Practical lighting for close-up photography

sevencrossing

yes it should only be a pre flash but if it is coved up, the sensor on the R1 wont be able to "see it "
If you having to shoot at a 1/15 it sounds like you may have a sync issue
I have found this book helpful
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Speedlight-Photography/dp/1579905889/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392128395&sr=1-9&keywords=nikon+flash+photography

Do you any other Nikon flashes? ( I use a SB900 as a commander )

proudgeek

Thanks. I'll order that book. I have a Nissin Di866 that can be used as a commander, although I've never used it that way. I do sometimes use it as another source of light (in remote mode) that I can position as I see fit (i.e. over the flower or off to the side).

For the record, I've been shooting these in a pitch black room against a matte black background. I'm curious whether my covering the on-camera flash is "spoofing" the macro lights into thinking they didn't need to generate as much light as I wanted them to. Would a purchase of an SU800 resolve this? My real concern is that I want to take the on-camera flash out of the equation (except in the case where it acts as a "guide" for the macro flashes). I do find that when I allow the on-camera flash to be exposed I'm able to shoot at 1/60s and get perfectly fine exposure.

sevencrossing

I would get the book and try using the Di866 as a commander
a SB910 is probably easier to use and more flexible than a SU800

proudgeek

Thanks. Shooting with non-ambient light is a very new thing for me. In many ways it's like starting from scratch.

manhattanboy

For anyone on a severe budget, I found this link that describes a nice approach costing next to nothing.
http://photofocus.com/2014/02/07/diy-soft-shadows-from-a-soft-light/