Issue with lighting

[Nate Ledet]

At my work, we take picture of kits that we build and sell. The kits are automotive related, so we have car parts that we lay out and take pictures of on a white background.

The issue we're having right now is the lighting not being synced properly. I have my on camera flash, which triggers two larger flashes off to the left and right, both with umbrellas. Yeah i know...cheap ebay kit..ya get what ya pay for...but I think with your help, we may be able to fix this issue.

What appears to be happening is when I take the picture, the other two flashes are way too late. When i'm browsing through the picture, I can see the reflection of a dim light (the lights that are constantly on), meaning there is no reflection of the bright flash.

So, it seems to be that the two flashes are delayed too much, and my camera is not capturing the light from the two bigger flashes.

What is a good film speed for indoor photography such as this?

[Twila Davis Reed]

Do you have some samples you can post along with your camera settings? That will help with the troubleshooting process. What kind of camera are you using and what mode are you shooting in (should be manual if you're using strobes).

Also, depending on your camera's flash, it may be sending out a pre-flash to determine exposure and that may be firing off the strobes before the actual exposure is to take place and the camera may just be capturing the light as it's fading out. Or it could just be a standard reflection of the umbrellas without lights on (or just the modeling lights showing) in the metal piece.

As far as ISO when using strobes, go as low as you can and still get a good working aperture...say at least f/8 to f/11. Shutter speed can go as high as your camera's maximum sync speed which will depend on the particular camera, but a safe bet is 1/125th of a second.

[Mijean Spence]

yep...post an image

[Adam Schmidt]

Nate,

Put your camera on a tripod and use a slower shutter speed, like 1/15th of a second as a test. This gives the other flashes more time to fire while your shutter is open.