Among the biggest challenges faced by most professional camera users is the use of flash in studio. The most common concern is that their camera flash doesn’t seem to integrate well with the studio lighting. To be able to sort out such a problem, you will need to have some knowledge of camera flash use.
Camera setting
Before you start using your camera flash and depending on your goals you must first set your camera to be in line with the studio light settings:
- Exposure: When in auto exposure, your DSLR or SLR camera cannot integrate with the studio lighting. You should therefore set your camera on manual exposure.
- ISO: Secondly your ISO settings should be set as low as possible (50- 100 ISO). This is to achieve the highest image quality of the subject. Cameras like the Nikon D600 are exceptional as they can work well when set at an ISO of 1600.
- White balancing: Thirdly, you can white balance the strobes to as close to 5500 + 100 kelvin as possible. In case you don’t have a kelvin option you can set your white balance to flash.
Flash Studio Tips
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Bounce Flash over the Ceiling
When using an external flash, there is always a high risk of exposing the camera subject to harsh light. This is a common occurrence among pop up flash users. This problem can be solved by pointing your external flash towards the ceiling so that it can bounce of the ceiling and diffuse the studio lights. For this to work, your studio ceiling must be white. If it is not white then your camera subject will be tainted by the respective colour of the ceiling.
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Introduce a Diffuser to the Flash
If you are still worried about too much light on your subject, you should use a diffuser. Diffuses wok best with external flashes and can be easy to mount on your DSLR camera. Diffusers soften the light of the subject thus giving it more sharpness and clarity. From searching on the web, you can find diffusers for compact cameras as they can be a bit difficult to find.
Conclusion
The best way to use your flash in studio is to experiment on the different camera techniques and studio lighting. You also have to know how you camera works including its flash settings. Once you get a hang of it, you are good to go.