Alternatives

Alternatives to the Basic Frame Setup

The Einstein flashes are capable of short duration flashes that equal the Canon or Nikon flashes at 1/32nd energy. Not quite short enough but they have perhaps six times the energy of the Canon flashes at 1/32nd energy. So, for the main lighting you can get by with two of them and at a larger distance, to boot. A favorite setup of mine is two Einsteins (with 11-inch long throw reflectors), 45 degrees off frame center and 36 inches or so from the bird. The nice thing about such a setup is that because the long throw reflector makes them a large source, the main lights can light a background directly without any shadows,

The Canon macro flashes, MT-14 (ring flash) and MT-24 (dual articulating flashes), can be attached to the front of a macro lens.  This allows the flashes, operating at low energy / short duration, and the camera to be close to the bird. While the macro lens would not be far enough away to provide a reasonable depth of field and field of view, these flashes can be attached to some short focal length lenses. And this is a convenient method of having flash and camera all in one package that can be tripod-mounted near the bird. The stopping ‘power’ of the MT-14 and MT-24 flashes will be the same as the other Canon hot shoe flashes, although at a much lower energy. At the same fractional energy they will have 16 times and 5 times less energy, respectively, than the Canon 550EX flash. So, you have to get close, so close that the bird may not tolerate the proximity of your equipment.

Another option is a dental bracket. Before the intraoral cameras were available, dentists typically used macro lenses with multiple flashes like the MT-14 or MT-24, attached to a macro lens. But you can also purchase a bracket that attaches to your camera. From this bracket you can mount a couple of big Canon 600EX flashes. Now you have a high energy, stop action, single piece assembly. Two of these big flashes, 12 inches from the bird, ISO 200, f/16 will work just fine. A rather cumbersome and unstable configuration, and tricky to mount on a tripod, but be careful and it can work for you. If the bird will not tolerate your presence this close, you can shoot tethered with a fixed focus point. 

Figure – portable setups for short duration flash photography

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