Stroboscopic Flash

STROBOSCOPIC FLASH is when a series of flashes are fired continuously in a single exposure.  The multiple burst of light allow you to freeze a moving subject multiple times as it moves through the frame.  The results are very familiar to that of combining multiple exposures.

When a flash is set to be in STROBOSCOPIC MODE:

• the flash will emit a pulsating flashes of light
• the camera will be able to capture (red: freeze) moving subject multiple times in one shot

Some important factors to note when setting your flash in STROBOSCOPIC MODE:

• the firing frequency or cycle per second (Hz).  1Hz means something happen once in a second.  5Hz means something happen 5 times in a second.
• number of flashes per cycle
• the speed of the moving subject (usually the faster the movement, the more flashes you would need in order to capture/freeze more movements).
• you need to set your camera to Manual mode.  The minimum shutter speed to use is (number of flashes per cycle) divided by (the firing frequency or Hz).
• the power of the flash

WARNING!!! You must have a very long patience in order to have a very good stroboscopic shot.  As the saying goes....practice makes perfect!!!

Here is a sample taken during the APC Level 1 class