76
votes
Accepted
Why do we charge our flashes?
The peak power at work when a flash is being discharged is extreme.
Example: a classic Metz 45CT (a large but still handheld unit) on full manual power delivers around 90 watt-seconds of electrical ...
- 7,172
20
votes
Accepted
What's the best way to light up a subject that's far away?
The idea is I will be down below, looking up at them to take the photo, so a flash would be useless.
Only if you limit yourself to a camera mounted flash.
The key to such a shot is to get the ...
- 174k
17
votes
How do I correct overexposed fill-flash when shooting outdoors on a sunny day?
Maybe the picture is already overexposed because of the sunlight? Then you do to the flash settings what you want, and it won't help you. Verify this first.
1/200 with 2.8 ISO 125 seems to be very ...
- 2,021
16
votes
How to avoid shadows on the background when photographing with flash in darker areas?
Ruined? That's a great photo! (If you were going for a sort of Halloween effect.) The position of the key light – off to the side and elevated – was perfect for this subject, and is ...
- 3,593
16
votes
Accepted
How do I get my Godox trigger and flash to work close to each other?
Yes. There's a "close" mode you can use on the Godox transmitters that helps to trigger a flash more reliably when it's close to the transmitter. Godox added this with firmware updates to ...
- 51.1k
16
votes
Why was my Canon Speedlite 600EX triggering other flashes?
The reason you were triggering the other flashes is that the other photographer is a rookie.
She was probably using the flashes as optical slaves... bad decision.
Even if she was using a radio ...
- 23.2k
13
votes
Accepted
My Godox flash won't fire off-camera. What should I check?
Here's a list of common things to check.
Are you using the wrong slave mode?
For your speedlight to be a radio slave, the antenna icon must be showing, and the backlight should be orange, and the ...
- 51.1k
12
votes
Accepted
Why did this image turn out darker?
So, what you have here is a mixed lighting situation. The background and star notes are being lit via flash (check out their shadows. Nice and soft and from top to bottom. The main bulb cluster is on ...
- 20.5k
11
votes
Accepted
How to avoid shadows on the background when photographing with flash in darker areas?
Despite the name of your modifier (Profoto White Softlight 20.5" Reflector), this is no soft light at all. The light source is far away and small enough to produce hard light on the subject. The most ...
- 8,504
11
votes
Camera uses double flash which triggers external flash before the camera captures, What are the solutions?
One good solution is to get a Hot Shoe Flash Adapter so you can use your old external flash right on the camera, or get a smaller Manual only flash to trigger your external optical slave flash.
$10 ...
- 12.2k
9
votes
Shooting glass product with embossment
Two things seem apparent to me looking at this setup.
First, the position of the subject appears to be a little further from the camera than the lights. Before you fool with the position of any ...
- 5,501
9
votes
Accepted
Is TTL flash really useful when using off-camera flash?
The same is true when the flash is on the camera, facing away from the subject into empty space with nothing to reflect it back to the subject.
The point of TTL is to adjust flash power automatically ...
- 8,504
9
votes
How do I correct overexposed fill-flash when shooting outdoors on a sunny day?
I'm shooting in Manual on bright, sunny day. ... Settings: 1/200 SS, f2.8, ISO 125.
Did you look at your meter? It was likely telling you that you were overexposed. Purely on the ambient. If you ...
- 51.1k
8
votes
Why are my flashes not putting out full power in HSS?
That's the nature of HSS. Instead of one full-power firing of the flash at a point when the entire sensor is exposed, it has to fire a series of very fast flashes at different points while different ...
- 5,093
7
votes
Camera uses double flash which triggers external flash before the camera captures, What are the solutions?
The first flash is probably for light metering (Canon call their version e-TTL, Nikon iTTL if you want to read about how it works), but the external flash doesn't know that of course.
You should be ...
- 3,772
7
votes
What's the best way to light up a subject that's far away?
In addition to what Michael has already stated, depending on the configuration, you may want to create a composite. Long exposure for the scene only and then add the lights and couple to overlay on ...
- 1,582
7
votes
Accepted
Will I get HSS with my Fuji camera and Godox flash gear?
Fuji HSS
There's an easy way to tell if your Fuji camera does HSS.
Unlike all the other camera brands supported by the Godox X system, Fuji's HSS setting is controlled by the camera, not by the ...
- 51.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Can I use rechargable batteries in an external flash?
Although freshly charged NiMH measure at 1.4 or so volts, they quickly drop to 1.2 under load. However, unlike alkalines, they stay around that 1.2 for a long time (this is called a "relatively flat ...
- 215
7
votes
Are any of the common third-party flash systems with radio-trigger capability inofficially multi-platform?
Yes, there are several systems that work in the way you describe, where the off-camera lights can switch between different TTL systems, and the only thing you need is an on-camera transmitter unit ...
- 51.1k
7
votes
How does using an ND filter compare to using HSS for freezing subject motion in daylight?
Just to get the full understanding: Only to freeze fast moving subjects which need shorter shutter speeds than the flash's burning speed HSS is really required?
Sort of. That is a common reason to ...
- 174k
6
votes
Accepted
Can an off-camera speedlight work for learning basic off-camera lighting?
Yes, a so-called Strobist setup (a radio controlled off-camera hotshoe flash/speedlight) can be great for learning and experimenting with basic off-camera lighting, even while it won't deliver the ...
- 51.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Buying wireless flash trigger vs. cheap flash to use as master
Using the Godox TT350N as a means to control your other Godox speedlight is a perfectly viable option. If you later decide to buy a dedicated trigger, you can control both of them.
The only drawback ...
- 4,045
6
votes
How can I preview exposure and autofocus with flash in a low light studio?
You simply cannot preview the exposure of light that does not exist at that moment. You had modeling lights on, which is about the best you can do.
You do not have to use such a dimly lit studio ...
- 14k
5
votes
Do I need an external flash to take sports pictures on the field at night?
In general, no, not only do you not need it, but it won't help at all. In order to provide any meaningful amount of light more than a few feet away, you need a very, very powerful flash — much more ...
- 143k
5
votes
How to avoid shadows on the background when photographing with flash in darker areas?
My short answer is just move the model a little further from the background.
The rest are just some additional opinions.
An additional thing is subjective, because it is modifying the light style: ...
- 23.2k
5
votes
Camera uses double flash which triggers external flash before the camera captures, What are the solutions?
If you're using a disconnected non-dedicated external flash like this, it'll be unmetered - you'll have to set all the exposure and flash parameters manually to get the image you want.
The first ...
- 624
5
votes
Camera uses double flash which triggers external flash before the camera captures, What are the solutions?
An alternative to the optical triggers or a new flash that Chriss H recomended.
If your external head allow it, lower the power to 1/2 - 1/4, so the flash has enough power to trigger twice.
The ...
- 23.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Can vintage strobes damage wireless receivers?
Yes, there is the possibility that vintage strobes with high trigger voltages can damage wireless receivers/transceivers attached to them. The danger would only apply to the receiver/transceiver ...
- 174k
5
votes
How do I set up my Flashpoint/Godox triggers to use an AD200 with my OEM hotshoe flash?
You also need a transmitter unit on the hotshoe of your camera to send the hotshoe signals to your slave/receiver units. If you want TTL and HSS triggering, you can use any of the following Godox ...
- 51.1k
5
votes
Does Yongnuo YN622C TX/RX accept rechargeable NiMh AA batteries?
I've been using the YN622C-TX and YN622C transceivers for about the last four years. I think I have gone through maybe three or four sets of alkaline batteries in the TX.
The transmitters and ...
- 174k
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