Flash project Ready, set, flash!
Jason Parnell-Brookes shows you how to freeze the action with your flashgun’s high-speed-sync flash
You’ve probably been there yourself. You hit the pop-up flash and your shutter speed gets stuck at 1/250 sec – or you pop on the flashgun and you get the same thing. The flashgun synchronises with the camera at around 1/250 sec (this changes depending on which model you have), and you can’t go any faster – unless you turn to high-speed-sync (HSS) mode.
By using this mode, the flashgun fires many times in a row at lower power, instead of firing once at full power. This means you get a clearly exposed image all the way through the frame, but the flash has less time to recharge and so is inherently less bright. HSS makes the perfect companion when you use flash to light up sports and action portraits. Let’s see how it’s done…
Step 1
First, light the scene. We used a TTL-compatible (through-thelens) flashgun and wireless trigger, and set TTL metering to make the camera do all the work for us in regards to flash power. This means that when we change the settings on the DSLR, the flashgun power will automatically alter.
Step 2
Most modern flashguns are high-speed-sync (HSS) compatible, but each brand has their own name for it: Canon is High Speed Sync, Nikon is Auto-FP, and so on. Whatever it’s called, engage this setting in your DSLR’s menu. Now the flashgun will fire stroboscopically on shutter speeds below 1/250 sec.
Step 3
We’ll need a quick shutter speed to freeze the athlete mid-jump, so we can afford to open up the aperture a little. Incidentally, this creates a shallow depth of field and helps our athlete stand out against the blurrier background. We kept reducing the speed until we got a sharp shot, finishing with 1/640 sec.
Step 4
Once you’ve nailed the settings, think about your composition and tilt the angle of the camera for sporty finesse in your final shot. If you have a runner, leave negative space on the side of the frame that they’re running into for a dynamic composition – in this case, we left space on the left side of the frame.