Flash Photography Advice

[SoSueMe]

I'm not going to lie, I got into this business as a writer first and photographer second, but with cutbacks and convergence I've taken on shooting more photos.

Outdoors, I'm fine. Well-lit gyms and arenas are not problems. I'm smart enough to figure out white balance, shutter speed and F-Stop in those situations. And, with digital cameras it's easier now than ever.

However, I SUCK when I need to use a flash in poorly-lit gyms. I'm bordering on having no clue at all.

My equipment: A D1H Nikon and an OLD Vivitar flash.


My questions are: What F-stop to use? What shutter speed to use?

Any advice is appreciated.

If you're a friendly photog willing to help, tutor or share advice, please feel free to PM me!

 

[NoTalentAndFatToo]

You are shooting in RAW, right?

 

[chazp]

Use TTL (Through the lens) flash setting, it's the best setting to use for poor lighting. Have the F-stop on the lowest setting to open the lens as much as possible. You may still have to lighten/darken the photos on the curve in photoshop.

 

[The Legacy of Mike Lum]

Have the F-stop on the lowest setting to open the lens as much as possible.

And if you keep the shutter speed really, really slow, you can let in even more light.

 

[NoTalentAndFatToo]

Have the F-stop on the lowest setting to open the lens as much as possible.

And if you keep the shutter speed really, really slow, you can let in even more light.

Of course the photos will suck then....

 

[The Legacy of Mike Lum]

Have the F-stop on the lowest setting to open the lens as much as possible.

And if you keep the shutter speed really, really slow, you can let in even more light.

Of course the photos will suck then....

Which is what will happen if the F-stop is on the lowest setting.

 

[NoTalentAndFatToo]

Have the F-stop on the lowest setting to open the lens as much as possible.

And if you keep the shutter speed really, really slow, you can let in even more light.

Of course the photos will suck then....

Which is what will happen if the F-stop is on the lowest seting.

You can fix dark. You can't fix blur.

 

[Starman]

Shutter speed has to be set at a specific setting (depends on the camera - I think most are 1/60 or 1/120, and it's usually marked on the camera) to synch with the flash, so your lattitude on shutter speed is limited.

Use a flash diffuser -- I usually just ripped the cover off a reporter's notebook and rubber-banded it to the flash -- to reduce overflash, glare and redeye.

Using diffused flash reduces the effective range of the flash, down to 20-30 feet tops, which can be a problem in football. In basketball, it means you'll have to take most of your shots from the baseline under the basket.

If you have some real problem gyms, ask the coach or AD if you can come over during a practice, ask him to turn on the lights comparable to the way it is during games, and shoot off a bunch of shots at different F-stop settings, see what works best, and go with that.

Above all, congratulations on the realization that flash must be used inside in dark gyms. I fight all winter with some of our photogs, who keep turning in blurry, dark, out-of-focus shots, because they don't want to use flash. (This probably has to do with the effective-range problem discussed above -- these guys like to poke their heads in the gym door, shoot a half-dozen shots using a long zoom lens, pack up their junk and take off.)

Any coaches or parents give you crap about using flash, just tell them, "if we don't use flash, you don't get in the paper."

 

[SoSueMe]

"if we don't use flash, you don't get in the paper."

We live by this here. No flash? No photos. Sorry.

 

[pressboxer]

"if we don't use flash, you don't get in the paper."

We live by this here. No flash? No photos. Sorry.

I told more than one small-school administrator we'd quit using a flash just as soon as they put sufficient lighting in their gyms. One place eventually passed a bond issue that included a new gym. Not that I had anything to do with it, but the place had better lighting than any of the other dozen or so barns we would occasionally visit.

 

[Canuck Pappy]

Just an idea...

I bought a really fast lens. It's a 85mm f1.8. for $250 CDN on ebay. I can use natural light in just about every arena and gym around here.
You might also want to look into buying a new flash. The new ones with the TTL setting work well and sometimes you can use your Vivitar and the new lens as a slave with good results with a lot of experimenting.

 

[zman82]

how long have you used the vivitar? i tried this for about a year with the same camera and simliar flash and eventually burned out my flash. by the nikon flash ($200-$300) used and you'll see a world of difference in your pics.

 

[Starman]

"if we don't use flash, you don't get in the paper."

We live by this here. No flash? No photos. Sorry.

I told more than one small-school administrator we'd quit using a flash just as soon as they put sufficient lighting in their gyms. One place eventually passed a bond issue that included a new gym. Not that I had anything to do with it, but the place had better lighting than any of the other dozen or so barns we would occasionally visit.

A flash gives you better pictures even if the place is blanketed with TV lighting. Always, always, always, tell the coaches and ADs you are going to use flash.

Don't ask them, tell them.

No flash, no pictures.

 

[Cameron Frye]

Just an idea...

I bought a really fast lens. It's a 85mm f1.8. for $250 CDN on ebay. I can use natural light in just about every arena and gym around here.
You might also want to look into buying a new flash. The new ones with the TTL setting work well and sometimes you can use your Vivitar and the new lens as a slave with good results with a lot of experimenting.

An even cheaper option is a 50mm f1.8, for about a hundred bucks. That was the first lens I ever bought, and it's something that everyone should have in the bag. I've shot available light basketball in some caves with that lens.

Your D1H will sync at up to 1/500, but you can get away a little slower than that. But the lower your shutter speed, the more likely you are to see ghosting when using a flash. I wouldn't use TTL on the Vivitar - if it even has that option. The D1H looks pretty good even at 1600 ISO. I would set the ISO at 1600, the shutter at 1/250 and the lens at 2.8, or whatever the smallest (widest) f stop available. Set your flash to 1/8 power. If that's too bright or too dark, adjust the flash from there. If you see ghosting, bump up the shutter speed and the flash power.

Unfortunately, you can't zoom in on the LCD with the D1H to get a close look at the photo, so familiarize yourself with the histogram.
This is a decent primer on how to use the histogram - http://www.basic-digital-photography.com/how-to-use-the-camera-histogram.html

 

[chazp]

ISO of 1600 is grainly as hell, but will give you more light and it's better than get no shots at all in a badly lit gym.

 

[Cameron Frye]

ISO of 1600 is grainly as hell, but will give you more light and it's better than get no shots at all in a badly lit gym.

On the D1H, 1600 is actually really good. I never hesitated to set it that high. Unfortunately its successor, the D2H, is crap at 1600. But I shoot Canon now, so I can shoot 3200 without a worry.

 

[MilanWall]

You may still have to lighten/darken the photos on the curve in photoshop.

I can't tell you the number of times this has saved me. Yeah, the photos look a little fuzzy afterwards because PhotoShop sometimes has to "guess" at the color, but if someone complains you can just blame that on the printwork. *shifty eyes*

 

[Oggiedoggie]

You'll get the best results if you hang a couple of Speedotrons Black Line units with 105 quad tube light heads. You might have to hard wire the synch cord because radio remote systems sometimes don't work with all the steel and other interference in some gyms.

You can shoot at 100 ASA so it won't be grainy. Shutter speed doesn't matter much because the flash duration is what determines the exposure. Just be sure to use a high enough shutter speed to eliminate ambient light ghosting.

 

[Cameron Frye]

You'll get the best results if you hang a couple of Speedotrons Black Line units with 105 quad tube light heads. You might have to hard wire the synch cord because radio remote systems sometimes don't work with all the steel and other interference in some gyms.

You can shoot at 100 ASA so it won't be grainy. Shutter speed doesn't matter much because the flash duration is what determines the exposure. Just be sure to use a high enough shutter speed to eliminate ambient light ghosting.

You'll also need several thousand dollars to pay for that all.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

I think Flash would advise you that posting self portraits on SportsJournalists.com might cause a ruckus.