MAJOR ASSIGNMENT: Flash

Overview: As you wait to your turn to shoot in the studio, you will begin your other Major Flash Assignment for the Six Weeks. The purpose of this assignment is for students to become more familiar with basic equipment they already have built into their camera — the pop-up flash.

Directions:

A. Indoor Flash:

Position a subject 1- feet from the camera with 12-15 feet of space behind the subject.

Set your camera to ISO 400, and select an aperture correct for the camera-to-subject distance.

Create a series of 3 images using flash at different shutter speeds so as to vary the effect of ambient light on the exposure. Remember, you cannot go faster than the camera’s “sync” speed. You may shoot with a very slow shutter, but you’ll need a tripod… and you’ll need to consider subject movement. The aperture and distance should remain constant throughout the series.

Repeat the series again at a different location and change the camera-to-subject distance.

[Total of 6 images]


B. Outdoor Flash (sometimes called “fill flash”):

Set camera to lowest available ISO.

Position a subject 7 feet from the camera and compose for a 1/2 to 3/4 – length portrait

1. Using a mid-range aperture setting, make a correct exposure without flash making sure that you get noticeable shadows on the face.
2. Now take exactly the same picture but this time add flash at normal exposure.
3. Again, take this same picture, but this time set the flash at 1 stop under normal.
4. Finally, take the same picture with flash set to normal, but this time, under-expose the ambient portion of the exposure by increasing the shutter speed… of course, you cannot go faster than your camera’s sync speed.

Repeat the series again at a different location and change the camera-to-subject distance.

[Total of 8 images for Section B]

Submit…

You will turn in a PDF made using InDesign that has text information about the settings used for each of the photos described below.

You will turn in 3 images from the indoor portion that best fit on an 8 ½ x 11 PDF showing fastest, middle range and slowest shutter speeds. You will also turn in 4 images from the outdoor portion that best fits on a separate 8 ½ x 11 PDF.