jerryph
01-14-2010, 01:33 PM
The amount of info that I want to share is a little daunting to read if I put it all into one post, so what I will do is split this section up into a couple posts to make it a little easier to digest (it also gives me a little more time to work on each section!).
Now, I think that most here already know that I am a great advocate of getting your light source off camera for best results, but that doesn't mean that we cannot get acceptable results with ON camera flash. Note that I said ON camera flash as opposed to IN camera flash.
First off, I am going to mostly skip over IN camera flash. I'm sorry but there are not many things one can do to make this underpowered, unmovable and mostly nonadjustable light source into a strong, broad, diffused and effective source of QUALITY light. Some will say that you can diffuse it by placing a tissue over the flash, but you are NOT diffusing any meaningful amount nor increasing it's apparent size, you are making an already weak flash weaker, and it also makes the camera up the power, further reducing your camera's battery life.
In my humble opinion, the only good reason to have an IN camera flash is so that it can be used as a controller for technologies such as Nikon's CLS. Even with that one small good reason, I will still say that if you are serious about getting the best possible results, keep that IN camera flash tucked away and replace that with a good quality ON camera flash. The very top of the line pro level dSLR cameras do not even have IN camera flashes, just hot shoe mounts, and that this is all for good reasons... the IN camera flash cannot come close to the quality of even a moderately priced hotshoe mounted flash.
Before we start talking about how to get good pictures with on camera flash, we need to understand the limitations of ON camera flash and then address them one at a time, so that we can gain control over them and either lessen or overcome the issues associated with on camera flashes.
So, what are the ways that we can use our flashes while in the hotshoe?
Well, the first way is the tried and true standard way of mounting the flash into the hotshoe, pointing the flash head straight ahead in the same direction that we are shooting and just blast away. The problems associated with this method are that the lighting will be very harsh, overly contrasty and highly specular and the famous red eye phenomenon will make many of our subjects look like demons from hell (lol).. hardly traits that I would associate with a quality photograph. We can also bounce, diffuse and/or do combinations of all techniques.
Before we get into how, let's take a fast look at how to gain control over our exposures, after all, isn't flash and controlling it all about getting the proper exposures?
In the on camera flash world we have three basic flash modes that we should be aware of: TTL, manual, Auto. Let's look at each one a little.
TTL MODE
********
With TTL, this is where the camera tells the flash to fire test flashes and the camera meters the scene, tells the flash what to set it's power to and makes the exposure decisions. Every year and every generation camera manufacturers make cameras with TTL that is better and better. Many pro photographers use this mode, but the best ones, though they may use it, use it because they know when TTL fails and better yet, know when not to use it. Why is it that people outside this small knowledgeable group average a good 20-25% of over or underexposed pictures even with the almighty TTL? It is because many do not understand it's intricacies and limitations.
Let's get one thing straight... brand is not important. Whether it is iTTL, qTTL, eTTL, dTTL or<whatever>TTL... none of them are perfect and all can give improved results if you understand the limitations and how to get around them. TTL systems today are able to give the average photographer an above average result with whatever flavor TTL they are using for about 80% of the shots they take using this system. This means that if you leave your photos in the hands of TTL, 20-25% of your shots will not be properly exposed, most often beyond being able to be saved even in post process.
So, how do the big time pros that use TTL get the consistently superb results that they get? Again, it is because they know where their flavor of TTL fails and they know how to get around those limitations by either compensating for, or sometimes even totally avoiding those situations that their TTL cannot handle.
As an easy example, when I shoot weddings, the few times that I did use iTTL, in the church, I used settings on my D700 of ISO 800, shutter speeds of 1/60th and apertures of F/2.8 or wider and I nailed my exposures. I did this because I found out quick that the shots that I took, came out better when I used a ratio of about 65% flash and 35% ambient. I also found out right away that if I used those settings at the darker reception halls and tried bouncing light off the white ceilings, all my exposures were off by anything from 1/4 to 1/2 a stop and I compensated for them via camera settings.
Now, these settings described here, were not just a single setting to live and die by, but just a question of the fact that this was my style and worked for me and my equipment... your results and tastes may not even be close to mine. Experiment, practice a lot and KNOW what works for your system. I know that my settings work for me because I have tested them over and over again. You should invest the same amount of time getting to know your setup and how it works in the conditions you shoot in.
Here are a few tips that I found that are 100% true to me that may work for you:
1. F/5.6 and smaller apertures are TROUBLE for TTL. Go big aperture or go home. The issues you run into is that speedlights do not reach far and small apertures make them work way too hard and consistency goes down the toilet.
2. Focusing is crucial. In darker environments and wider apertures, it becomes more and more important and challenging to nail the focus. Be sure you know your camera settings that will get you the BEST and HIGHEST chances of nailing focus consistently in the conditions you shoot in. Also, a LOT of the TTL info used to calculate proper exposures comes from the focus point and exposure metering type. Be 100% sure you are focused on the exact point you want maximum focus and proper exposure for in your photos.
3. Being able to shoot at higher ISO levels (800 and above) CLEANLY will make the most out of each flash of your battery powered light source and also get you to that ratio of flash ambient that I like, which is around a 65/35 preferred ratio (thats my personal preference, it may not be yours!).
4. Shoot in RAW. With RAW, there is an at least 2 stop greater range of recovery over the highest quality JPG. If you have the ability to shoot in 14-bit uncompressed RAW file, make that about 3 stops. Now, a good photographer *always* strives to be within a range of -1/4 to +1/2 stop range of a proper exposure. Do not depend on software to save you from making bad exposure decisions, but do use a file format that gives you greatest dynamic range and exposure play ranges!
5. Shoot with the latest technologies. If you have invested thousands of dollars in a Nikon D3s and a SB-900, you will be impressed at what TTL can accomplish for you. Don't be afraid to master the capabilities of what these new cameras can do. Most modern digital cameras with TTL capabilities can offer some impressive options for you... if you learn to use them right.
6. NO DIRECT FLASH. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING is better than a straight shot of TTL in the face of a subject. Diffuse and/or bounce everything for TTL. Can we all say "Demon Eyes" together?
7. Use your camera's SINGLE FOCUS POINT mode and Matrix Metering. These technologies aid in keeping TTL as stable as possible.
8. Outdoor daytime, ISO should be at 400 or less. I use the base ISO 200 for my cameras and always use the lowest ISO I can indoors as long as I get my ratio of 65% lit and 35% ambient rule happening. This sometimes puts me in the ISO 800-1600 range, but on a camera like a Nikon D700 (which is what I own), this is not an issue at all for me.
9. Learn how the different focus modes work on your camera and master how to nail your focus each and every time. KNOW your equipment and understand how to use EXPOSURE LOCK which is invaluable for focusing and recomposition types of shots.
10. Forget about the concept of fill flash when shooting indoors. When shooting indoors, shoot with your flash levels 1/2 to 1 full stop over ambient.
Use all these suggestions and get some great results with TTL. Miss one or more of these suggestions and you are going to run into TTL T-T-troubLe. :)
Next post: Manual flash mode, auto flash mode, bounce and diffusion.
Now, I think that most here already know that I am a great advocate of getting your light source off camera for best results, but that doesn't mean that we cannot get acceptable results with ON camera flash. Note that I said ON camera flash as opposed to IN camera flash.
First off, I am going to mostly skip over IN camera flash. I'm sorry but there are not many things one can do to make this underpowered, unmovable and mostly nonadjustable light source into a strong, broad, diffused and effective source of QUALITY light. Some will say that you can diffuse it by placing a tissue over the flash, but you are NOT diffusing any meaningful amount nor increasing it's apparent size, you are making an already weak flash weaker, and it also makes the camera up the power, further reducing your camera's battery life.
In my humble opinion, the only good reason to have an IN camera flash is so that it can be used as a controller for technologies such as Nikon's CLS. Even with that one small good reason, I will still say that if you are serious about getting the best possible results, keep that IN camera flash tucked away and replace that with a good quality ON camera flash. The very top of the line pro level dSLR cameras do not even have IN camera flashes, just hot shoe mounts, and that this is all for good reasons... the IN camera flash cannot come close to the quality of even a moderately priced hotshoe mounted flash.
Before we start talking about how to get good pictures with on camera flash, we need to understand the limitations of ON camera flash and then address them one at a time, so that we can gain control over them and either lessen or overcome the issues associated with on camera flashes.
So, what are the ways that we can use our flashes while in the hotshoe?
Well, the first way is the tried and true standard way of mounting the flash into the hotshoe, pointing the flash head straight ahead in the same direction that we are shooting and just blast away. The problems associated with this method are that the lighting will be very harsh, overly contrasty and highly specular and the famous red eye phenomenon will make many of our subjects look like demons from hell (lol).. hardly traits that I would associate with a quality photograph. We can also bounce, diffuse and/or do combinations of all techniques.
Before we get into how, let's take a fast look at how to gain control over our exposures, after all, isn't flash and controlling it all about getting the proper exposures?
In the on camera flash world we have three basic flash modes that we should be aware of: TTL, manual, Auto. Let's look at each one a little.
TTL MODE
********
With TTL, this is where the camera tells the flash to fire test flashes and the camera meters the scene, tells the flash what to set it's power to and makes the exposure decisions. Every year and every generation camera manufacturers make cameras with TTL that is better and better. Many pro photographers use this mode, but the best ones, though they may use it, use it because they know when TTL fails and better yet, know when not to use it. Why is it that people outside this small knowledgeable group average a good 20-25% of over or underexposed pictures even with the almighty TTL? It is because many do not understand it's intricacies and limitations.
Let's get one thing straight... brand is not important. Whether it is iTTL, qTTL, eTTL, dTTL or<whatever>TTL... none of them are perfect and all can give improved results if you understand the limitations and how to get around them. TTL systems today are able to give the average photographer an above average result with whatever flavor TTL they are using for about 80% of the shots they take using this system. This means that if you leave your photos in the hands of TTL, 20-25% of your shots will not be properly exposed, most often beyond being able to be saved even in post process.
So, how do the big time pros that use TTL get the consistently superb results that they get? Again, it is because they know where their flavor of TTL fails and they know how to get around those limitations by either compensating for, or sometimes even totally avoiding those situations that their TTL cannot handle.
As an easy example, when I shoot weddings, the few times that I did use iTTL, in the church, I used settings on my D700 of ISO 800, shutter speeds of 1/60th and apertures of F/2.8 or wider and I nailed my exposures. I did this because I found out quick that the shots that I took, came out better when I used a ratio of about 65% flash and 35% ambient. I also found out right away that if I used those settings at the darker reception halls and tried bouncing light off the white ceilings, all my exposures were off by anything from 1/4 to 1/2 a stop and I compensated for them via camera settings.
Now, these settings described here, were not just a single setting to live and die by, but just a question of the fact that this was my style and worked for me and my equipment... your results and tastes may not even be close to mine. Experiment, practice a lot and KNOW what works for your system. I know that my settings work for me because I have tested them over and over again. You should invest the same amount of time getting to know your setup and how it works in the conditions you shoot in.
Here are a few tips that I found that are 100% true to me that may work for you:
1. F/5.6 and smaller apertures are TROUBLE for TTL. Go big aperture or go home. The issues you run into is that speedlights do not reach far and small apertures make them work way too hard and consistency goes down the toilet.
2. Focusing is crucial. In darker environments and wider apertures, it becomes more and more important and challenging to nail the focus. Be sure you know your camera settings that will get you the BEST and HIGHEST chances of nailing focus consistently in the conditions you shoot in. Also, a LOT of the TTL info used to calculate proper exposures comes from the focus point and exposure metering type. Be 100% sure you are focused on the exact point you want maximum focus and proper exposure for in your photos.
3. Being able to shoot at higher ISO levels (800 and above) CLEANLY will make the most out of each flash of your battery powered light source and also get you to that ratio of flash ambient that I like, which is around a 65/35 preferred ratio (thats my personal preference, it may not be yours!).
4. Shoot in RAW. With RAW, there is an at least 2 stop greater range of recovery over the highest quality JPG. If you have the ability to shoot in 14-bit uncompressed RAW file, make that about 3 stops. Now, a good photographer *always* strives to be within a range of -1/4 to +1/2 stop range of a proper exposure. Do not depend on software to save you from making bad exposure decisions, but do use a file format that gives you greatest dynamic range and exposure play ranges!
5. Shoot with the latest technologies. If you have invested thousands of dollars in a Nikon D3s and a SB-900, you will be impressed at what TTL can accomplish for you. Don't be afraid to master the capabilities of what these new cameras can do. Most modern digital cameras with TTL capabilities can offer some impressive options for you... if you learn to use them right.
6. NO DIRECT FLASH. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING is better than a straight shot of TTL in the face of a subject. Diffuse and/or bounce everything for TTL. Can we all say "Demon Eyes" together?
7. Use your camera's SINGLE FOCUS POINT mode and Matrix Metering. These technologies aid in keeping TTL as stable as possible.
8. Outdoor daytime, ISO should be at 400 or less. I use the base ISO 200 for my cameras and always use the lowest ISO I can indoors as long as I get my ratio of 65% lit and 35% ambient rule happening. This sometimes puts me in the ISO 800-1600 range, but on a camera like a Nikon D700 (which is what I own), this is not an issue at all for me.
9. Learn how the different focus modes work on your camera and master how to nail your focus each and every time. KNOW your equipment and understand how to use EXPOSURE LOCK which is invaluable for focusing and recomposition types of shots.
10. Forget about the concept of fill flash when shooting indoors. When shooting indoors, shoot with your flash levels 1/2 to 1 full stop over ambient.
Use all these suggestions and get some great results with TTL. Miss one or more of these suggestions and you are going to run into TTL T-T-troubLe. :)
Next post: Manual flash mode, auto flash mode, bounce and diffusion.