Minimising backscatter with single strobe?

[Hintermann]

As mentioned elsewhere, I am now down to a single strobe due to destructive flooding of the other one. I do not want to invest in a new strobe with less than a year to go before my retirement from diving. I therefore want to know the best options to reduce shadowing and backscatter with just one strobe.

The camera is a Canon S95 and the strobe Ikelite Autoflash AF35 (left). I also have an Inon wide-angle lens in the ensemble. When I was shooting with 2 strobes, I had them on either side comin-in at sharp angles to reduce backscatter. Now that the right strobe is gone, I would like some advice o getting best results with one strobe.

As for shadowing, I am using a video light at low power angling in at where the right strobe used to be. This seems to work in reducing harsh shadows from the left strobe, but is not ideal for macro. I was wondering if I could have the single strobe head directly ablove the camera lens but angling sharply downward towards the subject? I am guessing that it would then put the light beams from the strobe at a different plane from the sight-line of the lens and therefore eliminate backscatter. Or will that not work?

 

[Incident]

Depending on your working distance to the subject and he subject size you can shoot one-strobe macros with virtually zero backscatter, and with relatively nice coverage of the subject. You can place the strobe over the strobe pointing straight down, and just off the axis of the lens (meaning slightly left or right of center). You will cast a very slight shadow to the side opposite the strobe.

If you are talking about shooting very small subjects (nudibranchs, for example), get your strobe down as close as you can to the subject. It will make the size of the light source relative to the subject quite large, which will eliminate lots of shadows...it will also give you the added benefit of eliminating lots of water between the subject and lens which will further reduce backscatter potential. Lastly, have a close strobe to subject distance will allow you to turn your strobe power way down, which is always good when you have only one strobe.

The long and short of it is that you can do all sorts of great macro work with a single strobe. Wide angle, well that's another story.

 

[Hintermann]

The long and short of it is that you can do all sorts of great macro work with a single strobe. Wide angle, well that's another story.

Thank you. For wide angle photos, will using a filler light (1000 lumen wide-angle) on a flexi arm mounted where the right strobe used to be - be any use to at least partly illuminate the subject if I can get reasonably close? If I then shoot with the strobe above the camera slightly off-centre but pointing out towards the subject?

Another diver was doing just that (out of choice she said) in Wakatobi and reportedly getting very good results but as she was in a different group I did not get a chance to discuss details with her.

 

[Incident]

Not sure there is a "right" answer to the question about your wide angle shots. You'd really just need to try it, and see how the results come out. Every wide angle scene is potentially so different from the next that there is really not a one-size-fits-all lighting arrangement.

One thing I would expect to be a problem is that the video light will have one color temperature, and the strobe will likely have another. This would result in the image having a color bias on one side of your frame, and another color bias on the other side. Again, you'd really need to experiment.

Post some results once you have some...would love to see the images.

 

[Hintermann]

One thing I would expect to be a problem is that the video light will have one color temperature, and the strobe will likely have another. This would result in the image having a color bias on one side of your frame, and another color bias on the other side. Again, you'd really need to experiment.

Post some results once you have some...would love to see the images.

Thanks again. There is a colour temp difference - the strobe is 5700K and the light 7000K.
But, I do not intend to use the light merely to eliminate shadows (which might have the problem that you mentioned) but to illuminate the subject and using the strobe on an auto setting. Therefore, there will be overlap.