Fisheye and flash advice - skateboarding

keety

keety

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Morning, after a bit of advice of using a flash with a fisheye lens.

I've just got myself a fisheye after using a 14mm super wide lens and in struggling to workout the flash settings... I'm using a 580 speedight.

Basically I'm getting a very uneaven spread of light or glare due to the extreme nature of the fisheye (8mm)

I'm shooting at around f/8 .

Any tips great fully appreciated!
 
I would think you need to match the angle of light with the angle of view. I would normally suggest bouncing off the ceiling, but I suspect the skateboarding is outside so you need a (enormous ?) reflector.
 
Any sample images to show the results you are getting? Are you using the flash on the hotshoe or off camera?
 
I'm trying both. Would Ideally like to keep the flash on camera so that i can move around, have been using an off camera extension lead (1m or so) to try and move the flash around (bloody hard work and hurts my arms!)

Only got access to a couple of pictures (at work currently), in this one you can see the flash really catching the bottom of the transition closest to the camera, ideally I want to spread it out to get a more even flow... if that makes sense...

http://flic.kr/p/rTGGrt


I'm not that experienced with flash to be honest, I can just about bumble my way round them...

I have a 580 and 430 flash available to me...
 
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Your lens will dictate which area in front of you that is captured in your frame, your flash will light an area that it is pointed at (or bounced at etc.). If you are using it on camera and you have set it to ETTL the camera will take a reading and give out the power it thinks is needed to make the correct exposure. Neither the flash or the camera knows what you are trying to do so it is often likely that the power may not be what you'd like. With you using a distorted lens which will encompass much more of an area than a flash gun is capable of lighting you just need to make sure that you direct your flash into the right area. So I'd say that you should be looking at some off camera flash triggers and using your flash in manual mode, just treat it like a light source. Get a light stand with an adapter to sit the flash gun on It with a trigger. If you like the hard light in one smaller area look, leave it bare, if you like a softer spread of light look at getting an adapter to add a soft box or shoot through brolly or something. I think key is getting it off your camera, thinking about where you want the light to come from and why.
 
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That's just my thoughts mate, I was a skateboarder (well, I kind of like to think I still am, even though I haven't stepped on my board for about 12 months!) I used to shoot a bit of skating but never used flash. Would be interested to see what you come up with. I just looked at your Flickr shots and I like them, but I see what you mean about the flash not quite being in the right area, or the area you'd like. As I say, get it off camera on a light stand and it'll save you the arm ache and give you much more freedom.
 
Some fantastic shots there, nicely done!

A bit late to the party on this, all I was going to suggest was some form of diffuser on the end of the flash, as well as using manual flash power. E-TTL is great but has never really enjoyed working with super wide lenses. I've got a Stofen diffuser that fits over the end of my 430exii, which spreads the light nicely to fill the area a bit more. I must admit though I've never done it with a fisheye!
 
Nice shots, always wanted to get into fisheye shots when I was younger, a bit old now and none of my friends board anymore!
 
I was trying to figure out which lens to buy for my Fuji next and having seen those great shots I think you've just sold me on some form of fisheye lens, thanks :)

Need to get the lads back on their boards now!
 
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