THE SETUP / Prepare for stroboscopic action
1 Tripod
We need to keep the shutter open for a second or more to allow the motion and flashes to be captured. The camera must stay still, so a tripod is essential. Our exposure time was about one second, during which there were eight flashes.
2 Speedlight
The stroboscopic look is created by a sequence of very quick flashes. On our Yongnuo 560 IV Speedlight, it’s called Multi mode. The burst illuminates the subject several times during the long exposure, creating a fragmented action shot.
3 Dark room
If there’s too much ambient light, the subject will be blurred, so turn off overhead lights and block any windows (but leave enough ambient light to see by). If you don’t have space indoors, try shooting outdoors at night.
4 Backdrop
A dark backdrop is essential. If it’s too light, it’ll seep into the subject and weaken the strong shapes we’re trying to make. A seamless roll of dark grey vinyl, like this, is ideal, because the curved base results in a smooth transition between backdrop and floor.
5 Wireless trigger
As is usually the case when using a flashgun, we’re better off firing it off-camera than having it attached to the hotshoe. A wireless trigger and receiver lets you do so. It gives us the freedom to position the light wherever we choose. A sync cable would work equally well.
6 Flag
The rapid-fire flash has a cumulative effect, so stationary parts of the scene that are hit by the flash turn out very bright. As such, angle the flash away and block it from hitting the backdrop with a flag. We used a five-in-one reflector to block the flash here.