Hi

I always wonder about images which were taken during day light overpowered the sunshine and created evening light in background.

I got three 580Ex flash and I want know how to use them to make such outdoor shots with dramatic lights.

Could someone please explain me lighting settings and technique? How Can I manage to over power sun?

I love to learn these lighting.

Thanks

Aloha Max!

There are a few ways to make afternoon light look like evening light that I am aware of. Mainly methods of underexposing the background light. So if your strobes are powerfull enough to give you 3 or more stops more than what the ambiant is, (at a reasonable shutter speed you can synch at), that's one.

Using filters on the lens is another way.

And it can be done to an image after capture in PhotoShop!

There are several variables in the underexposing method of course. If you have a fairly confined background, you may be able to scrim the afternoon sun and cut the ambient considerably that way for what will be included in the image.

Other ideas?
SPC II

Hi Max,

To add to Stan's ideas...you'll need a camera that syncs at at least 1/250th of a second...and as Stan noted, some powerful strobes. Let the strobes plus the ambient determine your exposure on your subject and the shutter speed determine the relative darkness of the background. My article on bringing back the background in the article section of PPR describes esentiallly the same technique.

Max...

A friend of mine used to say there's no substitute for cubic inches when it comes to engines, and with flash units and trying to overpower the afternoon sun, there's no substitute for watt seconds.

Especially if you want the light to be modified in a very flattering way.

The 580s are pretty nice, but they're actually pretty small power wise when it comes to high noon light. You could use them directly and it will probably work, but I don't think it would look quite as nice as a studio flash on location powered by a battery or a dedicated battery pack system such as the Profoto 7b or the Elinchrom Ranger.

Check out this product: http://www.innovatronix.com/compatib.asp

This inverter/battery will power a lot of monoblocs and the price is right...You'd be able to drive a 600 watt second elinchrom style or style s through a large softbox and probably get about f16 out of it at 100 ISO...

If you use a 5d, lets say that the main exposure (ambient @ 100 ISO) is 1/200th at f11, then f16 will make your background one stop darker than the main...you might even be able to get more power out of the flash, but figure you'll need at least a 600 w/s unit to get enough power to drive a light into a nice large light source to create a cool quality of light--and give you that aperture...note: it will not work with the rx series of elinchrom strobe units but the older, monoblocs, it will.

The later in the day, the less need for power as your ambient light levels are dropping, so you might even be able to accomplish this with a 580 into a small box, but for high noon kind of lighting, you'll need power...

Paul

Hey Paul! Does the 5D sync at 1/500th of a second?

Steve,

It will in the HS mode with the 580...but with non TTL flash units, no, it synchs at 1/200th.

Paul