Nikon D3, 14-24mm, ISO 200, ƒ/14, 1/250 [Lighting Diagram below]
Using a flash outside can give your photos the pop you need to improve photos.
Now I often get asked to take group photos, and even with some sunlight facing the subject, I find that the shadows under the eyes and sometimes from people’s heads cast a shadow on another person. So I prefer to add strobes to take the quality up a notch.
There were clouds also in the sky, but the software for the diagram didn’t have that as a choice.
Since there were clouds, the people were not squinting, and the flash popped in so quickly that I got some pretty decent expressions.
To me, the most significant change is in those black robes. Anytime I use to flash the shadow to highlight, the difference is minimal. So while it looks like a more excellent dynamic range, it is the opposite. The strobes help fill in the shadows and bring the exposure closer to a four or five-stop content rather than the ten stops often in daylight scenes outside.
Here is a photo I took of bowling with a point-and-shoot Panasonic DMC-TZ5. I love the camera, and it has a great Zeiss lens. ISO limit up to about 1600.
It is the type of photo most people will get at the bowling alley during cosmic bowling without a flash.
Nikon D3, 14-24mm, ISO 200, ƒ/2.8, 1/4 with off-camera flash
I shot this of my daughter bowling a few years ago with the Nikon 14-24mm lens at 14mm. The Flash and I are close to my daughter’s bowling. The flash is about 45º to my left. I panned, and the shutter was dragging.
I set the camera on Aperture priority and the flash to slow sync to pick up on all the ambient light. The panning action created the streaks you see across the image.
Nikon D3, 14-24mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/4, 1/15 with off-camera flash
Because the flash is so close to the subject and exposure is set by TTL [Through The Lens] metering, it shuts off and winks a light. The camera shutter remains open, picking up the available light in the background so it doesn’t go black.
Nikon D3, 14-24mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/2.8, 1/15 with off-camera flash
The cool thing about using Slow Sync on the flash is I am capturing the room’s atmosphere, and the flash is putting light on the subject’s face. Look at that first photo here; they would be a silhouette without the flash.
My suggestion is that you try this with your friends. Go to a Cosmic Bowling Night and have some fun. I can tell you will enjoy the images for years to come.
More off-camera flash posts:
Storyteller: Off–Camera Flash Solution for the Fuji X-E2 Apr 05, 2014 I prefer the off-camera flash any day to the pop-up flash on any camera. I have written many articles on it here on the blog. Just put the phrase “off-camera” in my search field on the blog, and you will see many posts …
Storyteller: TTL Nikon Off-Camera Flash Kit Jul 05, 2013 Here is a list of what I recommend for those wanting to use the Nikon TTL system for off-camera flash and the PocketWizard radio system to fire the flashes. Of course, you can substitute another Nikon TTL or off-brand if you wish to.
Storyteller: Better bird feeder pictures with off-camera flash Jul 14, 2014 Exposing to the subject can often blow out the background. The solution is to add a flash, but I didn’t want an on-camera flash for a few reasons. First, having it on the camera and shooting through the glass would create a glare.
When you travel with Super Stars, you need an off-camera flash Jul 09, 2014 Without the flashes, the cows would have been somewhat silhouetted, and by adding the off-camera flash, I was able to keep the color temperature in the daylight and then also keep them bright enough to keep the rich colors
Storyteller: Off-Camera Flash Examples Apr 14, 2012 By combining off-camera flash and having people moving, I get two great results; great expressions and good color. The first thing I started with on the assignment was a group photo, but the best results as far as
Storyteller: Off-camera flash and gels for the sky Feb 25, 2013 Here is how to use off-camera flash and gels to change the look of the sky. When I get this kind of situation on a cloudy day in Kona, Hawaii, sometimes I fix it with flash. Using an off-camera flash, I set the flash to be 2-stops over the available light and the
Tips for Off-Camera Flash for +/- exposure problems Apr 10, 2012 When I first wrote about doing off-camera flash, I realized I needed to return to this and highlight some points. ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, and +/- Some things will affect your getting proper exposure.
Storyteller: Off-Camera Flash – Blog post 3 of 3 May 21, 2011 Three things make me choose my Nikon Speedlights over the manual flash: 1) I have no sync speed limitations, 2) I am quick—I don’t have to pause to take readings and then set the camera, and 3) I can shoot at very
Storyteller: Super simple Off-Camera flash portrait Jul 06, 2012 You can trigger the off-camera flash in many different ways. I often use the Nikon SU-800, which uses infrared to activate the off-camera flash. I used the PocketWizard Mini TT1 on the camera with the AC3, which lets me …
Storyteller: Off-camera flash for beach portraits Jul 05, 2012 I also used my Gitzo carbon fiber tripod to keep the camera rock steady and shoot these at dusk. This way, everyone’s eyes were open and not squinting on the beach. To trigger the flashes, I had the PocketWizard Mini
I just wanted to share a few of my 4th of July photos through the years. I hope you enjoy them and also go out and make some photos for you to cherish through the years.
Settings and gear are below the images.
Nikon D2X, Sigma 15-30mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 19 seconds [The Fourth of July Fireworks over Lake Mohawk on July 3, 2005 in Sparta, New Jersey.]
Nikon D2X, Sigma 15-30mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 40 seconds [The Fourth of July Fireworks over Lake Mohawk on July 3, 2005 in Sparta, New Jersey.]
Nikon D3, 24-120mm VR, ISO 100, ƒ/16, 14 seconds [The Fourth of July Fireworks over Panama City, Florida, July 4, 2008]
Nikon D3, 24-120mm VR, ISO 100, ƒ/16, 11 seconds [The Fourth of July Fireworks over Panama City, Florida, July 4, 2008]
Tripod and Cable Release
I recommend using a tripod and a cable release. This will keep the camera as still as possible during a long exposure.
This is the Nikon MC-30 that I have used for years on different Nikon Cameras.
Camera Settings
Manual
White Balance – Daylight
ISO 100
ƒ/8
Bulb Shutter-speed and keep open for two bursts of fireworks using cable release
My exposures were from 6 seconds to about 12 seconds on average. I typically might shoot 75 to 100 photos and only really like about 10 of those shots.
