F.36.     With such a high sync and multi-exposure feature, even a flash with moderate power, acquires the capability to over power or as a fill flash on a strongly lit subject.  It could be general outdoor group, a full length, or a portrait shot.

F.37.     Multi exposure functions in the form of A cumulative exposure  could  serve, as filler OR as the main source to light up an expansive subject like a building exterior (combined with or without ambient light).

F.38.      The cumulative exposure an equivalent of painting with a continuous source of  light , but here it is with a flash instead.This allows the area to be photographed is considered by dividing into multiple segments, there by one could give more attention to each and every individual segment, more thoroughly and effectively.

F.39.      for e.g.  we imagine the area to be photographed is divided into say, as many as 4 segment and flashed upon 4 times on each segment (16 flashes in total) to arrive at a working aperture of f:11 and shutter speed set at 1/1000^th sec...if the basic lighting happens to varying from  read  f:5.6 @1/15^thsec.…to f:5.6 @1/125^th sec.....explained in one gust of breadth .

F.40.      Or if Explained more clearly in a calm composure: ......

 In an indoor of a factory the ambient light + the output of light from multiple heads of High-end  photo-flash placed at various position reads at f5.6 @ 1/15^thsec., for ISO 100. ..This would suggest, that it is still a fair situation where hand held shoot could be done, of course suggested here is not ”a hand with vitamin deficiency”,  that tends to shake or all those latest Image-Stabilisation promoted so vigorously by pledging to find a remedy an to completely eradicate this disability from the world (of photography). It is with respect to the sturdy hands we had in earlier days, that we should be proud of, but still,..using a tripod is suggested here not because of shaky hand but for a procedure of multi-exposure.  The much  brighter outdoor atmosphere seen through door ways and the presence of more intensity of light near windows may read ... the required shutter speed of 1/125^th sec., for an aperture of f5.6.  The shoot could be executed by either of the following way.  But primarily the camera is mounted on a steady Tripod, explained.

F.41.        a)...Instead of f5.6 @1/15^th.sec.....of light value that is read we opt for f:11,  the shutter speed is now lengthened to 1/4^th.sec. in order for an extended the depth of field. ..For a HDR method  a few more exposures upto 1/30^th.sec is made without changing the aperture or the pattern of lighting, if at all we are optimistic in doing a  shoot with the ambient light only, are you as (a photographer) be convinced with such thing? Let alone the client.

F.42.         Therefore to do it in some what better way and being honest to the craft my making use of the concept of cumulative exposure and to get an aperture value of F: 11, The entire area of view is flashed upon 4 times with the lights aimed at their respective locations with a multi setup of  flash lights. This would ultimately Begets only a single image from the four number of them exposured one over the other for the routine of the shot.  this is comparatively an easier mode of shooting, but the resulted image will have where the outdoor area in  view would be highly over exposed or burned out.  There fore a shutter speed of 1/125^th.sec is so chosen (the max sync speed), so that the exposure for out door will be OK.  But in doing so you can realise we are not capitalising on the lighting that has prevailed ( ambient)

F.43.      b)....Instead of flashing at the same area for four times, on an area of view to be photographed, the entire area it could be divided into 4 segments or more.... and the flash could be  moved in closer so as to plan for better lighting,.... hence more light could be thrown upon ....we can use simple battery operated flash-lights of 1/4^th  or  1/8^th the power of a bigger high-end flash lights on each of these segment.  For a procedure of such the shutter speed selected would be 1/1000's.  We could get somewhat better result and more economically in balancing exposure of the, out-door and also the in-door. 

F.44.      We would use 16 flashes to beget single composite image. It might be seen as, that flashing 16 times is too many for a shoot to gain a single image. The professionals would do aware of this technique that it gives more control on lighting.

F.45.      But there still remain a question of whether we are doing a shoot more intelligently? .  Because these exist a discipline of taught especially in the case of industrial photography our first priority should  to make use of the ambient light and accentuate the area of lighting deficiency by adding more light. For that reason,  I wish to bring forth those controls in the form /name of shadow-selection, lighting @ post production etc., that can help your in  addressing the intelligence factor above mentioned. I believe you would acknowledge these benefit and the following ones you are about to read.   But it is sadder  to note A Flash sync at 1/1000^th sec., does not exist in  a commercial SLR model of a camera for the moment

F.46.        ASPECTS RELATED TO HIGH SYNC….

F.47.     To begin with, as against the maximum sync.speed at 1/250thsec, which only comes along only with advanced models of camera for them strong adherence to with  focal plane shutter that has to be improvised to a level of 1/1000^th.sec. is a deterrent of the present.   The shutter that I have been  suggesting is suppose to perform all basic requirements of speeds also to a very high shutter speed. While doing so it would  sync a flash virtually at any speed that too with a complete syn. I am only safely indicating a speed to be in the region  1/4000thsec., but it can have figure that would exceeding the above limit.

F.48.       As the Sync happens at all speeds, working at a fixed wide /moderate aperture would become more comfortable for a novice or a casual snap shooter. as any of shutter speed to compensate for the varying level of aperture could  be automatically selected by a camera,  in a n Aperture priority mode .

F.49.      It enables to enhance/subdue or seclude Foreground against Background by the principle lighting contrast or imbue a differentiation by differing the color rendition. This has become possible, by utilizing the   principle where, only the light from the flash,  would have more impact on subject at close proximity, than a distant one,  along the distance  light would propagate and disperse (as the lighting is divergent in nature) . Equally the subject in the foreground gains more prominence, in relation to the prevailing (ambient)light probably the sunlight  due to strong power of the flash at close quarter.   But it cannot compete the ambient light hence couldnot influence the lighting falling on the background. The procedure is simply by synchronizing a flash at a high shutter speed. Wild life photography is one such extreme area of specialization where the output of light from a normal flash light could be used on a distant subject ,to freeze the motion or, for a pictorial effect.

F.50.      With High sync Darkening of studio becomes unnecessary  and sequential firing of flash could be so organized that various filters could be intercepted in between exposures.  The difficulty of executing such a sequence could be realized at once, if one only has to rely upon, the available mechanism of earlier medium or small format camera. But these could easily be done by using this shutter, as an in-built facility.

F.51.        This shutter enables to perform a routine called as two-phase exposure similar as above    ...a new kind of mode, probably as it would be called in a futuristic camera.  It is a procedure where two consecutive exposures are made in quick succession.   There by it enables color conversion / compensation  procedures  that could be made to occur  instantaneously, for a situation with  mixed-up sources of light in a scene.  e.g. flash and Tungsten illumination.  You have some what similar thing  but no as competent called as auto bracketing on white balance in a Digital camera,  incidentally I have had come out with such a thing  a few years earlier.  It can also provide variations like clear / diffused fore-ground vs back-ground or a subject in the front against a colorized Back-ground, or vice-versa, or any of  a multitude of  permutation.

F.52.      The high sync feature will help to develop a new type of selection tool (method) for Image-editing-software. Further the whole shoot could be visualized in-terms of composite photography, i.e., one could able to decide the scheme of  lighting and various other parameter of a shoot in a different way and at the post production,  considering the prevailing factors at a location, for e.g :..in a factory shoot: .

F.53.       Just think of the following  in an innovative way .   Below I have made reference to large format in the days of usage of films,  but in the context of present day you can have a meaning of using a Digital back of sensor size little smaller than our earlier days 6x4.5 cms format and the reference to 35mm below mentioned could be considered of supplementing by a SLR version of Digital  cameras whose sensor is only a fraction of the size of 35 x24mm of a 35mm format.

F.54.        [A].. The rather non–dynamic elements in a factory as a separate entity – (the expanse of floor space and the machinery) captured on a larger format using cumulative exposure using all  those tricks of cumulative exposure and with a hand held normal flash. 

F.55.        [B].. Then the action a of human elements posed at close quarter is individually composed  using a zoom  lens and panning  around without changing the position of the camera ..  with a smaller format of 35mm or Digital SLR,  and the lighting placed  closer of the subject will have a more creative effect and controllability. 

F.56.       The above selection method of ...the compositing of human element is ...akin to  motion control  would do on human elements,    and the other  selection of non-dynamic elements of factory is akin to flash-selection would do on  the details of machinery.  as a whole it gives  rise to much better control + image quality in the final  composite-image, than would be accomplished by a single click method  requiring heavy duty flashes and expending exclusively on large format film.

OTHER PRACTIAL USAGE OF  MULTI-EXPOSURE   AND   HIGH-SYNC:

F.57.     I conclude here, with an apparently simple functionality. Could you just believe that multi-exposure helps me to refine the contrast level, in the photography for the study of Numismatic (study of coins, especially of ancient ones).  These procedures are favorable for film and Digital based photography.  A closer look on the salient features  of the technique would enable to view the details of the coin in a macro view.

F.58.      Most of the requisite for a macro photography would utterly differ from the other fields of photography. You have, a restricted choice on format, focal length of lens that could be used , aperture, the light source, exposure compensation, developing time (extended one in B&W film),the concept of restrained developing,the properties of lighting such as brilliance, illuminance , colour temperature,the metallic properties  such as reflectance,sheen,specular highlights that would heavily influence the micro details you could get at this macro closeup range. I would say it is more critical than many of other fields of photography .so for that reason I have chosen this topic to explain here.

Confusing?

To explain why

F.59.     you may not be able to select a larger format, the way you like to harness the benefit of higher definition (details).  Because more than in excess of 1x, magnification, on a medium format will introduce ....objectionable level of distortion (as we do not shoot at perfectly 90 degree)....At higher magnification the depth of fields to something like as inch or a few millimeters ...restriction on placement of light for a  proper lighting etc., The answer to all these, is a choice of a ideal format, I have invariably has resorted to a smallest one .... a 35mm format,... a focal length of 80mm to 100mm,... the aperture to choose would be around f16.

F.60.     The quest to locate a simple ,yet an ideal source of illumination is finally derived from extensive search.  A  tungsten light essentially like a Phillips reflector bulb R95,  produces the desired level of specular highlight, but a mild diffusion could be suggested.  Try to think of an alternative, if you are one who is fascinated or brought up in photography with soft-box, fiber optics, diffusion dome, or a cone (as they are usually prescribed in various photographic literatures). Sooner or later you would come to realize what I mean with respect to,  what a simple bulb could do and  more controllability you could have.  This realization (the process of perfection) took me a year or a couple, and essentially more of a dedication.

F.61.        The choice of film would be Agfa or interestingly enough it was Forte-pan (for the extra punch that is required).  T-max seems to unfit, (for it has its inherent rendition of soft tonal value when what you really needed was more contrast to bring forth the characteristics of  sparkling of a metal ).  You could please refer CRAFT OF PHOTOGRAPHY by Author David Vestal, for his authoritative and practical approach of B&W photography and developing .  But do you have the patience to read ? Although you are demanded to similar kind of thing with slopes and curves  in Digital,  believe that I  still have not deviated from the prime issue i.e multi-exposure . The above  description has more relevance because the factors of camera vibration due to shutter would gain, a significant prominence due to the proximity to the subject (magnification) and any camera induced vibration would also be magnified.  As I said, I also adopt the help of multi-exposure to pull down the contrast to appropriate level. Here it is nice opportunity to try what You  yearn to try your hands with multiple exposure  in association with HDR of Digital photography , because the present  medium itself  has limited coverage of tonal range (the D. Max) probably at 400:1  where as the B&W film may have had a range of 4000:1 . Here is a subject where you need to capture from the dark to specular high-lights

F.62.   In future, I assume that this would also be a page dedicated to deal with practical photographic situation,a page to which a working photographer could be attached tos.  But I would curtail,  at this juncture,which only describes how a Photographer would circumvent a practical photographic situation.  But my main topic her is suppose to be on Flash selection.

F60.  The annexture of “A dream to become true”.

Now take a note of these options

we know the preliminary exposure is made at f:8 @ 1/250^th sec., for an ISO 100 . If the second exposure (with flash) we would make  can exploit the variable ISO facilities of a digital camera , then setting to a ISO value of 200,  we would base our exposure with the multitude of options as per the following.

The options are:

a)....We now could match the flash power to that of Day-light at f:8 @1/500^th.sec.

b)....or  to expend only 1/2of the out put  potential of the flash and in so selecting f:5.6 @ 1/1000^th sec. 

c)....or a capacity  to work from 1.5 times further a distance than earlier it was. ie., 22.5feet instead of the earlier distance of 15 feet,  expending the full power of the flash for a f:8 @ 1/500^th.sec exposure combination.

d)....or to work at 30 feet by expending the full power of of flash but at an working aperture of f:5.6 @ 1/1000^th. Sec

e)....or the feasibility to work at a distance of 60 feet with full throw of the flash for a  f:2.8@ 1/4000^th.sec.

Note that  we are not zooming in the flash by concentrating the degree of coverage of flash , while we are actually have been moving backwards increasing the distance between the camera and the subject.

Would you like to know what the other options would be like  when resorting to ISO 400with respect to in the case of above.

a).... we can overpower the daylight with the flash by one stop more at an exposure combination of f:8 @ 1/1000^th.sec.

b)...only 1/4^th the power would be expended for a working at f: 5.6@1/2000^th.sec.

d)....a working at 45feet using full power of flash for a F:5.6 @ 2000^th.sce

e)....a distance of 75 feet with full power of the light for a f:2.8 @ 1/8000^th.sec or f:4 @ 1/4000^th.sec at 60 feet distance.