Advice for Outdoor Night Shoot with Studio Strobes?

[ImagineTNT]

Hi all, I have some questions about dragging the shutter at night using studio strobes. I did a shoot this week at the top of a parking garage that miraculously had outlets so I could use my studio lights (images are posted in G&N if you image references (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=634706)). It took me FOREVER to play around and find settings that kinda worked and now I wish I had read some of the articles about dragging shutter because that's basically what I was doing, just with a lot more powerful lights.

SO, what advice does everyone have about how to correctly set up and compensate for dragging the shutter at night (with almost NO ambient light) and balancing that with studio strobes while still getting the best quality images possible? The background I wanted to capture was basically landscape of downtown city lights while still lighting the models with studio-like lighting.

I found that shooting with my 20D, 28-70L at f2.8 1/15 ISO400 with studio lights at lowest output was the best I could do. I tried playing around with ISO200 but just couldn't get enough ambient light for the background to show up.

My other question is that I was shooting inside a stairwell that had a glass wall with a view to the city (image also in G&N-same post (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=634706)). The image composition I wanted was to light the two models in the stairwell (my main focus) while also getting a reflection of another model in the stairwell, AND getting some of the background imagery through the glass. I found the only way I could accomplish all three was to shoot handheld with no flash whatsoever. Unfortunately I couldn't get any images in focus. So outside of using a tripod does anyone have any suggestions?

[GenuineRolla]

If you're not worried about getting the background in the shot, just shoot with a shutter speed of 1/200's and you don't have to worry about a thing. The flashes will light up what you need and you'd be set.

Helps to have a friend have their cell phone out so that you can use that as a focus point.

[ImagineTNT]

If you're not worried about getting the background in the shot, just shoot with a shutter speed of 1/200's and you don't have to worry about a thing. The flashes will light up what you need and you'd be set.

Helps to have a friend have their cell phone out so that you can use that as a focus point.

Oohhh, good idea about the cell phone. I'll have to try that. And I actually wanted to get the background in the shot, that's why I was having such difficulty figuring out how to set things to get the background and the models in the shot, exposed, and in focus.

[trailblazer]

I don't know about strobes, but when I shot in a pretty dark club, I got some fantastic shots using about ISO 800 f/2.8 and 1/6.
There is a thread here on POTN that shows nightclub shots:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=415099&highlight=nightclub
Basically, it is all about dragging the shutter in a dark environment.

Here is another resource on dragging the shutter as well as a lot of other useful techniques:
http://www.planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/3-dragging-the-shutter/

I know the high ISO on the 20D isn't so hot, but maybe since you have more powerful strobes, you can expose for the subject with whatever you were doing and expose separately for the background with 400 f/2.8 and 1/6 or 1/4 thereabouts?

The flash should freeze the subject since you said there was almost no ambient light so don't worry about movement.

On focusing on the model with little ambient light, I carry a tiny LED flashlight that carries 1 AA battery and is on my car keys. It has a dedicated on/off button so I don't need to keep pushing it for it to remain on.

[tagvestibule]

Helps to have a friend have their cell phone out so that you can use that as a focus point.

That is an AMAZING piece of advice! I used to shine a pocket flashlight in my subject's face - needless to say, it was unpleasant for them!

[Jim M]

These situations are why God gave us tripods. You could probably get away with a monopod if you need to remain mobile. The flash will expose and freeze the models, and you can use a longer shutter speed to expose the backgrounds. in the stairwell situation, it's just all about exposure and holding things still enough to avoid camera shake. Since it would take a fairly amazing depth of field to get all the models in focus, how about shooting some with the foreground models in focus and some with the background models in focus, then combining them in post. A tripod would be just about essential for this.