fill flash

[Douglas McLernon <Douglas.McLernon@tcd.ie>]

Somebody asked about fill in flash with an M6. Like many others on the LUG I
don't use my Leicas for flash but here are two ways of doing the job. Use an
auto flash (any make - but one with several power setting preferably - most
of these are bigger than an M6 and some flashes allow several f/ stop
selections) take a meter reading of the ambient light and select  the f/
stop that matches the "X" speed of the M6.

 Set the auto flash to DOUBLE the ASA setting and select  the same f/ stop
on the flash that you metered  - thus  producing one stop less flash - OR
leave the ASA as it is and select a power setting on the flash one stop more
that the meter reading (i.e if you metered f/11 set the flash to f/8).This
is really the same thing - the flash produces less light than the metered
exposure. I find this gives a natural look, you might like to try a half
stop less on transparencies, and you need to experiment to get the amount of
fill that pleases you - but it looks unnatural if the flash exposure matches
the ambient light.

 An alternative if you have a flash gun with limited settings or want to use
the flash on manual is to position the flash off camera at a distance to
result in an flash exposure one stop LESS than the metered one. This may
mean a light stand of very long arms.

Hope this is of some help 

Doug
                            *************************************
                            *************************************  
.Dr. Douglas McLernon, Department of Economics,Trinity College
,Dublin 2.  IRELAND TEL:353 1 6081325, FAX 353 1 6772503
Home: TEL or FAX: 353 1 6604754, MOBILE: 353 87 545880
 Personal E-mail:<dmcl@iol.ie>