taking multiple motion shots with long exposure?

Question

This seems really simple but I can't get a straight answer. I am a drummer/precussionist, and I want to take pictures of myself/other drummers playing. I want to have "motion blur" effects in some pictures, and a sort of "Muybridge" effect in others (whereby you see several distinct poses, but in one long exposure on one print.) I tried using a Canon -EX model flash, but it wasn't powerful enough (it quit flashing after just one sequence) What kind of equipment to I really need to accomplish this?

Answer 1

I think I know exactly what you're trying to do. The technique was pioneered back in the 60's by an MIT physics(?) professor named Harold Edgarton (possibly Edgerton), who invented the Xenon flash tube.

You'll need 4 identical photo flash units, if you want four "frozen" drumsticks in your picture. These days, digital cameras sometimes have a remote (switch contact) shutter input. This would be a big help. Build a homemade sequencing switch out of whatever you can come up with. The idea is to have a single movable arm which you can "wipe" along a row of contacts. The wiper is connected to the camera and flash units grounds. The first contact opens the camera's shutter. The second, third, fourth, and fifth contacts fire each strobe in turn. In your case, the photographer will slide the wiper along the contacts just as the drummer begins to drop his arm. I imagine that's what you're after. There are also special strobe lights (possibly called "intervalometers") that can flash multiple times, at a programmable interval, from a single start pulse.

See if you can find some examples of Dr. Edgarton's work, they're always awesome: Drops of milk forming a crown-shape as they hit a table top. Bullets frozen at the moment of impact. That sort of thing. I recall his students called him "Poppa Flash" or something close. Edgarton took Muybridge's work to the next level.

Answer 2

The muybridge motion effect (actually refered to as the Edgerton or storboscopic effect) which you speak of can be accomplished by any number of flashes that have a stroboscopic mode. The end results of using a stroboscopic flash looks like this. http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/text-figures/strobe-schifley-1.jpg
There are any number of flashes that have a stroboscopic mode, my personal favorite being the Q flash http://www.bhphotovideo.com/product/115280/QUQFX2/REG/1242
This is a professional flash and does require an external rechargable batterypack but if you are using the stroboscopic mode this is good because otherwise you would go through batteries fast. Also the flash can be mounted on a stand and remotely triggered so as to give your image a more dynamic look. Additionally there are some panning techniques which you may want to experiment with of which I have provided links below.
As for the Motion blur effect, that too is quite simple but like stroboscopic photography requires a little experimenting. This is totally dependant upon the lighting conditions, but what I will do is do a long exposure say for maybe 5 seconds or so. However, before I click the shutter I will have turned on my flash but set it to a low setting so that I am not shooting with full power. So when I depress the shutter release the flash will do an initial pop, and will faintly capture the details as well as stop the motion of the subject. However, the shutter will still be open so as to give it that blurred look. Of course all this has to be done on a tripod.
Of course some of this equiptment can be pretty costly but you can reduce your cost by going here keh.com they are a used camera broker and deal in so many different types of cameras and lighting equiptment including the Quantum Q flash. Anyhow good luck, if you are still confused, you may want to go to photo.net and check out some of the postings regarding stroboscopic photography.

Answer 3

Use a Camera and Flash with Rear-curtain Sync.

Answer 4

You can use a strobe light