Digital Cameras
  Home arrow Digital Cameras arrow Page 3 - Digital Photography Hacks: Starlight E...
Dev Hardware Forums 
Computer Cases  
Computer Processors  
Computer Systems  
Digital Cameras  
Flat Panels  
Hardware Guides  
Hardware News  
Input Devices  
Memory  
Mobile Devices  
Motherboards  
Networking Hardware  
Opinions  
PC Cooling  
PC Gaming  
PC Speakers  
Peripherals  
Power Supply Units  
Software  
Sound Cards  
Storage Devices  
Tech Interviews  
User Experiences  
Video Cards  
Dedicated Servers  
Moblin 
JMSL Numerical Library 
IBM® developerWorks 
Sun Developer Network 
Weekly Newsletter
 
Developer Updates  
Free Website Content 
 RSS  Articles
 RSS  Forums
 RSS  All Feeds
Write For Us Get Paid 
Request Media Kit
Contact Us 
Site Map 
Privacy Policy 
Support 
 USERNAME
 
 PASSWORD
 
 
  >>> SIGN UP!  
  Lost Password? 
DIGITAL CAMERAS

Digital Photography Hacks: Starlight Effects and Second-curtain Flash
By: O'Reilly Media
  • Search For More Articles!
  • Disclaimer
  • Author Terms
  • Rating: 2 stars2 stars2 stars2 stars2 stars / 13
    2004-08-23

    Table of Contents:
  • Digital Photography Hacks: Starlight Effects and Second-curtain Flash
  • Shooting Technique
  • Second-Curtain Flash for Cool Effects - Hack 46
  • How to Create the Magic

  • Rate this Article: Poor Best 
      ADD THIS ARTICLE TO:
      Del.ici.ous Digg
      Blink Simpy
      Google Spurl
      Y! MyWeb Furl
    Email Me Similar Content When Posted
    Add Developer Shed Article Feed To Your Site
    Email Article To Friend
    Print Version Of Article
    PDF Version Of Article
     
     
    ADVERTISEMENT


    Digital Photography Hacks: Starlight Effects and Second-curtain Flash - Second-Curtain Flash for Cool Effects - Hack 46


    (Page 3 of 4 )

    One of the most magical of all camera tricks, second-curtain flash lets you show a trail of motion behind an object that is frozen in mid flight.

    Typically, you use a camera flash to add light when there’s not enough ambient illumination for a well-exposed shot, or to fill in shadows for portrait subjects. In either of these scenarios, you typically have a relatively fast shutter speed (1/60 of a second or so) with the flash occurring at the beginning of the exposure, otherwise known as the first curtain. The term curtain refers to the phases of the shutter. The first curtain occurs at the beginning of the exposure and the second curtain occurs at the end.

    For an evening portrait, you use a much longer exposure time [Hack #29] to capture some background information that would otherwise be dark because the flash can’t reach that far. Subjects must stand still during these long exposures; otherwise, they’ll blur in the photo.

    Technically, a second-curtain flash is just a technique in which the flash fires at the end of a long exposure rather than at the beginning of it. So, why would you ever want to have the flash fire at the end of the exposure? Well, it creates great opportunity for the best of both worlds. On one hand, you get the artistic motion trail that illustrates the movement of an object, often revealing patterns or characteristics about the movement that we can’t otherwise perceive. On the other hand, you also get to freeze the subject at the end of the motion. By having the sharp representation of the object at the end of the motion trail, rather than at the beginning or middle, you end up with a more interesting shot that shows the history of the subject’s movements.

    A classic application of second-curtain flash photography is to show a dancer in motion or a moving object, such as a golf club or a bouncing ball. In the example shown in Figure 4-14, I shot a playing card flying through the air at 1/2 second at f-7.1.

    story

    Buy the book!If you've enjoyed what you've seen here, or to get more information, click on the "Buy the book!" graphic. Pick up a copy today!

    Visit the O'Reilly Network http://www.oreillynet.com for more online content.

    More Digital Cameras Articles
    More By O'Reilly Media


       · One of the most compelling reasons for changing from film to digital photography is...
       · I find that it is always better to get it right when you shoot it, as opposed to...
       · Didn't get my url right in previous post. Trying again. ...
     

    Recommended by Dev Hardware

    DIGITAL CAMERAS ARTICLES

    - Canon PowerShot SD890 IS
    - Top Five DSLR Cameras for 2008
    - Top 4 Compact Digital Cameras from PMA 2008
    - Sony Alpha DSLR A700 Camera
    - Panasonic PV-GS85 Digital Camcorder
    - Fujifilm FinePix F50fd Compact Digital Camera
    - Genius G-Shot P6533 Review
    - Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd Super Zoom
    - The Canon DC50 Digital Camcorder
    - Pentax Optio S10: 10 MP Camera
    - Sony Cybershot DSC-T2 Compact Digital Camera
    - Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Compact Digital Cam...
    - Canon PowerShot SX100 IS Super Zoom
    - Sony Cybershot DSC-H3 Super Zoom Camera
    - Nikon Coolpix S200 Review






    © 2003-2008 by Developer Shed. All rights reserved. DS Cluster 3 hosted by Hostway