Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Sorry for such a simple question, but how do I get the best results with the Einstein and freezing action? I've always shot skateboarding photos using two sb600s and was happy with the results, sharp and barely any blur. Using the Einstein with either the 8.5 or 11 reflector, I've been dealing with some very annoying motion blur. Will the Einstein freeze action better if the power is turned up higher, or should it be lower? Or am I just wasting my time setting this light up for skateboarding photos?

Action/motion blur is the product of light reflecting off your subject over a period of time. The faster the subject, the shorter the period of time needed to introduce blur. That much is pretty obvious.

In order to reduce the amount of time light is getting to the sensor is dictated by the shutter speed, or by dictating how long the light source is on, or both.

With modern OEM speedlights (and some third party speedlites), you will have the unique ability to use any shutter speed you want without interference from the shutter. This is generically known as HSS or high speed sync. The upside to this is you can stop action in brightly lit ambient environments with a fast shutter speed, and still have even flash coverage. The down side is a lower effective flash power as shutter speeds get higher.

With studio lights, the camera cannot talk to the flash and work together for even flash output. There is one pulse, and the camera gets what it is given. With studio lights, you are generally stuck to 1/250 max shutter speed. This may introduce subject blur from the ambient light (in other words, you would see blur at this shutter speed, even without the flash).

In low ambient situations, where you are shooting at 1/250 or so, the ambient will record as black. This means the only light is coming from what ever light you are adding (i.e. the flash). If you can reduce the flash duration, you can reduce the blur of the motion. With Einstein, that means using a lower power and /or setting the flash to action mode.

If you are in bright sun, then you may want to arrange yourself so that the subject is back lit. This will cause the blur to be dark (it will essentially be a silhouetted section). If you do this, and place the subject in front of a shady area, the dark will blend with the back ground and become unnoticeable. If you do not like the BG to be dark, you can light it any way you wish, as long as the flash durations are similar, you will not introduce any more blur.