2006-10-13 02:43:49 · 3 answers · asked by macro 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Visual Arts ➔ Photography
In first or front curtain sync, the flash going off determines the exposure value for the photo. This usually results in a crisp and detailed image, assuming your subject is within range of your flash.
In second or rear curtain sync, the camera has already determined the exposure value without the benefit of the light from the flash. This will give you a better chance of a proper exposure for the background that would not normally be adequately lit by your flash. If the subject is moving, you can get some crazy effects of trails of light from the moving subject.
2006-10-13 11:31:37 · answer #1 · answered by Picture Taker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just read about this the other day. When you take a flash picture, the shutter of your camera opens for a brief time, often 1/60th of a second. A flash unit flashes light for a much shorter period of time than this, often around 1/1000th of a second. Therefore, the flash unit can flash at the moment the shutter opens ("first curtain"), just before the shutter closes ("second curtain") or sometime in between. You will get different photographic effects from these settings, particularly if your subject is moving.
2006-10-13 04:05:26 · answer #2 · answered by pvreditor 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You can set your flash to either go off when the curtain first opens to expose your shot, or at the end when the curtain is closing. Definitely play around with it - I haven't done flash photography in so long but I remember the different settings gave me slightly different and interesting results.
2006-10-13 04:03:14 · answer #3 · answered by myaddictiontofire 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋