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Fill Flash for Bird Photography - Fill Flash Made Easy
Рет қаралды 10,257
Күн бұрынFill flash is one of our most important tools for bird photography. It is unfortunate that many photographers are intimidated by the thought of using fill flash. In this video we make it easy. We will tell you what equipment you need and how to use it. We will also tell you exactly how to setup your camera and flash for perfect results every time. Below are links for all the equipment that we talk about in this video.
Telephoto flash brackets: www.tripodhead...
If you have a ProMediaGear Katana Jr. or a newer Wimberley Gimbal head you need the F-9
If you have a 1st generation Wimberley gimbal head you need the F-4
If you are using the Wimberley Sidekick you will need the F-6
If you are using a ballhead or want to handhold you will want the F-1
There are many other options for flash brackets you can try this other suppliers as well:
Kirk Enterprises: kirkphoto.com/...
The Gimbal head that we use (and LOVE) The ProMediaGear Katana Jr. promediagear.c...
The Flash Battery pack we use: www.amazon.com...
The MagMod flash extender kit: www.amazon.com...
The Better Beamer Flash extender: www.amazon.com...
Beamer-Extender-FX-3-600EX-RT/dp/B000SLNNG4/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2FJ7MRC7YKHWM&keywords=better+beamer+flash+extender&qid=1670787883&sprefix=Better+Beamer%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-4
Off camera flash cord for your specific camera and flash: Nikon we use the SC-28
@shazzam532 Жыл бұрын
Another brilliant tutorial. Many thanks 😀
@SteveGettle 11 ай бұрын
Our pleasure thanks for checking it out!
@klackon1 Жыл бұрын
Top video: thanks a lot. The amazing bit is, although I have owned a MagMod extender for a few years, I have hardly ever used it. Yesterday, I dug it out ready to use with my Olympus OM1 + 300mm f4 and FL900R speedlight. I will use this set up for butterflies and dragonflies/damselflies too far out (or inaccessible) for my new 90mm f3.5 macro and STF-8 twin flash on my second OM1 body. This video has been of great value to me; as I was unaware of the 50mm optimum zoom setting for the fresnel lens. I will be trying it out today at 1/250th up to 1/5000th HSS (FP). I agree with you with respect to birds and flash. My experience is that they appear fascinated rather than bothered by it. One of your macro videos brought me to your channel, so I have now subscribed.
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Thanks I am glad you found it useful. We will be working hard to produce more videos when we can!
@everydaysamething 7 ай бұрын
To be honest I like the no flash pictures better because they have better contrasts but this is very interesting stuff!
@SteveGettle 6 ай бұрын
That is valid and legitimate sometimes for sure. As a general rule however when I have a flashed image and one with no flash in the same shoot I generally prefer the flashed one. Mostly for the extra color the flash brings out. Thanks for sharing your thought provoking thoughts though Steve
@pegrunyan9506 Жыл бұрын
Another great video you two! 300 days on the road, oh my. You might want to rent out your house on VRBO! Thanks for the great info, will look for Christmas sales for some of the gear.
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Great idea!!
@georgep5032 Жыл бұрын
Love your work! Have you ever considered using TTL flash triggers in place of the cord? They're good for multi-flash set-ups, too. Thanks for taking the time to both entertain and educate us. Cheers, George.
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Appreciate your thoughts and feedback George! Yes I use and Love Pocket Wizards a lot especially for multiple flash setups. Steve
@thomastuorto9929 Жыл бұрын
Used the pop up flash on my D810 & was surprised at how much light it put out for small backyard birds at around 60-70’. Same with the SB700 mounted on camera for some herons at well over 125’ with no flash extender. Both times got the steely eye depending on the angle of the eye to camera & was wondering if the red eye option would work for birds & wildlife. One thing I noticed while using flash for some flower/macro photos is, the birds will come & perch fairly close to watch what is going on for a while. Great vid.
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your experience. Getting that flash off the hot shoe will virtually eliminate red-eye or steely eye. My understanding is that the red eye reduction that is available in some cameras simply fires a "pre-burst" of light to make the pupil smaller and try to reduce the chance of red eye that way. Steve
@anitarogers7102 Жыл бұрын
Loved your video. The first video I have seen explaining how to use the Better Beamer and Mag Mod with settings. I have always done natural light bird photography with a Wimberley vII gimbal, bought the Better Beamer and Mag Mod as well as the flash bracket to eliminate shadows but I have never used flash and no one explained it as well as you so they have been sitting unused until now. One question: How does from camera to bird distance change your settings?
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Hi Anita I am so happy to hear you found it helpful! If you are shooting in TTL mode - flash to subject distance should not matter. In TTL your flash sends out an almost imperceptible test pre-burst to measure how much light you need and then adjusts automatically to give you the right amount of light for your subject. It works very well - almost like magic!!!
@anitarogers7102 Жыл бұрын
@@SteveGettle Thanks Steve! Appreciate your reply. Have to dig out my flash bracket and get started using flash. Have to say putting the MagGrip on my flash was much harder than I anticipated. My husband got it but don't think I will be taking it off anytime soon.
@venietvideo Жыл бұрын
Very informative video. Haven't tried flashing birds myself yet. One thing irritates me: The Cardinal @21:21 looks clearly better without the fill flash (on my screen and to my eyes). While the fill flash improves the lighting on its underside imho the plumage on the front (chest) looks washed out and looses detail on the flash picture. I would clearly keep the no-flash version.
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the feedback, it is virtually impossible to process images for all of the different devices the video will be played. I see the videos on my tv screen and want to take them down lol! Steve
@laurenvoeltz9322 9 ай бұрын
I have a 3-way pan head tripod--would that work with any setups? I don't love the tripod as it is easy to tip the camera forward unfortunately, but I am using it because we already own it. Thanks!
@SteveGettle 9 ай бұрын
Hi unfortunately that is a tripod head that most of us start with. It is very cumbersome and virtually impossible to use on a moving subject. I would recommend you invest in a good ballhead. Much more user friendly. But hold on to that pan tilt head it is useful for landscape and macro photography.
@ricki-bobby 4 ай бұрын
The Kirk semi-circular bracket seems to no longer be available
@SteveGettle Ай бұрын
Dang that is a shame thanks for the info!
@BrittanyStClair-jm9qv Ай бұрын
I saw you have both a Better Beamer Flash Extender and MagMod Magbeam. Which do you prefer? Some people complain about extra weight of MagMod for handheld shooting - is it enough to make a difference?
@SteveGettle Ай бұрын
Excellent question I use both for exactly the weight issue. When I am shooting around home and not handholding I prefer the MagMod, because I feel it throws more light. But when I am travelling I mostly use the Better Beamer because it is so light and compact.
@BrittanyStClair-jm9qv Ай бұрын
@@SteveGettle Very helpful, thank you!!
@toto_chanel6952 Жыл бұрын
Thx Steve for all this usefull information. When shooting from a public hide, We don't have the vertical space to use such a flash setup. Usually I don't shhot with flash, but soon will have to do on a specific location. So what about the steely eye issue if I off center my flash horizontally which will be my only option. By how far should I have to do?
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Glad you found it useful. Yes you may not have room in every shooting situation. Some blind manufactures actually have designed the openings for using fill flash! Tragopan being the best example. As for the Steely eye question I have not tried that but I would think moving it off4-5 inches should work. But make sure you are checking images on occasion to be sure you are not having a problem Good Luck! Steve
@toto_chanel6952 Жыл бұрын
@@SteveGettle Thx for your reply. I'll try as per your recommendations
@amaimani Жыл бұрын
Excellent episode, loved it a lot. Is fill-in flash for wildlife and birding allowed in Competitions or will it eliminate the enrty photos?
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Hi Abdul thank you for the kind words. I do not know of any competition that bans any kind of flash from entries? Steve
@SUPERSDPM1 Жыл бұрын
Isn't it dangerous to trigger a flash to birds in someway? I usually avoid using flashes because I've been told that doing so will harm the birds.
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
I appreciate the question and your concern, the well being of our subjects must always be a TOP priority! This is a controversial subject and there seems to be a lot of misinformation out there regarding this question. Most of it seems to be propagated by the birding community. First of all let me say there is no way to know for sure. But I do have a ton of real world experience using fill flash for bird photography. I have made many hundreds of thousands of images of birds using fill flash over my career and have only had one bird ever react in any way to my flash and that was a violet saberwing in Cost Rica that flinched in response to the pre-flash, in that case I simply turned off the flash and continued shooting. Additionally, I once sold some work to a veterinarian ophthalmologist for use in his office, and had the chance to ask him his thoughts on the subject. He qualified his answer with "of course there is no way to know for sure". But he speculated that the flash of light was so fast that most animals (birds included) would not even register the burst of light. Think of what would happen should an owl be flying through a dense forest at night and he was blinded by a flash of lightning? Thanks again for your concern! Steve
@ceezfotography Жыл бұрын
For your 3rd setup..how was the bracket mounted to the arcade Swiss for hand held? What bracket would work? I'm currently running a sidekick and f6 bracket on ballhead..
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Thanks I am glad you found it helpful. Here are the brackets we recommend for different configurations. These are all wimberley brackets Telephoto flash brackets: www.tripodhead.com/products/flash-bracket-telephoto-brackets.cfm If you have a ProMediaGear Katana Jr. or a newer Wimberley Gimbal head you need the F-9 If you have a 1st generation Wimberley gimbal head you need the F-4 If you are using the Wimberley Sidekick you will need the F-6 If you are using a ballhead or want to handhold you will want the F-1
@patriciaterranova1074 8 ай бұрын
Very excellent
@SteveGettle 7 ай бұрын
Many many thanks
@snapsnap1 Жыл бұрын
Do u normally use TTL. From my experience TTL seems to want to correctly exposed the entire frame and so I get branches and leaves all bright and the tiny bird all washed out. When I dialed it back on manual it works fine but it's a trial and error on how much and very often the bird is gone. Any suggestions. Also any tips on using flash to stop motion of BIF especially take-off and landing. Thanks
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Yes TTL is the only way to go - The trick is to dial in a minus 1.7 flash compensation, this will just put out just a kiss of light to fill in the shadows and bring out the colors. Doing it in manual is just a shot in the dark, TTL is much better no guessing. As for stopping action I use high-speed flash for that which is another very complicated subject. You might be able to find a program I have done called "Frozen Moments" That explains that subject in great detail.
@pegrunyan9506 Жыл бұрын
Question? If you have a bird outside, but you are inside, and going out will scare it off, can you shoot with the Better Beamer through a window, or will it just reflect off the glass?
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Have not tried that but I am pretty sure it would just pass right through you might lose some light to the glass but not much. See you in in Canada. Have a great Christmas Peg!
@garydietz8807 Жыл бұрын
What mode are you using, and what is your F-stop?
@SteveGettle Жыл бұрын
Hi Gary I shoot in either Aperture priority or Manual, however the mode you shoot should not affect the fill flash in any way. Same with what aperture you are on, I shoot many different apertures depending on the situation and what I am trying to accomplish ie controlling background or getting enough depth of field to cover my subject etc.
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