Applying what I learned at Strobist

So enough reading at Strobist... time to test myself and see if I understood what I read.

I used a 30D in Manual mode, and a Nikon SB-26 flash mounted on a hot-shoe with pc cord attached to my camera. The hot shoe is then mounted on my old tripod and positioned at my 2:00 position.

What I want to do is take a shot of my office desk, but still keep the color of the trees outside intact, i.e. not washed out. The time is 3:00pm so it's very bright outside.

First shot, get a reading of the outside scene.

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To balance the exposure for te screens and the windows, you have to make separate exposures. Vary the shutter speed to control the exposure and keep the aperture the same. Use a slow speed to properly expose the screen, and a higher speed to expose the windows. Then combine the two exposures in Photoshop.

Right, in fact, I would just do a shot without flash and exposed for the screens then use PS trickery to combine...but you need to use a tripod for the camera.

Fivefish - you rock.
Fellow strobist L plater here.

Where can I learn the procedure for combing 2 photos with different exposures. I have heard of others doing this but don't understand how it is done. I am proficient with PhotoShop so a tutorial or quickie description will suffice.... I think.

Thanks all.

I didn't use a tripod for the camera, just playing around. But now I know what to do if this is a real shoot. Also, CRT/TV monitors seems brighter than LCDs and don't get overpowered easily by flash.

Carzee... just curious... what is an "L plater?"

TMR Design wrote in post #2009463
Where can I learn the procedure for combing 2 photos with different exposures.

Not excactly a 'quick' description, but Quicktime anyway....

TMR Design wrote in post #2009463
Where can I learn the procedure for combing 2 photos with different exposures. I have heard of others doing this but don't understand how it is done. I am proficient with PhotoShop so a tutorial or quickie description will suffice.... I think.

Simple concept....divide the 'scene' into separate areas of exposure. Treat each one individually, but recognize the interplay of common elements.

In the above example, metering outside gives shutter speed and f/stop combinations. Then you assume that the shutter speed (if within the allowable range for flash synch) affects ONLY the outside, and not the flash exposure inside. So you can ignore it for the inside exposure!
So then, with the appropriate f/stop for that speed, which results in the outside exposed properly, you have the flash provide proper inside exposure. ETTL makes that both easy and frustrating! It make it easy because it figures out how much light to output automatically; but it is frustrating because ETTL makes you guess about where to properly adjust FEC control to get the exposure right (which is why shots 2 & 3 above were taken)!

( With film camera with TTL rather than dSLR with ETTL, you could probably get to shot #4 more easily and 1-2 fewer trial exposures, but that is a topic for a separate discussion!)

Doing the indoor flash with outdoor natural light is quite simple with studio flash units - and I would assume the same if a hotshoe flash could be adjusted manually.

The procedure I use requires either a meter or a lot of experimentation, but using a meter makes this truly a two-step process.

The first step is setting up the flash unit(s) for the interior shot and establishing an aperture to use with the meter. Let's assume that f/8 works for the interior flash shot.

Now, meter the exterior and simply find the shutter speed that works with the f/8 aperture. The shutter speed cannot be faster than the maximum sync speed that the body (actually its shutter design) will allow, so you might have to re-adjust the flash power if you're out of range when picking a shutter speed.

It's usually a very simple two-step process. By using multiple flash units, you can do a very good job of evenly lighting the interior, and matching the exterior exposure is quite easy.

To repeat, all exposure control and output control of the flash units is totally manual in this scheme.

Thanks for the link Rene. That did the trick.

To stay in the Strobist territory, I think you need less power and more strobes, strategically placed to expose correctly. Also, the following technique can help:

http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …ereal-box-snoots-and.html

P.S.: I like the *strategically placed* coke

Just to help out Carzee a little,

The "L" plate is what is given to learner drivers in Australia. So an L plater is a learner.

I guess plater can sound like platter and that would get confusing.....L-Platter - Noun - a nice way to serve good lenses.

Ahhhh, THAT "L" plate.
Now it all makes sense.

Ahhh... I thought it's the RRS L plate.

http://www.reallyright​stuff.com/body_plates/​canon/index.html