The STE-2 flanked by the 430EX Speedlite (left & 580 EX Speedlite (right)
I recently bought a well-used Canon STE-2 infra red transmitter, just to see how well ETTL (Evaluative Through the Lens) works.
Nikon calls their system iTTL (intelligent Through The Lens) but it’s very similar.
Photographers are mostly a savvy group. If a product works well, that product is seldom easy to find “used.”
Even with my years of experience I found Canon’s Wireless Flash System not very intuitive.
If it weren’t for those years at the newspaper, when I my used Lumedyne flash units on manual figuring exposure with Guide numbers and a Minolta Flashmeter, I’d be lost.
Since posting part 1, I got some more background from Mike Hayes about his attempt to photograph the fire dancer.
It was a live performance so the location, a tennis court, was nothing Mike had any say in. I’m guessing it was chosen for  safety and easier crowd control.
Mike and his assistant were the only ones allowed inside the tennis court, so he didn’t have carte blanche to do anything he wanted.
Mike tells me he is trying to get another crack  at  photographing the fire dancer.
Let’s assume Mike has charmed the fire dancer into agreeing to do a  little one-on-one show just for him.
Apologies Mike, if my phrasing there gets you into trouble with your wife. 😉
First off, for this being Mike’s first foray into off-camera flash, I have to say he picked a tough situation but it’s certainly worthy of the effort.
There is plenty of potential for him to get some nice pictures with this especially since he tells me he may have a 2nd shot at this.
Some disclaimers: if I think a picture can be taken with a minimum amount of gear, I”m all for it. But in this situation, I think Mike could certainly use a 2nd flash.
The fire dancer lights her "swinging balls of fire". A second flash or the use of a reflector with a backlight is needed to create separation so she doesn't blend into the darkness
The first picture showing the dancer firing up her swinging balls of fire needs a second light, mostly behind her to create separation so that she doesn’t just disappear into the background.
Since I don’t know the exact circumstances behind why she came to be performing on a tennis court, I’m going to assume that the location can’t be changed.
Mike tells me he had a 16-foot off-camera sync cord from his hotshot to the 580EX flash set to 105mm which his son held.
So if all he had was one flash.
I would suggest the flash be held as close as safely possible to the dancer.
2 reasons: Shorter flash-to-subject distance means quicker recycling for the flash and also softer light.
I would also suggest the flash be held high and aimed downwards towards the dancer’s head.
Then a reflector can be used in front to kick the backlight back into her face.
For this to work well, Mike will need to make sure the light from his flash at the back doesn’t strike the front of his lens resulting in flare and loss of contrast.
If he is not getting the results he wants, then he has to figure out the exposure manually. It’s actually not that hard these days with the instant feedback of the LCD monitor.
Suggestions
I’m  torn between this:
Shoot with the beautiful sky in the picture, but get the tennis court fencing
Shoot downwards on the dancer, lose the beautiful gradient sky, but get the distracting white lines of tennis court
This is the cropped version of the original.
That’s why I cropped the original vertical into a horizontal to make the dancer more prominent.
Her feet don’t add much to the picture.
If I were to keep the feet, then I would try to crop out  the lines of the tennis court on the bottom right.
Try setting flash to rear-curtain. It may not make much difference since the she is not moving from the spot, just her arms.
Thanks for sharing, Mike.
Mike, by the way, won the 11 x 14 print of the shepherd the one and only time I ever had contest to guess my favorite picture.
Earlier this year, I met a very talented budding actress by the name of Victoria Walcott who needed some headshots.
Available light–Portraiture in available light requires an awareness of locations and times. Generally speaking available light portraits have to be very static because light levels tend to be  so low. With today’s DSLR’s low light ability, a fast lens and some practice can give pleasing results. ISO 200 1/40 sec @ f 2.8 100 mm macro 2. 8 lens. See the catchlight in Victoria’s eyes where the main light is a large window on the left.
I tend to pack a lot of gear when I work. I may not use them all, but I sure like to have them at my disposal even if it means they are in my trunk.
Force of habit from working at the newspaper. I never knew what assignment I would draw, so I had all kinds of stuff in my trunk.
For this particular shoot, I kept it simple.
Needless to say, picking a good location can save you the hassle of bringing in lots of lighting equipment.
This is what I had to work with:
A large window facing north
My grey muslin backdrop
1 lightstand with reflector secured by a clamp.
1 shoot-through umbrella with Canon 580EX Speedlite triggered by off-camera sync cord
If you plan to shoot with available light, consider what lens you have, the shutter speed you can hand hold and if your camera’s noise level at high ISO is acceptable.
Consider having your subject sit or lay down. It might help them relax especially if it’s your first time working with them.
Once you’re sure you have something you like, don’t stop there. That’s when should push on and try something different or even outrageous.
