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Help with flash unit!
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I have to shoot someone tomorrow…just simple headshots/portrait shots, and I’ll have to use a flash unit (Vivitar 283) through my Yashica TLR…and I have NO IDEA as to how to do a reading for it…
Every portrait shot I’ve taken so far with it has been outside and I’ve done a pretty good sunny 16 with them, but with this flash unit I have no idea as to how to measure the lighting with a light meter….?
Any help?
Thanks,
J
How do you want to use the flash? As a key light or simply to fill in what the ambient light hasn’t?
Well more as ambient light..I just know it will more than likely be in a office setting and it’s probably gonna be dark.
Do you have a flashmeter? If not, don’t fret. The Vivitar 283 is a great gun and easy to use without a flash meter. The simplest way to use it is to set the same film speed on the flash as you are using on the camera. The Vivitar should have a device on the front of it which is colour coded. These colours match up with a dial on the side. Look at this dial and select a suitable aperture. Whatever colour is over this aperture is the colour you need to select on the little unti at the front of the flash. Then set the same aperture on the camera. With your specific camera you needn’t worry about a sync speed as it will sync at all speeds. Shutter speed is only important in determining the amount of ambient light you are going to let in. When you work like this, the flash is in Auto mode and it will determine the correct flash exposure. It’s actually fairly reliable – some people would say even more reliable than TTL!
Oh, and one last thing – try this out TODAY!!! You don’t want to be there tomorrow fiddling about with controls and not knowing what to do. Alternatively, get hold of a digital camera and use the benefit of instant feedback to see what’s going on.
JohnnyMcMillan wrote:
Well more as ambient light..I just know it will more than likely be in a office setting and it’s probably gonna be dark.
OK, what you’re really saying is you want the flash to be your key light!
See if there’s a white wall that you can bounce off of. Try and avoid direct flash if at all possible.
If you’re really stuck for ideas, take a look at the very informative tutorials at http://www.dg28.com/technique.html
Brilliant link Thorsten. I don’t know how you manage to find such
useful sites, but keep them coming.Rob.
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