(Tutorial) Speedlite Tip Series

7/23/2019 (Tutorial) Speedlite Tip Series

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tutorial-speedlite-tip-series 1/10

Speedlite Tip Series, Part 3: Wireless Flash Primer

Want to learn creative flash techniques from award-winning photojournalists, celerit! portrait andwedding photographers" Join your peers to learn from top professionals such as Paul Kennedy, Bruce Dorn, andBob Davis in Canon Live Learning Seminars and Worshops in San !rancisco, Boston, Seattle, "tlanta, and Dallas#$ith more locations to come%& Learn from the pros in e'clusive full(day hands(on $orshops, $here students $illobserve creative lighting techni)ues $ith professional models on site, using Canon*s $ireless Speedlite system and

various lighting accessories and modifiers& "t the end of the day, students $ill come a$ay $ith a broad no$ledgeof lighting, and some gorgeous prints as $ell&

+o learn more, or to register for this and other upcoming Canon Live Learning classes and $orshops, clic here$$$&usa&canon&com-canonlivelearning

This is the final part of a three-part series on #anon Speedlite flashes, written for the #anon $igital%earning #enter ! &ordon %ewis:

.& Choosing the /ight !lash #clic to read% 0& Beyond the 1nstruction 2anual #clic to read% 3& 2ultiple !lash and Lighting /atios " Wireless Primer

'ew on the #$%#: !or a detailed, step(by(step e'ploration of the 4'ternal !lash !unctions and Wireless !lashSettings menus on compatible 45S cameras, $atch these educational videos by 4'plorer of Light Bruce Dorn, Part1 4'ternal Speedlite Controls, and Part 11 4'ternal Speedlite /atio Controls 1n Part 5ne of this series 1 e'plained the benefits of using a Canon Speedlite& 1n Part +$o, 1 e'plained ho$ to usemany of the most valuable Speedlite features& 1n this, the third and final installment, 16m going to e'plain $hy youmight $ant to use more than one Speedlite7and ho$ to do it& 1t6s easier than you might thin&

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2068






















+his portrait is a great e'ample of the dynamic lighting that is only possible $ith multiple off(camera sources 8otethe contrast and modeling, and the concentration of light on the sub9ect*s face, as $ell as the pleasing separation of foreground and bacground elements&

(oll mouse over image to see an appro'imate lighting diagram of the above portrait, sho$ing master-slaveplacement and use of light modifiers& 1n this shot, the "B ratio is probably about .: #meaning that the slave unitoff(camera is producing about 3 stops more light than the master unit, about .(0 stops of $hich is lost in theumbrella bounce%

5nce you become a$are of the possibilities, you may find it hard to settle for 9ust one&

The enefits of multiple flash unitsLet6s start $ith $hy you might need more than one Speedlite& +he primary reason is that there6s a limit to $hat youcan do $ith one flash unit mounted to your camera& 2ultiple units give you many more options for light placement&!or e'ample, if you6re doing portraiture you can use one Speedlite on a light stand as your main light and a secondon your camera for shado$ fill& "dd a third Speedlite on a light stand and you can use it for baclight or to light abacground&

"rchitectural and real estate photographers use multiple flash units to light multiple areas of a room, separately andindependently& Want to a photograph a large painting; !or the most even lighting you6ll need at least t$o Speedliteon light stands #one on each side of the art$or%& "s long as you aren6t trying to light anything huge or far a$ay, the

possibilities are limited only by your imagination and ban account&

The pro and cons of other multiple flash triggering s!stems<ntil the advent of the Canon Wireless Speedlite System, using multiple flash units re)uired you either to

.& Connect them to the camera $ith flash sync cords,0& Synchroni=e them $ith $ireless infrared triggers, or3& Synchroni=e them $ith $ireless radio triggers&

+he good thing about flash cords is that they are relatively ine'pensive&

Before $ireless flash technology, photographers had to rely on more e'pensive or less fle'ible accessories such asinfrared triggers or flash cords such as the one pictured above&

<nfortunately, they can also be delicate >ou never can tell $hen some sort of internal damage $ill render them

useless& "nother ma9or problem is that they6re dangerous 1f someone trips over a cord, that person and anythingthe cord is connected to could go crashing to the ground& +rust me, it6s not a pretty sight&

Wireless infrared devices trigger remote flash units in sync $ith the flash from a master flash unit& 1nfrared triggershave the advantage of being $ireless, but depending on $hat type you use, they can either be too sensitive #i&e&,triggered by a flicering florescent light% or not sensitive enough& "lso, because they react to any flash pulse, theycan be triggered by any other photographer6s flash unit, not 9ust your o$n&

+he advantage of $ireless radio triggers is that they can be set to a channel different from that of other photographers& "nother advantage is that their effective range is measured in yards rather than feet& +he dra$bacis that the better units can cost as much as the flash unit they are connected to, and they have their o$n learningcurve to use effectively&



+he one ma9or dra$bac that all three approaches have in common is this +hey are mostly incompatible $ithCanon6s dedicated +(++L-4(++L 11 flash system #e'cept for some versions of $ireless radio triggers such asPocetWi=ards? or /adioPoppers?%& >ou therefore have to set each unit6s output manually, one(by(one, until youget the e'posure balance you $ant& +he more flash units you use, the more inconvenient and time(consuming thiscan be&

)ow #anon*s Wireless Speedlite S!stem wor+s

Canon6s Wireless Speedlite System re)uires one @masterA unit mounted to the camera&

+he ternal Flash Function Setting menu lets you control almost all of the flash settings (( including mostWireless Settings (( right from the camera*s rear LCD screen&

+he master unit emits a series of flash signals before the actual e'posure to communicate $ith and control the so(called @slaveA #off(camera remote% units& 1t controls $hich Speedlites flash and ho$ much light they emit& 1t alsosynchroni=es their output $ith each other and $ith the camera6s shutter& Because it uses flash signals it re)uiresthat the master and slaves be $ithin each other6s line of sight&

With the Wireless 4(++L flash system, perhaps the most important thing to remember is that it6s all automatic flashe'posure control& 8early anything you can do $ith a single flash on(camera in terms of flash e'posure control isalso possible $ith multiple flashes off(camera $ith Canon6s $ireless system& +he sole thing you cannot do in$ireless that you can $ith a single flash on(camera is 0nd curtain f lash sync&

"nother huge benefit of using the Canon Wireless Speedlite system is that it allo$s you to maintain fullcommunication and automation bet$een multiple flash units and your camera& +his means you can control your remote Speedlites, individually or all at once, all from your camera position& 1n fact, Canon6s most recent DSL/s,such as the 45S D, D, D 2ar 11 and .D-Ds 2ar 111 series, allo$ you to control your Speedlites $ith a menubuilt into the camera& 1f your camera doesn6t have this feature, you can use the control menu on your Speedlite#some basic set-up instructions are explained in this tip such as assigning groups, channels, and master/slavestatus -- for all other set-up instructions please refer to your flash manual %&

"nd yet another advantage is that you can assign all of your remote flash units to one of four @channels&A "s long asno other Canon 45S photographer is shooting $ith Wireless 4(++L flash and using the same channel, your Speedlites can be triggered only by your master unit and no one else6s& 5rdinary flash illumination from other people6s cameras at an event $ill never set off Canon $ireless flashes&



+here are some flash functions that you still need to set from the flash unit itself& !or e'ample, to set your Speedlite xx 4E(series flash as the master or slave unit #or turn $ireless flash 5!!%

Press and hold the .//012 button for appro'& 0 seconds until the display starts blining& +hen use the Select $ialto scroll through the three settings #MAST!, SLA", and #$$ %& When you hit the one you $ant, press theS%1ST button&

>ou $ill need at least one master unit and one slave unit& +he master flash can be either a Speedlite 456 77 #or e)uivalent, such as a :4E or even the older 4E% or an ST-8 Speedlite Transmitter & +he Speedlite 34Eor 4E 11 #and older models% can only operate as an off(camera slave unit (( not a master unit&

Canon*s Speedlite +ransmitter S+(40 $ireless unit offers the functionality of a master unit in a light$eight andaffordable pacage&

"n important point is that you can effectively have an unlimited number of off(camera slave units, as long as they6repositioned $ithin range of the triggering device that6s on the camera& !urthermore, you can easily mi' and match



off(camera slave units, using any combination of :4E 11, 34E 11, or previous compatible models $ith slave unitfunctionality&

+he S+(40 transmitter provides most of the flash control functions mentioned above, but provides no visible light of its o$n& 1nstead, it uses near(infrared pre(flashes to control the slaves& +his can be an advantage $hen you6re$oring $ith sittish sub9ects& "nother benefit is that the S+(40 is much smaller and lighter than a flash unit& +hatmaes a big difference $hen you6re shooting handheld for long periods& 5n the other hand, its lo$er output reducesthe ma'imum indoor operating range to appro'imately 3 feet& 1f you6re shooting $ith ratio control #more on that in a

moment%, $ith the Speedlite +ransmitter S+(40, you6re limited to only t$o groups of Speedlites, not three&

"lthough the Speedlite :4E 11 is the larger, heavier, more e'pensive option, it also the most versatile& +he :4E11 has the benefits of contributing light of its o$n as needed, and e'panding your ma'imum indoor operating rangeto about F feet& <sed as a @masterA unit, the :4E 11 can control multiple slave units to fire evenly #at same po$er level%, or you can assign flash ratios, $here one or more flashes fire at greater po$er than another group of slaveunits& >ou also have the option of setting it to control any slaves units $ithout the on(camera master unit firingduring the actual e'posure&

P%9S '/T: 4ven if the master unit*s flash firing is *disabled*, the flash $ill still appear to go off& Go$ever, it $ill85+ in any $ay affect the image e'posure, because the flash you see is simply a pulse light signal that the master flash emits to transmit settings-shooting data to any slave flashes& +his pulse light flashes a fraction of a secondB4!5/4 the photo is taen&

1f the master flash is attached to the camera*s hot shoe and you %#&'T $ant it to go off during the shot, simply$isale the 2aster flash from the camera*s ternal Flash Functions Wireless Set; menu&

5ff(camera slave units can be grouped together so that you can control multiple flashes as one group& " @groupAcan consist of only one flash unit, or accommodate as many as you need&

+he Wireless Speedlite system allo$s for up to three groups ", B and C& The master flash unit is alwa!s in

&roup 9; Slave units can be assigned to Hroup ", B, or C via the control menu on the slave unit6s LCD panel #seeabove animated image of the rear flash LCD (( basically, use the flash*s * .oom12* button to activate the $irelessmenu, and use the Sel-Set button-$heel to navigate and select various options%& 5nce you6ve set each slave unit tobe in a particular group, you don6t have to touch the slave units again, e'cept to actually position them to light your sub9ect& 4ach group can then be controlled remotely, from the camera position, using either the controls on themaster Speedlite, the S+(40 transmitter, or your camera6s !lash Control 2enu&



8ote that the master unit*s transmitter and slave*s transceiver#s% must *see* each other for the $ireless system to$or effectively&

!inally, Canon6s Wireless Speedlite System allo$s you to use ratios to control the relative output bet$een one flashgroup and another& #/emember, a group can consist of only one flash, or as many flashes as you need%& !or e'ample, if you $anted Hroup B to output t$ice as much light as Hroup " for one stop more e'posure, you simplyset an "B ratio of .0 and the 45S flash system automatically taes care of the rest&

1f you prefer, you can control each group6s output manually so that it emits a fi'ed amount of light, regardless of sub9ect distance or reflectivity& +his is best done $ith a handheld flash meter and is beyond the scope of this article,ho$ever suffice it to say that if you6re advanced enough to $ant this feature, the Speedlite system canaccommodate you&

+he only real limitation you need to eep in mind is that because the Wireless Speedlite System relies on flashpulses for control and communication, each slave unit you use has to be able to @seeA the pulses from the master flash unit #this is $hy the master flash appears to go off, $hether or not you have *enabled* it%& When you6re

outdoors this means that all of your Speedlites should be $ithin direct line of sight of each other& +his is lessessential indoors, $hen you can rely on reflections from nearby $alls& Wherever you are, you have to avoid usinglight modifiers, such as light bo'es, that bloc the flash sensor on the front of the Speedlite& +he follo$ing diagramillustrates the basic indoor and outdoor ranges #$ithin an :(degree angle from the master unitI anything more thanthat and the flashes may not *see* each other%



+his diagram, found in the Speedlite :4E 11 1nstruction 2anual, simply indicates the master unit*s transmissionrange to the slave units, assuming the slave units are positioned no more than ()-degrees a*ay from the masterflash in either direction #:(degrees total%&

7n rief: The outdoor transmission range is aout 8<-33 feet, and the indoor range is a more forgiving 3=->=feet ?appro@;

9 practical eample with two Speedlites

Gere are a fe$ simple e'amples of ho$ theory $ors in practice& Let6s start $ith the most basic set(up a portraitusing t$o Speedlites, $ith one unit mounted on your camera and the other mounted to a light stand& +he unitmounted on the light stand functions as the main light source7the one that provides the dominant highlight andshado$s& +he unit mounted on your camera functions as the fill light7the one that fills #lightens% the shado$ castby the main light&

+he simplest $ay to control this set(up $ould be to assign both Speedlites to Hroup "& Since they are in the samegroup they $ould output the same amount of light relative to each other& >our camera6s flash e'posure system$ould automatically ad9ust their combined output to match $hatever aperture and 1S5 you set on your camera& #"s1 mentioned in Part 0, the shutter speed affects the ambient light e'posure, not the flash e'posure&%

>ou $ill need to set your flash unit*s Communication #hannel and Slave &roup assignment from the flash itself#these can not be set through the camera%& Set these on each flash you*re using as follo$s

5nce the unit has been set a SL"4 or a 2"S+4/ using the method described earlier in this tip, press the .//012

button until *#);* blins& <se the Select $ial to scroll through channels ., 0, 3, or and press the S%1ST button toselect the channel number you $ant&

+o set the Slave Hroup, press the 552-= button again until the group letter # A9A% blins& <se the Select $ial toscroll through groups ", B, or C and press the S%1ST button to select the group you $ant&

'/T: /nce the flash unit is set to 09ST(, !ou will not e ale to select a &roup; This is ecause themaster flash is set to &roup 9 as a default;

8o$ let6s say you $anted the shado$ side of your sub9ect to be darer relative to the highlight side& +he $ay to dothis $ould be to reduce the output of the fill light relative to the main light& +his taes 9ust three simple steps



.& Set the fill light #the master flash unit% to Hroup "&0& Set the main light #the off(camera slave unit% to Hroup B&3& Set the desired "B output ratio&

Splitting the Speedlites into separate groups allo$s you to control the output of one group independently of theother&

1n the ternal Flash Functions Wireless Set; menu you can select an "B ratio of anything from :. ( .:&>our camera6s flash e'posure system $ill automatically produce the ratio you set& >ou can set any ratio you lie

$ithin a range of :. to .:, in .-0(stop increments& 1n the e'ample above, a good starting point $ould be an "Bratio of .0 or . 7 meaning the B group fires $ith more intensity than the " group& +he accompanying illustrationsho$s ho$ you $ould set a . ratio on a camera that has the !lash Control 2enu feature&

+he follo$ing table e'plains ho$ output ratios correspond to differences in f(stops& "dvanced photographersreading this should note that for the purposes of our portrait lighting e'ample above, $here the *"* flash is enabledto fire from the camera*s hot shoe, any ratio $here " is greater than B #0., ., etc&% $ould loo pretty much thesame in a photograph& +hat6s because $hen the frontal @fillA light #"% is more po$erful than the @mainA light #B% thereare no longer any shado$s to fill&

/utput ratio ?9:B@ $ifference in output

:. " outputs :E more light than B #a three(stop difference%

. " outputs E more light than B #a t$o(stop difference%

0. " outputs 0E more light than B #a one(stop difference%

.. 4)ual output #no difference%

.0 B outputs 0E more light than " #a one(stop difference%

. B outputs E more light than " #a t$o(stop difference%

.: B outputs :E more light than " #a three(stop difference%

1f any of this seems complicated, don6t $orry& 1n practice all you have to do set the e'posure you $ant to use onyour camera, chec to mae sure the shutter speed is at or belo$ the correct sync speed, and shoot& 1f theshado$s are too light, increase the output ratio so that " outputs less light than B& 1f they are too dar, decrease theratio& +he interactive illustration belo$ sho$s the visual effects of various ratios and mimics $hat you $ould see onthe rear LCD of your camera&

9 practical eample with three SpeedlitesLet6s say you $ere using the lighting set(up above and you $ere happy $ith the results but you $anted to lightenthe bacground& "dding a third Speedlite to light the bacground $ould accomplish that tas nicely& Since you6vealready got the ratio you $ant for your



When using 3 or more Speedlite, any flash unit set to slave Hroup C $ill have its light output controlledindependently of the "B ratio&

sub9ect in the foreground there6s no need to change the "B ratio& >ou simply set the third Speedlite to Hroup C andchange the overall ratio setting on your camera or master flash unit to "B C& +he Speedlite flash system thenallo$s you to control the output of C independently of the ratio for " and B so you can change the brightness of the

bacground $ithout affecting your foreground ratio& 1n fact, the C group is intended for lighting bacgrounds or other accent(type lightingI you don6t $ant any C(flashes to be directly lighting the main sub9ect& 5nce you6ve set "B C asa ratio, you ad9ust the C group using a -( control relative to the total output of the "B lighting on your main sub9ect&5nce again, the benefit of using a digital SL/ is that $hat you6re never shooting blind& What you see is $hat youget7and $hat you see $hen you e'pand your Speedlite system can often e'ceed your e'pectations&

Summar!<sing multiple Canon Speedlites gives you a degree of control and a range of creative lighting possibilities yousimply can6t get $ith a single flash unit7yet you don6t have to sacrifice the ease of use that has made CanonDSL/s so popular&

"ll slave units must be positioned and s$iveled so that the $ireless sensor is in direct line(of(sight $ith the masterflash head-$ireless transmitter& +image ordon Le*is.

>ou can start out $ith t$o Speedlites, set them up in different configurations and e'periment $ith different ratios tosee $hat happens& "s you gain familiarity $ith the various configurations and controls you6ll gain confidence in your lighting sills and valuable insights into $hat $ors best for you& >ou6ll also understand $hy, for thousands ofphotographers $ho need a compact, portable, $ireless lighting solution, Canon Speedlites are the one accessorythey $on6t leave home $ithout&+ae a loo at the images belo$ (( all of these $ere created $ith the use of off(camera, multi(point lighting& Whether you $ant a bright high(ey effect, or a moody lo$(ey feel, or even the subtle fill(flash used in environmentalportraiture to compliment the e'isting sunlight $hile maing your sub9ect *pop* (( the possibilities are endlessM



For more information aout flash photograph!, chec+ out Canon Flash Work: Expanding the World ofPhotography with Full-Time Flash

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/flashwork/




Documents

(Tutorial) Speedlite Tip Series