OCF Experiment: Flash Distance

For macros I assume that keeping the flash close to my subject would be better since the light source would be larger. I did an experiment to put it to the test.





I think it is definitely better for getting a softer more even light.

OCF Experiment: Flash Focal Length Setting

I did a few OCF experiments over the weekend just trying to wrap my head around the basics of it, especially for macros since most of the information readily available on the web is more directed at portraits. This was actually my second experiment after looking at the results of my first but it's easier to explain, and well I am short on time tonight.

I set up my 430 EX on my flash stand, with my pocket wizards and shoot through umbrella. I kept all my settings the same except the focal length setting on the flash, so the power was the same, the distance (6" from center of flower to tip of umbrella), the angle etc. The ambient light was the same (none since it was night time, yes I used a flash light to adjust the settings), as were my camera settings, ISO, aperture, SS, lens, focus, I had the camera on a tripod and used my cable release to trigger the shutter. The flash was directly to the camera right side of the flower.

You can scroll through the examples in this flickr set (along with my other experiments that I haven't written up yet) in the flickr set here I took a photo at each focal length setting for the flash.

Just to show to show a more drastic difference, here is the longest setting:


and the shortest:


If I brought the exposure up in the 24mm one to match the 105mm one, it was almost a full stop underexposed. When I did my first experiment I wondered why the flash power wasn't falling off as quickly as I expected and I think this was why, I had it set to 105mm so I think it was making a more concentrated beam of light.

All these new aspects to work with are kind of blowing my mind.

OCF Setup

Now that we have covered the gear I used for my OCF experiments we can review how I set it all up. Only one part of it was tricky. I started by trying to put the hotshoe part of my PW receiver on the hotshoe, that was proving to be really unstable so I screwed this gold piece into the tripod screw mount on the PW instead



Then I placed the gold piece down into the bracket and screwed a nut tight to hold that in.




That was much more stable.

Then I just added the umbrella and it was ready to go!

OCF Gear

A week or two ago I did a post on my first off camera flash experiment and I failed to go over what gear I was using. First item of course is my 5D mark ii. Then I need a flash, I have the Canon 430 EX (not the II), if you wanted to buy one now I would get the 430EX II Speedlite.



Next I need triggers to tell the flash to fire, mine are pocket wizards.

I have the PocketWizard MiniTT1 Radio Slave Transmitter for Canon (on the right) and the FlexTT5 Transceiver Radio Slave for Canon E-TTL II System on the left.

Then I need a light stand, flash bracket and umbrella. I have the following

Impact Air-cushioned Light Stand (Black, 8')




Impact Umbrella Bracket


Impact Umbrella - White Translucent (33")


Other than the body, flash and pocket wizards, not an expensive set up.

Longwood: Bees and Wizards

One of the last things we shot outside at Longwood (and I have already shown you what we shot after this) was this bank of blue flowers (that I forgot to take a photo of the name of) that had bees ALL over them. They just loved them.

All 5dm2, 100L macro, and I used some of the tubes as well.




Bees are really hard to shoot, I kept getting bee sides and bee butts.



Next up is the wizard part, while we were sitting there shooting the bees, I thought I would break out my flash and my new pocket wizards and play around (which I had also done earlier in the day, but the results weren't stellar).









I am not really in love with any of those. But it was fun to practice something new. And I did learn some things, like I definitely need a light stand, or an assistant (any volunteers?) to hold the flash for me where I want it, or I need to grow an extra arm (which would look odd, but it could be very handy, ha ha).