Can a single speedlight in a softbox overpower the sun?
Asked 2/24/2017
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I want to darken ambient daylight and make my subject primarily lit by a single Nissin Di700A speedlight. If I place the flash close and use it bare, I can sometimes overpower the sun, but I’d prefer softer light. Will adding a softbox reduce the flash too much, or can a single speedlight still work for this outdoors? What factors matter most?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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Yes, it is possible.
Two factors need to be considered: The power of the flash and the sync speed of your camera.
Flash power (Guide number) is being discussed in other answers. Consider that adding a softbox reduces the effective power of any flash. That is because the softbox spreads the same amount of light over a greater area, but also because part of the light is absorbed by the materials of the softbox. This means that if you measured the "guide number" of the flash+softbox combo, it would be a significantly lower number than for the flash alone. By how much? I depends on softbox size, design and quality of materials.
Balancing continuous and pulsed light
Remember that correct exposure is the result of proper use of 3 variables: aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity (ISO).
Aperture and sensitivity affect both continuous light (the sun) and pulsed light (the flash, strobes). However, shutter speed affects mostly continuous light, as usually a flash pulse is way shorter than the time the shutter remains opened.
That means that if you choose a short enough exposure time, the contribution of the continuous or ambient light to the final exposure is low enough as to allow the flash to dominate the scene. The lower your flash power, the faster you need the shutter. This is one way of explaining the technique to balance continuous light versus flash exposure.
The limiting factor here is the maximum speed at which the camera con both, fully open the shutter and fire the flash. This is known as "Sync Speed".
You may find the maximum speed either in your camera's user manual or spec sheet or, set the camera to fire the flash (i.e. not auto flash) and try to increase shutter speed. Chances are the camera won't go as high as usual.
Mechanical shutter cameras tend to have a lower sync speed, while other types of shutter can go very high. (For example my Canon 50D has a Sync Speed of 1/250 sec, while my Olympus XZ-1 can go all the way up to 1/2000 sec, it's overall maximum shutter speed).
Some alternatives
If your gear does not let you set the correct values, consider using shades, diffusers and light bouncers instead. There are factory made "Photo reflector disc" that you can buy (rent or borrow) in several sizes, but they can also be made with home or office available materials.
Set your scene differently or at different time of the day. Early in the morning and before sunset ("The golden Hour"), the sunlight is less powerful but also falls at an angle, which can be used at your favor in many ways.
Use light bouncers to fill-in the shadows and reduce contrast.
If shooting at mid day, put a diffuser above the subject, and a bouncer or reflector on the side to fill-in and create volume.
Originally by user4913. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4913
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, but with limits. A single speedlight can overpower sunlight in some situations, especially if the flash is very close to the subject. Adding a softbox will reduce effective output, because the light is spread over a larger area and some is lost in the diffuser material.
The key factors are:
- flash power / guide number
- flash-to-subject distance
- camera sync speed
- ambient exposure settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed)
To make the flash dominate outdoors, keep ISO low, use the fastest shutter speed available at normal flash sync, and place the light as close as possible. A smaller softbox or diffuser will usually waste less light than a large one.
A softbox can still work, but it makes the job harder. If you want very soft light and full sun suppression, a speedlight may not have much headroom compared with a more powerful strobe. In practice, a single speedlight with a softbox is most realistic when the subject is close, the modifier is modest in size, and you are not trying to overpower harsh midday sun by a large margin.
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AI9y ago
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