5 GB worth of blur…
- This topic has 27 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated Mar 1, 2010 at 4:04 pm by
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Dusty,
LOL . . . here are examples of low light event photography with the iPhone. A motley pair for sure, complete with chewing tobacco documentation.
I forgot about those shots you took. Ha! I look like I am heavily under the influence of something. We should mail some chew to DA so he can see what he is missing out on.
Also, and not to plug a competing brand, but ever since the new Nikon D700 came out, the indoor ISO performance on those cameras has gotten ridiculous. I shot a few frames with a D700 and a 50mm f/1.4 over Christmas (granted, a great increase in cost over your system, but the color performance was astounding. At 6400ISO, still there was no noticeable noise. It was the first time I’ve ever thought that flash might indeed be unnecessary one day.
Zach
Very true Zach! Last night I did a portrait session in low-light using both the 700 and 50 1.4 and I was pleased with some of the shots taken without flash.
Dusty,
As mentioned, post a couple of examples so we can see. I photograph kids a lot 😉 I have not run into this type of issue when using flash. Even with ISO 200, and 1/500 at f5.6, my images come out sharp with enough light from flash. I also use a number of different diffusers and bounce the light. Your flash is more than sufficient to light the subject. What mode are you shooting in? If you are shooting in AV mode (Aperature-Priority), this could be causing a noticeable delay and causing the motion blur. I guess we will see that if you post the exif data on one of your shots.
While I appreciate the higher ISO quality at 3200+ with my camera body, I rarely need to use it, especially when combined with a nice speedlite. I am pretty sure you will be able to stick to under ISO400 when you are shooting the kidos and you will want to if you are going to be doing print enlargements for the house. This will limit the post time and the “Noise Ninja” 😀
A tip on toddlers:
I rarely shoot with a tripod. Because they move around a lot, I get down low on their level and try and see things from their perspective. It will help quite a bit.http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2534/4146276234_d29d1f7309.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/4140373508_59a52e6889.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/3806066947_762a99eff3.jpgJay,
Those examples are awesome. Is that just one speedlite and some reflectors? And does the reflector warm the image, or is that from another source?
D.Thanks Dusty.
The first two images were used with a SB-900 off shoe (front just a little off from camera). I almost always use a diffuser. In these I used a Fong diffuser. The warmth you see in these photos are coming from a single light source using a warm daylight bulb (far left of camera). I also use gels.
Adding warmth can also be added in post.
Single light source from speedlite in low lit room (not a toddler but I thought I would share it):
I also second Kurt’s strategies…I let the kids play and just watch them.
Thank you Jason; that means a lot coming from someone with your skills. I also appreciate your, and the others’ on this board, willingness to share and help a neophyte as he meanders through the difficulties one can encounter.
And seeing the examples y’all put up is helping a lot as well, especially in terms of composition. I have read a lot of theory on composition, but it helps me more to see examples.
D.
Dusty, You are not alone in your frustration with lack of sharp images of little kids, especially indoors. I have a 3.5 year old, and have questioned every aspect of my gear and technique trying to get sharp images of kids playing in the house. I was even ready to jump ship over to nikon because i was convinced canon AF systems couldn’t keep up with kids. Then i came to the realization that it isn’t me…
Lots of other good advice here, i’ll try not to repeat, but definitely crank up the iso. Try and shoot in the area’s with sufficient light to get the SS up. Use fast glass. And use flash, and learn to use flash in manual mode! I have been concentrating on learning to use flash and shooting the camera in manual mode while doing so. Indoors in houses is a perfect place to be bouncing flash off a ceiling or walll just use the flash exposure comp to make sure your getting enough light. Flash also does a great job at freezing motion when using slower shutter speeds.
And take heart, if none of this helps, give the kids a year or so, then they will actually start listening to you and holding still – for at least a second or two!
Flash bounced back over shoulder off wall and ceiling.
Sorry about the family snapshot here, but a good example at direct camera flash (not bounced) but shot on manual with a 1/30 SS and f4 to let the background light soak in so it doens’t go black an loose detail of neat environment.
And, a example of how flash can stop motion. This was playing around in the snow a few nights ago. Shot with a Canon 580 camera right in a 28″ softbox. Shutter speed was 1/10 of a second at f/8.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/
Some tremendous tutorials on here for using flash.
There is one thing that is still eluding me though: many of you commented on a higher shutter speed, which I tried to some extent. The problem was, however, that when I had the flash connected I could not go any higher than 250th. I read about this in the flash manual but do not know how to circumvent it or make adjustments otherwise. Should I remove the flash, or just bump the ISO
Thanks,
D.Hi Dusty,
To shoot with flash above 1/250th, set your flash to High Speed Sync by pressing the button on the flash to the right of the Mode button that looks like an H with a lightning sign next to it. This will allow you to shoot at whatever speed you like.
Getting back to the pic you posted, are you unhappy about the fact that the Skoal tin is out of focus? If so, I think this is a combination of the slowish shutter speed, focus point selection and F4 aperture (your nephews face is fairly sharp). I agree with the other guys re not using a tripod when shooting kids. Get yourself a nice flash diffuser or make one and make sure you review a couple of your pics during your shoot and adjust accordingly.
Hope it helps,
Darryl
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