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Flash bracket
Zack Zoll wrote: Formulas don't tell us how to best use our gear, they tell us what the gear will do under various circumstances. It's up to us to determine how we want to use that gear. Apr 30 16 06:05 am Link I have used and have many strobe brackets in the film days....It gives you an image, but nothing to be proud of. There are two problems. 1) the direction of light 2) TTL exposure inconsistencies TTL flash on a bracket is generally used in low light an getting ambient vs flash balance is critical. In low light a black suite, white dress, or dark or light background will throw off TTL and will make for a terrible image. Not that you can't make a good image, but your hit rate will never be what I consider acceptable. My preferred method is to shoot in manual (even if the flash is on camera), bring up the ambient to a pleasing level, then add a small amount of flash to clean up color issues and to separate out the subjects. As I walk around the venue I keep an eye on the exposure bar in the view finder. If the exposure drops too much (or increases) I reduce shutter speed until the exposure is balanced again. If a back suit is throwing off the exposure I ignore what I see and just shoot...you don't have that option in ttl and are forced to dial TTL compensation...which can be painful. I often gel the flash to match ambient conditions. Lastly is the idea of having a light on camera (bracket or not). Generally I have an assistant acting as a VAL and this makes the biggest difference in image quality. If you are starting out and are working with clients that refuse to pay for as assistant make them provide you volunteers. Images wont be as good as an experienced VAL, but are still going to be way better than on camera flashed images. My thoughts May 07 16 09:59 am Link My favorite bracket is no bracket. If I'm forced to use on camera flash I prefer to bounce the flash, which I realize is not always possible. However, even in situations where you can't bounce, you may not need a bracket. I've never had an issue with red-eye when shooting outdoors with an on-camera speedlight and usually people aren't right in front of a wall, so no issues with ugly shadows. The key is to use the flash as fill and use just enough. Having a bracket might be useful in a really large room, but I can't remember the last time I used one. Here's a good article on the topic: http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photog … -brackets/ You can also find a lot of great information about using bounce flash on the Tangents blog. May 08 16 07:14 am Link I too use a Promedia Gear flash bracket. I dont have to remove the L bracket from the camera to mount a tripod/ monopod, flash bracket, or camera strap. Everything goes on and off quickly. The tripod mount is Arca Swiss so you have a lot of options for tripod or monopod heads. May 08 16 02:58 pm Link GM Photography wrote: The only down side to that is your flash is basically running full power all of the time. May 09 16 06:23 pm Link JGC Photography wrote: Bump up your ISO. May 14 16 06:15 am Link |
