Sequential strobe experiment

MP_Wayne · Jan 10, 2008

Interesting idea... Thirty years (or more) ago, in the 70s, when I was in high school, we had a Stroboscope (as I recall it was called) that was a box with a powerful Xenon tube on it. It had a rheostat (spelling?) which permitted the user to vary the flash rate much like a dining room dimmer switch.

I always wanted to get one of those units (I don't think they were expensive as our school board was VERY cheap!) as we used to have a lot of fun experimenting with it. I wanted to try these similar sequential shots like you have done.

Also, a long time ago, I recall reading that having a completely black background helps too with image separation (from the background).

I am looking forward to your future postings on this technique! Good luck!

highpeak · Jan 10, 2008

1/16 is the highest speed you can get? Seems it can't freeze the hand. I like your concept, hope to see more results of your experiment.

Alex W.

AZLF · Jan 10, 2008

I've played with one of the commercial stroboscopes. The one I used was speed adjustable as well but it put out a tiny amount of light per shot. I'm thinking I have to lower the strobes to shoot them more horizontally across the subject and have the back drop as far behind as I can. This was shot in my carport.

The "speed" of the shot was "bulb" for about 4-5 seconds in a totally dark room. The 1/16th number is the fraction of total power of each strobe per shot. These two strobes are the only ones I have that will fire rapid repeats without recharge delay. But they can only do it at less than the total output. 1/8th power gives me 8 firings of the strobe and so on.

nick mulder · Jan 10, 2008

I think 1/16 means the strobe fires for a 1/16 of its usual time, not a 1/16 intensity - either way it works out as a 1/16 of the normal exposure - but much much faster than 1/16 sec and in fact the shortest the strobe can fire... Looks to me like its freezing the hand, the double exposure of the bounce back in the lower 'freeze'('s) does look a bit like motion blur though..

oh yeh... and >> cool!

AZLF · Jan 10, 2008

I just looked at one of the strobes. It lists the fractions as a power ratio and in fact when both are set at a 16th my meter read f-5.6 and when both were set at 1/8th the meter read f-8.

The "blur" at the top and bottom hand position are from single pops of the strobes before and after I triggered the repeater. After looking at this for a while I think I have figured out how to do this effect correctly.

I will return!

Sequential strobe experiment

MP_Wayne

highpeak

AZLF

nick mulder

AZLF

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