Manual exposure must also be used otherwise, the camera will attempt to correctly expose the background using a shutter speed that’s much too slow. I usually set a shutter speed of 1/160sec and an aperture between f/8-f/16, at ISO 100. The downside is that the flash will correctly expose the subject, but the background will be underexposed and may look dark and artificial.Īvoid this by keeping the background very close to the subject. The short duration of the flash freezes subject movement, allowing a smaller aperture to be used with the optimum ISO setting for image quality. Having a flash as the only light source can be especially useful when shooting handheld. ![]() Credit: Colleen Slater Consider the background Use a diffuser to filter harsh light and even out tones and colours. I find this gives the best results, making the subject stand out from the background. I usually use minus 1 or 2 stops of flash exposure compensation and set the camera to underexpose the background slightly. The trick to achieving a natural look is to balance the ambient light with the flash, and if done well, its use should be almost undetectable.įirst, take a shot to correctly expose the background, then introduce flash to expose the subject and alter the settings until it looks right. Fill lightįlash can be used as fill light to bring out the details, colours and textures of your subject, especially in the shadows. This offers a lot of control and more modelled light than that from using a ring flash. You can adjust the flash ratio and angle of each flash head or fire only one of them. The flash heads of the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash system I use are attached to the end of the lens, which helps to avoid this problem. The built-in flash on some cameras is best avoided as the light is harsh and doesn’t allow enough control over the power of the flash or its direction.Īlso, the flash may be obscured by the lens owing to the short working distance. Credit: Colleen Slater Using flashįlash allows a smaller aperture to be used, giving greater depth of field. It’s a beast of a head in terms of size and weight but is particularly solid and robust.Make use of shallow depth of field and selective focus for creative results. This is to ensure sufficient clearance between any camera and the rear crank handle. The head features a bubble level and comes with three quick-release plates of different heights. There’s also a longer protruding knob to control lateral tilt, however with a comparatively limited range of adjustment, at just +/- 7.5 degrees.Īgain, this is more in keeping with studio shooting than being out and about. Particularly ideal for mounting on a studio column, the head has two knobs with fold-out crank handles to control front/back tilt and panning. ![]() It also has a particularly hefty maximum payload of 10kg. Here’s what they have to offer…īuilt primarily for studio use, this is a real heavyweight of a geared head, tipping the scales at 3kg. Some are horrifically expensive but we’ve rounded up the best-geared tripod head models on the market that come at more affordable prices. The main construction material is typically aluminum, but some geared heads are made from technopolymer (high-grade plastic) or magnesium alloy. Bubble or spirit levels are also usually featured, which can be a great help for leveling the camera. Naturally, the maximum payload should be sufficient for the heaviest camera setup that you want to use with the head. It’s good to take the base diameter of the head into consideration so that it’s a good match for the mounting platform on your tripod legs. This enables you to make the finest of adjustments with ease. ![]() Typically, a full 360-degree turn of an adjustment knob will result in a mere 7-10 degrees of movement in either tilting plane of the head. ![]() Instead of conventional clamps, there are three separate screw-action knobs for adjusting front/back tilt, lateral tilt and panning position. Try as you might to adjust a conventional head to your exact requirements, it can often sag or drift slightly after you tighten the clamp and release your grip on the camera.Ī geared head offers the ultimate solution to the problem. For landscape or architectural photography, where you need to keep everything on level, or for extreme close-ups, positioning is often critical. A decent ball head or 3-way head gives solid support for shake-free shooting, but they can be a frustration when you need to make precise adjustments.
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