Posts Tagged ‘Flash’

High speed photography How-to

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High speed photography refers to the capture of an event that happens too fast for the human eye to see. Things like a splash of water frozen in mid-air, an egg as it smashes, or an insect in mid-flight.

There is no specific rule as to exactly how short a time period needs to be captured to qualify for high speed speed photography. But in general it would be considered to be an event captured at an effective shutter speed of 1/1000s or faster. In practice, effective shutter speeds of 1/10000s and faster are often used.

In this article we'll look at how you can take high speed photos, including how you can achieve super fast effective shutter speeds like 1/10000s even if you camera's shutter speed doesn't go that fast.

High speed photography How-to

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Written by Discover Digital Photography

January 11th, 2015 at 1:40 pm

How to use flash gels to color your lighting

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Flash gels are thin pieces of colored plastic that you can place over your flashgun, studio strobe, or any other artificial light source to modify the color of the light. (Actually they don't always have to be colored - we'll look at some neutral flash gels at the end of the article).

The reason they are known as gels is because they were originally made from gelatin. Plastic is a lot more long lasting, cheaper, and easier to use, so you're unlikely to find any flash gels still made from actual gelatin today. In this article we'll look at how you can use flash gels for balancing flash with ambient light, creative use of gels for colored lighting effects, how they can be used for reducing the light power, and creating softer lighting.

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Written by Discover Digital Photography

December 7th, 2014 at 5:01 pm

How to use a honeycomb grid with your speedlight flash to create a spot of light

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Highlighting a small part of a photo with flash can be used to help draw the viewer's attention to that part of the image. When this technique is combined with an overall lack of light over the rest of the image, this can create a very dramatic photo, with the highlighted area really standing out.

However, with a standard speedlight flash this technique can be difficult to achieve as the light from the flash spreads out too much, covering most of the frame. You can reduce the coverage of the flash by moving it closer to the subject, but depending on how small an area you want highlighted, this could result in the flash having to be so close that it appears in the frame.

A cheap and simple solution to this problem is a grid. A grid attaches in front of your flash, and creates a narrow, focused beam of light. This allows you to have your flash positioned further away from your subject, while highlighting just a small area with the flash. In this article we'll look particularly at how to create your own DIY grid for your speedlight flash, and how different variations affect the light.

How to use a honeycomb grid with your speedlight flash to create a spotlight effect

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Written by Discover Digital Photography

September 21st, 2014 at 6:48 pm

Why would you want an external speedlight flash gun?

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Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras have a hotshoe on top into which you can connect a speedlight flash gun. But why would you want to use a bulky speedlight flash on your camera if the camera already includes a built-in flash?

Why would you want an external speedlight flash gun?

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Written by Discover Digital Photography

March 30th, 2014 at 8:05 pm

Off-Camera Flash on the Cheap

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Using off camera flash can be a great way to add dynamic lighting to your photos. It is particularly useful for portrait and product photography. But speedlight flashes are quite expensive. And if you have a compact camera with no hot-shoe you might think you can't use off camera flash at all.

Off-camera flash on the cheap

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Written by Discover Digital Photography

June 24th, 2013 at 8:57 am

Studio Lighting Equipment – The Most Common Types of Lights

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With so many types of lights and the infinite number of setup combinations, studio lighting could be the subject of a book. In fact, there are several books dedicated to just that. However, if you're interested in investing in some studio lighting equipment, there are a few basic things that every photographer should know.

With a good set of basic lighting tools, you should be able to shoot in most types of situations and subjects. Here is a run down on the most common types of studio lighting.

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Written by Discover Digital Photography

December 8th, 2012 at 10:10 am

7 Tips For Capturing The Perfect Digital Photo

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Author: Dan Feildman

Many people find shooting a digital photo to be harder than expected. You might find that you have been taking digital photos since first introduced but have never quite captured that perfect shot you set out for.

Nothing is as disappointing as missing that important event, such as your daughter's dance recital or even your anniversary trip to Italy. When that once in a lifetime moment is remembered with a horrible photo, the frustration can be overwhelming.

That leads us to the question of how do you take that perfect photo? The first rule lies within the photographer themselves, for it is with the photographer that the photo begins, not the camera itself. It's just that simple. Think about how you can see a photograph that a child has taken playing around with a simple disposable camera and it is wonderful while a photo with the priciest SLR can turn out to be awful.

Read these tips on shooting digital photos and apply them the next time you have a chance. Before long, you'll be shooting photos like a pro!

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Written by Guest

April 24th, 2012 at 4:41 pm

4 Taking Photos Tips – Taking Great Digital Pictures

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Author: Dan Feildman

Almost all people may possibly know how to capture photos but of course, it requires ability to take stunning as well as appealing photos. Obviously, it is important that you take pictures which express the concept you want to share with all your target audience.

A photograph includes a message or even a perception and you have to make certain that the picture indeed communicates this message. It's also important as well to contemplate important elements of great photography. High quality photos are not merely pleasant to the eyes, in addition, it catches the attention of your target viewers.

Woman praying in Meenaskshi temple, Madurai. Atmospheric lighting emphasizing smoke from incense.
P R A Y I N G madurai by Claude Renault on flickr (licensed CC-BY)

If you wish to learn a couple of tips in capturing digital pictures or perhaps how you can improve your photography expertise, below are a few things that you might want to learn as well as keep in mind.

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Written by Guest

March 22nd, 2012 at 4:37 pm