Originally posted by mcgregni
And thanks for keeping the discussion going .....I always keep trying to focus more on the taking of flash photographs, rather than the endless talk about what radio triggers to buy and then how to get them working! We're swimming against the tide though with this one ....
I don't think the LED catchlight was on, no, and it's always worth trying, you're right. The advantage over the tradional white panel type is of course it continues to work during swivel bounced situations, the best ones! I have not done much testing with the catchlight on, but my impression is that it's rather subtle, shall we say. ..... Perhaps too subtle. No doubt it's effect will increase at higher ISOs and wider aperture.
I am really looking forward to a K1 one day (after my lottery win or Pension payout!) precisely in order to utilize flash at high ISOs, in particular to allow better ambient /flash mixing indoors in low light, so I'm with you on that one
With this shot here I kept it at max sync speed to control those sun highlights on the walls .... It's strange, but going to HSS indoors seems to break a rather strong psychological barrier .....
Nigel, again, thanks for sharing and opening up the discussion of flash photography as it is indeed an intriguing topic worthy of discussion and sharing. While we both share the same passion for flash photography, our focus areas and knowledge background are quite different imho. I don't usually do multi-flash setup, soft-box or flash umbrella as many other wedding photographers would do. I generally use a single hot-shoe mounted flash in most situation for weddings, events etc.
K-7: With regard to the k-7, I used to own one, it was a great camera at the time, because of the ISO performance (I think it was a Samsung sensor), I had replaced it soon with the k-5, then k-5II and then k-3, now of course the k-1. By comparison, the sensor from the k-1 is far superior than the k-7 and gives me more headroom to correct most underexposure errors. I remember that I often tried to avoid shooting past ISO 1600 on the k-7.
Pentax 360/540 II flashes: As I have stressed often times the importance of the front LED, with the flash tilted at different angle, it is a great "shadow killing" tool IMHO. In essence, the flash when fired is providing 2 separate light sources simultaneously, one frontal (LED) and one from flash head (bounced light).
No more diffuser: Also, with the use of the front LED on the flash itself, I have also stopped using any flash diffuser such as Sto-fen or similar kind. IMHO, there is no need to use it anymore. If I need to, I just use my left hand on the flash head provide a bit of angle to deflect the light and that's it.
Use of flash to remove color-cast: Another point that is often forgotten is that one can make use of the flash bring back the native color (of the costume/dress) in the image in many difficult color cast lighting situations even in a well-lit environment.
Anyway, hope others can chime in for more thoughts on this topic.