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Sports Action SB800 Lighting on LocationWorkshop at the Ranch Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. Seems like I'm never finished. Seems like I'm always working. Seems like I'm always pushing myself. I think that is because I believe I can improve. I want my pictures to be unique, not average. I think that learning is often times the result of a person having the courage to risk failure. I have written several articles on how to use the Nikon SB800 Speedlights. I have received more emails regarding the Nikon SB800 Speedlights than any other topic I have illustrated in Workshop at the Ranch. Here are some examples of Sports Action were the use of the Nikon SB800 Speedlight made a significant difference, ....and so, with the Teva Mountain games as the subject let's see how the SB800 helped raise the level of my images from average to ...usable ...to unique ...................
These examples illustrate the experimentation and learning I put myself through over the three day event. Each day I stretched the way this sport had been photographed in the past in an effort to produce an image beyond average ....an image that is more unique and exciting. I learned a lot and will apply this new knowledge to many other projects. Today technology in the photographic industry is helping the photographer do things in very new ways. Something as simple as being able to use a flash with fast shutter / sync speeds of up to 1/8000 enables the photographer to produce something new. My suggestion is to make yourself do something different, experiment and push yourself to produce something beyond the average to the creative and unique. I hope you all have enjoyed this edition .................... See you next time at Workshop at the Ranch. Adios. Dave
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Image
#1 You Solve The Problem ... Harsh Noon sunshine can make
the photographer's life difficult especially if their editor
needs to see the athletes face. If I set my exposure for
the highlights (the white water) then the white water looks
fine but my subjects face will be underexposed by almost
2 stops. Great water but no face. The solution is to add
my own light to reveal the kayaker's face, but this is not
a motionless portrait but a fast action sport and small
hotshoe mounted strobes use a shutter sync speed of only
1/250 which is not fast enough to freeze all the fast action.
The Nikon SB800 will sync at shutter speeds up to 1/8000
and allow me to light my subject in a sun lit environment.
I can also adjust the spread of light to cover a wide spread
12mm view spread to a narrow spread of 105mm. The i-TTL
mode keeps the illumination of my subject consistent even
while my subject is moving. These three capabilities are
key in making a very difficult situation a successful shoot.
In this image I set my exposure for the highlight (the white
water) ISO100, 1/1600 at f4.5. This exposure would be perfect
for the white water but will leave my subjects face and
chest in shadow. This exposure will also leave the boulders
and dark areas of water underexposed by 1 stop (that part
I like). I used one Nikon SB800 zoomed to 105mm with a power
output of +1 on the hotshoe of my Nikon D2X. I used a Nikon
12-24mm lens. My kayaker is about 20 feet away from me.
I achieved a higher angel of view by placing my D2X on my
monopod and extending it out and over the kayaker like a
hand held boom arm. I used a Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceiver
with an N90 M3-P cord to trigger the camera. The SB800 added
enough light to illuminate my subjects face, chest and kayak,
with an almost spotlight effect. I shot 3 frames as the
kayaker went by. Each frame was perfectly lit even though
my subject was advancing towards me (thanks to i-TTL). An
average image was made usable and more interesting by using
one light, but a light that allowed me to use a high shutter
speed of 1/1600, narrow the spread of light to an almost
spot-lit effect and i-TTL consistently lit my advancing
subject for each frame that I shot. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/1600
at f4.5, Nikon 12-24mm Lens, WB 6700K, One SB800 Zoomed
to 105mm with Power Output of +1 on the hotshoe, Gitzo Carbon
Fiber Monopod, Pocket Wizard Multi Max Transceiver with
N90 M3-P cord, Lexar 4G Flash Card, Life Vest.
Image #2 Don't Be Satisfied ... These competitive white
water rafters are about 60 feet away from the boulder I'm
sitting on. Similar to image #1, this image is shot at High
Noon. Without additional light, my subjects would be in shadow
if I expose for the white water. This time I used 4 SB800
Speedlights to reveal my subjects from the shadows. The 4
SB800s were place on a boulder to the rafter's right ....
about 60 feet away from them and about 40 feet away from me.
I used a Nikon SU800 Commander to trigger the Remote SB800s.
Nothing fancy here, I just placed the SB800s on the boulder
so the censor of each unit was facing my shooting location
40 feet away. I zoomed each SB800 to 85mm. My exposure is
set for the highlights of white water, ISO100, 1/1600 at f4.5.
I shot a few test images of forerunners (forefloaters I guess)
and looked at the LED Screen to determine how much power output
was required. I adjusted the power output wirelessly from
the SU800 Commander on the cameras hotshoe. The SU800 Commander
has two channels and a digital slider switch to increase or
decrease the power output of remote SB800s. All 4 remote SB800s
were grouped together so I used only the "A" channel
and set the power output at +3. The Speedlights easily lit
the five rafters, their raft and the surrounding water with
light and gave me a very fast recycle time that allowed me
to capture 3 frames of perfectly lit rafters as they raced
by me towards the finish. An important feature of the Nikon
SU800 is that there is no pre-flash delay in i-TTL mode like
when using an SB800 as the Master. I press the shutter release
button and the remote SB800s flash instantly with no pre-flash
delay. Nikon D200, ISO100, 1/1600 at f4.5, Nikon 70-200mm
G VR Zoom Lens, WB 6700K, 4 Nikon SB800 Speedlights set on
Remote with a Power Output of +3, Nikon SU800 Commander, Lexar
4G Flash Card, Life Vest. Here again I chose to try something
no one else was doing in an effort to produce a different/better
image. By adding additional light I easily revealed my subjects
from high noon shadows and froze all the action and flying
water with a fast 1/1600 shutter speed.
Image #3 Push Yourself To Learn ... Here is a similar
situation as in Images 1 and 2 with more extreme problems.
Backlit white water and high speed sports action. If I expose
for my subject, then the white water will be terribly over
exposed. If I use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action
of the flipping kayaker he will be under exposed in shadowed
silhouette. The solution is to reveal my subject with additional
light. I set my exposure for the white water highlights
using the flashing highlights mode ("take a shot ...
take a look.") using the LED screen. I also wanted
a fast shutter speed to freeze the kayaker and water spray
perfectly when he flipped upside down. I set my exposure
for ISO200, 1/2500 at f4. I used 4 SB800 Speedlights as
remotes and set them on a rock next to me. I used my Nikon
SU800 Commander to wirelessly trigger the remote SB800s.
I set the power output at +3 . The SB800s easily revealed
my kayaker from shadowed silhouette. My power recycle time
was very quick and with fresh Energizer E2 Lithium batteries
in the remote SB800s I could shoot every few seconds. Nikon
D200, ISO200, 1/2500 at f4, Nikon 70-200 G VR Zoom Lens,
4 Nikon SB800 Speedlights as Remotes with a Power Output
of +3, Nikon SU800 Commander, Lexar 4G Flash Card, Life
Vest. By using the Nikon SB800 Speedlights I was able to
reveal my subject from a shadowed silhouette and could do
so using a fast shutter / sync speed of 1/2500 which enabled
me to expose for the highlights thus preserving the backlit
white water. 
Image #4 Get Creative ... I wanted some artistic panned
action of the event but also wanted to freeze some of the
subject and water. High Noon sunlight directly overhead again.
I exposed for the highlights of the white water (easy to do
using the flashing highlights on the LED screen ... take a
shot, take a look.) I set the exposure at ISO100, 1/30 at
f22. This left the forest lined bank of the river under exposed
and made a beautiful dark green background. This slower shutter
speed of 1/30 will help illustrate the speed that the kayakers
are moving down river and over the water fall on their way
to the finish. My D2X is equipped with a Nikon SB800 Speedlight
on the hotshoe and is zoomed to 105mm with a power output
of +0.3. I hand held the camera and panned with my subject
as he raced by me. The kayaker is about 15 feet away and was
easy for the SB800 to fill in light on my subject, the edge
of the boulder and splashing water. The slow shutter and pan
created plenty of motion in the background and surrounding
water while the SB800 froze the kayakers head, shoulders and
kayak water skirt along with droplets of flying water. Nikon
D2X, ISO100, 1/30 at f22, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 7100K, Rear
Curtain Sync, Nikon SB800 Speedlight on Hotshoe, zoomed to
105mm, Power Output +0.3, Lexar 4G Flash Card, Life Vest.
Image
#5 Break Away from the Average ... I arrived very early on
the last day of competition. The sun had not yet reached the
river. I saw this as a great opportunity to really break away
from the average picture. I knew kayakers were preparing to
make some practice runs before the start of competition so
I put on my Life Vest and scrambled down to the river bank
to an area that looked incredibly torrent. I set up my 4 Nikon
SB800 as Remotes on some boulders and aimed them across the
rapids and rocks in an effort to create shafts of light that
the kayakers would pass through. I made sure all SB800 sensors
where facing my shooting location high on the bank above the
river about 70 feet away. This is similar to the rafting set
up with the exception of aiming the speedlights to skip light
across the rapids rather than concentrate one broad area.
I wanted the river to be under exposed so the shafts of SB800
light would be dramatic. I also wanted an almost Holga camera-ish
look of edge softness with some motion blur. A shutter speed
of 1/100 would allow the rapids to have motion so I took a
shot and took a look .......... ISO100, 1/100 at f8 left the
river about 1 stop under exposed. The light from the remote
SB800s would reveal my subject and freeze the raging water.
I turned on my SU800 Commander and took a shot, took a look
to determine a power output of +1 would be perfect and waited
for the first kayaker to take a practice run before the sun
reached the river. I love the shafts of light that illuminate
the crest of the individual rapids. The 1/100 shutter speed
is just slow enough to allow some motion blur yet the SB800s
freeze areas of the water and the kayaker. Rear Curtain sync
gives my subject a very unique dreamlike motion yet frozen
by the SB800s while the water that falls into the shadows
has a soft blurred motion that resembles images taken with
an old Holga camera. Nikon D200, ISO100, 1/100 at f9, Nikon
17-55mm Lens, WB 8300K, Rear Curtain Sync, 4 Nikon SB800 Speedlights
Zoomed to 105mm with a Power Output of +1, Lexar 4G Flash
Card, Life Vest. 