need a wireless flash which one

reece-page

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Hi guys

I have a cannon 550d and im looking for a wireless flash for taking photo of cars in the dark?
you could let me know how i go about taking them in the dark like:
Paul Marshall's photos | Facebook

cheers

Reece
 
Off-camera lighting is certainly he way to go for professional results
what kit to use depends on a few things-
how much power of light do you need - on Canon Speedlights even a 580 will struggle to light a large car.
Do you already have a flash/light and just need a trigger?
if you want to shoot static cars like in the link you could try using a tripod for the camera,
long exposure at low ISO and manually holding the light where you want it and trigger it by manually pressing the button
high power from one side whit the shadows lit by ambient
or high power from one side and lower powerfrom the other to fill the shadows..
really you need 2 lightsources to get the best results
and a set of filter gels for the flash either to balance the flash to ambient light or using the gels to colour the light of the flash
pair of lightstands unless you have willing assistants...

Does start getting expensive but if you want pro results you will have to buy quite a lot of stuff - I got most of mine second hand
 
Off-camera lighting is certainly he way to go for professional results
what kit to use depends on a few things-
how much power of light do you need - on Canon Speedlights even a 580 will struggle to light a large car.
Do you already have a flash/light and just need a trigger?
if you want to shoot static cars like in the link you could try using a tripod for the camera,
long exposure at low ISO and manually holding the light where you want it and trigger it by manually pressing the button
high power from one side whit the shadows lit by ambient
or high power from one side and lower powerfrom the other to fill the shadows..
really you need 2 lightsources to get the best results
and a set of filter gels for the flash either to balance the flash to ambient light or using the gels to colour the light of the flash
pair of lightstands unless you have willing assistants...

Does start getting expensive but if you want pro results you will have to buy quite a lot of stuff - I got most of mine second hand


hi mate cheers for the info
im havent got nothing i need a half decent flash and wireless adaptor ( or what ever you call it)
also wireless remote for camera

if you could have look and see what you recommend?

cheers

Reece
 
looking at the shot you linked to this could be achieved by parking under a streetlight and using the on-camera flash with trial & error on manual settings...
but
if you want a cheap solution for wireless trigger get the Yongnuo ones off ebay
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
I bought from this 18 months ago and have used on various jobs - for £35 it's great value and well made
bear in mind they will not sync above 1/180s so not brilliant for action shots
but then again the flash freezes alot of the action anyway - I have not found that an issue.
the trigger will connect to virtually any flash that uses standard voltage trigering
make sure the flash you get has manually adjustable power output
learn how to use the camera in full manual and how aperture / shuter speed works when using flash
[aperture varies total amonunt of light getting into the camera - shuterspeed just the ambient light - flash power the ammount of flash light]
then it's a lot of trial and error... but simple really once you crack it
search for 'strobist' on flickr or net for ideas
 
looking at the shot you linked to this could be achieved by parking under a streetlight and using the on-camera flash with trial & error on manual settings...
but
if you want a cheap solution for wireless trigger get the Yongnuo ones off ebay
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
I bought from this 18 months ago and have used on various jobs - for £35 it's great value and well made
bear in mind they will not sync above 1/180s so not brilliant for action shots
but then again the flash freezes alot of the action anyway - I have not found that an issue.
the trigger will connect to virtually any flash that uses standard voltage trigering
make sure the flash you get has manually adjustable power output
learn how to use the camera in full manual and how aperture / shuter speed works when using flash
[aperture varies total amonunt of light getting into the camera - shuterspeed just the ambient light - flash power the ammount of flash light]
then it's a lot of trial and error... but simple really once you crack it
search for 'strobist' on flickr or net for ideas


cheers for he info mate
Also what flash are the best?

cheers

Reece
 
best or best value for money ha ha...
sorry hard to answer really, most photo equipment is 'horses for courses' and depends on how deep your pockets are / what you want to do with it / how you will power it / how far you need to carry it / how quickly you want to set it up etc etc...

a canon speedlight 580ex might be £250 on ebay and is large but powerful [considering it runs on 4 AA batteries]
and versatile [can be used on-camera]
a 430ex can also be used on-camera but is smaller and I would say lacks power to light whole car in the dark
for off-camera use only, via wire or wireless Tx/Rx, Vivitar 283 or 285 is a classic
vivitar 285 | eBay
if you have more to spend and looking for proper pro kit have a look here:
Bowens litebook - the creative lighting magazine Professional photographic studio & location flash lighting
mmm... light porn
 
Last edited:
Reece, bear in mind that the photo link you added has probably been post modified.
Have a look at light painting, its a lot of fun. Basically, use a long exposure and a torch. Set the exposure at around 15 seconds and "colour in" the areas you want lit with the torch. I use a Lenser V7 as its a tight direct beam. Oh, and remember to adjust your white balance.

This, for instance, was a pitch dark cellar.
49thLightpainting002.jpg



And this one on a 30 sec exposure was lit from the side while I walked towards the camera swinging the torch.
49thLightpainting006.jpg
 
Reece, bear in mind that the photo link you added has probably been post modified.
Have a look at light painting, its a lot of fun. Basically, use a long exposure and a torch. Set the exposure at around 15 seconds and "colour in" the areas you want lit with the torch. I use a Lenser V7 as its a tight direct beam. Oh, and remember to adjust your white balance.

This, for instance, was a pitch dark cellar.
49thLightpainting002.jpg



And this one on a 30 sec exposure was lit from the side while I walked towards the camera swinging the torch.
49thLightpainting006.jpg

there sooo good dude ill have to give it a go:)
 
Reece, just get out there are try it. Its surprisingly easy and you get great results.

Try and steer clear from streetlights though, the darker the area the better. Try it in your back garden and light paint the shed for instance, or a tree.
KnolePark048.jpg


You can even write your name, ok, so it took me five attemtps to get it right !
KnolePark050.jpg


(The sky is the result of streetlights some distance away, hence I say to avoid them)
 

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