Project 2: On/Off-Camera Flash
Assigned: Week #3 2/13/12
Due: Week #5 3/5/12
***To be completed in class on Week #6 3/12/12***
***To be completed in class on Week #6 3/12/12***
Details: Break into teams of 2. Each team shoots digitally (RAW with Manual or Daylight WB) and produces at least 4 5"x7" @ 72dpi minimum JPEG files to be submitted before the start of next week's class. Prints are not necessary. Start shooting in-class, but you have the option of shooting outside of class time if you wish.
Briefly, your decisions for On/Off-Camera Flash are:
• Where am I going to put the light - and why?
• How am I going to get it to stay there?
• How am I going to trigger it?
• What will the quality of the light be: Hard or soft?
• What will the beam spread of the light be - wide, narrow?
• How will I balance the strobe's intensity with the ambient
light?
• How will I balance the strobe's
color with the ambient light?
But light is a tool. You have to
know how to use it and how to make it when you need to. So do not fall for the
"putting-yourself-on-the-available-light-pedestal" excuse. You can
always choose to use available light when you know how to use flash.
Heck, it is always available.
For this project, produce an interesting photograph of your fellow student.
Think outside
the box. Use focal lengths, cropping, composition, and lighting, to
push the envelope of what could be a boring snapshot of a student on campus!
Your only
requirement is to find an interesting backdrop on campus that adds to the
portrait. Study the available
light and begin by creating a shot with only ambient light. Ask yourself questions - do you want
the ambient to read even (match on camera light meter’s suggestion)? Or do you want to purposely darken or
lighten the environment for mood and emphasis?
Once you have
created the ambient image, continue with the project exercise of exploring
on-camera flash, off-camera flash, and finally bounce flash to see how you can
further enhance the image with additional lighting. Use TTL with EV+/- or Manual exposure mode to control how
the light interacts with the ambient exposure. Keep in mind that strobe light dissipates quickly over
distance, so you are mainly controlling the ratios on your foreground portrait
subject! Choose to overpower the
ambient, or maybe just kiss the ambient light on your model.
You are to
turn in 4 5”x7” JPEG files of the same exact subject including:
1. Ambient
lighting only exposure
2. On-camera
flash (with NO accessories!)
3. Off-camera
flash (use pocket wizards or sync cords and choose direct or modified/diffused)
4. Bounce
flash (use a wall or bounce card/flex-fill)
