long as you have them high up pointed down it's usually pretty effective. 13' light stands help there.
I see you were talking about flash settings and I was talking about camera settings. Yes flash has to overpower ambient. I don't know how to control my 430EX flash in the way you are describing. You are getting those numbers from an external meter? This is where I could use some help - flash control. What I do currently is set my camera using the internal meter 2 - 3 stops underexposed. I then run my flash in ettl or manual. In manual I just look at the resultant shot to see if my flash power is too high or too low. I was using high speed sync but somewhere along the lines I was told to quit doing that.
When I use flash I am in manual. Generaly I go for a shutter of 250, f2.8 - 3.5 to shallow up the dof, an iso to make my exposure 3stops under which is pretty black. Then add the flash. It must be working, there is no way 250th can freeze action like those last 4 shots.