Diesel not so thrilled with his new hat.
For Christmas I received a Nikon SB-400 flash for my camera, which is good because it is what I asked for. I wanted the flash unit because I never use the flash on my camera, I always utilize ambient light. With the seperate flash I will be inclined to actually use it as it will not directly drain the batteries of my camera.
Of course I now need to learn how to use a flash. The operation of the unit is fairly simple: place on camera, lock, turn on and tilt. I have not delved into the usage of the flash my camera, I have just used it on the default P setting (regulated the shutter speed to 1/60″).
I used it today at my grandmothers to take photos of our dog Diesel (seen above). I couldn’t use ambient light as I do not have a lens fast enough for the light of the room, I also needed to catch him in motion as he attempted to thrust his festive hats off of his head.
I found that the angle of bounce for the flash is fairly easy to ascertain given the room and the subject. I did not use much of the direct on flash but opted for either 30 or 45 degrees. Straight up was not too useful so far but I bet that it will be useful. Except for the part where the closer to straight up the flash goes the more you blind yourself with the flash, always fun.
One thing I want to investigate with the flash if if I can trigger it manually either on the camera itself or separately. I want to try out high speed photography where you have something in a dark room, use a long shutter and use the flash to capture the motion. The SB-400 might not do this as it is just a basic flash unit.
Walk the Grass 