strobes with shallow dof

[shwagbuds]

Hey all,

what's the best route for getting shallow depth of field when using strobes?

thanks

[FlyingPhotog]

Shallow DOF comes from having less light so...
Either move the lights back, dial the lights back or use ND (or a combo of all)

[Hermes]

Use appropriately powered lights for the job. My 300RXs can get down to f/2 or f/2.8 in a normal setup.

[shwagbuds]

thanks! man, you've got a ton of posts... I've got a lot of catching up to do.

[FlyingPhotog]

thanks! man, you've got a ton of posts... I've got a lot of catching up to do.

I have very chatty fingers... :lol:

[ZGMF-X20A]

I have very chatty fingers... :lol:

Did the TF visit you about the same time as Derek (Cream of the Crop v.s. Cream of the "Prop")?

[alexanderGARDNER]

Hey all,

what's the best route for getting shallow depth of field when using strobes?

thanks

Increase the distance between the flash and subject also works but using a flash with a low enough setting in the first place works the best.

The right tool for the job.

[shwagbuds]

thanks!

[runninmann]

Did the TF visit you about the same time as Derek (Cream of the Crop v.s. Cream of the "Prop")?Cream of the Crop is bestowed upon achievement of 5000 posts. You'll see quite a few of them.

Of course, sometimes stuff happens: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=303132&highlight=cream+of+the+man+panties

[ZGMF-X20A]

oh... and now I know.....

[breal101]

Increase the distance between the flash and subject also works but using a flash with a low enough setting in the first place works the best.

The right tool for the job.

Totally agree, moving the lights changes the quality of the light. In general I like to keep the lights as close to the subject as possible to achieve the wrap around effect. That may be just me but it works.

[TMR Design]

Increase the distance between the flash and subject also works but using a flash with a low enough setting in the first place works the best.

The right tool for the job.

That will work but if you need to get 2 stops then moving the lights is not the answer. Small amounts of movement of the lights won't really affect the quality and coverage of the light. You can't create the same quality of light with that amount of movement of the lights. The answer is to have the appropriate power for the job and for the modifier being used. If you can't reduce the power on the strobes electronically then you have mechanical means such as added diffusion, scrims, and neutral density gels.

Not being able to work at larger apertures is why we often talk about having too much power and why it's important to buy and use the strobes for the type of work you're doing so you have the correct amount of power and not far too much or too little.

[FlyingPhotog]

Did the TF visit you about the same time as Derek (Cream of the Crop v.s. Cream of the "Prop")?

It's never wise to question such things. ;)

[Marloon]

That will work but if you need to get 2 stops then moving the lights is not the answer. Small amounts of movement of the lights won't really affect the quality and coverage of the light. You can't create the same quality of light with that amount of movement of the lights. The answer is to have the appropriate power for the job and for the modifier being used. If you can't reduce the power on the strobes electronically then you have mechanical means such as added diffusion, scrims, and neutral density gels.

Not being able to work at larger apertures is why we often talk about having too much power and why it's important to buy and use the strobes for the type of work you're doing so you have the correct amount of power and not far too much or too little.

Nicely said... +1 and a hand clap.

[gooble]

I'm not sure what exactly the OP wants but if they want the light falling off quickly from the subject so as not to light the surroundings then moving the lights farther from the subject is exactly the wrong thing to do. To achieve this you move the lights as close to the subject as possible which will necessitate dropping the flash power. The farther back you move the light the more equally the light will illuminate the subject and the suroundings.

[Titus213]

Not wanting to assume anything I've never looked at DOF as a function of strobes. Light is a part of getting good DOF but you need a lens that will allow shooting at low f-stops. This of course requires less light but if you are already wide open at f3.5 then light is not going to help you any further. You need a lens that will open wider.

What sort of equipment do you have?

Check out the DOF calculator - http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

[scorpio_e]

Totally agree, moving the lights changes the quality of the light. In general I like to keep the lights as close to the subject as possible to achieve the wrap around effect. That may be just me but it works.


+1 Thats the way it works:)

[shwagbuds]

What sort of equipment do you have?
I have a 50D, 5D, 70-200 2.8L IS, 24-105 4L, 50mm, 85mm, genesis 400 strobes-
In order to get a shallow DOF, I've been cranking up the modeling lights on the strobes and just shooting with the 50mm without turning on the pocket wizards... makes it tough when I want to blow out the background AND get shallow DOF- I'm still playing around with the settings quite a bit, so hopefully I'll figure things out- a lot of you have given some great advice.

[TMR Design]

What sort of equipment do you have?
I have a 50D, 5D, 70-200 2.8L IS, 24-105 4L, 50mm, 85mm, genesis 400 strobes-
In order to get a shallow DOF, I've been cranking up the modeling lights on the strobes and just shooting with the 50mm without turning on the pocket wizards... makes it tough when I want to blow out the background AND get shallow DOF- I'm still playing around with the settings quite a bit, so hopefully I'll figure things out- a lot of you have given some great advice.

You might want to forget about using the modeling lights and get yourself some 2 or 3 stop neutral density gels for your subject area strobes and that will let you open up the lens and not mix continuous halogen with flash. In the end you'll have much more control.

[shwagbuds]

I will look into the gels- thanks for the advice!

[Hermes]

I've found that using that much ND on lights is rarely a good idea. On a baffled-softbox it will reduce your modelling light to practically zero and with exposed modifiers like reflectors you'll have to turn the modelling light off and avoid continuously firing the lights to stop the gels melting or warping. Much better to ND the lens so at least you can still see the modelling lamps' output properly with your eyes. This approach is also a lot simpler, less time-consuming and cheaper in the long run. Just takes a few seconds to screw on an ND filter whereas buying and cutting custom ND gels for all your modifiers...

[shwagbuds]

good point- any particular brand that you guys recommend for ND filters? Preferred site for purchase? B&H?

[ZGMF-X20A]

I find that hvstar, now maxsaver is a good site if you don't need it in a hurry. Use the old name hvstar.net and it still works.

If you need it in a hurry, you can get one from either amazon, adorama, B&H... any of those are good places... Shop around...

[TMR Design]

I've found that using that much ND on lights is rarely a good idea. On a baffled-softbox it will reduce your modelling light to practically zero and with exposed modifiers like reflectors you'll have to turn the modeling light off and avoid continuously firing the lights to stop the gels melting or warping. Much better to ND the lens so at least you can still see the modelling lamps' output properly with your eyes. This approach is also a lot simpler, less time-consuming and cheaper in the long run. Just takes a few seconds to screw on an ND filter whereas buying and cutting custom ND gels for all your modifiers...

Makes sense Hermes. I suppose that if I'm using ND filters outdoors and not noticing any change in IQ then I may as well use them in the studio too.

This is also a good source for filters:

http://www.2filter.com/

[GenuineRolla]

All you need is a ND filter for your lens. This is a must especcially if shooting outside.

[sfaust]

IMO using an ND is the best route. Using them will not modify your lighting setup quality at all, and just allow you to open up the aperture. I have a set of ND1, ND2, and ND4 filters, and sometimes even stack two to get the right mix if needed.

Anything you put in front of your lens will degrade image quality. Don't scrimp here. Why buy a high end lens only to put on a filter than will lower the quality below the cheap lenses. Try to use filters cut from optical glass with high quality coatings, such as B+W. They cost more, but again, help reduce any image quality loss and are worth it.

Also, buy the ND filters to fit your largest size lens, and use stop down rings to fit all your other lenses. Try to buy rings that go direct from the filter size to the lens size, rather than stacking to avoid vignetting.