Danger of really bright flash lighting on people

[brighamr]

Hi

I'm currently working with 3 asa direct positive Paper negatives on 8x10
doing head shots at 1:1 I need as much light as I can get
I can get a good exposure with flash of F32 with a 10,000 Joule strobe "fish fryer" just above the lens about 2' from the sitter but I'm a bit worried that this may have some long term effect on people

Anybody know anything about this

thanks

robin

[Jim Noel]

Why don't you open the lens and use less light? That is a ridiculous amount at that distance.

[brighamr]

Hi Noel

F32 is not a ridiculous stop for a 1:1 headshot

it gives me about 2" of focus from my 480mm lens after I've allowed a stop for the bellows

robin

robin

[Leigh]

You have absolutely no right to assault your models/subjects.

Given that you're aware of the hazard, your actions could be considered criminal negligence.

- Leigh

[Shootar401]

You have absolutely no right to assault your models/subjects.

Given that you're aware of the hazard, your actions could be considered criminal negligence.

- Leigh

You can't be serious?

[Leigh]

You can't be serious?

I'm serious as a heart attack.

- Leigh

[Amedeus]

I'm not aware of any long term effect on people but each person perceives this amount of light different ... from "I can do this again" to "I can't get out of here fast enough"

Not sure if you're using reflector, bare bulb or soft box as all of these have a significant effect on how much light reaches the subject.

I can tell you from experience that the pops of my two 3200J heads make pro models nervous and I'm not talking head shots here. (full length fashion shots) The retina is quite overexposed and the subjects see floating and sometimes very colorful "balls" for a very long time.

YMMV.

[Michael Mutmansky]

Oh, and I'm just kidding... I don't think you want to come anywhere near to doing this. Have you ever been near 10,000WS going off, on the receiving end?

I had a 4800WS head that I used for architectural shooting, and that damn thing put out some serious heat. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it when it went off without having a reflector in the way. Additionally, if the arctube failed on you... could get nasty.

Those things also make a lot of noise firing, so even if you did manage to make it work safely, could you keep the model from flinching?

This sounds like a good case of "probably shouldn't go there".


---Michael

[Michael Mutmansky]

10,000WS fired a few feet from the subject? I'd be worried about a handful of things, including UV exposure, heat (burns), and permanent blindness concerns.

What Rudi mentions is called flash blindness:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_blindness

However, I expect that you will probably cross over into the realm of permanent damage because of the high exposure.

Suggestion:

Try it on yourself for a while first.

Don't sit 2' from it, but across the room. Fire away. See how it feels looking into the camera. Then, move in to 1/2 the distance and try it again (should be about 3-4x the power at your face). If you aren't seeing very long-term blobs of blinded areas, then move in again... and again... until you are at the shooting position.

If you are stupid enough to try this, please report back on the results (you know, for science).

After that, there is this theory about how long a person remains conscious after being run through a guillotine that I don't believe science has definitively answered. Maybe you can help us out with that.

[Bruce Watson]

I can get a good exposure with flash of F32 with a 10,000 Joule strobe "fish fryer" just above the lens about 2' from the sitter but I'm a bit worried that this may have some long term effect on people.

I can't imagine that anyone would sit for you under these conditions. I certainly wouldn't.

There was a reason for the way photographic portraits were done in the old days. They had flash powder, but they didn't use it for head-and-shoulders portraits for a reason. Instead they used a posing chair with a head brace to hold the head steady during the long exposure.

I advise you to investigate this path. You blind some sweet young thing with your strobe, don't be surprised to have the boyfriend after you with a cricket bat. Just sayin'.