Today was promised to provide us with a hands on experience of using a flash off camera, but not like studio flashes, more like a speedlight on a remote trigger.
Admin
First up was some admin, with a reminder of the 15th January is the start of our exhibition at Centrala, so we’ll be there on the first Monday back. We had to bring in £30 to pay for the booking of the gallery space and this will be an exhibition called “The Matter Of The Black Country”. See the post on my first shoot for this project in Dudley.
Back to the masterclass.
Sam used some of the standard lamps from the studio area to light up the white scoop similar to a pub style atmosphere and we discussed the difficulties of shooting in a pub with limited lighting and the way that photos never look great with the dimmed lighting and closed in nature of the places.
Trigger Warning
We were shown how to set up the cheap wireless flash triggers and how the transmitter (tx) attaches to the hot shoe of the camera, and the receiver (rx) fits to the shoe of the flash.
The dip switches are then set on the rx unit to program the channel it will receive on. The same configuration is set on the tx unit too. There are four dip switches that provide 16 channels that it could possibly be set to. This is due to there being 4 switches that can be in two positions or 2⁴, this is a bit of a nerd out and takes me back to my binary workings on my Business IT HNC course. As long as the Tx and Rx are the same on camera and flash, and different to other groups in the area then it should all be fine.
Speedlight
Sam demonstrated that the speed light pointing downwards with the diffuser over the flash lens and reflector up too provides good control of the light..
We were to use the Sony Alpha A7RII and had been in structed to stay below 400 iso, use the shutter speed around 1/125 second and expose the shot without the flash. The flash when on will then provide enough extra light to complete the image.
Once we are happy that the lights appear on the screen as they do to our eyes then we can turn on the flash.
The first image was flash set at 1/128 power and and off to the left side of the scene, Dan’s right.
The light from the flash was stopping just above Dan’s head so we stowed away the little white reflector on the speedlight and it allowed it to spread further up the background.
Next increase the aperture to f/8 for sharper image, but this left the image a bit blue and the flash underpowered, we then increased flash power to 1/32
We started using the reflector and moving the flash unit around. to Get a good photo of the face, Dan pointed out that due to his cap, if his eyes couldn’t see the flash, then his eyes would be in shadow under the peak.
We had the little reflector to bounce some light back onto the face and it was showing us how we control that light and the light in the background still remains the same, even though we’re smacking it with a big flash.
There were a few occasions when the photo was showing a shadow on the backdrop and looking at the separation of the face/head from the shadow. Sam and Dan advised us that it makes a more pleasing image if the shadow is poking out from behind the head, and not separate.
Dan stepped out of the frame and the group was let loose with the camera and flash unit, with different students stepping in to model.
We tried out different combinations with different people, some who wouldn’t stand still and others on the camera and then compared different settings.
Outdoor Light
There would be a brief to stick to this afternoon so we had to go and practise what we’d learned in the outside garden of the MK building before lunch break.
We were advised to set the camera to Iso400, F/5.6, and 1/125 shutter speed. Sam suggested these as we would be shooting under what he termed “Tupperware skies” as if the light were being dispersed by the translucent plastic used to make containers. It is a good observation, the light was not super bright, yet not dark either, just restricted somewhat and it provides the same flat light as a fluorescent tube gives out if it is covered with the plastic covering.
We started out by taking a photo of the wall under some trees and expose correctly for the background, before we put a subject in and used the flash.
In the next photo you can see that the subject is lit correctly while still having a nicely exposed background showing the true colours of the day.
Some more hijinx took place with more than one willing model stepping in to be the subject of the images. As more and more people started taking part it became clear that the speedlight had it’s limitations and to do more than two people would probably benefit from a studio size light.
You can see in the next image that the flash was hed up in front of the camera and to the right, the background was even better exposed and the faces of the three subjects all pop from the light.
We then stepped into the bushes to try a shot in the even darker undergrowth. It was trickier to expose for the wall and then use the flash without blowing out the wall. We asked the model to move away from the wall a little to lessen the impact of the flash on the background bricks.
Dan and Sam were explaining how we could black out the background with the flash by underexposing the background and then illuminating the subject with the flash. We would try this after a couple of shots of people under the tree. One of the group set the model (Lou) against the wall and then shot through the leaves of a tree branch to create a foreground but looking at it now, it gives it a creepy voyeuristic appearance. But it is a nice photo.
Before we turn around and take photos against the sky, here is a small gallery of some of the shots from this first section outdoors.
We then took [art in a comparison shoot of a group in front of the tree background and then spun around with the sky for a backdrop. Again the speedlight was having difficulty lighting up the group when being asked to compete against the blank sky but it seemed to cope ok against the trees.
Shit Avengers
You can see from the below image of “The World’s Oldest and Shittest Avengers” that the background is dark whilst the flash has illuminated the subjects, probably a little too harshly.
We then spun around and tried it with a clearer background to test the principle of removing the sky by using the flash cleverly.
You can see from this series of three photos above that the sky gets progressively darker as the aperture of the camera is set to a higher F stop . With the higher f stop making the background darker, we also need to compensate by increasing the power of the flashgun, and in the last photo it was placed on the ground pointing upwards at our chins, hence the halloween style look on our faces.
We found that the aperture could be set at f/22 or f/32 to achieve this sort of image. With this new found knowledge and some people really taking to the idea and getting some thoughts about how they could use this in their practise we headed back in for a lunch break.
Developing Time
Well some had a lunch break, I jumped into the Loading Room to take a roll of 36 exposures from a canister of Kodak TMax 3200P and pop it into a paterson tank. Once successfully manipulated this in the complete pitch black of the loading room it was time to head to the processing room where I filled three flasks of 300ml of D76 developer, 300 of Stop and 300 of Fixer.
You’ll read in the Dudley Wander post about how I exposed this roll of 3200 ISO film at a mistaken 400 ISO due to not changing the ISO setting on the back of my M6. As a result I needed to Pull the developing process, and this resulted in a dev of 10.5 minutes. essentially I would be stopping the dev earlier than I would had it been exposed at the right times.
With the film developed, stopped, fixed, washed, wetting agented and then squeegeed it was time to pop it in the drying cabinet for thirty minutes. This meant that I’d need to leave it in the drying cabinet for the duration of the afternoon whilst we were out meeting our brief.
The Brief:
This afternoon we need a portrait of everyone in your group shot in TWO different ways… Find interesting locations that have a variation in light!
1) Freestyle – use the flash anyway you feel to give your image subject some punch and interest (ISO 400)
2) Shoot an image in f22-32 – We want this image to be moody and make the most of using the flash to alter its background to black (ISO 400)
3) OPTIONAL – If you meet up with another group , put the signal transmitters to the same channel and try two flashes!!!
ALL IMAGES IN RAW
We were split up into groups by Sam which worked out well as I don’t really know a lot of the people on the course so it threw me in with some coursemates I’ve not spent time with before, Clare, Angus and Lou.
We headed out with the Sony Alpha and the Cactus speedlight to see if we could each capture images required to meet the brief. We took the first 15 minutes trying to figure out how to change the aperture on the camera in Manual mode, until I spotted the wheel on the right hand index finger resting position. I even googled it and couldn’t find it on there.
Clare Part One
Off to the small area by the gallery known as St Peters Gardens and Clare kicked us off by shooting Lou, Angus and myself in the area We each took it in turns to hold the flash and bag whilst the others were using the camera and modelling. We concentrated first on getting the shots for point one of the brief so a wider aperture was called for and a lower powered flash.
Lou Part One
We switched the responsibilities over and Lou took charge of the camera before shooting the three of us in her first part of the shoot. It looks like she missed out the focus on Angus photo sitting in front of the fountain, but other than that it is a well lit series of photos.
Angus Part One
Angus was up next and he chose to shoot his first set of images on the walls of the cathedral, some upwards, some downwards and some level with the subjects.
I particularly liked his photo of Lou in this set, with her leaning on the wall and the hat on her head looking halo-like with the church in the rear of the image too, nice photo.
We then mixed it up a bit with who was shooting for part 1 and part 2 of the brief so I’ll put the photos in the galleries from the shoots but they won’t be in order
Bob Part One
When we had the brief, I immediately wanted to shoot in the dark staircases of the Civic buildings near the Civic Hall venue. There is a large set of stairs enclosed by the offices above it and with white handrails and other lines that could be used in the images.
I think that my most successful photo her is the shot of Lou hiding her eyes with her brim of her hat, but I also love the shot of Angus sat on the stairs. The photo of Clare smiling is ok but it’s a bit too close to the part 2 of the brief and this is probably down to me rushing. The photos all have a background, less so the close up portrait of Clare, but the flash has been successful in making them pop.
Bob Part Two
I then started altering the Aperture to f/22 or f/32 and trying to get a super dark background.
Then we revisit the photos of the other three members of my group and their images made using higher than f/22 aperture.
Clare Part Two
Lou Part Two
Angus Part Two
Way Back
As we were walking back to the Uni we went under the Molineux underpass/subway and Angus took a photo of Clare as seen above, with the fluro tubes in the corners creating a leading lines type affair, so Clare saw this and decided to capture a couple of Lou in the same area with the lights acting as an interesting draw into the picture.
It worked well to block out the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, and with a little lightening in photoshop/lightroom etc it should come out well.
We headed back to the George Wallis building and then Sam downloaded the memory cards onto Onedrive to share them with us so we can include them in our sketchbooks/journals etc.
Baldrunner
Here is a photo of me that Lou made too, of me in the pose of K from Bladerunner 2049, as played by Ryan Gosling. I’m sure you’ll agree the resemblance is uncanny.
Reflection
On the whole it was a good exercise in how we can use a speedlight to get different effects/results. I don’t really shoot a lot of portraits as posed and tend to take most of my images of people in the street candidly. Obviously I could use the flash like Bruce Gilden but I fear aroudn the city of Wolverhampton or London, ramming a flash in peoples’ faces might get me a swift black eye.
It was a good exercise to get used to the cameras, the flash and the triggers as well as work with people I don’t have much time with. I spoke to Angus and heard more from him than I’ve heard in the past, it was interesting hearing about his travels to come to Wolverhampton and study.
It was also interesting pushing myself to be in photographs, I don’t consider myself to be massively photogenic and don’t appear often in images. It was a stretch to appear confident in photos and I don’t have any knowledge of how to pose in images, unlike Lou and Courtney who seem to have some experience in this field, or are just natural photographic subjects. I always feel super awkward and should I have my hands in my pockets, should I stand face forward or at an angle etc.. Definitely learned that a photo lying on a staircase is probably not flattering.
I’ll be tempted to try and do some off camera flash shooting now, and try and use the techniques gained in this masterclass. Now next week we have to present our photos to the rest of the class and Sam. Time to check in lightroom and photoshop if I’m happy with them before banging them into a power point.
Bingley Distraction
This blog post took a bit longer to write than usual as I’m busy assembling a powerpoint slide set ahead of my talk to Bingley Camera Club in Yorkshire on Monday evening. I’m talking through my urban photography and how it’s taken me on a journey. The documentation for this will also appear on this blog, once complete as it’s a huge stretch for me, and a visit outside of my comfort zone. I know I’ll be ok once I stand up and start talking but over an hour of presenting and then questions and answers is a big step for me.
Be First to Comment