This was the first Juneteenth celebration I photographed for the Journal. In fact, I probably would have missed it were it not for an Email from the Editor In Chief asking if I planned on attending. As it turned out, there were celebrations in Millbrae, San Mateo, and Foster City, scheduled that day. Of all the shots I made that day, this one had the best sense of audience involvement, and was composed to include the greatest number of spectators. In many cases, these events are not as well attended as one might hope.
Flash Of The Day: Since I had my full kit, I used my more powerful Godox V1 instead of the tiny FlashQ unit. This gave me more reach, which I would need. and shorter recycle time, which are necessary when trying to catch some peak moment in the action. The camera was the X-70, the absolute go-to camera with its 28mm equivalent lens and 1/000 of a second flash synchronization speed. I used an inexpensive radio trigger I purchased on eBay many years ago. Similar units are still available for well around $15.00, and have proven reliable at short distances. They are a bit of cheap fun if you don't already own a set, and will provide you with a very useful off-camera lighting option. Also, the receiver (the part mounted on the flash) is powered by easily replaced AAA batteries, which will need replacing if you forget to turn it off. The transmitter requires a small, relatively expensive battery that seems to last forever.
In this pair of test shots, you can clearly see how effective this camera flash combination can be. The camera was held at waist level and the flash held high overhead. You can see that the white shirt is seriously overexposed, but the skin tones on my subject are "believable".
This is how I might appear from the subject's point of view. First, you should get a good grip on the camera and adjust the LCD so it can be viewed from above. Next, you can concentrate on positioning the flash as near or far as you wish. In this case I have positioned the flash about two feet above the lens, something that would normally be impossible to do without a light stand. The lowered camera perspective allows you to include more sky in the photo, making the background less cluttered. Finally, the flash is positioned at the subject's eye level so that a nose shadow appears on the subject's upper lip. If the flash were on camera, there would be an unnatural highlight on the nostrils, which is the worst part of on-camera lighting from low angles. Incidentally, this is a simulation. No photographers were harmed in the making of this photo.
Godox Beam Angle: By narrowing the beam angle on the Godox, you can get a slight boost in output. It also helps control overexposure at the edges of the frame. With your margin of error so increased, keeping the flash pointed at the same "target" as the camera is essential. This requirement, plus access to a waist level perspective (via the tilting LCD) has resulted in an interesting tai-chi inspired approach to shooting.
The camera and flash combination worked well (enough) in this environment. The extra power of the V1 was needed to get this shot, but without the X-70 's ability to synchronize the flash at 1/1000 of a second, the shot would have been nearly impossible. It did start me thinking about other ways to manage the shot without the use of that big, bulky Godox V1. A number of other flash options came to mind, and I thought hard about using my favorite Nikon SB-800, as it filled the bill nicely in the "ease of use" department. However, recycle time is something of an issue, especially with the distances that were sure to be involved. A flash that used AA batteries would be subject to longer recycle times, even when powered by rechargeable NiMH batteries. Certainly any of my big Godox/Flashpoint units would work, but they all share a physical interface that is too prone to accidental readjustment of the output level or exposure mode. Even my Vivitar 285 flashes received brief consideration. But I think I've found an alternative.
Stay tuned.
