Understanding Lighting - Strobist

[ChrisPerry]

Originally Posted by KevinStecyk

My question, though, is what is the difference between shade and open if I am blasting at close range with two or three strobes at maximum strength?

I can't use large apertures because my sync speed is 1/250. So that drives me to using smaller apertures, say ƒ11 to ƒ22.

In normal daylight at iso 100, ƒ16 and 1/250 yields an underexposed photograph, which is what I want for my background. So if I use this setting in shade shooting out into the sunlight or in sunlight shooting out into the sunlight, how do these two situations differ?

It is about the same in the end, unless your subject in the sun is squinting because of the sun, or they're hot and sweaty, etc.

If the sun is 2 stops over the shade, and you want to balance a shaded subject with the hot sun BG then you need to add 2 stops of flash. If you want to underexpose the BG more than the subject then you need perhaps 4 stops of added flash.

If everything is in the sun and you want the BG 2 stops under, the subject will be also be two stops under, so you'll have to add 2 stops of light.

My issue is I want to do all this in the F2.8 to 4 range not F11 to 16, hence the use of an ND filter.

[KevinStecyk]

Originally Posted by ChrisPerry

It is about the same in the end, unless your subject in the sun is squinting because of the sun, or they're hot and sweaty, etc.

This shot I am thinking of would be for the model to have her back to the sun. And I'd like to have the background a touch darker. I'll try and see what happens.

Originally Posted by ChrisPerry

If the sun is 2 stops over the shade, and you want to balance a shaded subject with the hot sun BG then you need to add 2 stops of flash. If you want to underexpose the BG more than the subject then you need perhaps 4 stops of added flash.

Agreed. So perhaps the point David was making is that in the shade, I can provide two additional shops to provide a balanced photo. In the bright sun, I lack sufficient power to make any difference.

Originally Posted by ChrisPerry

If everything is in the sun and you want the BG 2 stops under, the subject will be also be two stops under, so you'll have to add 2 stops of light.

If my flashes are capable of delivering that. I have my doubts.

Originally Posted by ChrisPerry

My issue is I want to do all this in the F2.8 to 4 range not F11 to 16, hence the use of an ND filter.

I seem to recall reading on the Strobist that the ND filter doesn't buy you much because, although you've knocked down the ambient light, you've also knocked down the flash.

Strobist: Lighting 102 - 3.2: More On the Crosslight Thing

First, understand that with the ambient portion of your exposure your camera defines your upper limit -- i.e., how dark you can make the ambient. Set to the lowest ISO, the best you can do for darkening your ambient environment is to shoot at your max sync speed at the lowest aperture on your lens (i.e., likely f/16, /22, or /32).

You can get around this in a very clunky way with a neutral density filter, but it knocks down the flash, too. So your maximum lighting distance will stay the same.

Thoughts?

[ChrisPerry]

I use ND filter to get a wider aperture, like here - shot at F4.

You can see some flash shadow behind his leg, but the BG around this field sucked, and of course there is no shade in the middle of the field.

[KevinStecyk]

Originally Posted by ChrisPerry

I use ND filter to get a wider aperture, like here - shot at F4.

You can see some flash shadow behind his leg, but the BG around this field sucked, and of course there is no shade in the middle of the field.

That photograph certainly turned out well.

Thank you for responding to questions!

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