Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/10/04
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There are many points to consider:
Fall-off at the background happens in all flash
situations, direct or bounced.
The flash look can be preferable to the dark eye
sockets and lack of separation between subject and
background produced by inadequate ambient
lighting.
While direct flash may not be as pleasing as
available light, the short exposures will give
ultra sharp images (that should please Leica
users). Besides remember that "available light" in
many cases means that flash is readily available.
Flash can be used to enhance the ambient light
rather than supplant it.
The Vivitar 285 is very versatile. Here are some
suggestions:
Shoot with fast film according to meter settings
(meter the highlights such as faces) and fill the
shadows with 1/16 or 1/8 power settings of your
flash.
Shoot according to meter settings (meter the
highlights such as faces) and fill with the flash
on auto but set at a higher ISO (1 to 3 stops).
This will give you less fill that "full power".
Point the flash to the ceiling (good luck if the
ceiling is high) but point it slightly forward.
This will give a ratio of direct and fill light
and is particularly successful if you have to
cover a long area.
Above all, PRACTICE BEFORE the assignment so you
know how your equipment will perform.
Good luck,
Joe
-----Original Message-----
From:
lug-bounces+joecodi=clearsightusa.com@leica-users.
org
[mailto:lug-bounces+joecodi=clearsightusa.com@leic
a-users.org] On Behalf Of Howard Sanner
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 12:29 PM
To: lug@leica-users.org
Subject: [Leica] flash photography techniques
I know it is extremely un-PC to talk of
using flash with a Leica.
I strongly dislike most flash photographs, too,
but in this
situation I don't know how else to solve the
problem.
In about a month I have to take pictures
at a friend's retirement
party. He's retiring the day before his 80th
birthday after
something like 54 (or is it merely 53?) years'
outstanding
service at the Library of Congress. His total
federal service is
several years more, owing to his having been in
the Army in WWII.
The party is being held in a horrible
room. One wall is a
floor-to-ceiling window that faces southwest. So,
no matter what
you do, you have the backlight from Hell. (Don't
suggest closing
the curtains. Nobody'll go for it. Changing the
room is also not
an option.) The artificial light comes from 100W
incandescent
light bulbs recessed in individual soffits in the
ceiling. They
provide *extremely* contrasty light that points
straight down.
On ASA 400 film, exposure would be
something like f/2.0 at 1/30,
and the pictures would still look horrible because
of the
contrasty light. (I've been there and done that.)
I'm going to use my M6 and whatever lenses
seem appropriate,
probably mostly the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux. I have a
Vivitar 285 flash.
I know, having tried it, that bouncing the
flash off the ceiling
(fortunately white) will produce less bad pictures
than direct
flash with its shadowy "halo" around objects. What
I'm mostly
worried about is the light in the background
falling off. I've
done some photography there previously with an M3
and the Vivitar
285 angled at 45 degrees. The results weren't too
bad, but I wish
there had been more light in the background.
Any suggestions? I've read of using a sync
speed slower than 1/50
to give more exposure to the background. What
speed is likely to
work well? I realize that with flash it is the
short duration of
the flash that mostly serves to freeze subjects.
I do have access to the room from time to
time and would be
willing to experiment there with a roll of film.
Thanks for any ideas. I'd like this to
come out as well as
possible for my friend.
Howard
Sanner
flagstad@mindspring.com
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