On Location: Tilt-Shift Mountain Biking

Step Three

Before shooting flash, determine the available light exposure. I began with my aperture of f/8 and ISO at 400. To darken the ambient outside light about 1 1/2 stops, I needed a shutter speed of 1/500. The dark background creates a muted background for the mountain biker—all he needs is some flash to pop off the canvas. How can you use studio flash at 1/500 and faster? That’s where HyperSync saves the day.

HyperSync is a flash utility produced by PocketWizard. When used with their MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 transmitter and ST4 receiver, HyperSync allows you to increase your sync speed using an Elinchrom Ranger. My normal sync speed using the Ranger is 1/200. I can sync around 1/1000 with my Nikon D3, and all the way up to 1/8000 using my D300s. Incredible! Sync speeds vary widely depending on your camera system and studio flash equipment.