Hello,
I'm looking for some advice. I am shooting a ceremony this month and it takes place in a barn... a very dark barn, very small, and all the ceilings and walls are wood, dark wood, no windows! Oh my!
I usually bounce my speed lights and with the dark walls, needles to say, it's still dark. The space is very tight and not much room for speed lights on a stand. I'm seeking advice. Normally, I do not use a bracket on my flash to get my speed lights off camera. I'm thinking of purchasing a bracket, but I must say I really prefer not using one.
Can anyone offer any tips, maybe what has worked for you in very dark, small conditions?
Thank you,
Debbie
Comments
Debbie,
I would still bounce, but open up your ISO to around 2500-3200 and around 1/125th @ f2.8-f4.
You will be surprised at just how much light will still reflect off the walls, regardless if timber or not, as a lot of time they have been maybe stained or lacquered and light will reflect off that surface still.
An external battery pack for flash would most certainly be ideal. Also if using a Nikon, you can increase output on flash (only if flash in iTTL and camera body in manual mode) by the flash's compensation button, but also on the camera body it's normal Exposure Compensation so in effect a +6 e/v in total. Only Nikon though as stated.
Also, have a play around with the flash head zoom, zoom in to it's longest focal length, 200mm on Nikon, 105 on Canon flashes prior to the EX600-RT which will zoom in to 200mm.
You could also use your flash in manual power mode, but it would require you to fine tune each time you moved or angle of bounce changes, but it would be consistent if correctly exposed you could zoom lens in/out without it affecting light output. It's all a fine balancing act, something once you get used to will become easier as you get more experience.
I had a job just like that once in a small church, very overcast day, dull, crappy tungsten/fluro lighting and *all walls/ceiling* timber.
Set your WB to around 3200K for starters, may have to go lower, and you should still be right, you could try gelling with 1/2 CTS and figure out WB then, to help retain a balance. It is tricky but not impossible.
If you can do a test at the place, see the owners, and take someone with you for a 'dummy' and have lights on as they would be I most certainly would do that.
Good luck.
Trev.
Debbie,
You misread my Shutter speed above, it's 1/125th, maybe should have just put 125th; and that's just a 'starter' I will go down to 1/60th or lower, depends if necessary, but generally keep it around 125th. Certainly not 250th which would be killing ambient by a stop for starters.
I presume you have Nikon stating 250th, so your flash compensation and camera body exposure compensation will work hand in hand as I said above if flash set to iTTL and camera body to manual.
Trev.
Like Neil suggested I use multiple off camera-flashes placed
on beams or somewhere high out of the way in the situation you described. I set the flashes to TTL, the ISO high and
the shutter around 1/125 or 1/200 as the flashes will be the dominant light source. With this method the camera will adjust the flash
power to give you correct exposure while getting separation and natural looking
lighting.