Slow Sync Flash Photography

When you are shooting in a low light condition, you have a couple of options to set the exposure correctly. One is to use a slower shutter speed and the other one is to use an external flash unit as a light source. When you use the slower shutter speed, you will be able to collect enough ambient light to get the proper exposure. This technique works very well when you are shooting non-moving subjects such as a statue, trees, buildings, landscape etc. But there is a chance of getting a blurry image when you are shooting moving subjects with the long exposure setting. On the other hand, when you use en external flash unit and let your camera choose an appropriate settings automatically, camera normally sets faster shutter speed because it detects there is a presence of an external flash unit to compensate the exposure. Now, when you shoot with that camera settings, you will get the well exposed subject but you will also get the dark background because the camera sensor didn't get enough time to collect the ambient light from the environment.

An example of slow sync flash

It's common that the ambient light will be much warmer than the electronic flash lights . If you want the two sources to match, you may want to use a warming filter on the flash. That can be done with a gel if you are using an external flash unit like the SB-600, SB-700, SB-800 or SB-900.

This is the situation where the slow sync flash comes handy. It combines both techniques discussed above and gives the better result. Slow sync flash is the perfect choice for low light photography specially if you are shooting portrait or other moving subjects. This technique is supported by most of the DSLRs which tells your camera to shoot with both slower shutter speed (longer shutter opening time) as well as firing the flash. When you are using slow sync flash, it fires the flash briefly to light the foreground subject and capture the ambient light to reveal more details in the background. With this technique, you will get the properly exposed subject and also be able to collect the ambient light from the environment to get well exposed background scene. If you have noticed "night mode" or "night portrait mode" available in your camera, they use the same technique but will give less control to the photographer. If you need more control over the shutter speed or flash power, you have to use the Manual Mode (M).

An example of slow sync flash

When we talk about slow sync flash, there are couple of slow sync flash techniques we have to discuss. And they are - front curtain sync flash (also known as the first curtain sync flash) and the rear curtain sync flash (also known as the second curtain sync flash). Both front curtain flash and the rear curtain flash techniques can be used for moving subjects when there is a mix of the ambient light and the flash light to get the motion blur effect.

1. Front Curtain Sync Flash

The standard slow sync mode is the front curtain sync mode. This mode tells the camera to fire the flash at the beginning of the exposure and then keeps the shutter open for the ambient light exposure. That means when you press the shutter release button, the flash fires immediately which freezes the motion of the moving subject and then the shutter will remain open afterward for the duration of the shutter speed and captures the ambient light.

2. Rear Curtain Sync Flash

This mode tells the camera to fire the flash at the end of the exposure. That means when you press the shutter release button, camera opens up the shutter and starts collecting the ambient light and just before closing the shutter, the flash will be fired to light up and freezes the main subject.

Rear Curtain Sync Example (Image Credit : Todd Klassy)

Rear Curtain Sync Example : When the card was moving from the top left corner to the bottom right corner, rear curtain sync flash gave that nice trailing effects of traveling path while giving a clear and frozen shot of the card at the end.

Both techniques look the same but they both have different effects when properly applied. Usually, you will find sports photographers using the rear curtain sync flash to freeze the player and get the nice motion blur effect behind the player.

Lets take another slow sync flash photography example of "moving car on the road".

Front curtain Flash : When you press the shutter release button, shutter opens up and the flash will be fired immediately which freezes the motion of the car. While the car is continuously moving, shutter will be closed and end the exposure. Because of the less light available at the end of the exposure, there is a less light motion blur in front of the car.

Rear Curtain Flash : When you press the shutter release button, shutter opens up until the exposure time and because of the less available light, you would get a less light motion blur at the beginning. While the car is still moving and at the end of the exposure, flash will be fired which freezes the motion of the car and then the shutter will be closed. In this case, the motion blur is behind the car, as it should be.

If you want to learn more about the flash photography and other available flash modes with more examples, please read my latest blog - “Understanding Flash Sync Modes”.

Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod And Manfrotto 498RC2 Ball Head

When I bought my first tripod about two years ago, I didn't care too much about the quality. I was rather focused on the price and got fairly priced tripod for around $50. My first DSLR was Nikon D60 which I bought with the kit lens and I was not having problem using that tripod with the D60. But when I upgraded my camera to Nikon D90 with a bigger lens, 18-200mm VR II, I felt the need for a sturdy and strong tripod to hold the camera (and the lens attached to it) without worrying about it falling off the tripod. I have had a bad experience (tripod legs fell apart) with my previous cheap tripod when I was shooting July 4th fireworks in New York city.

Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod Legs

After doing some research and reading online reviews, I bought Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod with Manfrotto 498RC2 Ball Head. I could go with Manfrotto 190XPROB 3 Section Aluminum Pro Tripod and 498RC2 ball head but I felt like to go one step up just to be safe for the future gears. Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod shares all the features with Manfrotto 190XPROB 3 Section Aluminum Pro Tripod but the 055XPROB is a more sturdy, heavier and a little taller than the 190XPROB. When you are not doing photography, you can actually use the 055XPROB for the weight lifting purpose as well. I guess little bit of humor doesn't hurt, and in fact, we all need it as a daily dose.

Let me summarize the basic differences between the 055XPROB and the 190XPROB.

Manfrotto 055XPROB Vs Manfrotto 190XPROB

1. Weight Support

055XPROB - Supports up to 15.4 pounds

190XPROB - Supports up to 11 pounds

2. Base Area

055XPROB - Leg diameters 29.4, 25, 20 mm

190XPROB - Leg diameters 25, 20, 16 mm

3. Height

055XPROB - Min/Max. height 3.9"/70.3"

190XPROB - Min/Max. height 3.3"/57.5"

4. Weight

055XPROB - Weighs 5 pounds

190XPROB - Weighs 4 pounds

Both gears are designed with the same basic principles and share common features like extending the center column and fold to make a horizontal arm and both are made out of solid aluminum material.

Manfrotto 498RC2 Ball Head

Manfrotto 498RC2 Ball Head works great with both tripods and gives an extra feature to those photographers who love to shoot panoramic shot using horizontal pan (Manfrotto 496RC2 Ball Head lacks this feature).

This ball head has been totally redesigned for better ease of use. A newly designed friction control knob allows the photographer to achieve superior control when handling the camera and making micro movements without having to totally lock and unlock the ball head. The knobs have been redesigned to be more ergonomic, easier to handle and more user-friendly. The ergonomic shape allows the user to better lock the ball securely. A re-positionable locking lever allows the user to place it in a comfortable position in order to use it in the most convenient way; just pull it outwards, put it in the best working position and then release it. This model features a RC2 quick release plate including an additional safety system that prevents the accidental detaching of the camera from the head. The locking lever securely locks the head both in the +90°, -90° ball positioning and in the 360° pan movements for panoramic shot or even getting panning effects. With solid aluminum construction, this head is the ideal support for all the traditional or the digital small or medium format cameras weighing up to 17 pounds.

Is Post Processing Necessary In Digital Photography?

This post is a part of our Q&A section. If you want to submit your question, please use the form in the Contact page.

Afrina (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) asked : I am not a pro photographer but I enjoy photography. When I visit the flickr and other photographers' website or blog, they have a collection of amazing photographs. Some of the photographers also revel what editing tool they used and what was done on the picture during post-processing. Do you think it is necessary to use any software to make your photograph look good?

I have seen this confusion on many photographers from different level of expertise. I think this wouldn’t be that much of interesting topic when you are just starting photography but as you progress more on your composition skill and master your camera settings, the next stop would be the editing skill. I also went through the same situation a while ago and started looking my option for post-processing. When it comes to the editing, different photographers have different views about the process and the tools they would like to use. Even after reading many blogs and online tips, the answer was not so clear to me whether the editing skill is a must to have to enhance your photography or it is just an optional choice. Some of my friends jokingly say that, if you are using Photoshop to enhance your photographs then it's not a photography, it is a Photoshopgraphy. I find it funny but meaningful statement at the same time. When I see other photographers’ work, I forget all the critics and feel like editing is a must have skill set and is one of the important part of digital photography. After doing much research, I wrote a blog about post processing where I discussed more about the post-processing and listed down some of the best known post-processing software in the market.

To be honest, it is not always necessary to use a software and process the pictures but sometimes you find it necessary just to tweak some settings, adjust colors and lights or even crop the sides. Some people think cropping is not really a post processing but I would say, if you use any software to manipulate the photographs by any means, it is a post-processing because you processed the photographs after taking it out from the camera.

Let me present you an example of a photograph, before and after processing it, and you shall decide if post-processing is really necessary or not. And also, as always, I welcome your comments as well.

Before post processing

I took this photograph of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool last year. When I came home and downloaded the picture from the camera, I felt good about it's composition (symmetry) but felt like I was missing something on the picture. I was not really happy with the color contrast and thought of playing with the color tones and the contrast and see how will it become. I started editing the picture using Capture NX2, one of my favorite software to process RAW images. During the processing of the image, I increased the color contrast and adjusted the brightness of the picture which transformed the picture into the next level. Just a couple of small tweaks boosted the mood of the image and the result was very impressive. The picture looked more vibrant and lively after the post-processing.

After post processing

The result is in front of you and I let you decide whether the post processing is really necessary in digital photography or not. But looking at the transformation this image got, I think you would agree that post-processing is an essential tool and may greatly help you to enhance the picture if done correctly. You just have to be careful about not doing it too much, otherwise it may not look natural.