Help with Settings for Studio

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Idle0095
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p.1 #1 · Help with Settings for Studio

I have a Nikon D700 and a 3 light strobe setup for my studio lighting. What is the best settings for the camera. I know shooting in Manual. Im wondering what shutter speed and F is the best to use. Anything else that s helpful. Still trying to find out best light placement.

Thanks

Nov 16, 2012 at 12:29 AM

myam203
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p.1 #2 · Help with Settings for Studio

Need more info! What are you shooting?? Assuming that you want to shoot people, I can only give you a dumb response that will get you started, but won't give you any real understanding of this stuff.

Try starting at 1/250, f/11 and ISO 200. I would stick to one light until you get the hang of things, but that's me...

From your shooting position, set your light down at arm's length to either side of you, raised slightly above your subject's head. It should be high enough to cast a small shadow below their nose, but low enough to still shine some light into their eye sockets. Then, all you have to do is adjust the power of the light until you have a decent looking exposure, like a dimmer switch. Once you feel comfortable enough to add a second or third light, try lighting up the background with one and aim another at the back of your subject for a hair or rim light.

Again, this is only a crude way of explaining things. You really have to read up more if you want to take it further. I hope this helped a little, though.

Nov 16, 2012 at 02:10 AM

BrianO
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p.1 #3 · Help with Settings for Studio

Idle0095 wrote: I have a Nikon D700 and a 3 light strobe setup for my studio lighting. What is the best settings for the camera. I know shooting in Manual. Im wondering what shutter speed and F is the best to use.

The f-stop to use is the one that will give you the depth of field that you want: smaller aperture (higher number) to get everything in focus, wide aperture (low number) for selective focus with blurred background and/or foreground.

Shutter speed has no effect on the flash (as long as it's within the sync-speed range of the camera), so changing the shutter speed will only alter the ratio of flash to continuous light: faster shutter speed for less ambient light, slower shutter for more ambient light.

As far as light placement goes, I suggest everyone getting into studio portraiture start by learning to duplicate the classic lighting patterns; one you have a firm foundation in the classics you can move on and develop your own style.

Here's one place to start:

http://www.portraitlighting.net/patternsb.htm

Nov 16, 2012 at 04:01 AM

Idle0095
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p.1 #4 · Help with Settings for Studio

1/250 makes the photo cut in half. half the photo is a photo the other half is all black. 125 works well though. so 125 f11 and iso 200 seems to be good.

Nov 18, 2012 at 12:59 PM

Steve Wylie
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p.1 #5 · Help with Settings for Studio

Your camera's sync speed is lower than 1/250. What you're seeing is the lower shutter curtain closing in front of the sensor when the flash fires. Stay with 1/200 or slower.

Nov 18, 2012 at 11:08 PM

BrianO
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p.1 #6 · Help with Settings for Studio

Idle0095 wrote: 1/250 makes the photo cut in half. half the photo is a photo the other half is all black.

Yep, you've exceeded the sync speed of your camera.

The D700 can sync up to 1/250, but third-party lights, especially larger strobes, and/or radio triggers with their propogation delay, can cause slower sync.

Idle0095 wrote: ...125 works well though. so 125 f11 and iso 200 seems to be good.

If there's little or no continuous light on the subject you'll find that 1/125 @ f/11 and 200 ISO, 1/60 @ f/11 and 200 ISO, and 1/30 @ f/11 and 200 ISO all look the same exposure-wise. As I said above, as long as it's within the sync speed of your camera, shutter speed has no effect on the flash; only on the ambient light. A 1/1000-second (or there about) burst of flash will give the same amount of lighting on the subject at all the above shutter speeds.

Slower shutter speeds would let more of the ambient light record, though, which may or may not be a good thing; only you can decide, based on your shooting conditions.

Nov 19, 2012 at 12:11 AM

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