Hello,
I have a d3100 with no HSS capability. I usually shoot indoors with constant light so getting a low depth a field say f3.2 is not a big deal. However when I use speedlights outdoors I come across the dreaded black bar because I cant go over 1/200. Wondering if I use an ND filter will this allow me to go to at least f3.2 or f4 to get the Bokeh effect without HSS? Or does anyone have any other hacks or tricks to light my model and still get the Bokeh look?
Thank you,
Jay
Yes, you can use an ND. If there's no movement in the shot you can achieve the same HSS effect using an ND filter. However if there's movement HSS and using NDs will give you a different effect.
Let's say there's a running man and you want to shoot at f3.2, 1/200, iso200 + ND filter. Yes, the ambient light can be overpowered with a strong enough flash pop but the motion blur will be present. In this case the best you can do is using a wider angle lens to minimize the motion blur.
If you are using HSS you can shoot at 1/1000 and have the same exposure as with the ND filter but with no motion blur. Of course you can use a longer forcal length too.
But as I said, if there was no movement in the shot using HSS or ND or focal length doesn't matter for the final result.
Thank you so much! I think that for head shots with no movement this will work for me. I will update you on my progress and post my shots.
You can absolutely use an ND filter. My only problem with ND filters with regards to headshots specifically, is that they are still limiting, anything beyond 2-3 stops is going to start effecting how you see the expression, and expression for me is paramount in my images. I don't have any issue with them for more environmental portraits, but they just don't offer the flexibility that HSS does. They are great in a pinch, but I once had to go to a 6 stop ND filter to shoot at noon in LA, I could barely read the models expression, and I had some focusing issues as well.