why is it that every time i take a picture of let's say, someone on stage at night time, with flash, the picture always comes out dark. it seems that the flash disperse and it does not light up the subject. i'm using canon powershot s45. it also happens with my nikon n90s professional camera.
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shooting question
- Thread starter nfinitefx
- Start date
How far from stage are you? The light is only gonna really work at a certain range.... built in flashes are not that great either.
Also, try a longer exposure time. Just be sure to keep the camera steady
Also, try a longer exposure time. Just be sure to keep the camera steady
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Piano Player
Order of the Candle
You need to know the "guide number" of your flash. This is usually the maximum distance the flash will work with ISO 100 film. Most built in flashes (I assume you are using the Nikon n90s built in flash) have a guide number well under 50. (not very far when you think about it compared to a stage). A dedicated hot shoe flash can have a lot more power. Mine is somewhere around 130. I always try to sit real close, use 800 speed film, and expose for the ambient light. My flash allows me to reduce its fill effect, which also extends its range a little bit.nfinitefx said:
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I'm not that far from stage... maybe around 15-20 feet. and the nikon n90s doesn't have built-in flash so i use a dedicated flash. as for the powershot s45, it only has a built-in flash. as for the iso film, i use either 200 or 400 speed film with the n90s. i've tried taking even regular pictures using the s45 where the surrounding is somewhat dark, like a restaurant and the picture always comes out too dark. low light shooting has never gone well for me. i've tried using the various modes on the camera, and including the manual mode. the manual mode comes out better but still not as well as it should be.
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Piano Player
Order of the Candle
Powershot s45 may not be working with flash. If you are in a restaurant and shoot 5-10 feet away should have no problem. If they come out dark in that situation flash just doesn't work right.nfinitefx said:
With the Nikon switch to ISO 800 film, shoot with the lens wide open (what is maximum apeture of your lens?), make sure your flash knows what lens opening you are on (should be automatic with a dedicated flash), and stay close to the action. I have always used a lens with f2 or wider for stage photography.
One of the biggest things about flash photography is that light follows the inverse square rule. Twice the distance only gets 1/4 of the light, three times the distance only gets 1/9 etc. Light falls off quite rapidly. This is why there are depth of field problems with flash as well as focus. People too close will be too bright, and people too far will be too dark. Some flashes are fooled by something in the foreground, and underexpose the subject. Others are tied to where the lens is focused (such as the Nikon D system)
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Piano Player
Order of the Candle
Using flash does complicate the situation. Mr. Hako is right, full power flash washes out the stage lights. Many flashes allow you to adjust the "fill" ratio of the flash. For example, in my stage pictures there is usually fill flash dialed down to -.07 to -1.7 stops. This allows the stage lights to dominate (also why you always expose for the ambient (stage) lighting. The trouble with many stage lights is that the picture has more contrast than the film can handle. The fill flash allows the shadows to retain some detail. Note the face detail in the picture of the "bird" (my daughter) in my previous post. No flash would have left a complete shadow.Mr Hako said:
The second problem with flash as "supplemental" light is the difference in color temperature. Flash is designed to emulate outdoor lighting. Stage lights usually have a color temperature much warmer (yellow/red). The inconsistent lighting can yield odd results (particularly in hair). A more sophisticated approach would be to get a flash filter to match the color temperature of the stage lighting.
I usually like the results of fill flash on stage pictures, however in any production I take pictures without flash just in case. I attach another two pictures to demonstrate this difference. First picture has no flsh, second has fill flash. While some editing needs to be done on the second (take out the overexposed foreground), I prefer the second picture.
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Hm... i have to try that... when i get home i'll post some pictures i've taken from my s45. it's horrible... i prefer the second picture too there.
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I like the effect of stage lighting; I don't worry about it looking unnatural compared to daylight, or daylight balanced flash. it's supposed to look unnatural - that's why it's stage lighting! Don't worry about contrast or shadows. Just shoot what looks good, if you want an accurate portrait, don't expect it from a stage show. If however you want an atmospheric stage shot - drop the flash.
I made a mistake in my previous post - I meant shoot with a large aperture, wide open. If you can, shoot at F1.4 or F2. This will allow you to shoot hand-held. Don't worry about small depth of field, you will be far enough away the subject on stage.
I made a mistake in my previous post - I meant shoot with a large aperture, wide open. If you can, shoot at F1.4 or F2. This will allow you to shoot hand-held. Don't worry about small depth of field, you will be far enough away the subject on stage.
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Piano Player
Order of the Candle
Doesn't look like the flash worked here at all. What light there is seems to be coming from the side. If you see the flash go off when you take the picture it may not be syncronized with the shutter. By the way, don't zoom in with a point and shoot digital and expect the flash to go beyond 10 ft. At the high end of the zoom the apeture is very small.nfinitefx said:
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i think i was using the portrait mode when taking those pictures. the flash did went off but i think it's dispersed and then the camera automatically adjusted the picture to have the correct exposure so that it's not too bright because of the flash? i'm not sure though.
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JohnR7
Well-Known Member
The mode you want for a digital camera is the night mode. If a photos is to dark, then it is under exposed. That means that the opening for the lens did not open up enough or it did not stay open long enough. The problem with taking photos with low light is the shutter stays open to long and that makes it difficult not to move the camera. If you move the camera the photo will be blured and not as sharp as you want it to be. So the best thing to do, for low light photography is to use a tripod, to keep the camera from moving.nfinitefx said:
A lot of point and shoot cameras are designed to take photos up close in the 6 to 12 foot range. The flash usually works best in the 6 to 8 foot range. A bigger flash would eat up the batterys.
If you want to take photos from a distance, then get a 10X camera, they do a nice job and that lens is very cost effective. The problem then of course is lighting. I paid more for my bounce flash than I did for the camera. But the flash has a range up to 50 or 60 feet. I can even bounce it off of the ceiling or any object so that the flash does not flood out my photo.
Another option is a little slave flash. The flash on your camera triggers will trigger the slave flash. They cost about $30. Put that flash closer to the subject you want to photograph, and use the flash on your camera to trigger it.
One word of warning, always remove the batterys when your not using a flash or a camera. I have had to much stuff ruined by the battery when I left it in for long period of time.
Before you buy a camera, read the reviews. There are reviews on the innernet for most every camera out there. Check the reviews written by the people who own the camera and see if the camera your going to buy is good at doing the type of photography you want to do.
Also, you can find sample photos on the internet. Again, match the camera with what you want to do. If you want to do micro photography, then get a camera that does good at that.
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