Using flash with film

[ekimeno]

Right, I completely c***ed up an indoor flash session last night :bang:

Picture the scenario: Fairly well lit small club environment with band on a stage, but too dark for using no flash (unless using a high-iso film and / or very big aperture lens). So I brought along my Bronica SQ-A loaded with Neopan 400 film, 150mm lens set mostly to f/8 and shutter speed set to 1/125. My flash was a Canon 430EX and set to manual with half power. The camera was triggering the flash on every shot, so I assumed there was no problem. I wasn't metering because to be honest I have no idea how to meter this situation :shrug:

So, I run 2 films through during the band's performance and get home to develop it. The film comes out completely see-through. F*** I think - what the hell went wrong. This is a case of gross under-exposure, no? What should I have done, where did I go wrong and what should I do next time?

Perhaps I was standing too far back in some shots for the flash to have any effect, but some of the shots I took were close up and the flash should have been giving the poor lead singer radiation burns from the brightness! I'm thinking that there may be something wrong with the shutter speed and the bronnie triggering the flash a few milliseconds off, like after the shutter actually closed, but how do I test this?

I think I may do some experimentation tonight at different shutter speeds and flash power to see what happens... should have done this before the gig, though. OK, the gig wasn't paying and I was doing it for some experience in this sort of environment, but still - all shots underexposed. I must have made a right, royal f*** up :bang:

 

[Kev M]

Did you have the flash on top of the speed grip Mike? My speedgrip contacts aren't great so I mount the flash on top and then run a sync cable to it, belt & braces). If you can't meter I generally trust the screen on the back of the flash in manual, enter film speed, set the zoom and adjust the power until the subject is in the range on the screen.

Stick the polaroid back on, it won't be the cheapest way of testing your kit but atleast the results will be (almost) instant and you can see what is happening.

 

[ekimeno]

Hi Kev, yeah, flash on the speedgrip. The contacts on mine look fresh and tbh the whole unit looks brand new. It was firing the flash every time I hit the shutter release, so I don't think it's that, though I may use a sync cable if this problem persists.

No film for the polaroid back yet, but you're right - that's what it's there for... will try and source some today. Cheers mate

 

[CT]

I'm thinking that there may be something wrong with the shutter speed and the bronnie triggering the flash a few milliseconds off, like after the shutter actually closed, but how do I test this?

Remove the mag back from the Bronny, and then in a darkened room and looking into the back of the camera, take a shot of a white wall or at least something light. If the shutter is synching with the flash you should see an aperture- sized burst of light as the flash fires.

 

[joxby]

I'm gonna take a guess that the F/8 killed it, you need an awful lot of light to shoot 125th @ F/8.
Its all if buts and maybes because nobody but you knows what the conditions were like/subject distances/stuff.
Thinking about it, you could drop the shutter speed at least a couple of stops, a strobe will freeze the action if it is 90% of the lighting.
I've only shot flash on film as fill, so I might be talking rubbish..

 

[ekimeno]

Remove the mag back from the Bronny, and then in a darkened room and looking into the back of the camera, take a shot of a white wall or at least something light. If the shutter is synching with the flash you should see an aperture- sized burst of light as the flash fires.

Just tried that and saw the aperture hole lit up brightly at 1/125 and f/8

Time to do some test shots to see what's really going on :|

 

[Kev M]

Just an idea mike but going from what joxby said. Try the same test but try and get the same camera-subject distance as you had that night to see if the light was travelling far enough. Might not work but it might save you running another test film through.

 

[CT]

Joxers could have a point - f8 is going a bit in a darkened room at a distance, although I'd have thought you'd have got at least something on the film with the very close shots.

I'm just wondering if you matched the ISO on the flash to the ISO in the camera?