Nikon SPEEDLIGHT SB-16 - Manual (Page 66)

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES —continued
Synchro-sunlight fill-in flash photography is possible with
the SB-16’s shooting mode selector set to the TTL-auto-
matic, non-TTL automatic, or manual mode.
Operation in the manual mode assures you of good re­
sults in virtually all cases, so we will describe this proce­
dure first.
In the manual mode
1) Set the shutter speed on the camera manually. Set
the camera manually to the highest synchronization
speed for electronic flash or a slower one.
2) Take a meter reading of the background. Frame the
background in the camera’s viewfinder, so that the back­
lit subject is not included. Turn on the camera’s exposure
meter to determine the proper f/stop for the shutter speed
you have set.
3) Determine the fiash-to-subject distance. Using the
equation below, calculate the flash-to-subject distance
using the guide number for the film in use (as shown on
page 31) and the f/stop set on the lens:
flash-to-subject distance:
guide number
’ f/stop
4) Position the SB-16 at the correct distance. Set the
flash-to-subject distance on the lens distance scale; then
move in and out until the subject appears sharp in the
camera’s viewfinder. To vary the composition, you can
use a wideangle-to-telephoto zoom lens. As an alternate
method, remove the flash unit from the camera using a
separate sync cord and position it at the correct distance;
then you can shoot from any position.
5)Take the picture. Set the SB-16 for manual operation,
turn it on and wait until it is fully recycled before taking
the shot.
This procedure balances the exposure for the subject
with that of the background. However, in synchro-sunlight
fill-in flash photography, it is a good idea to use the light
from the flash unit as a secondary light by decreasing the
flash illumination by approx, one or two stops to eliminate
harsh shadows caused by the ambient daylight. There
are two ways of decreasing flash illumination. One is to
use an aperture that’s one or two f/stops smaller than
that determined in step 2) in combination with a shutter
speed that should be slower by one or two steps to give
the background a correct exposure; the other is to use
a flash-to-subject distance 1.4 or two times longer than
that determined through the equation. You will obtain
more natural-looking results with either method. You can
also combine the two methods. Some photographers
prefer to overexpose the background by one stop in order
to create an intentionally backlit effect by using a shutter
speed that’s slower by a further one step.
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