How did this happen??????

[pauly632]

I am a bit new to the digital age of photos, but I shot these two at the lake and can't figure out how this happened... Did my wife turn into a shapeshifter???????:dunno :dunno :dunno :dunno If any one can enlighten me on this I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Pauly



http://Pauly632.smugmug.com/photos/166185890-L.jpg
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Av( Aperture Value ) 2.8
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
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ISO Speed 400
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Focal Length 28.0 mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality Fine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
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Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
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AF Mode One-Shot AF
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Drive Mode Single-frame shooting
Owner's Name unknown
Camera Body No. 0720309464

http://Pauly632.smugmug.com/photos/166185918-L.jpg

File Name IMG_4890.JPG
Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Shooting Date/Time 6/21/2007 8:11:12 AM
Shooting Mode Night Scene
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 2
Av( Aperture Value ) 2.8
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Lens 28.0 - 75.0 mm
Focal Length 28.0 mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality Fine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Red-eye Reduction Off
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode One-Shot AF
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Noise Reduction Off
File Size 3134 KB
Custom Function C.Fn:01-0
Drive Mode Single-frame shooting
Owner's Name unknown
Camera Body No. 0720309464

[ivar]

I think, because it was dark and because of the long exposure (2 or 1/2 sec?) the flash froze her, while she was walking by, but there was still time enough for the 'background' to come trough?

[pyrtek]

Change your flash sync to "second-curtain sync" to avoid this in the future. It's
in the Custom Functions menu.

[pauly632]

I think, because it was dark and because of the long exposure (2 or 1/2 sec?) the flash froze her, while she was walking by, but there was still time enough for the 'background' to come trough?

Thanks for the feedback.

[pauly632]

Change your flash sync to "second-curtain sync" to avoid this in the future. It's
in the Custom Functions menu.

I will give that a shot or I will call a medium to get my wife back.:D

Pauly

[zacker]

wow.... totally without knowing it, you took two really cool shots. It is the long exposure coupled with flash - freeze.. as stated above... but, the shots came out pretty cool, keep them and sell em to the national Enquierer and tell them its the ghost of a woman who hunts that lake.
Either that or you exposed your wifes biggest secret!...lol

[pauly632]

wow.... totally without knowing it, you took two really cool shots. It is the long exposure coupled with flash - freeze.. as stated above... but, the shots came out pretty cool, keep them and sell em to the national Enquierer and tell them its the ghost of a woman who hunts that lake.
Either that or you exposed your wifes biggest secret!...lol

The title in the Enquierer will be "The ghost of Falls Lake":rofl :rofl
Thanks for the insight.

Pauly

Ps All the girls have many secrets!!!!:thumb

[Desmond]

Switching to second curtain won't help , the flash will just go off before the shutter closes and she may have walked out of the picture by then . You basically have two pictures , one with the flash which only reached your wife , and the other is a 2 second exposure [1/2 second ?] of the background which caught the ghost movement [ basically motion blur ] of her walking past . You either have to push the iso up to take it at a faster speed or set it at 1/60 Tv and have a much darker background but no motion blur .

[georges]

Pauly -

You've received a few good answers. The diagnosis is correct. The foreground was lit by the flash, everything else by the natural light let in by the long shutter speed.

I'm guessing you have a camera that has a feature called "night mode flash" or "slow flash synch" or one of the many other confusing names camera manufacurers use. The EXIF data on your second shot makes me think you selected this setting on purpose or by accident.

This feature causes the students in my classes no end of confusion. It's pretty neat when it works, but most of the time it just gives odd looking photos. Most cameras aren't very good at picking when the ratio of flash to natural light will give good results.

Now that you have your example photos, go back and read your instruction manual and see how this feature is described.

Generally the camera manufacturer suggests putting the camera on a tripod or steady support due to the unpredictable long shutter speeds.

By the way, second curtain synch won't fix this. It will only change when the flash fires in relation to the opening or closing of the shutter. Some cameras disable second curtain synch at longer shutter speeds.

[pyrtek]

By the way, second curtain synch won't fix this. It will only change when the flash fires in relation to the opening or closing of the shutter.


That is exactly why it will fix this. In first curtain synch the lady got exposed,
but then the same area gets exposed by the background once she moves
out of the way. In second synch, she is the last thing to get exposed (if she's
still there, of course) and no ghosting occurs. I have tested this many times.

[georges]

That is exactly why it will fix this. In first curtain synch the lady got exposed,
but then the same area gets exposed by the background once she moves
out of the way. In second synch, she is the last thing to get exposed (if she's
still there, of course) and no ghosting occurs. I have tested this many times.

Perhaps, but I doubt it for the general case. I would have to try it to convince myself. I believe a double exposure is a double exposure. It seldom makes a difference which of the two exposures comes first. How does the second exposure erase the effect of the first?

The fundamental problem is the "night mode" flash. The second curtain synch is a secondary issue.

[pyrtek]

I would have to try it to convince myself.


There you go.

[IFGD]

Coool shot Pauly.:thumb