Freezing motion in the studio

Posted by admin on January 31st, 2010 and filed under portrait studios | 23 Comments »

Even the best studio lights can struggle to capture sharp results on moving subjects. It’s got nothing to do with shutter speed and everything to do with flash duration.

For more background information checkout my blog at
http://gavtrain.blogspot.com

Larger image at http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4303772116

Strobist info:
Camera: Canon 40D
Lens: Canon 24-105L
Aperture: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/200th sec
ISO: 400
File type: RAW
Flash: Canon 580EXII
Flash Mode: E-TTL
Radio Triggers: Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 & Mini TT1

Duration : 0:5:34


[youtube TSwguTuYfhE]

23 Responses

  1. sallomi24 Says:

    what a poor girl ,, …
    what a poor girl ,, you need to bring some water :) xD

    as usuall Mr. Gavin u r always amazing .
    Thanx alot

  2. kukri71 Says:

    Nice video with …
    Nice video with useful information. Thanks for taking the time !!

  3. PhotoGavin Says:

    Mini TT1 is a radio …
    Mini TT1 is a radio trigger from Pocket Wizard. It fires the flash even when the flash is off the camera (and attached to another pocket wizard)

  4. ephoto09 Says:

    Gavin,
    Can you tell …

    Gavin,
    Can you tell me the setting of your camera as it relates to main menu?

  5. dvdowns Says:

    Nicely explained – …
    Nicely explained – thanks . Why did you sound more out of breath than your daughter at the end ? :) .
    I also enjoyed the ‘blooper reel’ at the end ;) .

  6. PhotoGavin Says:

    buggy831: Not quite …
    buggy831: Not quite right.

    Flash duration is a time measure taken from a flash between it reaching 50% of its peak value to the point when it has diminished to the same value.

    A shorter flash duration freezes moving objects, a longer flash duration causes them to blur.

  7. buggy831 Says:

    @pofrani
    Nothing …

    @pofrani
    Nothing to do with recycling time, the flash from the flashgun lasts a tad longer than studio lights and therefore throws more light onto the subject for longer and allows for a sharper brighter image.

  8. alimagics Says:

    nice clip wat is is …
    nice clip wat is is tt1?

  9. MrPixelgrower Says:

    Another brilliant …
    Another brilliant tutorial from Gavin!
    Loved it, and it’s great that you got your daughter involved. All my kids are into photography as well. It’s great time with “dad”. :)

  10. youbz2002 Says:

    You are the best …
    You are the best teacher of photography in youtube community …

    thanks for this great video …

  11. DaSoggyRiceCake Says:

    Great tutorial, …
    Great tutorial, you’re really helpful!

  12. danelovell Says:

    To anyone that …
    To anyone that responds, I like Gav as well. I am also a professional in the photography world and photoshop. He’s really informative and it’s nice to see some one share such knowlege. Maybe they don’t have Girls Gone Wild in Europe or maybe be doesn’t know what it is.

  13. JackPierreAziz Says:

    haha.. great intro! …
    haha.. great intro! gavin, u are the best haha :D

    nice tut. thank u very much.

  14. 135Weird531 Says:

    thanks!
    thanks!

  15. RDraGon2179 Says:

    @danelovell Yea I …
    @danelovell Yea I thought the same thing. Made me wonder about him for a sec. LOL

  16. AstrangeDay7 Says:

    thanks for the tips …
    thanks for the tips your awesome!

  17. littletiger06 Says:

    what lens are you …
    what lens are you using in this video?

  18. littletiger06 Says:

    this is so cool. I …
    this is so cool. I want a flash gun so bad. lol.

  19. lymanpad Says:

    Your tips and …
    Your tips and video’s are great! Thanks!

  20. CreativeAlloy Says:

    @danelovell I’ve …
    @danelovell I’ve done work for GGW. I’m almost 100% sure it is the theme song… However, I’m a HoeyHead, a Gavin follower if you will. I’ve liked all his videos thus far. I’m a pro photographer (meaning I get paid a few times a week to shoot models) and still I find his tutorials helpful and informative. That being said… I’ll still watch his videos… even thought that song is a bit creepy in this video. LOL. But otherwise good work as always Gav.

  21. JennyJenna Says:

    Gavin.. you ROCK :)
    Gavin.. you ROCK :)

  22. pofrani Says:

    now what did you …
    now what did you mean by duration? as in the reason you didn’t use studio flash is because of duration? did you mean recycling time?

  23. Arktos08 Says:

    Thanks for this …
    Thanks for this awesome tip. I never do studio work, but I guess it will come in handy when I do branch into studio work.

Leave a Comment

Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.