Flashes & lighting
Syncro Sunlight - Strobe and sunlight Product booklet
Product booklet for Syncro Sunlight - Strobe and sunlight. 10 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
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Document details
- Brand
- Syncro
- Model / document
- Syncro Sunlight - Strobe and sunlight
- Document type
- Product booklet
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 10
- File size
- 1.1 MB
- Category
- Flashes & lighting
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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Page 1 · Read text
cR0
IGHT
MIXING STROBE
WITFI SUNLIGI{T
One lighting technique that puzzlesmany photographers
is obtaining predictable results when mixing electronic flash
with sunlight.
The purpose of this report is to help clarify this useful
lighting method, thus enabling you to use your artistic
creativity to its fullest extent when working with syncro-
sunlight.
We hope you will' find this booklet a valuable aid in
your own type of photography.
Your questions and suggestions are always appreciated
at Norman Enterprises, Inc., for they enable us to improve our
changing needs.
products and to meet your continually5a V^--"*
l-View original page 1Page 2 · Read text
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@rHINGst&'
The preliminary step to making any photograph is, of
course, to determine the composition and lighting effects you
desire.
Is the sunlight going to be the key light and the flash
versa? Using sunlight as theutilized as the fill source - or vice
key source will illuminate the background and foreground areas
as well as the subject. If the electronic flash is utilized as the
key light source, the background will become darker because of
the light fall off (inverse square law) of the flash.
If sunlight isto be the key source, will it be employed as
a back light, side light, or front light, etc.? Your artistic
creativity will dictate these things.
Next, the lighting ratio must be considered. We have
found lighting ratios to be a topic of much confusion, so a brief
discussion on lighting ratios is perhaps in order at this time.
3View original page 2Page 4 · Read text
ARRIVING
ATA
LIGI{TING RATIO
Lighting ratio is the relationship between illumination
created by the key and fill light sources. The ratio you select
will be gov,erned by the film used, type of daylight (such as
cloudy days versus crisp sunny days) and the lighting effect you
desire in the photograph.
Some photographers use a 3 to I ratio, which means the
exposure created by the fill light is 50% (one F stop) less than
the illumination created by the key light. This is called 3 to I
rather than 2 to I ratio because the frll light is adding
illumination to the highlights as well as the shadows. These two
units of key light added to one unit of full light make a total of
three light units, grving us a 3 to I ratio as shown in figure l.
Total Light=3units
Givinga3tol Ratio.
.,.:___.__r_3l'j1_-.__) "r*'#--i_33i1_--___-.ft
-'/ f,/'fi'L=-'tl Fis. IView original page 4Page 5 · Read text
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Many photographers use a 5 to I ratio with syncro-
sunlight. This means the key light provides 4 times greater
illumination than the fill source. In other words, the fill light is
257o of the key or 2 F stops less. This 5 to I ratio is especially
useful onhazy or cloudy days where the soft 'north light'effect
requires very little fill in.
Total Light=5units
Givinga5tol Ratio.
;4
BALANCING
STROBE
with
If you choose sunlight as your key source, the electronic
flash output will be used for balancing the desired lighting ratio.
A simple rule to remember for balancing light is that you vary
lens opening to control the effect of electronic flash. You vary
shutter speed to control the effect of sunlight. See figure 3.
Increasing the shutter speed decreases the effect of sunlight on
the photograph, but has very little or no effect on the amount
of flash recorded by your fltlm. It should be noted, however,
that cameras with cloth focal plane shutters generally do not
sync with electronic flash at shutter speeds faster than li60
second. Copal shutters sync only at about lll25 second.
5-View original page 5Page 6 · Read text
VARY F STOP
TO CONTROL FLASH
14, f5.6, fg, f11, f16 etc.
VARY SHUTTER SPEED
TO CONTROL SUNLIGHT
1115, 1130, 1160, 11125, 11250 etc.
Fis. 3
Let's take a hypothetical example and work out the
details. First, you determine the F stop required to properly
expose the film, using the electronic flash as your only light
source. Either your true guide number for the unit (as
previously established by test) or an accurate strobe meter may
be used for this purpose. Let's assume you arrive at a setting of
F8 at six feet. If you desire a 3 to I lighting ratio with sunlight
:ls the key source, close down one Fstop to Fll. This
establishes the flash as the fill source by having it produce an
underexposure of one F stop, as shown in figure 4.
Assuming Flash Calls For
An Exposure of f 8, I
I
6View original page 6Page 7 · Read text
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Next, use an incident-type light meter and read the
sunlight in order to determine the shutter speed required when
using Fl I as your lens opening.
Let's say the meter indicates a shutter speed of llI25
second when aperture is stopped down to Fl1. Simply use these
indicated settings, and the proper exposure and balance will be
achieved as shown in figure 5.
- { g Y Sun - Properly Exposed :, I Strobe-1f stopunder-exposed.
Thus Giving A 3 to 1 Ratio. "\/l __\_
ilLl) Fis. s r11 @ 1/12s second
If you desire. a 5 to I ratio, the camera lens diaphragm
must be closed down two F stops below the normal electronic
flash guide number requirement; thus you set the lens at Fl6
rather than F8.
I fl6
J
One step-saving rule to remember when using a 5 to I lighting
ratio is to double your normal electronic flash guide numbers.
This automatically yields the two-stop diaphragm reduction
needed for proper balance.
7-View original page 7Page 8 · Read text
Just as before, use the incidenl light meter and
determine the correct shutter speed for Fl6. This will be li60
second, provided the sunlight hasn't changed.
Sun - Properly Exposed
stops under-exposed. Strobe - 2 f
Thus Giving A 5 to 1 Ratio. c_____-______,"""t#
-ffi
Fis. 7 f16 @ 1/60 second
What if
Minimum Depth of Field
is Needed?
The data we have covered thus far does not reflect those
diffrcult circumstances you so often encounter in your daily
work. For example, what would you do if the 5 to I lighting
ratio were required, but the Fl6lens aperture produced a depth
of field that was too great for the effect you wanted to create?
Here are some possible solutions to this dilemma.
l. Switch the electronic flash unit to a lower light
output level. This will enable you to use a lower
F stop, thus minimizing depth of field.
) Place a diffuser over the lamphead reflector,
thus reducing the light output and allowing you
to use a larger lens opening.
8-View original page 8Page 9 · Read text
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3. Place a neutral density filter over the camera
lens. This will of course reduce the effective
output of both the electronic flash and sunlight.
4. Move the electronic flash back from the subject.
Doubling this distance will give an effective
reduction of two F stops. If a one F stop
reduction is required, the flash unit must be
moved to a new distance equal to {fr, where
6'D" is the original distance from light to
subject. For example, if the flash were 6 feet
from the subject, the new distance would
be t@, or 8 feet. See figure 8.
To fose one f stop of light, move the lamphead back to g% teet.
\ zo, = \ 2(6)2 = { z(:o) = 1t lz = - gt/z feet
------;-r''
;@
Digitally signed by Mike Butkus
DN: cn=Mike Butkus, o=Butkus camera manuals,
ou=butkus.org, email=mike@butkus.org, c=US Fis. 8 Mike Butkus Date: 2024.05.06 21:58:42 -04'00' IFn'..u
Here is a simple method for determining the
effect light-to-subject distance has on the
amount of light striking the subject. Correlate
relative light output versus distance with the F
numben engraved on your lens as shown in
figure 9.
f11 f16
514 feet 8 feet 11 feet 16 feet 22 feet
Moving the tight from 4 teet to 5%
feet reduces output by one f stop
and from 51A teet to 8 feet results in
Fis. 9 a further reduction of one f stop, etc.
9View original page 9Page 10 · Read text
WHAT I F THE SUBJECT IS IN
IWOTrON
What if the subject is in motion and the relatively slow
shutter speed will not freeze the action? The resultant photo-
gaph may have a ghost image at the point of motion. You may
wish to use the electronic flash as the key light source, thus
enabling the short duration of the flash to freeze the action.
This, however, will cause the background to assume the same
general exposure as that created by the sunlight, which may be
undesirable. Another method of solving this problem is to
reduce the output of the flash. This works because a larger lens
opening is required for proper exposure and thus a faster
strutter speed is needed to expose properly for sunlight.
YOUR SKILL IS NEEDED!
As you probably noticed, syncro{un photography
requires much skill if you are to be proficient at it. The
information contained herein should be second nature if you
are to apply it effectively in your everyday work. Your reward
will be the results obtained from applying these principles to
many hours of practice and experimentation.
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