Lighting

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L33LEG YARIS

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Name
Lee
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Hi

I do some night time car events. Previously I have solely relied on long exposure alone to give me the photo i want.

At last nights event I tried using a fairly long exposure and a little diffused flash to light the cars.

Here are a few:

DSC_7838.jpg


DSC_7866.jpg


DSC_7880.jpg


I was fairly pleased with the results, but can anyone offer any advice on how i could improve them?

Another issue I come across, although not so much with my old Nikon D60, but more with my new D300s (which I'm still getting used to), is even with a long exposure, if there is a light source in the background e.g. a street light, it under exposes the car?

What setting would I need to alter to avoid this?

Thanks
 
L33LEG YARIS said:
Another issue I come across, although not so much with my old Nikon D60, but more with my new D300s (which I'm still getting used to), is even with a long exposure, if there is a light source in the background e.g. a street light, it under exposes the car?

What setting would I need to alter to avoid this?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you look in the box for your camera there should be a wee bit of plastic that clips over the eyepiece to block light from entering.....
 
What settings are you using on your D300s and what flash..and settings.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
If you look in the box for your camera there should be a wee bit of plastic that clips over the eyepiece to block light from entering.....
Click to expand...

don't know what you mean, or understand how blocking light from the eye piece would affect it

TTK said:
What settings are you using on your D300s and what flash..and settings.
Click to expand...

Shutter Priority
5 sec Exp
ISO 200
WB Auto

Jessops flash
with diffuser down
using the test button
 
In the first one it all looks as though it has a blue tinge,probably due to AWB,maybe a custom WB would be better.:):thumbs:
 
jockwav said:
In the first one it all looks as though it has a blue tinge,probably due to AWB,maybe a custom WB would be better.:):thumbs:
Click to expand...

how do i set-up the white balance, and what conditions would require what settings?

The blue light in the background is from another light source as opposed to my flash
 
L33LEG YARIS said:
don't know what you mean, or understand how blocking light from the eye piece would affect it
Click to expand...

Okay...

if you look in the box your camera came in there will be a small black piece of plastic. It looks like this

nikondk-5.jpg


and goes on like so

1278042248225_hz-cnmyalibaba-web3_3162.jpg


it is used to prevent stray light entering the camera during long exposures and effecting the exposure.

Your main problem though is that your camera is metering from the bright lights in the background, however if you meter from the car itself it will be properly exposed, however the background will be completely blown.

The reason for this is that you're basically asking your camera to do something that falls well outwith the bounds of what it's capable of, if you want to balance the exposure you need to light the car properly, something you'll struggle to do with a single flashgun....
 
just had a look at a few of my poor images.

i was on spot metering.

What i have noticed is that as I'm in Shutter Pri, the camera seems to have upped the f number in order to expose the street light good, but the car obviously dark. Here is an example:

DSC_7850.jpg


Am i right in thinking thats why it's come out like this?
 
L33LEG YARIS said:
just had a look at a few of my poor images.

i was on spot metering.

What i have noticed is that as I'm in Shutter Pri, the camera seems to have upped the f number in order to expose the street light good, but the car obviously dark. Here is an example:

DSC_7850.jpg


Am i right in thinking thats why it's come out like this?
Click to expand...

You need to shoot in manual, otherwise, as you've discovered, the camera will adjust your settings to give what it thinks is the correct exposure.
 
all the photos are too dark and WB is off - so constructively there useless

however mine used to be UNTIL

i set up on a tripod

meter on the car around F11 at iso 200 ish and 30 second exposure ..

nice light picture with no need for flash .. you could use flash to make the car look lit if you want to but flash is a harsh light so will look better without it ..

hope that can help :)
 
Flash In The Pan said:
You need to shoot in manual, otherwise, as you've discovered, the camera will adjust your settings to give what it thinks is the correct exposure.
Click to expand...

Yeh I reckon so...

I'll have a play at the next event.
 
Danny133 said:
all the photos are too dark and WB is off - so constructively there useless

however mine used to be UNTIL

i set up on a tripod

meter on the car around F11 at iso 200 ish and 30 second exposure ..

nice light picture with no need for flash .. you could use flash to make the car look lit if you want to but flash is a harsh light so will look better without it ..

hope that can help :)
Click to expand...

You're giving advice now? Seems like only last week you were asking the most basic of photographic questions, oh....wait....it was last week :lol:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
You're giving advice now? Seems like only last week you were asking the most basic of photographic questions, oh....wait....it was last week :lol:
Click to expand...

Difference is I learnt from the answers and now know how to do it .. I'm passing my knowledge onto someone who was struggling similarly to me.

Is that okay smart man?
 
Danny133 said:
Difference is I learnt from the answers and now know how to do it .. I'm passing my knowledge onto someone who was struggling similarly to me.

Is that okay smart man?
Click to expand...

Not really, things like

you could flash to make the car look lit if you want to but flash is a harsh light so will look better without it
Click to expand...

suggest you've got a bit more to learn before you start imparting your pearls of wisdom to others....
 
It's a forum don't cry. I know the answer so I've told the guy
 
Anyone got one of those handbags linkies? :D
 
lol @ conversation. The funny thing is, this was your first post. You may need to look up the work constructive is a Dictionary. Hence why I didn't reply to it...

Danny133 said:
all the photos are too dark and WB is off - so constructively there useless
Click to expand...
 
Danny133 said:
all the photos are too dark and WB is off - so constructively there useless

however mine used to be UNTIL

i set up on a tripod

meter on the car around F11 at iso 200 ish and 30 second exposure ..

nice light picture with no need for flash .. you could use flash to make the car look lit if you want to but flash is a harsh light so will look better without it ..

hope that can help :)
Click to expand...

WTF?
 
Easy guys! If you don't agree with someones answer write your own, no need to condescend and get personal.
 
All lighting can be made harsh or soft depending on distance from source, poitioning relative to subject and any modifier placed between it and subject etc etc To Say flash is a harsh light and whatever's bouncing around the atmosphere is at best gross over generalisation and at worst, plain wrong. (look left at my avatar - have a guess at the light source there, it sure wasn't flash)

Danny's offered a possible solution - how well it'll work for the OP is up to him to find out. Anybody else want to offer advice on his lighting?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
FLASH IS HARD LIGHT

if you modify it - your altering it .. flash is harsh - if you dont know how to use it which you dont until taught - its harsh ..

your experienced wedding techniques need explaining if you expect people to understand ..

were not all as bright as you
 
Unmodified flash is harsh, but with the use of reflectors and modifiers it's not difficult to get reasonable results. However, a car is a large (reflective) area to light so in most cases more than one flash is required and their placement is essential. It's like any other technique, you have to learn how to do it, and the best way to do that is to try it and ask for critique on the results.

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
The trouble is - when do you not actually modify a flash. Even applying -1/3 FEV is doing that.

So unless you're throwing flash, direct, at full power, you're modifying it.
 
speaking from experience

i went out to get some of the exact same photos a week ago

i got advice on here and that was 30 sec exposure iso 100 at around f11 and then meter around that figure

i did and it was great - ALL without flash .. when i used flash it looks nasty.

more light open the aperture or bump iso .. less light slow the shutter speed


try that first on a tripod and see if your happy

you can go outside your house and try it in the street for 30 seconds mate
 
Danny133 said:
speaking from experience

i went out to get some of the exact same photos a week ago

i got advice on here and that was 30 sec exposure iso 100 at around f11 and then meter around that figure

i did and it was great - ALL without flash .. when i used flash it looks nasty.

more light open the aperture or bump iso .. less light slow the shutter speed


try that first on a tripod and see if your happy

you can go outside your house and try it in the street for 30 seconds mate
Click to expand...


Post some examples then.....;)
 
L33LEG YARIS said:
just had a look at a few of my poor images.

i was on spot metering.

What i have noticed is that as I'm in Shutter Pri, the camera seems to have upped the f number in order to expose the street light good, but the car obviously dark. Here is an example:

DSC_7850.jpg


Am i right in thinking thats why it's come out like this?
Click to expand...

Basically, very basically. The camera on those settings is not letting enough light in, hence the dark image. Leaving the ISO at 200 and without using flash, how do you think you can let more light onto the sensor?

Think on how the settings can get more light onto the sensor. And no,i`m not taking the proverbial. You can work this out for yourself with a bit of thought,if your still struggling then people will tell you. Sometimes working it out for yourself makes it stick in the memory banks better.
 
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well what i think ive come to realise, is that i need to stop being lazy and switch to manual to take control of the Aperture as well as Shutter.
At the moment I'm using a basic off camera Jessops 360 AFD which i flash during the 5 seconds the camera is taking a photo. I was playing a little with angling the flash appropriatley to use the in-built diffuser and bounce card to light the car, but not the inner arches.

I'm currently looking into buying a Nikon SB-600, then have that on one side of the car, and the Jessops the other part on slave. Would this be a good idea? And does anyone know anyone selling one?
 
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