High Profile Wedding Photographer Tips on Exposure
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Choosing the right 'Shutter Speed' ?
So let's imagine you're working indoors, and you've got the flash off and to the side of the camera, and that the camera is on a tripod at about chest height. Now let's set the exposure. With today's TTL flash systems, you can have the camera automatically set the aperture and shutter speed, but for our purposes, you may find that setting these variables manually will produce better results. With all of today's best Canon, Nikon and Minolta 35mm systems, flash exposure is controlled by the camera even when you're setting the shutter and aperture manually. I call this a semi-automatic way of photographing groups, where the photographer is controlling the shutter and aperture and the camera is controlling the flash output.
The main advantage to setting exposure manually is that you can dial in a slower shutter speed than most SRLs will set automatically. You can, for example, set 1/60 sec, 1/30 sec, even 1/15 sec if the room is dimly lit. You're not pushing the limits of the flash synchronization speed of the camera. Many modern cameras synchronize the shutter at up to 1/250 sec, but in actuality, because most group photographs are of people standing still, and because 1/250 sec will likely preclude any of the existing light from making an impact on the film, you don't need a shutter speed that fast. A better choice is lowering the shutter speed. because slower shutter speeds will allow more of the room's ambient light to register on film. This will put detail, ambiance and mood in your backgrounds.
PHOTO: Denis Reggie
Choosing the right 'Aperture'?
In the Manual mode, of course, you'll also have to set the aperture. Let's say f/5.6. Some might prefer f/8 for the extra depth of field it affords, but f/8 requires significantly more flash power for the film to be adequately exposed. This may mean you may not be able to move back far enough to use a normal lens as we recommend. Selecting f/8 will also drain your batteries faster. If a group is particularly large, and we have to move far back, we might even set f/4.
PIC's Point n' Shoot Tip.
Most of you can achieve this added detail, ambience and mood in your indoor flash photos by setting your camera to the Slow Sync or Night Flash Mode. It slows the shutter down so that more background detail is recorded on film. These slower shutter speeds, however, can result in blurry backgrounds if you shake or move the camera while the shutter is open. The solution is to hold the camera still during exposure--always good advise whatever mode you've set. (Don't worry about your foreground subjects being blurry. The split-second flash exposure will freeze them sharp.)
Whatever you do, with today's modern Point-and-Shoot cameras, you don't have to worry much about exposure. It's taken care of for you. Grab a camera as you're leaving the house, throw it in your purse or jacket pocket and have some fun!
