Check out how I captured this photo!
At first, I tried using my Hensel heads to stop the motion. They are powerful flash heads and I figured it would give me enough light. However, I quickly learned that it is not the amount of light you have. It is the flash duration that matters most. Thanks to Alex Koloskov!
My Hensel heads do not have a very wide flash duration range. Their range is only 1/500 to 1/600sec. After watching a video on Alex’s website, I knew that I needed a flash duration in the range of 1/4000 to 1/6000sec., to stop this kind of motion. The Hensel heads were just not going to work. The only other flash I have is one shoe mount SB-910.
After confirming my SB-910 speed-light’s flash duration was high enough. I place it behind the glass with a medium size soft box attached. Then set my camera’s built in flash to commander mode. With no power to the built in flash and full power the speed-light. I cranked my shutter speed up to 1/6000 of a second. Set my f-stop to f10, so everything stays in focus and started shooting. After a few attempts at dropping the rock and manually triggering the camera, I ended up with this shot you see above.
I know it is not a perfect shot but, with the gear I have, I thought it came out pretty nice. I’m no expert though. Let me know what you think. Criticism is always welcome.
Gear Camera: Nikon D7000 Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6G ED VR-2 Flash: 1-Nikon SB-910 Accessories: 16"x24" Softbox, Light Stand, Tripod and wired trigger