Synchronization on the first or second curtain. Slow sync mode with flash Second curtain flash sync canon

Slow flash sync available on a wide range digital cameras. What is special about this synchronization mode? Slow flash sync allows you to take long shutter speed photos and shoot with flash. When using slow sync, the camera receives more light information environment, both in the background and in the foreground. As a result, the flash will be powerful enough to maintain the correct temperature of the surrounding light. Many digital cameras allow you to set slow flash sync manually, by compact cameras This mode works automatically, and it is disguised under the names “night mode” or “party mode”. If you have never experimented with these modes, be sure to give it a try; you will definitely be pleased with the results.

How does slow flash sync work?

Slow sync flash lets you choose the sync speed, flash output, and flash duration. When using slow sync, the shutter stays open much longer to allow more light into the frame. This means that the main subject should remain as still as possible; if it moves even a little, its edges will be soft. The flash fires at a specific point during a longer shutter speed, and the flash duration is much shorter than the shutter speed in "standard" flash mode. In this case, you can use a smaller aperture to achieve greater sharpness in the final image.

When to use slow flash sync?

It is recommended to use slow flash sync in low light conditions, when you feel that a regular flash will not be able to guarantee you a beautiful result. Slow sync flash can also be used when photographing sporting events. Due to the slow shutter speed associated with slow flash sync, you need to stabilize your camera to avoid shake. You'll probably need a tripod, and consider purchasing a cable release or remote release tomorrow.

What are rear and front curtains?

When you set your camera to slow flash sync mode, you'll likely be able to choose between front-curtain and rear-curtain sync. In this case, you have the opportunity to configure the camera so that the flash fires at a certain moment. With front curtain sync, the flash will fire as soon as the curtain opens - at the beginning of the shutter speed. Rear-curtain sync means the flash will fire at the end of the shutter speed, before the rear curtain closes. The final result of your image depends on the choice of synchronization. Rear-curtain sync typically produces little motion blur, keeping the main subject sharp, while pictures taken with front-curtain flash will be brighter and lack the naturalness of ambient light. The ability to synchronize using one or another curtain gives you the opportunity to experiment and come up with more and more original shots.

Conclusion

Slow flash sync gives you creative options when shooting at night or indoors, and is a great way to avoid the mundane and unremarkable photos that often result from using standard auto flash mode. Slow flash sync expands the boundaries of flash photography, allowing you to capture movement (in the form of motion blur) that is typically missing from traditional flash photography. Plus, you get the ability to control background lighting without sacrificing depth of field.

So... what's the best way to use flash? What features of flash photography exist today? What are the secrets to shooting with built-in or external flash? Do you need additional flash accessories? What mistakes can you make when using “blitz” (another name for flash)?

When is the flash used? Not only in the dark! It happens that its use is necessary in backlight (when shooting against the sun) or if it is necessary to eliminate too saturated, deep shadows in too “hard” light.

First, let's look at using flash built into the camera. On some cameras, the flash must be opened and turned on before use... This is done either with your fingers or using the button located next to the flash. For example, on Canon DSLRs, a button next to the button is used for this, but on other cameras it may be different.

Flash operating modes. Settings, Their Selection and Use.

Many cameras have a built-in flash, There are several flash modes. And some other settings...

For example, you can adjust the flash power. If the objects in the photo are too bright, you can reduce the flash power. Its power is often adjusted separately from the overall exposure...

Another important setting: shutter speed when using the built-in flash. The fact is that using the built-in flash, you cannot use a shutter speed less than (shorter) than 1/200 or 1/250 of a second! Such are the technical limitations. And often the camera’s automation selects a very long shutter speed, so that the image is blurred when shooting. To prevent this from happening, many cameras have a function that allows you to fix the shutter speed at just 1/200 (or so), or leave the automation to work, but do not allow a shutter speed of more than 1/60 of a second (or so). But keep in mind that with these settings, the background of the photos may appear too dark in the photo, because a short shutter speed is not always enough to expose a dark night background. To minimize this effect, you should open (“increase”) the aperture as much as possible (for example, to a value of 3.5) and increase the sensitivity of the matrix (for example, set ISO 1600), although the effectiveness of such movements is often almost not felt :(

Keep in mind that when shooting with flash, the background may be too dark.

Synchronization on the first and second curtain (with long exposures)

In the majority SLR cameras you can choose whether your flash will flash at the moment the shutter is released, or at the end of the exposure (i.e. if the shutter speed is 3 seconds, the flash will fire 3 seconds after pressing the shutter button). This matters if you use a slow shutter speed (longer than a second). The first option is most often used (“by the first curtain”), because otherwise, it will be difficult for you to guess at what moment the flash will occur... Photos taken when synchronizing with the second curtain turn out prettier, although they are more difficult to take IMHO :)

Manual mode of the built-in flash(not available on all cameras) can be useful if you want to achieve the effect of sparkle in the eyes (reflection of the flash in the eyes) or to suppress too hard shadows (for example, if you are photographing on a cloudless sunny day), then with a flash set to low power you can use during the day. But using manual mode requires a certain skill and experience. However, isn’t it time to gain this experience? ;)

I could also write about the flash mode with red-eye protection... but the main thing about it is to know that it exists and be able to activate it on your camera

Disadvantages of the built-in flash It can be attributed to the fact that it is small in size, and light from small sources most often turns out to be “hard”, giving deep shadows and not very beautiful highlights on the skin and very “hard” shadows behind the back of the subject! Keep this in mind when shooting with flash, no matter where you take pictures - outdoors or indoors, this is important! Sometimes, to get rid of glare, a fashion model can be asked to wipe the skin with a handkerchief to dry it, or use more powder in makeup.

Even external flashes “suffer” from the fact that their light produces too strong glare on human skin and too rough shadows behind the backs of fashion models. To eliminate these image defects (which, by the way, are extremely difficult to correct even in Photoshop), we use light diffusers that fit onto the flash. But they are mainly intended for external flares, and not for built-in ones, especially not for built-in ones in a compact camera. If you have not yet chosen or purchased an external flash, then you can use a sheet of paper that is not too thick and can be held close to the flash as a diffuser. Or cut and put a ping pong ball on the flash. There are other ways to make a diffuser for a built-in flash with your own hands, but this is the topic of a separate article...

Working with an external flash

What is the difference between an external flash and a built-in flash? First of all, size and power. The second difference is that most external flashes can “flash” not only “in the forehead” of the model, but also turn in other directions, so that shooting in reflected light becomes possible - which is simply necessary, for example, for wedding photography.

Bounced flash light

You can point the flash, for example, at the ceiling - then its light reflected from the ceiling will seem natural (similar to the light falling from the sky during the day) and will not produce strong glare on the skin.

Flash working head-on (on the left), and using reflected light (on the right).
Here the lines schematically represent the path of light rays.

Or you can point the flash at the wall - on the side of the model. Then in the picture we will get lighting coming from the side (light reflected by the wall), which can be mistaken for light from a window or the like. Sometimes reflected light works wonders, and a single flash on the camera gives an effect that is not always easy to achieve even in a photo studio!

During the shooting, only one flash was used; it was on the camera, but due to the fact that it was directed past the model, towards the reflector, its light fell on the model from the side and even slightly from behind.
Photographer: Karpin Anton. ©

External flashes also have more creative modes and other settings than their built-in flashes. For example, stroboscopic mode is almost never found in flashes built into the camera.

Strobe flash mode(or “multiple flash mode” on Nikon).

With a long exposure (more than a second), it allows you to get several translucent images of objects moving quickly in the frame. It is most impressive if these objects reflect light well and move against a dark background. When shooting in this mode, I recommend using a tripod.

Some rights reserved by Stefanotshcki!
Exposure - 2 seconds. This is what the “stroboscopic” effect looks like.

An external flash allows you to control your power much more flexibly and quickly.

Flash synchronization at fast shutter speeds.

As mentioned above, the built-in flash does not always make it possible to use it at a shutter speed shorter than 1/200 or 1/250 seconds (or even more serious limitations). But most external flashes have a synchronization mode at low shutter speeds, which is extremely important in sunny weather, to suppress too harsh shadows on the faces of fashion models, and to add shine to their eyes.

Particularly wide creative prospects will be opened by the use of several flashes: one master (on the camera), and several slaves. Then, even outdoors, you can create photographs with almost the same convenience and control over light as in the studio.

19570 Improving your skills 0

Slow flash sync... Sounds scary! And amateur photographers, as a rule, shy away from understanding the question of what this term is, convincing themselves that “I don’t need it, I’ll leave it for the pros.” But the concept of “slow sync” actually hides a rather simple, but in some cases extremely useful way to improve the quality and artistic value of photographs taken with flash.

What is slow sync?

In difficult lighting conditions, a photographer has only a few ways to take photographs. You can reduce the shutter speed, but to do this you will have to additionally use a tripod (which is not always convenient? For example, if you need to shoot dynamic scenes), or raise the ISO sensitivity to the maximum (in this case, the quality of the photo will raise questions among viewers). When there is not enough external lighting to create a beautiful photo, photographers try to get additional lighting and are not afraid to use flash.

Slow flash sync means that the flash is used along with a long shutter opening or a slow shutter speed. Slow flash sync is available on many modern digital cameras. It allows you to take long exposure photos, but still shoot with flash. With slow sync, more information from the environment is brought into the camera - both from the background and from the foreground. As a result, the camera's built-in flash will fire as powerfully as required to maintain correct color reproduction.

Slow sync is usually set manually; compact cameras most often have an automatic “night mode” or “party mode”. You should definitely try shooting in this mode; with a successful composition, you can get interesting pictures that will bring pleasure not only to the photographer.

With a slow shutter speed, the photo is exposed for much longer than the flash illuminates the subject. Sometimes even for a few seconds. The photographer has a choice whether he wants to use the flash at the beginning or end of the exposure. Firing the flash at the beginning of the exposure is known as "front-curtain" (or first-curtain) sync. If it triggered at the end, you were shooting with rear (second) curtain synchronization. Each of these options produces a different effect.

There are several situations in which slow flash sync may be appropriate.

Let's say there is a need to photograph people in poor lighting. You can just use flash, but then you're more likely to end up with a dark, underexposed background. If you use a slow shutter speed, then most likely people in the foreground will turn out blurry. In any case, these are not options for solving the problem.

With slow flash sync, you can kill two birds with one stone - using a slow shutter speed to properly frame the background, and then, when the flash fires, get sharp, clear detail in the foreground or people in the foreground.

If your subjects aren't moving, it doesn't matter whether you use front-curtain or rear-curtain sync. Most cameras have second curtain sync by default.

Ideally, in low light conditions, the photographer should use a tripod for any trick to maintain a well-designed background, but interesting effects can be achieved if you shoot handheld. Chances are good that you will enjoy taking photos with slow sync, you will enjoy photography in low light and some other conditions.

Fast movement

Slow flash sync is effective for photos of dynamic scenes and sports. Its use allows you to shoot an object with clear details and a background blur that gives the image a sense of speed, which looks much more interesting and advantageous than frozen motion, which is obtained using flash with a normal setting.

When photographing sports, dancing, movement in any form, it already matters which curtain the flash will be synchronized with. Typically, photographers choose rear-curtain sync to achieve natural blur behind the subject. This effect leads to a natural perception when viewing a picture.

Front curtain sync will create a trail of motion in front of your subject. In some cases the effect will look quite good. Experiment! Including different exposure lengths to see how it affects the quantity and quality of the blurred image from the flash.

In DSLRs, slow sync is hidden in the camera menu settings. Depending on the manufacturer, it may also be located in the “user functions”, so it is worth opening the instruction manual for your camera and reading it carefully.

Compact cameras, as a rule, have a slow sync mode in the “green zone”. Switching it is quite easy - just turn the wheel. You probably won't be able to change the shutter speed or choose a curtain sync method, but you'll still be able to get fantastic photos and, most importantly, enjoy the creative process.

That's all we wanted to tell you today. We hope that the material in this lesson was, as always, useful and interesting. All the photography to you!

Many photographers do not like the flash as a source of lighting when shooting. And there is a reason for it. An on-camera flash is far from the most successful light source in terms of location and nature of the lighting created.

Although, when the photographer has no other light at his disposal to illuminate the subject, the flash comes in handy. However, quite often in a photographer’s practice there are situations when there is still natural (constant) light, but either its intensity or some other parameters do not make it possible to take a good, technically high-quality photograph. And in this case, the situation can be corrected (and sometimes even literally saved!) by adding a flash as an additional light source. However, simply installing it on the device and turning on the flash in this case is not enough. You've already tried it, haven't you? You still need to configure the device correctly. And we decided to devote a special article to this topic.

Considering the practical aspects of using flash in this case, we, as always, will start with theory. Moreover, the theory will allow us to perceive the ongoing processes not as miracles or natural disasters, but as understandable and completely controllable phenomena.

So, the theory:

As is known, in standard mode The flash emits the entire pulse of light almost instantly. The duration of the flash light pulse is typically 1/1000 - 1/10000 second. You could say almost instantly. Therefore, in the case of standard flash synchronization with the camera, the shutter speed is selected as short as possible, but not shorter than the shutter speed of the full opening of the frame window. We talked in more detail about coordinating the operation of the flash and shutter in. For most modern digital SLR cameras, the shortest sync speed is 1/200 - 1/250 second.

What happens if the shutter speed is made noticeably longer? Say, instead of using a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second, use 1/60? Such a change in shutter speed will not affect the illumination created by the flash. And, if the flash was the only light source when shooting, then even a tenfold increase in the shutter speed (for example, up to 1/2 second) will not change the picture in the photo.

But if constant (natural) light falls on our subject, then the illumination created by it will be proportional to the time during which the matrix was exposed to light. And, if natural light is of low intensity (for example at dusk), then a short shutter speed of 1/250 second will not allow such light to create any noticeable image. But at a longer shutter speed, the matrix will already have time to collect the required amount of light to obtain an image of normal tonality. As a result, the objects in the picture will be illuminated not only by the flash, but also by constant light. At the same time, which is very nice, the roles of constant light and flash light will be different, and using shutter speed you can easily adjust their ratio. For example, a flash light will illuminate the foreground, while a steady light will illuminate the background.

Now let's move on to practice:

In any case, flash light is dosed by its own flash automation. It may be called differently - "E-TTL II", "ADI" or "i-TTL", depending on the name of your camera. But the results of her work are quite good in any case. Therefore, abandoning flash automation is a bad idea. Anyone who has ever tried to shoot a report with a non-automatic flash knows this well. When using a non-automatic flash, the likelihood of getting a correctly exposed frame in reportage shooting, even with negative film, is small, and there’s no need to even talk about “digital”.

Exposure Modes

Now about the shutter speed and aperture control modes. The most understandable, predictable, but at the same time extremely slow method of matching constant and flash light is to use the manual (M) exposure mode.

We start shooting in “M” mode by setting the average photosensitivity and aperture values ​​(ISO 250-400, aperture number - from 4 to 8). After this, we select the shutter speed, guided by the readings of the built-in exposure meter of your device. After that, turn on the flash, focus, finally frame and press the shutter button. The flash will illuminate the foreground, and the background will be developed thanks to a long shutter speed. Everything is fine!

Additionally, you can adjust the balance of natural and flash light by entering negative exposure compensation for the flash and changing the shutter speed value from that recommended by the built-in exposure meter (we do not set the “bunny” to “0”, but move it to “+” or “-”).

That's how the process works, in a nutshell. Naturally, we do not forget about the color parameters of our constant lighting. If it is daytime or evening light, it is not difficult to achieve normal, natural color rendition.

"Slow" synchronization

Most cameras can coordinate the operation of the flash and the use of constant light not only in manual mode, but also automatically. This mode is called "slow sync". With standard synchronization, the device’s automation, using the flash, considers it the only light source, not paying attention to the weak constant light. In the “slow sync” mode, the device, despite the use of a flash, does not forget about other sources of constant light. An example of the “slow synchronization” mode is the behavior of devices Canon EOS in Av mode with the flash on. In this mode, the device does not seem to “notice” that the flash is on, setting the shutter speed for normal exposure of the background with constant light. And the flash, in turn, illuminates the foreground. Naturally, using user functions, the device can be reconfigured to normal, “standard synchronization” (“shutter speed 1/200 in Av mode when working with flash”).

The “slow sync” mode works in roughly the same way in Nikon and Sony devices. However, we will not fully describe the entire process of setting up the camera. Do you have instructions on hand? Everything is written there in detail, and our article is by no means a replacement for instructions.

Synchronization on the first and second curtain

When synchronizing, the flash fires after the first curtain has already opened the frame window, but before the second one begins to close it. At short shutter speeds (1/200 - 1/250) this is actually the same moment. But at longer shutter speeds (that is, with slow synchronization), the second curtain begins to cover the frame window with a noticeable delay proportional to the exposure time. And here the difference will be very noticeable when the flash fires - at the very beginning of exposure of the frame, as soon as the first curtain frees the matrix for light access. Or at the very end of the process - before the second curtain begins to cover the frame window.

Accordingly, these two options are called “first curtain” and “second curtain” synchronization. Since both of these options are varieties of “slow” sync, slow sync on the first curtain is referred to as “slow”, and sync on the second curtain is referred to as “slow rear” (Nikon) or simply “rear” (Sony).

Let's take a closer look at both of these options in the case when the subject is moving and if there are any other sources of constant light in the frame. With normal synchronization, that is, “first curtain”, the flash is fired as soon as the first curtain opens the frame. A sharp, clear outline of the subject located in the foreground will be “drawn” at the very beginning of the frame exposure process, and therefore in the initial phase of the object’s movement. Further, while moving, the object is illuminated only by constant light sources. And, since the shutter speed in the case of slow synchronization is quite long, the image of the subject created by constant light will be at least blurry. Or it can even turn into a translucent "track". Accordingly, the final picture will consist of a combination of a clear, sharp image and a blurry “track”. Moreover, the track will be located immediately after the sharp contour in the direction of the object’s movement.

With second-curtain sync, the flash is fired at the very end of the exposure process. That is, the flash creates a clear, sharp image of the subject at the last moment of its movement. This means that when switching synchronization from the “first” to the “second curtain”, the sharp contour and the blurred track will change places.

Now - the most important question. Which synchronization option - first or second curtain - is the best, most professional? Oddly enough, both of these options are approximately equally applicable. It is only important to understand in which case, when synchronizing using the first or second curtain, the transmission of movement in the picture will be the most natural.

Sergey Dubilier (c) 2012

Options for shooting in low light conditions

When shooting in low light conditions, you usually have two options to choose from - either shoot with flash or shoot with a long shutter speed.

1. Flash– When shooting in low light conditions automatic mode with flash, your camera will choose a relatively fast shutter speed. This means that the subject will be well lit and if it moved, the photo will appear frozen and clear. The problem may be that when shooting this way, the subject will receive a lot of light, and the background will be very dark due to the fact that the camera will not have time to capture the general lighting.
2. Long exposure– Another option is to turn off the flash and shoot at slower shutter speeds so that the camera can capture more ambient light and produce a well-exposed photo. This technique is effective for shooting landscapes and nature where everything is calm and motionless - however, if you are shooting a moving object, the photo may turn out fuzzy and blurry.

Each of these options has a right to exist, but also has its own disadvantages. However, there is another option - slow flash sync mode.

Slow sync flash mode– this function is present on many cameras. She gives the command to the camera to shoot at a long shutter speed. and use flash. This means that you get the best of the above options - both the subject comes out quite sharp and the camera captures enough general lighting across all fronts, both in the background and in the foreground.

Some cameras allow you to manually set the slow sync mode with the flash: set the shutter speed and flash power you need, but most compact digital cameras only have automatic mode control, it is also often called 'night mode' or ‘party mode’, where the camera itself sets the shutter speed and flash power.

Front and rear curtain sync
If your camera allows you to manually set the slow sync mode, then, as a rule, there are two options - 'rear curtain sync' and 'front curtain sync'.

Although the names sound too technical, but simply put, these options are responsible for When The flash should fire during the long exposure.

Rear curtain sync– this function commands the flash to fire at the end of the shutter speed (just before the curtain closes). That is, when you press the shutter release, the curtain rises and the camera begins to collect light onto the sensor through the lens; Before the curtain closes, the flash fires to illuminate and freeze your main subject.

Front curtain sync– This function commands the flash to fire at the beginning of the shutter speed (immediately after the curtain opens). That is, when you press the shutter button, the flash will fire immediately, but the curtain will remain open and continue to collect ambient light.
You might think that there is no difference between the modes, but when photographing a moving subject, it can give big difference. Many sports photographers use rear curtain sync in conjunction with .

With or without a tripod?
When shooting in slow sync mode, the question arises: should you use a tripod? Usually, when photographing with a long shutter speed, a tripod is used to prevent blurring when the camera is shaken. Even the steadiest and strongest hands will not be able to keep the camera from microshocks even at shutter speeds of 1 or 2 seconds. So if you want to avoid blur from camera shake, then definitely use a tripod (and maybe even a remote shutter button).

However, under some circumstances, holding the camera in your hands while using slow sync mode can give the photo a certain positive effect. For example, if you are filming a dance floor at a wedding or party, the result can be excellent - the mood on the dance floor is conveyed - the dancing people are captured and “frozen” by the flash, and the light of the dance floor is “blurred” from the shakes of the camera in the hands.