High speed, 2nd curtain sync and stroboscopic flash

[Bachs]

Well I finally got round to actually reading the 580EX manual yesterday and think I have found some projects to keep me out of mischief over the winter.

I had a quick play with 2nd curtain sync (just a couple of quick shots in the back garden last night, so nothing I will be sending off to a magazine):

Then I started to look at high speed flash...take a look at this amazing site:
http://www.liquidsculpture.com/index.htm

and stroboscopic flash which the 580EX has a special mode for (don't know about the rest of the Speedlite range:
http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/

This is a fascinating area of photography.
Has anyone else experimented in this area?
Let's see your pics (I know EosD has an excellent shot in his gallery)

 

[DJW]

Thats a couple of bright hula hoops in the 1st shot . Great links as usual...now more to read !!

 

[CT]

The sparkler shots are great! :thumb:

I've always been fascinated by the ability of electronic flash to freeze the action. This is one of the first shots I took with the 20D.

This one was done with the pop-up flash.

 

[RobertP]

No flash at all here but since there are sparkler pictures in the thread already

This is the work of my friends daughter. You can probably tell she is in her second year of A level art....

A signed work by April...

And my daughters handywork...

Back on topic.... I'd seen some of the sites linked to from that liquid sculpture site before. I tried the stop motion thing with an old flashgun and my Oly5050 some time ago.

Gave up in the end as the kit just was not up to the short flash duration needed. This was the best I got..

Must try again once I have a decent flashgun.

 

[daveyuk]

Guys the sparkler shots are very good

 

[Steve]

Then I started to look at high speed flash...take a look at this amazing site:
http://www.liquidsculpture.com/index.htm

Great link containing some stunning and inspiring photography. I really enjoyed looking through the photos there last night.

and stroboscopic flash which the 580EX has a special mode for (don't know about the rest of the Speedlite range:

What is the mode exactly and how does it work, I am on the verge of buying a 430EX. Currently the 430 does everything I need but I would hate to miss out on something hidden away on the 580EX that I didn’t know about.

This is a fascinating area of photography.
Has anyone else experimented in this area?
Let's see your pics (I know EosD has an excellent shot in his gallery)

I played around with water drops myself about a year ago, I did manage one decent shot which I will dig out plus I also did some photos of water droplets on a CD using the 50mm lens with extension tubes when I first bought it. They are ok but not in the same class as the ones in the link above.

 

[MattEg]

What is the mode exactly and how does it work, I am on the verge of buying a 430EX. Currently the 430 does everything I need but I would hate to miss out on something hidden away on the 580EX that I didn’t know about.

The flash acts as a strobe while the shutter stays open.
You get the effect of multiple shutter actuations when used with a moving subject.

See here for an example.
And here to see some more of Andy Harmers high speed flash photography.

 

[Matt]

the superdg500 has a strobe mode i think, havent tried it yet though

the beads in the link above are great, but are they water, or some kind of plastic beady thing???

 

[RobertP]

I dithered then decided to get the 580EX. I have been in contact with Ian Kerr and will be getting it for £259 delivered.

Looking at Matts link I may have done the right thing

Plus of course Bachs will have done most of the learning by the time I get mine and can explain it all to me