A few of the following statements are not only incorrect but could be confusing to a novice . . .

A typical electronic strobe flash duration is 1/5,000 1/3,000th of a second or a lot faster. For this reason, your camera shutter speed has little NO effect on the exposure until the shutter speed reaches the flash duration . If your shutter speed is 1/100 seconds, and if the flash duration is 1/10,000 seconds, as long as the flash occurs during the 1/100 sec the shutter is opened, the photograph has been taken and all of the light from the flash has been recorded .

Cameras are designed to have an optimal maximum exposure speed for using a strobe. Your 1/60 of a second seems slow but will not change the exposure from the flash . . right? the shutter is usually sync'd for 1/125 or one setting faster The shutter is sync'd with all shutter speeds up to the maximum sync'd speed of usually 1/180th to 1/250th second . Early cameras that used flashbulbs were sometimes sync'd for 1/60 were sync'd at ALL shutter speeds because the flash fired before the shutter opened and lasted until after the shutter closed except for very short shutter speeds , but, not common always . Another difference between flash bulbs and electronic flash is: Because the flash duration of the flash bulb was so long, shutter speeds faster than 1/60th second closed the shutter before all of the light from the bulb was recorded . . . so faster shutter speeds DID affect exposure because not all of the light from the bulb was used.

If your flash is not metering MANUAL FLASH (programmed to give an amount of light and measuring it) then you have to get the guide number for the flash you are using. With a little trial and error, you can calculate an approximate one by taking numerous flash exposures using different aperture openings. You have to do this at several different distances. By picking the best exposed picture and noting the aperture, multiply the distance and the aperture opening and this will be a good guess at the guide number for the flash. You can check this for the different distances and you should end up with a similar guide number. This assumes that your flash is not already automatic and is adjusting the amount of light it flashes. Once a guide number is established it is a matter of dividing the guide number by the distance to get an aperture opening.

This is a bit dependent on the ISO setting, but, inclusion of this gets really complicated. Your ISO should arbitrarily be about 500-1000. Others may have a better value. The ISO being used does not matter as long as it is consistent. Changing the ISO will change the guide number.

The f 5.6 will allow a certain amount of light in. The amount of light is what is reflected off the object by your strobe. The brighter the strobe, the more light that is reflected, and the smaller the aperture that is required. Similarly the closer the object, the more light that is reflected, and the smaller the aperture that is required.

There are three factors that determine the proper power setting on the flash. Aperture (F/5.6) . . . distance from flash to subject . . . and ISO (the amount of light needed for perfect exposure)
The information you are offering is incomplete.

If you are using the flash in manual mode, the first thing you have to do is determine a GUIDE NUMBER for the flash based on the particular flash unit and the ISO being used. Normally adjusting exposure on manual flash is done by adjusting the aperture . . but of course adjusting any of the three factors will work, just not as accurately or conveniently. Once the guide number is established, it is as simple as dividing the guide number by the distance in feet from the flash to subject to determine F/stop. (Example: Guide number of 115 . . . distance from subject 10 feet would be a setting of F/11)

Hope that is what you were looking for.

Congratulations to both Kennievans and SoHillGuy . . . both well done!

fosgood11 . . . hope you don't mind me playing with your image. Here is what I think Katydid was trying to explain.

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I like the creativity of both #2 and #10 . . . but on the technical application skills shown, I have to go with #10! Guess I am a pixel peeper!

Excellent . . . I would definitely use it as my avatar. By the way, I noticed you didn't stand very close to the razor that morning

Welcome . . . from a fellow BCer! Nice shots. Great time of the year for eagle shots. You seem to like that 400mm lens.

B&H Now COLLECTS Sales Tax. They have no choice . . . it's the law!

What will the ND filter do?

Wonderful idea . . . if the cobwebs are facing the ceiling!

I don't usually vote when I have one entered . . . but #7 is striking. I wouldn't have reversed it as it goes against the "left to right" rule, but still well done!

Excellent . . . also would be interested in what camera you use.

Your problem is NOT your lighting!!! Shiny metal looks shiny because it reflects. If what it is reflecting is dark . . . it will not look like gold, or in some cases won't even look shiny.

If you either place a large white board/sheet/surface/wall, directly behind the camera parallel with the cobwebs, they will reflect the white surface and voila . . . your cobwebs will look shiny! It might not hurt to have a 2nd flash or other light, lighting the white surface.

Think about how you would light a subject's reflection in a mirror . . . would you light up the mirror or the subject?
Hope that helps.

LOVE IT!

Added rule of thirds and a bit of "pop"

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