Lighting smaller items
to be photographed, or other macro subjects, can be done
using some fairly expensive equipment such as flash rings
but, for most people, acquiring that type of accessory is
difficult to justify unless it will be used extensively.
Alternatives exist and the purpose of this article is to show some simple
and inexpensive ways to obtain good lighting for small subjects. The techniques
presented here are best applied to subjects that can be brought into an
environment where lighting can be controlled, but can also be applied to
natural subjects if there is sufficient time to set up the necessary equipment.
All the equipment used here can be purchased for under $100 US and will
work with the majority of consumer digital cameras¹. Some of
it is free and only requires a bit of time to assemble, the rest is priced
as it is presented.
Making the most of a Built-in Flash
The vast majority of digital cameras have a flash mounted right on the
body. That flash can be used in combination with another flash to provide
less directional and more even lighting. The light from a flash is generally
best because it can be controlled, and the colour temperature of its light
is constant.
While most cameras allow the built-in flash to fire in macro mode, some
do not. For those cameras the options become more restricted. Incandescent
lighting is required, and usually some way to diffuse the light. For owners
of such cameras see the section "The Incandescent Alternative" at
the foot of this page.
For those cameras that allow the flash to fire in macro mode, another problem
can crop up: the proximity of the flash may cause its light to become too
powerful. In this case the light may need to be attenuated and a couple
of simple methods to achieve this are explained further.
Four ways of adding light to a subject are explored of which 3 involve
flash. Almost needless to say, the most expensive way is the most flexible
and the most reliable; however, as is often the case, a little bit of elbow
grease can go a long way.
¹
The equipment shown below was tested with a variety of
digital cameras from Olympus, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Pentax,
Casio and Canon. As explained below some cameras worked better
with some equipment than others.
Bouncing Light
Using only the built-in flash
as a source of light tends to cause harsh shadows. While
this might be acceptable for some photos, if the aim is to
provide even lighting, then some way must be used to reflect
some of the flash's light around the subject.
One simple way is take the photo using a reflective and diffusing environment.
As an example, a simple box lined with white poster board has been assembled.
Aside from a bit of labour, the cost is negligible, but the results aren't.
While a plain coloured surface
can be used underneath and behind the subject to be photographed,
the light will remain strongly directed from the front. In
this case, the box is placed on white card stock which sufficiently
large so as to hide the background and make it invisible
in the frame.
Note that a very clear shadow is created by the camera's flash on the left
side of the box.
Olympus C-4040: aperture f7
shutter speed 1/100
This photo, on the other hand,
is made using the reflective box shown above.
The white card stock lining the sides of the box diffracts and reflects
the light coming from the camera's built-in flash, bouncing it around the
subject much more evenly.
Olympus C-4040: aperture f7
shutter speed 1/100
For instructions on how to assemble
a simple reflector box, click
on this link.
If an easily assembled light reflecting box can make a difference, so can
a secondary source of light. In fact, when these two are combined, the
results can be a very controllable environment.
Inexpensive slave flash
A simple way to see if a slave flash works with your
camera is to turn on the slave flash and place it slightly
behind and to the side of your camera. Next, force the
flash of your camera on. Then place a white piece of
card stock in front of its flash. Take care not to place
the card directly in front of the flash as it might damage
it if the card is too close. Hold the card 5 cm (approx.
2 inches) in front of the camera and at a slight angle
so the light from the camera's flash will be reflected
towards the slave but will not reach the subject. The
slave flash will "see" your camera's flash
and fire when you take the photo. An alternative, if
available, is to photograph a mirror to see if both flash
units fired simultaneously in the photo.
The fact that the slave fired is insufficient to decide if it can be used
with a camera, the shadows in the image must be inspected: either the subject
will be lit from where the slave flash is, or not. If the slave flash's
light is not visible, then your camera may need a special flash, or a different
maker's unit.
Very inexpensive
(and very basic) slave flash units can be purchased readily.
The one shown above carries a price tag of approximately
$18 CDN, $12 US, 14 €. It is designed to fire at full
power the moment its sensor detects a flash firing. It has
a tripod mount, and is turned on simply by lifting the head.
This little flash takes almost 1 minute to recycle between
each flash.
This type of flash unit is very rudimentary and may not operate correctly
with all digital cameras², notably with Olympus, Canon and
Nikon models. The simple way to determine if such a unit will work with
a specific camera is explained in the sidebar.
If the unit works with the camera, then, because it always fires at full
power, its output may be hard to control without some additional help.
That help can be found with neutral density filters, or by dispersing the
light from the flash.
²
The particular slave flash unit shown above did not
synch with some digital cameras: Olympus, Nikon, Canon.
However, it can still be used if the camera offers
a "slow synch" flash mode. In Slow Synch,
the shutter remains open longer and the exposure will
usually receive at least some of the light from the
little flash. As it was impossible to test all digital
camera models, experimentation is recommended. (Note
that in slow synch a tripod is necessary.)
Very simple units such as the one shown here can overwhelm the exposure.
Using neutral density filters (2 are used in the examples below) the
light reaching the camera can be controlled very effectively.
Both photos are captured with a Sony DSC-S75 in Auto mode (f5, 1/80 sec.),
and the little flash is to the left:
The small slave flash's light is too strong
and causes an overexposure.
Here, 2 neutral density filters are used to
capture the photo. The neutral density filters only let part
of the light through.
It is interesting to note
that in the photo above at right, the shadow clearly indicates
a secondary source of light, an effect not unlike the use
of studio lighting.
Yet, an alternative exists that is even simpler and does not involve the
purchase of filters: paper. Indeed, to take the photo at right, a simple
sheet of white paper was folded into 4 and held in front of the little
slave flash; moderating its output sufficiently to yield a well-lit image.
Flash unit and Remote trigger
This is the more expensive
option. Two elements are required: a remote flash trigger,
and a stand alone flash unit. As with the small flash presented
before, both these items are readily available in camera
stores, or the photo counter of a larger department store.
The remote trigger senses the flash from the camera and triggers the flash
attached above. The system is simple and reliable, converting the light
of the main flash to electrically trigger the flash to which the remote
is attached.
For this option a Vivitar flash
(model 3000DT) is used, purchased for $70 CDN, $45 US, 50€.
The flash unit is one of the least expensive, but still one
that offers a manual zoom head which can be adjusted for
coverage between 28mm and 85mm, and 3 power settings. The
trigger, priced at $22 CDN, $14 US, 15.50 €, is also
off-the-shelf, and works with all flash units.
The remote trigger is mounted on a mini-tripod, and the flash attached
to it. The use of a mini tripod is practical, but not critical. Mini-tripods
range in price from just over $10 to $50+, depending on their feature and
brand name.
The combination of a better quality flash unit and a remote trigger tends
to be more reliable as it will usually work with the vast majority of cameras,
including those that have a millisecond delay before firing the main flash
burst.
In the example below, an Olympus
C-4040 is used, and the influence of the 2 light sources
can be seen in the two faint shadows.
Olympus C-4040: aperture f10
shutter speed 1/60
Note that the shape of the object to be photographed affects the
position of both the camera and the slave flash.
Lighting a subject depends
on the position of the flash units, something a reflective
box does quite well. With that set up, another sheet of white
card stock can be placed on the shelf and allowed to curve
up the back portion of the box. This avoids any the edge
of the support from showing in the image.
For cameras that have a user selectable white balance option, the white
balance can be set for the combination of flash units and the white of
the reflector box. This will usually yield more accurate colours.
If 2 extra slave units are
used, then it becomes even easier to shoot photos of items
without any shadows. Furthermore, the extra lighting allows
for excellent lighting even outdoors.
With proper lighting, details stand out dramatically and colours are extremely
precise. To take the photo at left 2 remote flash units were used, triggered
by the internal flash of an Olympus C-4040Z.
The Incandescent Alternative
For those cameras that automatically
turn off the flash when the macro mode is engaged, the only
workable alternative is incandescent lighting, and in particular
halogen.
The lamp base should be whatever is practical or economical, but the socket
should be able to take standard bulbs. Reflector bulbs are best as they
focus light, and at least two 50 Watt bulbs should be used.
Incandescent is more difficult to use since the way the bulbs are designed
makes them prone to create "hot spots". Still, when used in conjunction
with a reflecting box, the hot spots can be controlled to a great extent.
The resulting images can be
almost as good as those created using flash, but may require
additional processing using software to enhance the saturation
and brighten the image.
Once again, setting the white balance according to the temperature of the
lights in use is critical to obtain faithful colours.
Often, photos captured under incandescent light tend to look warmer, even
with the camera's white balance set correctly, and less "staged" than
those taken using flash, an effect due in large part to the lower intensity
of the light.
