speedlights/lites?

I use a "Speedlite" (Canon, such a silly name difference :P). I use it for pretty much every doll shoot indoors. You can target and alter the light as you desire, as well as shoot in the dead of night, which is way better than relying on the sun IMO. The ability to tilt and swivel an on-camera flash is a must for me, because it makes shooting impromptu so easy.

To add off-camera ability, I got a used Nikon SB-26 (built-in optical slave) and a trigger cord for my main Speedlite. I checked that they work but I am working on another (non-photo) creative project so I only did one session with it.

I know from experience my doll shoots are 90% prep, 10% shooting, which kind of puts a damper on my eagerness to shoot. :P

 

I use a Vivitar 285HV. It's an older version flash and I love it because it is cheaper and not that hard to use. But, they are fully manual (I believe they are from the film days? Could be wrong on that one) so they could be harder for some people to get used to. Then I got a cheap trigger/receiver set off e-bay. It does what I need it too. I am thinking about getting a Metz speedlight for my Olympus (now that I upgraded to a wireless compatible body).

I play around with my flash for doll photography, but it's a new realm and I am still learning to get the results that I want from it.

 

This is going to be a dumb question, I know it, but, what's the difference between using a flash and using a speedlight? Does the speedlight handle light differently so it's not so much "doll caught in headlight" syndrome?

 

o_O I never knew that speedlight was a brand name. xD Funny! External flashes help TONS when you decided to incorporate flash into your photography. But, as long as it remains on your camera, close ups will always tricky. If you have it off the camera, it doesn't matter how close you are to your subject because the flash doesn't move.

Question: How does TTL (through the lens) work? I understand that it reads your camera settings, but that's about all I know. *sigh* I'm soooo not knowledgeable when it comes to flashes lol

 

That is so cool! I'll have to keep a look out on your tests, then. Because the lighting in my house is kinda horrible and I usually get home after all the natural light is gone. But I imagine since all the walls in my apartment are white that reflecting light off them would work really well. I hope it works out for you and thank you for letting me know how they work.

*adds Speedlite to her list of possible photography supplies*

 

TTL flash is an automatic mode. Different manufacturers will call this different things, but they work on the same idea. (I-TTL for Nikon, E-TTL II for Canon, for example.)

In an automatic flash mode, the camera calculates how much flash to use for you. It does this by having the flash fire a preflash of a known low power, and then adjusting accordingly. The flash you see is actually two bursts in quick succession. This is true even for compacts.

"Through The Lens" means that the flash sensor is located behind the lens, inside the camera itself. Because it "sees" what the film/sensor will see, it is the most accurate method available.

TTL in context of flash is mostly historical: automatic flash sensors can also be located on the flash unit itself. This has fallen out of favor because it generally has less accurate results than a TTL calculation--the flash is not in the same location as the film/sensor and may easily "see" a different (read: incorrect) amount of light.

As trivia, the Canon 580EX II happens to have an on-flash sensor (it's in the manual), but I can't imagine it being used very much, even by professionals.

*ahem*

Back to flash unit usage itself: bounced flash basically "increases" the size of the light source. If you bounce off the ceiling, you are basically turning the ceiling into a light source. A bigger light source means the light will be more spread out (diffuse or soft) and cast softer shadows. Also by making the light appear from somewhere else other than the camera, it becomes directional, which casts more natural looking shadows. This avoids the infamous deer in headlights look.

The ceiling is the most common bounce target, but try improvising on walls, glass, metal, reflectors or whatever object is behind you!

 

gaia: You. Are. AWESOME! I never quite understood...I mean, I just knew that my vivitar didn't have it xD Thanks so much. It'd be fun to be lazy and actually have an automatic flash.

 

I love Nikon's CLS! I have 2 SB-800s, 4 SB-600s and 4 SB-R200s. I didn't buy them specifically for doll imagery, I'm a photographer, but I do use them a lot for the dolls and will be doing even more photography with them on an upcoming project (details to be forthcoming).

Cheers,
Jim

 

I think the 15 fires stated before cooldown are full-power bursts. That's actually pretty rare if you are using it appropriately (i.e. not firing it on something miles away or on a black curtain). Admittedly it might be an issue if you are using modifiers and bouncing on a very high ceiling.

I tend not to drop below ISO 400 if the flash is more than fill. SLR noise is still good at that level and it saves a stop or two of flash power--put another way, the batteries last longer and the flash recycles faster--both very desirable things to me. To me, ISO 100-200 on an SLR is for landscape or Sunny 16+ conditions.

Edit: The SB-400 is the tiny one with tilt only, yes? I previously owned Canon's similar model 270EX. (I heard it's somewhat inferior to the Nikon but didn't explore why.)

I didn't care for it personally--for me it didn't really do all that much the pop-up flash couldn't do, aside from slightly more power. I ended up selling it less than a year later. I take a makeup mirror to the pop-up when I want to bounce it.

 

Totally forgot to see how things turned out. *sigh* ^_^ Aren't external flashes awesome!? Your pictures are great examples of that. Are you using it on the camera or triggered off camera?

 

As she's playing with her new SB-400, I would guess on-camera, bouncing.

<nitpick>
You should have also shot a sample with available light only. How else can you demonstrate the superiority of flash?
</nitpick>

:P

 

*nods* That would be good. Maybe I will do the same with my WS doll and show the comparison between nat. light, built in flash, and my Vivitar Flashgun. :3

 

Ooooo, I LOVE that pic using the speedlight. What's so funny is, in my opinion, the flash one came out well too. BUT, the speedlight one looks more natural, like you had sunlight to do it.

I would love to see a comparison between natural light, built-in flash, and a speedlight, xobrittuhox. I'm trying to figure out if this is something to put on my list (though next will be a 50mm lens, unless I go crazy buying stuff at the doll show).

And, if it was alright, is there anyway someone with a speedlight can test it indoors when it's dark outside? I only get to take pics with some daylight on weekends right now, but I don't want that to hinder me, especially since I might start sewing and, if I get any good, that'll expand wardrobe options and make me want to take more pictures. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

I use the SB800 on my Nikon D2X, or SB900 on my D3S. Unfortunately they lack a built-in flash, so I can't help there.


Natural light from a window vs with speedlight. Notice how the eyes are brought out with the light boost from the external flash, and there are catchlights, which adds a sense of realism.


Taken with only SB900 in the evening.


Taken with only SB800 at night. Again, catchlights! :>

All the flash photos are taken with the flash mounted on-camera and aimed sideways, not bounced off walls. I almost always use my external flash for doll photos, usually lowering the strength of the flash to about -2/3 ~ -2, depending on lighting conditions. I also have a softbox covering the flash head.

Dolls in the first and last photos belong to my friend Reikaloures, because I don't seem to have pics of my own dolls with/without flash comparison.

 

Rain: Thanks for that! It's kinda funny that all of the samples are of a friend's doll! xD
mal: I have to wait until the weekend to take some sample shots. :3 But, I'd love to. It gives me a reason to pull out my camera and spoil the kids with some attention! If you'd rather spend your money on something like doll clothes, a simple white board, card or paper will be able to bounce enough natural light to take the place of a flash.

 

Brittuho: Those are old photos, too, which is why the first/last photos are in such a different style from the middle one (I took that 3 days ago). XD;;;

Because someone asked, I actually use a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8, which is my favourite doll photog lens. I don't like the 50mm or 85mm f/1.4 because it's too restrictive in terms of the inability to zoom.

 

I was disappointed by the 85 as a doll lens myself. It's great for real portraits, but it can't focus closely enough to be worth using over the 24-70 when doing doll stuff.

By the way, if you want a good generic term, "hotshoe flash" is an easy one that gets the meaning across. Everybody knows what speedlight means, though.

CLS is great. I never used it until I switched to a consumer body with a pop-up, now when I get my next body (probably a D4 unless the D800 really impresses me enough to be worth saving the $3k) I'll have to get an SU-800 or another SB. I keep trying the manual "strobist" method and it just doesn't work for me, I'm squarely in the TTL McNally camp.

 

Oh, I so look forward to the D4 ... my wallet does not, though.

I use Speedlights all the time, I mean literally, all the time, mostly even when photographing in broad daylight. I currently have two SB-900's in my bag, looking to get another one, and then a couple of SB-700's ... needless to say, CLS is about as vital for me as breathing...

I find however that half the magic of what a flash on the hot shoe and/or off camera can do for you comes from all the wonderful toys you can place in front of it! From softboxes, strip lights, and beauty dishes, to snoots, honeycomb grids, even simple gels (half-cut CTO, anybody?) ... man, oh, man, the pirouettes you can make light dance for you!
Now, learning to control it, so as to put it to proper use ... working on that.

Joe McNally. Yes. Complete madman. Absolutely brilliant! With the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'd say his book Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes is essential reading for anyone who wants to really be inspired to use Speedlights.

 

Yeah, both of his books (Hot Shoe Diaries and the earlier The Moment it Clicks) are great. I actually saw him do a live demo a couple weeks ago (he and David Hobby of Strobist fame are currently on a nationwide bus tour) and talked to him briefly.

You can never have enough speedlights. I've only got an SB-900, -800, and -600, with another broken -600 I need to get fixed. The truth is, though, that there's nothing like studio flash. I've rented it a few times and it makes everything so much easier, just hook it up and it works. The next big lighting purchase I make is going to be a pair of Elinchrom Quadra Rangers. (I actually asked Joe if he thought those or more speedlights was a better buy, and he suggested the Rangers.)

I'm really looking forward to a new camera body. Not sure if I'll be able to afford a D4 or not, but I'm so sick and tired of having to squint through my D300's tiny viewfinder. I would've bought a D700 already, were it not for the impending replacement. I'll probably buy a D800 as soon as it comes out and get a D4 or two if I can get consistent enough work to need them.

 

You've met the man! Now I'm truly envious...!

Not as fond of the earlier book, to be honest - well written and informative, to be sure, but I love Hot Shoe Diaries more because it is very narrowly focused on the tips & tricks of the strobist's trade... I look forward to the upcoming one, though. It should contain a good deal of information on the use of studio flashes, too.

"You can never get enough Speedlights!" Was there ever a universal truth more succinctly put!

What I love with the Speedlights and CLS is that the system works so effortlessly, no cables, nothing - and I control all my flash levels right from the camera.
I wouldn't mind a pair of Elinchroms, too, mind you, but I'm shying away from the price range for the accessories for studio lights. The Lastolites, Honls, and whatnots of the world are very obliging in providing a fairly budget friendly selection of tools to shape the light from Speedlights. Buying the tools necessary to do all the same things with studio lights ... ups the ante a bit too much for me.
Mind you, I'm just a hobby photog; I don't make any money from the camera gear I buy, at present.

 

D: I've been soo busy lately. I'd love to show some pictures of the vivitar results, but it still takes me time to fiddle around with it and actually get the results that I am looking for (though I'll never give up that flash xD). Though, I'm thinking of getting a Metz flashgun one day. It'd be good to have an automatic flash that provides TTL, but there is nothing like learning the ropes on a manual lens lol

 

For what kind of camera body? I'm not sure if there's any reason to go with Metz over the other brands unless you're doing wedding work and need the extra power and endless battery life. If you really want a hotshoe flash that's an upgrade over the normal camera-brand ones, I'd look at Quantum's Qflash range.

 

Well, I have an Olympus, so there aren't as many options of flashguns with TTL as Canon and Nikon.

 

Ah, that totally makes sense, I see why you'd want a Metz, then. I do see that Olympus makes a nice looking dedicated flash that even allows wireless TTL control of remotes, though, like Nikon's CLS. That would probably be nice to have. (Honestly, I want to recommend switching to Nikon or Canon since Olympus seems to be mostly abandoning their full-size DSLR lineup, but I don't want to be "that guy".)

 

Lol. It's okay. That discussion is going around a lot. Honestly, at this point in my life, there's no reason to switch. I'd be taking a HUGE financial hit by trying to switch up. Alos, the only time I've ever felt Olympus to be lacking is in their selection of flashguns. But, I'm loving my manual Vivitar xD It's an interesting way to learn, but I am, and that's okay lol.

 

Funnily enough I've been researching speedlites myself recently. The inbuilt flash in my Canon 400D died on me; I never particuarly liked the flash to be honest, but well, it was annoying. Canon wanted a rather hideous amount to repair it and so I thought, well, might aswell get a flashgun instead. In the end i settled for the 270ex. It's the cheaper end of the spectrum and better suited to hobbiests and amateurs so I was happy to go for it. It is really compact, but I am very happy with it, and although I have only had it for a few days, I am sure it has improved skintones (on real people anyway) and works great with some of my doll pics too.

Not sure if that helps at all, but seeing as I was having a similar experience, thought I'd add my two-penneth

 

I just got two off camera flashes, and two PT-04 wireless triggers. I'm working my way through the lessions on the Strobist blog. I think it's challenging my way of thinking; trying to 'see the light ' before it happens, after always using continuous light.

 

My dad has an old Vivitar 28D, which I would love to try out to see if it works but sadly the piece that holds the batteries in place long disappeared.

 

You can always use electrical tape.

 

I had not thought about that. However, I think the top closure piece might have had some metal stuff on it to help connect the batteries together to make a circuit, do you think the tape would do that?

 

Oh, no. The tape wouldn't do that. Usually battery covers don't have't that, so it never hurts to try. If it doesn't work, I'm not sure of what else you can try. But, since it's an old flash, usually you can get them really cheap

 

Yeah I may just buy another one. eBay seems to have a few, hopefully they still will when I get paid this Friday. ^_^

 

Just a thought; if you stick with your Vivitar - I'd also like to suggest KEH.
While they may not have the same one, depending on you camera you'd
could buy one for anywhere between $9.00 and $79.00
I've had really good luck with them.

 

Thanks Mire Lapin. I was actually able to get my dad's to work by putting strips of aluminum foil over the batteries to connect them and then sliding a piece of my broken ruler to hold it all in place. Make shift closure ftw!

 

lol; Perfect!

 

Wow. I can't believe I missed this thread. Practically all I do is off-camera strobes these days. It's actually getting to be a bit of a crutch. Used to be a CLS junkie but my 2 SB-600 units are a little lacking in power and I don't exactly have $500 lying around for an SB-900. I still use them occasionally but have primarily moved to a couple of Vivitar 285hv lights. Got some cheapo Cactus V2s triggers and some light modifiers I've built up over the last couple of years.

Once I'm at my PC I can probably share some of the stuff I've done recently. In fact, if there's any sort of lighting setup, effect, etc. anyone wants to see done I could probably do some examples. I have been in a photographic lull anyway and could use something to shoot.

I own both of those McNally books and I have to say I like The Moment It Clicks a bit better than Hotshoe Diaries (which read more like a book sized advertisement for the D3 and SB-900 units than a book on photography, but that's my nitpick) and they're worth it just for the stories. At any rate, I hope all you guys strobing are having a blast. And don't give up. Once you figure something out it's AWESOME!

 

I bought the ringflash adapter kit from http://www.diy-lighting-kits.com/ a couple weeks ago. It's actually really awesome for doll photography. I used it (along with a Lumiquest LTP) in a two-light setup with nice results.

 

Do you have any pictures we can see cosplayshots?

 

Oh, I forgot to paste the link!

http://otakushots.com/2011/05/21/dawn-of-the-golden-witch/

 

Thanks cosplayshots. The pictures came out nicely, and your Beato looks great.

 

Looking for recent strobist doll photos I'm reminded I haven't been taking many doll photos this year at all, and most of them product shots for my wife's Etsy account. At any rate, here are a few of the most recent strobist doll photos I've taken.

These two were taken in our living room at night with the lights on. Had a Vivitar 285hv in a 32" umbrella about two or three inches from the subjects. Totally killed the ambient and since the light was so close very little of the light falloff was hitting the environment. Enough to bother me, but totally non-intrusive.




This one is the same as above but I added a second, snooted Vivitar way behind subjects, camera left for separation from the dark background.



This one is from a separate shoot. Vivitar 285hv again in a 28" Westcott Apollo softbox about 6 inches directly to the left of the subject. Had a gridded Vivitar low camera right pointed at white wall behind subject.



I can dig up some more (my current system for archiving photos is ridiculous and I really need to re-think how I go about it because I have such a hard time finding stuff) if anyone would like, and I'm absolutely up to do other light setups and tests should anyone want to see how it looks.

My current gear:
Nikon D80
50mm f/1.8
35mm f/1.8
Vivitar 285hv x 2
SB-600 x 2
32" shoot through umbrella x 2
32" convertible umbrella
60" convertible umbrella
28" Westcott Apollo softbox

That's the important strobisty things at any rate. Got a snoot, Honl grid, reflector, gels and other stuff too. I'm all up for experimenting and talking Dolly Strobist shop.

 

soapbox: This is an awesome settup. I'm having trouble conquering my Vivitar. The only accessories that I have are a blowup diffuser. I suppose I should find other things as well. What settings do you usually shoot with on your Vivitar? I always find myself going to the Yellow setting, though I think another read through of the manual is needed.

 

xobrittuhox: The great thing about flash/speed/strob lights is the DYI aspect, just like the our dolls. Don't have a softbox, snoot, scrim or beauty ring? Do a search for any of the items you need and add DYI - amazing what you can do with cardboard, tape, foil and some gauze.

soapboxdevil: Thanks, perfect examples of the second lesson.
Perhaps you should start a Strobit thread in the Galleries(?). I'd join you.

 

xobrittuhox: The Vivitar's good power for the money, but with a considerable drawback. It's a power hog and takes far too long to cycle the flash. I have actually never experimented with the color settings and typically go full manual. I normally hover around 1/4 or 1/2 power for dolls. With the photos above I was so close I may have been shooting 1/16, but rarely do I ever shoot full power on the Vivitar. I'm simply not patient enough to withstand those 8 second recycle times. I started to experiment with attaching a DIY Sealed Lead Acid battery pack, but stopped for some reason. I think I need to get back to that.

Mire Lapin: That's a fantastic idea, actually. I may have to do that this evening. And join away! The more the merrier, and it'd be a great way to both share off-camera lighting knowledge and illustrate to those afraid of using flash that it's a versatile technique for getting some very specific effects for doll photography and not something to be feared.

 

Soapboxdevil anything that you'd like to demonstrate I'd love to see. Currently I'm using an old Vivitar 28D, and would love any techniques as to how to get better pictures with it.

 

Wow. How old is the 28D? I have to confess I'm finding it very difficult to dig up much information about it at all. But the main thing you're going to want to do with it is get it off the camera. By a large margin, most of the flash related issues that plague photographers in general, and especially doll photographers is on camera flash.

You could either tether it with a sync cord (providing it has a sync port, but there are hotshoe adapters for that sort of thing if necessary) or a wireless solution (there are very inexpensive radio triggers out there). Maybe when I start the Strobist thread up we can have dolly strobists take requests and provide tutorials and such. I'm still very much learning myself, but I've been at this off camera flash thing for about 3 years now and would love to help where I can.

I sort of presumed some stuff, I suppose, on how you may be using your flash at the moment and I apologize if this is already something you know. What sort of use have you been getting out of your flash thus far? Then I (and any other folks in the know) can have a frame of reference for advice that doesn't dip into existing knowledge.

The best thing to keep in mind is that there is never any 'RIGHT' way to go about lighting. There's only the way that gets you the shot you want. Anything behind the scenes is unimportant as long as you like the result.

 

The 28D is probably at least 25 years old. It came with my dad's old Canon AE1 Program, which came out in 1981.

So far I've been using it on camera, as I don't have a sync cord and I'm not sure if it has a sync port, but I shall look into an adapter. I've been using it at different angles, but I seem to get the best results when either bouncing the light off the ceiling or pointing it straight at the subject. Of course when I do the ceiling method then I also try to use a second light or some type of reflector to shine more light into my dolls eyes. I'm still experimenting though.

 

Just a heads up, folks, that I created a strobist thread HERE. I know it's plainly visible under the Photography Tips section, but still wanted to let people know just in case.