Tracey - Hi Melissa!
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of OCF! I have always been so afraid of shooting at low shutter speeds, thinking that my moving subjects will be blurred. This series of posts will benefit me greatly in my upcoming wedding season.
Thanks again, and Happy Thanksgiving! :)
Danielle - For starters, thank-you so much for sharing this great information as some of us "natural light" photographers are making the leap to weddings where we can't avoid the use of flash. I have two questions.
1. What is a good height you generally set your flash to? 7 feet or so?
2. I have the Canon 600 ex rt flash and I'm defiantly confused on the "power". I see you speak in incredments like 1/32 or 1/128... And maybe this is a silly question, but I seem to only be able to control the flash in regards to focusing distances like 200mm is the strongest flash and 28mm is the weakest? So confused on that part if you can clear it up for me.
Thank-you so much!
Mark Martinez - This is a fantastic set of posts Melissa! I am a big fan of the flare possibilities of shooting directly into the OCF.
Tammy - How do you keep your flash tripods standing? I'd be terrified to leave them alone... especially at the reception when adult beverages are usually served.
Stacey Hemeyer - I have been experimenting with OCF a little here and there for the last while, but I haven't loved it because I lacked knowledge, and therefore confidence, with it. But these posts have been amazing. Not are the filled with great information, but they are also written in a style that is easily understandable! You are amazing!
Karen Bonar - LOVE IT! Thanks MJ!
One comment I get from clients ... more of an observation ... is when I'm using the sun in a similar fashion on location for portraits ... they're like "what is that" ... is there any way around this? Or just client education?
Nicolle - Hi MJ,
Thanks so much for the effort you've put in with this. I've enjoyed it a lot. Any chance you would be willing to load a sketch or illustration demonstrating the angles you are referring to with some of these? My brain doesn't seem to always compute unless I can see it visually. If not, no worries, I'll try to sketch it out myself and see what I come up with.
Thanks!
Boggy - Thank you for great tutorial. Would you mind explaiing the focusing part with such wide exposure (F/2.2,2.8) setttings in almost total darkness and such small DOF tolerance. It seems that your old trick (higher F/4-5) with a preset focus would not work in such situation. Do you refocus for each picture in such cases?
Digital Printing - For me,it's really difficult to capture the perfect angle for the flare effect. I just bought a camera because I'm beginning to run a photography blog but I'm having a hard time capturing and balancing the light effect. You have great shots! How I wish.