Flashpoint XPlor 600 HSS TTL with Nikon Z6

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Haley Newbold, the team member at Chick-fil-A Roswell Corners FSU, expedites an order to a customer in the drive-thru. The Dining Rooms are shut down during the Coronavirus outbreak. Paul Joubert’s restaurant Roswell Corners FSU is closed on its third day in the dining room. [NIKON Z 6, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/60, ƒ/5.3, (35mm = 98)]

I have enjoyed working with the Flashpoint XPlor 600 HSS TTL to help with some tricky lighting situations.

Here you can see the two flashpoint xplor 600 have TTL flashes I am using outside to help with the light. [NIKON Z 6, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/500, ƒ/3.5, (35mm = 28)]

Using the transmitter to change the settings on the flashes allows me not to have to stop shooting where I am standing and go and adjust each flash and then do more test shots. As they say, I can shoot and make the adjustments on the fly.

The strobes allow me to keep the background, which is about five stops brighter than the subject, not blown away. [NIKON Z 6, 35.0 mm f/1.4, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/400, ƒ/1.4, (35mm = 35)]

The canopy had a white ceiling that I bounced off to get an even light to shoot these photos you see here.

[NIKON Z 6, 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/80, ƒ/2.8, (35mm = 15)]

Behind the guy’s head is one of the lights. The other is near the passenger door of this SUV bouncing as well.

[NIKON Z 6, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/60, ƒ/4.5, (35mm = 48)]

On the other side of the building was the window to the restaurant for delivering food. I didn’t have the same size canopy and used a more direct flash that caught a slight overhang to bounce down.

[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/2000, ƒ/1.8, (35mm = 85)]

They didn’t have the canopy at another drive-thru at a different restaurant. I just had my assistant man the off-camera flash and stay about 45º from the camera angle. That usually meant I was on one side of the car shooting, and the flash was on the other.

[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/400, ƒ/1.8, (35mm = 85)]

I was shooting wide open at ƒ/1.4 with my 35mm and ƒ/1.8 with my 85mm. Since the flash is TTL, it also is HSS. That stands for High-Speed Sync.

I shot most all the photos on an overcast day with the strobes at shutter speeds of 1/400 up to 1/2000 with the flash.

Using Nikon’s software, I could see how the camera was focusing. It was on eye-tracking. Here I zoomed in so you can see the focus point.

I love shooting at ƒ/1.4, but few images were as sharp as they are now with the Nikon Z6 mirrorless that has eye-tracking.

[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/800, ƒ/1.8, (35mm = 85)]

While shooting with the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8 lets me blur the background, which helps me make the subject pop. Using the flash helps get a catchlight in the eyes on an overcast day. It also helps increase the dynamic range.

TIPS:

  • Use fill-flash
  • Use wide aperture like ƒ/1.4 or ƒ/1.8
  • Use eye-tracking to get that precise focus on the eyes
  • Use Dehaze Slider in Lightroom – Helps bring back detail in hazy BOKEH
[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/500, ƒ/1.8, (35mm = 85)]