4 Steps Every Photographer Should Know To Master Strobe and Sunlight
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- Four easy steps to help you master balancing strobes with sunlight. Follow this formula to get great outdoor images using sunlight and strobe light. I show you how to combine ambient light with strobes to get beautiful images. #PortraitLighting #OutdoorLighting #SunlightAndStrobes
Enter the GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a Kinotehnik Practilite 802 LED light worth $1160. gleam.io/idZef/tsl-september-...
Westcott 2x3 Rapid Box - www.fjwestcott.com/rapid-box-...
Westcott FJ400 Strobe Light:
www.fjwestcott.com/fj400-stro...
FotoproUSA X-Go Max Tripod:
B&H - bhpho.to/32HHp3S
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens:
B&H - bhpho.to/301SF8X
Amazon - amzn.to/32Sq7At
SKB 2011 case:
www.skbcases.com/music/produc...
SHOW US SOME LOVE! SUBSCRIBE!
Subscribe to The Slanted Lens and get new videos every Thursday
bit.ly/1RgdYoM
Visit our SPONSORS
Tamron Lenses: bit.ly/2mZgkoz
SKB: www.skbcases.com/
Platypod: www.platypod.com/
Westcott: www.fjwestcott.com/?acc=d09bf...
Luminar by Skylum: macphun.evyy.net/c/2073517/64...
Datacolor: bit.ly/2lZk8Bi
FotoproUSA: www.fotoprousa.com/
Triple Scoop Music: www.triplescoopmusic.com
Litra: litra.com/
Kinotehnik: kinotehnik.com/
TSL Store: theslantedlens.com/tsl-store/
Support The Slanted Lens by shopping our affiliate links:
B&H: Weekly Photography Deals & More: bhpho.to/2AxlpH2
Amazon: amzn.to/1T7Z20D
Follow The Slanted Lens-
Facebook: / theslantedlens
Twitter: / theslantedlens
Instagram: / theslantedlens
Visit the webpage: theslantedlens.com
---
GEAR USED:
Canon C200
B&H: bhpho.to/2FJaH8d
Amazon: amzn.to/34aYAbJ
Canon 24-70 2.8
B&H: bhpho.to/2OCKjgl
Amazon: amzn.to/2O871PH
Sony A7 RIII
B&H: bhpho.to/2DZYHut
Amazon: amzn.to/2QFH0Zu
Canon EOS R
B&H: bhpho.to/2roExVE
Amazon: amzn.to/2QEnk8s
Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 G2
B&H: bhpho.to/2J2wp4j
Amazon: amzn.to/2KCVw0v
Tamron 28-75 2.8
B&H: bhpho.to/2FsWNno
Amazon: amzn.to/2KJ3rcD
Tamron 17-28 2.8
B&H: bhpho.to/2ItePur
Amazon: amzn.to/37qnWVh
Platypod
B&H: bhpho.to/30rqHlp
Amazon: amzn.to/2X7BnGD
Spyder Color Checker
B&H: bhpho.to/2JgfPCz
Amazon: amzn.to/3eofTeb
Sennheiser G4 Wireless Lav
B&H: bhpho.to/2BrOeei
Amazon: amzn.to/2Mreesc
Discounts:
15% off Lens Pro To Go
www.lensprotogo.com
Use Discount Code: SLANTEDLENS15
$10 off Luminar by Skylum
macphun.evyy.net/c/2073517/64...
Use Discount Code: LuminarTSL10
__
Jay P. Morgan has been working as a Commercial Photographer and Film Director in the Los Angeles area for more than 20 years developing an impressive list of clients from Paramount to McDonald's. Jay P.'s experience with elaborate set design and extensive lighting are key to the success of his illustrative work.
Amazing and simple explanation of combining ambient and strobe lighting! Thank you!
thank you so much for this video! so many videos that try to teach flash don't do a very good job. they tend to talk at a high level so there aren't enough details to know how to set the camera or what steps to take. just high level generalities. And a lot of videos talk using photography terms and slang so that's it's confusing to a new photographer. I say if you're trying to teach the basics of photographer, treat the photographer like a beginner. if you're trying to teach advanced techniques to up someone's game, then it's no-holds-barred. And please don't let this last part offend you but you had some older flash tutorials where it was a little difficult to keep up with the verbiage. so this video is terrific!
Thanks for your feedback. Yeah, this simple approach is doable for everyone.
This is my new golden rule. Thank you for this valuable tip.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your comment!
Glad to find this video, I've watch a handful on this subject today and your formula is the most concise set of directions so far. Looking forward to trying it out.
I am so glad it works for you. It's how it makes sense to me so I wanted to share it, Good Luck!
Thank you so much for this! I really needed this.
You are so welcome! Glad you found it helpful!
Always made simple and straight forward. THANKS GUYS.
You are very welcome! Thanks for your feedback!
Love this simple formula!
Thanks for the comment. Have fun experimenting!
BEST EVER.....THANK SIR...YOUR RE GREAT.....3 YEARS LATER
A year later… this is the best advice I’ve seen that actually makes for great photos! I’ve always hated how a lot of outdoor ambient light pictures with strobe looks.. well exactly that. You can’t tell you have used a strobe on these, amazing!
Good to hear. Yeah, you have to be careful not to overdo it!
Great and simple checklist Jay. Thanks very much.
You're welcome! Glad you found it helpful!
Loving your method of tutorials many thanks
Glad you like them! Thanks for your feedback!
Love this explanation of finding the perfect balance of lighting. Thanks a bunch!!
You're so welcome! Glad you found it helpful!
Very well summarized. The 4-step sequence are easy to recall and apply. Thanks a lot.
You are welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Excellent tutorial. Thank you.
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing!
thank you , excellent and simple demonstration
You are welcome! Glad you liked it!
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
You are so welcome! Thank you for wathcing!
Thank you for the tutorial. Can’t wait to try these tips.
You are so welcome! Have fun experimenting with your strobes!
Another succinct and excellent instructional video.
I appreciate that. Thanks for your support!
Best way I have learned fast easy and man that is amazing. Thank you can hardly wait for spring but going to try this tomarrow. I want to thank you
You are welcome. Glad you learned something!
You are a great teacher. Thank you sir.
You are very welcome. Thank you!
Great video! Feel like I can take this as my blueprint as a beginner and expand upon it once I've become proficient with these steps. Thanks Jay.
Great to hear! Good luck learning more!
So valuable! Thanks for the easy tips!
You're so welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for making this video - Have a BEAUTIFUL DAY
You are so welcome! Thanks for your comment!
I love you Mr. Morgan! Thanks for all your advice and insight!!!
My pleasure! Thanks for your support!
WOW! Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Great video, fast and informative thank you.
You are very welcome! Thanks for your comment!
This is such a great technique. Thanks for all of the good tips!
You are so welcome! Glad it was helpful!
I love your station! Keep it up. Thanks JP!
Thanks, will do! Keep on clickin!
Yesssss!!!! Exactly my struggle. I was always having too much of a artificial light look. Thank u
You're so welcome! Wish you luck with your shoots!
This is SOOOOOO helpful! Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Muchas gracias.
De nada! Thanks for watching!
Excellent video and better explanation, I am used to working in a studio so working outdoors with this type of lighting at first seemed complicated to me not only to understand but to apply, and even though little by little I have been experimenting and learning this type of videos are wonderful to learn or reinforce what has already been learned. Thank you very much and greetings from Mexicali, Baja California. Mexico
Great to hear. Glad it was helpful!
Great video, and so much more content from you that I still have to look into. Glad I found the channel!!
Welcome aboard! Glad you are finding the videos helpful!
thank you, just what i needed. i was enormusly strugling with bright light on a shoot last week.
Glad this helps. Hope your next shoot goes smoothly!
Love your videos!
I appreciate that! Glad you like them!
Great tips.
Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found it worthwhile! Thanks for watching!
Great tutor!
Glad you think so! Thanks for your comment!
Working on this, Does work well but definitely something to learn about
Just keep practicing and it will get easier!
This works great when you have a lot of time to make adjustments, but is much harder to manage when shooting fast-moving events, like a wedding. My mentor boiled it down to this: 1) shutter controls ambient, 2) aperture controls flash. This has stuck with me for years. You hint around at this in the video, but those 4 steps can be summed up in only 2 steps. On location with rapidly changing conditions, being able simplify choices to shutter and aperture is a huge timesaver. Love your videos! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Great points. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I just picked up strobe photography and this is so helpful! Awesome!
Ra, Singapore
Good to hear. Glad it was helpful!
perfect VIDEO!
Glad you think so! Thanks for watching!
Fantastic! I look forward to your new videos.
Thank you very much! Glad you liked it!
You Rock!!
Thank you! Keep on clickin!
Great video. I usually start with aperture priority mode outdoors to get the settings then adjust from there. Indoors I start by going into program mode since I am not concerned about the aperture. I have done it that way to speed up things. So far worked well.
Sounds like a great approach. Thanks for sharing!
Very good explanation of how to balance natural light with flash, more if this how to can only benefit photography keep them coming JP 😊
Glad you found it helpful!
Great recipe... as long as you don't need HHS. You may be in the situation where you want that shallow depth of field and 1/200 sec. just won't cut it in terms of reducing the ambient enough.
Whether or not you use high speed sync the formula is the same. I used a shallow depth of field on the images in the video and used the formula successfully. One of the things that I do when I am outside is I shoot with backlight. That means I have a darker background and it is easier to control and often I don't need high speed sync. Not saying is is bad, just saying HSS in not always necessary.
@@TheSlantedLens True... It can happen, though, where you have to sacrifice your desired aperture for a workable one if your HHS doesn't have enough power or you may also have to introduce a ND filter to make it work. All things being equal, the formula is a good one.
Thank you for the great hint. I prefer the photo with 1/200 more
Fair enough! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks
You are very welcome! Appreciate your support!
This video is great and helpful. I’ve been doing photography for 2 years and have recently invested in my 1st strobe (Neewer Vision 4 300W) to step up my photography game and enhance the quality of my photography. I am still confused about how to balance my strobe until it matches the aperture, but will continue to practice. Thanks for this video.
We have a good selection of videos about strobe lighting: Here is a link to the collection: th-cam.com/users/TheSlantedLenssearch?query=strobes
Succinct! Well done, just very well done!
Thank you very much and thanks for your support!
Awesome video
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the visit!
Love Chanda! 😍
She was fantastic to work with!
@@TheSlantedLens I'm so happy for her. We shot a few times. I agree, such a pleasure. 😍
great video
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the visit!
It'll be Great to make a video to show how to Balance Strobe to Aperture...Great Video.
Great suggestion! Thanks for watching!
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
it really helps alot. what ur recommonation for out door strobe watts like ad400 or 600 or 1200 to over power the sun.
My experience is that you can get away with an ad400. It has plenty of power.
Dark in the beginning then moving that shutter to get more light ? Nice shot and any strobe will work !
Yes it will. It doesn't need any automatic function. This is purely a manual application.
@@TheSlantedLens We always enjoy your work. Most camera''s are great now ! RGB lighting via cob is really something. IOS is off the shelf.
Thanks for the tips, would you use a light meter to set the strobe to aperture?
Yes. Take a meter reading and match your strobe power to the aperture you have chosen.
Love this..need to do this now for a shoot! My main question is this..I have little kids with a family, so I need to up the shutter..What shutter do you think is pretty safe for squirmy, movey kids and would you need to change any of the above directions for a higher shutter with HSS? Thanks!!
The direction in the video is not using High Speed Sync. My experience is that when you photograph kids the strobes will freeze the action and that way the shutter speed can be a bit longer to increase the ambient and give you the look you want. You might like looking at our videos about High Speed Sync: th-cam.com/users/TheSlantedLenssearch?view_as=subscriber&query=high%20speed%20sync
@@TheSlantedLens Thanks so much! Ill try leaving the shutter under sync speed then at 200, didn't even think about not needing to raise it because of the flash! That will make a huge difference. And I will check out the vid you recommended...thanks again!
Nice
Can we get the same effect by using light meter
Yes, a light meter will get your very close. But, it is a creative process and I like to look at what the background is doing and make that decision visually.
Great video. "Match power of your strobes" to the aperture being used - what light meter did you use and did you measure for incident lighting? Please can you explain this. I want to know if i must invest in a light meter to speed up knowing what power i should set my lights to. Do i need a light meter that does flash metering or can it just have incident and reflective metering or must it have all three features?
I use an inexpensive Zekonic light meter and I set the meter to take a strobe reading. You don'tt need to have a meter that does flash metering, it is nice to have but not a requirement. Take a guess. A 400 watt strobe at 6 feet is going to be f/8 or f/11
I really enjoy all your tutorials on lighting, I'm always going back to them as a reference. I'm still a little confuse when you say " balance the strobe to your aperture" could you elaborate on what you mean by that.
I am going to do another video explaining it more clearly. It will come out in the next month or two.
This is a really good explanation how to do it .
I get a little confused still when I’m balancing strobe power with ambient light 💡 how do you determine strobe power with this method ?
Decide on your aperture. Fire your strobes and take a reading. If it is too bright dial your strobe power down. If it is too dark then dial your strobe power up. Repeat until you get it perfect.
@@TheSlantedLens By this time my subject is getting irritated with me because I am taking too long to find the right power and or the right distance of the light to the subject. Surely there is a quicker way to meter the strobe and know which power to start with. One can start at full power or the the lowest power and go up or down in 1/3rds, taking a shot each time......!- this can be time consuming - is there no formula?
Great video. One question from me if I may - what reasons might we have to avoid high speed sync? Why wouldn't I just use it if I've got it? Thanks 😁
No reason to use it unless the lighting situation demands a shutter about 1/200th sec. High speed sync takes a lot of power.
@@TheSlantedLens gotcha.... thanks for taking the time 🙂
awesome rules :D , but i love 2.8 and its hard to combain ambiant light with the flash without hss
It is difficult and sometimes I do use high speed sync. But when I am outside I generally put the model in a back light situation which means with a longer lens I am looking into the shadows of the background. That makes it so I can get away with f/2.8. I do that all of the time.
Thanks for the video. I've been really struggling to get my B2s to look natural. Could you mention what your ISO was for this? I'm assuming 100, but since I'm having trouble I thought it would be worth asking. I think my biggest problem was shooting a model with full sun behind her and an nd filter. I will try your method and hope that baby steps starting in the shade will fix me.
OMG! I tried this method today and it made everything so much easier! Thank you!!!!
Yes. I shot at 100 ISO. Thanks for watching!
That's awesome! Thanks for your comments!
Nice tips thanks. You never mentioned ISOs so maybe some folks would like to hear about that as well. Cheers!
ISO would of been 100 most likely. No higher than 200 if it was not 100. End of the day no need to up the iso in that scenario on a tripod.
Richard Bradbury yeah I know that but do the beginners watching this video know?
@@mightymuffinful Yes if they read my comment. :) Other wise they will have to figure it out I guess.
Good question. ISO was 100. Thanks for your comment!
Yep, you are correct. The ISO was 100.
Or you can just meter for the ambient and dial that into the manual setting then add the flash until she is exposed correctly.
That will work. If you meter the ambient then meter the strobe as well.
I am little confused...increasing a shutter speed? or decreasing shutter speed ? in the video You're decreased the shutter speed Wright? 2:21 Thank you sir
Great Video! But I'm still confused. You say match strobes to aperture. Are you turning the strobe power up and down to get a visual liking or are you actually using a light meter set to the ISO of camera and adjusting it to match the actual aperture set on the camera. Thanks. I have adjusted to look good but am just curious about using my Sekonic. Thanks.
As you say in the video, first adjust your aperture for creative purposes like blurring the background (considering how ugly it looks behind it) so use an f5 aperture, then adjust your speed for the subject of the ambient light, in this case the light that reaches the background and the face of the model, then adjusts the power of its flash or strobe to give light to the face of the model, it does not need an exposure meter for it, somehow and from experience he adjusts to personal taste and in the end he wants the background to look brighter so he lowers his speed from 200 to less that gives more light to the background (doesn't change iso or f) but gives more light to the face of the model added to the light provided by the flash making everything as a whole look brighter as you can see in the first and subsequent tests. I would not use the external exposure meter at all, only the camera to adjust my ambient light leaving it at 0 or giving it a step more light depending on the result you want or the background or location. I hope I have not been too confusing in my explanation and not offend by answering instead of the speaker. Cheers
Thank You. It works !!
If you have a meter, absolutely use the meter.
Great explanation Leonardo. Thanks for stepping in!
@@TheSlantedLens Thank you very much for your response and attention to my comment. And yes, indeed, if you have an exposure meter, the best thing would be to use it, I have one that I rarely use these days and I remember that I stopped using it when I started taking digital photos, I almost always noticed that using the exposure meter and based on the measurements I noticed that the images were overexposed once I adjusted the camera to what the exposure meter indicated, they are just my ideas. And finally, I constantly follow your teachings on TH-cam and they have been very useful, I hope you continue sharing your knowledge.
Are you saying 1/200 because that is the specific highest synk Speed om your specific camera with a strobe?
For example my canon 7d mark I allows me a 1/250 synk speed.
Yes, some cameras can sync at 1/250 and some can sync at 1/160.
Great tip. One minor flaw though? When shooting moving subjects you need shutter speed - anyone but a model who can sit still basically, esp children, or even the model if wind is blowing the hair or clothes around - you will get motion blur at low shutter speeds (from ambient light). Also good to be over the 1/FL rule to avoid motion blur on the camera side, if not on a tripod. So, 2 options for when you do need some shutter speed, either use your method here but stay at 1/200 and increase ISO to bring the ambient back while equally decreasing flash output for it to remain unchanged, or go into high speed sync (if your camera + lights have it) and use your method here, but start it at, say 1/500 instead of 1/200 (may need to open up aperture a bit or increase base ISO if not enough ambient at 1/500 but should be doable esp during the day). Thoughts?
Those are all great options. But the equation is the same. If you are doing action and you want a shutter speed above 1/200th you need to go to High Speed Sync. There is a technique at slower shutter speeds ala 1/200th where you take the picture at the height of the motion. Everyone who jumps up has to come down. And at that moment where they reverse from up to down, their motion briefly slows. If you learn to watch for it you can get some pretty amazing results.
Crazy question but can we achieve similar results by using the FJ200?
Sure, absolutely. It works the same way.
Just watch other video that answered my question. Thanks.
Glad you got it to work. Enjoy your shoots!
@@TheSlantedLens
Thanks again. Your other video with the the soldier drove it home.
For a shallow depth of field why not open lens to max? 1.8 or 2.8 or?
The reason I don't on a full frame camera is that the depth of field becomes too shallow on a person's face and it is too easy to get part of the face out of focus.
Took me a minute to figure what you meant by increase your shutter because I usually shoot wild life. When I hear increase your shutter I think increase shutter speed but you meant increase the duration the shutter is open if I interpreted that correctly.
That is correct. Lengthen you shutter is a better way to say it.
sir, i tried the same exercise in ambient light (in shadow) matching the flash power with ambient , first i shot at shutter 1/200 then 1/125 ,1/80,1/60/1/30 in all the images the light on the background is increasing as you demonstrated but simultaneously the subject exposure is changing with each shutter speed change. can you help me.
You must have a major amount of ambient light on your subject. Turn your strobe power up and it will help you control the background better.
I don't know if this would have worked for this location. I'd have to actually be there to see. However, if you go to 4:15 you will see a pool of water. I really like to pose people next to a pool of water because it makes a nice giant smooth up reflector on the face. It also allows the subject to walk around a bit more freely than when light stands. With a model wearing a hat, I'd find that even more a necessity due to the shadow cast. Although a strobe would also be a solution in this particular situation. In fact at this time of day, sitting next to the pool it might have washed out the model or cast too harsh of shadow. Just making the point that rivers, docks, piers and lakes, even streams, fountains and swimming pools for that matter make for a nice even coating of sunlight.
Great suggestion. Thanks for sharing!
how can you go so slow on the shutter when shooting portraits. Wont you eventually get motion blur?
Your strobe will freeze most of the action.
When you state to set your strobe to your aperture what exactly do you mean? Is your strobe in manual and you are testing different amounts of light?
After deciding on your aperture you'll just be increasing or decreasing the power output out of your strobe untill it fils in enough.
If you have a light meter, you would meter until it shows 5.0 for this method. I tried it today and it worked great. I adjusted the lights without a meter and it didnt take more than a couple of test shots to dial it in. My histogram look great and I can't wait to get them through post processing. Best wishes.
Yes. I set my aperture and I slowly increase or decrease the power on the strobe until I get a correct exposure on the face.
A question from a beginner! Why didn't the face get overexposed when you increased the shutter?
Because the power setting of the strobe is more powerful than the light on her face and increasing the shutter doesn't affect the exposure on her face because it is in the shade.
@@TheSlantedLens owww now i got it
Thanks a lottttt
First, my compliments for NOT over powering the flash output so there are NO (overpowered) specular highlights in her face (
If it can't be avoided, e.g. dark oily skin, ask your model to put up some foundation on those high lighted spots, it will improve your image enormous !)
Allow me to add to your first rule , adjust the Aperture in combination to the Focal length of your lens (cause you may have to come in closer or back up a bit to get the correct focus fall-of )
Excellent job !!
Thanks, those are great insights. I do like a shallow depth of field. But sometimes with a full frame camera f/2.8 is way too shallow when I get in close and I will go to a f/4 or even f/5.6. That is part of the creative process of selecting the aperture.
@@TheSlantedLens exactly but i meant to get your desired DoF combined with the frame you prefer, you sometimes have to step forwards or backwards with a prime
My problem usually is, at 5.6 and 200s the am ambient light is always brighter, not darker. Hi speed sync is often necessary but sometimes not adequate. I always end up with more depth than I want. Any suggestions?
Phillip Citizen Johnson An ND filter or a HyperSync strobe. HyperSync strobes are a bit rare compared to hypersync so ND filter is more likely your best bet.
@@ShutterManAce Cheers... why didn't I think of that!
Take a look at our lesson about using an ND filter. th-cam.com/video/8Dtprk44h9k/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video. However, 1/200s is faster than the sync speed of some older DSLRs.
Yes. You may want to go to 1/25th of a second. That will work on most.
@@TheSlantedLens 1/25s now THAT is really Old School. I think maybe 1/125s will be OK. :-)
Why you didn't mention about the ISO?
Good point. Other people have asked the same question. ISO was 100. Thanks for your comment!
The Slanted Lens hope you do an indoor shoot and explain the effects of ISO.
Hey Jay! Love your channel. How come you didnt just increase the power of the light, rather than slow down the shutter speed?
The purpose of the strobe was to light her face appropriately which he tested at 1/200 and once he was happy with that, he opened up the shutter to get more light in the background. The strobe looses power exponentially with distance so you wouldn't get that nice light background which then matches the intensity of light on her face.
Increasing the power of the strobe will wash out the person's face. I am trying to match the strobe power to my creative decision on the aperture.
Well said. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
The shutter speed controls the ambient exposure. The strobe (and aperture) control the subject exposure. Adjust the one that needs adjusting.
She looks pinay :D I say that because I am :)
She was terrific to work with. Thanks for watching!
#cambodian 🇰🇭
In a piece about lighting and exposure, not a single mention of ISO or white balance settings.
If you're shooting RAW the WB should be your least concern. ISO would be at the lowest native setting since you're shooting on a bright and sunny day.
@@sveneezy2059 Flash and ambient light might require different WB settings - there's another step to balancing strobes with sunlight (not covered in the "lesson").
That really was an oversight. I almost always shoot with ISO 100. You can see we addressed that in the description and multiple questions.
wait this guy isnt from Chase Bank?
Sorry, can't give you that loan!
You are decreasing the shutter speed not increasing.... 200th to 100th to 50th of a second.
Perhaps a clearer way to say it is I am lengthening the amount of time the shutter is open.