COOLPIX + Speedlight = Creative Lighting

A COOLPIX camera is nothing short of a marvel. Offering megapixel power, auto and manual control choices, a host of scene modes and the optical excellence of a NIKKOR lens, it's a self-contained package of versatility and sophistication.

Which is not to say there isn't the opportunity to extend its creative reach—and yours. Select COOLPIX models, such as the P7100, incorporate a hot shoe that allows you to use a Nikon Speedlight—on the camera or wirelessly—to add to your picture-taking potential.

That's what renowned travel photographer Bob Krist did on a recent trip, when in addition to his COOLPIX P7100, he packed an SB-700 Speedlight, SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander, and a few well chosen, eminently portable lighting accessories.

"There are times," Bob says, "that you want to go beyond the built-in, wide-ranging functionality and capability of the camera."

Here's how—and why—Bob expanded the range and capability of his COOLPIX P7100.

Bob Krist photo of lion fish in aquarium Bob Krist

Exposure: 1/25 second, f/2.8, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering.

Fire your camera's built-in flash at the aquarium and it's likely the glass will bounce the light right back at you...and into your photograph. But use your Speedlight off-camera and it's a different story. For this image Bob put the SU-800 Speedlight Commander in the COOLPIX P7100's hot shoe and held his SB-700 against the glass, above and to the left of the lionfish at about 11 o'clock. The result: a controllable, directional light with the bounce-back reflection kept out of the frame. "I had the flash in my left hand, and the camera, up against the glass, in my right," Bob says. "When you're shooting in an aquarium, the ideal placement of the light is right above your subject, aiming down, but in this case I couldn't get my arm out over the water."
Bob Krist photo of typewriter circa 1800s Bob Krist

Exposure: 1/30 second, f/4, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering.

Bob took this shot at a historical site in Beaufort, North Carolina, with his SB-700 in the P7100's hot shoe, the flash head tilted up to bounce the light off the ceiling. "By bouncing the light, the eight-foot-high white ceiling became, in effect, a soft-light source that really spread the light around. In fact, there were only a couple of small windows in the room, and it was pretty dark in there."
Bob Krist photo of purple flower with morning dewdrops Bob Krist

Exposure: 1/100 second, f/8, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering.

"It was early morning and there was still dew on the flower, but it was in deep shade. I set the camera for close-up mode and had the SU-800 in the hot shoe. I asked my wife, Peggy, to hold the SB-700 and a little diffuser. The flash fired through the diffuser's translucent surface, which spread and softened the light, bringing out the texture of the flower and the dimension of the dewdrops. You can see right through the water drops—that's the large, soft light source at work."
Bob Krist portrait of man with beard and glasses Bob Krist
Exposure: 1/25 second, f/5, ISO 100, manual exposure, matrix metering. 

Bob was carrying a folding light stand and a 43-inch umbrella fitted with a tilt head, and he put all three to work for this portrait. "I put the SB-700 on the stand and used the SU-800 unit to fire the Speedlight through the umbrella. The light came in high and from the left at about a 45° angle. Shooting through an umbrella means you can get your light source closer to the subject than if you bounced the light into the umbrella, and the closer you can get the light source to the subject, the larger and softer the light is in comparison to the subject. I'm a big proponent of soft, directional light."
Bob Krist photo of 8 train and engineer Bob Krist

Exposure: 1/250 second, f/4, ISO 100, manual exposure, matrix metering.

"This was taken at a railroad museum in Savannah, Georgia, and it's exactly the same setup I used for the bearded gentleman, but on a larger canvas. I had the SU-800 on the camera, the SB-700 on the stand and fired through the umbrella. A bank of windows behind me lit the front of the engine, but it was dark to the side, so I placed the stand off to my left, very high, and aimed down for a one-light environmental portrait."
Bob Krist comparison photos of jazz bassist Bob Krist
Exposure: (l. to r.) 1/10 second, f/2.8, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering; 1/10 second, f/3.5, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering.

Bob used the P7100's pop-up flash for the first shot. "Then I asked the subject to take his glasses off and decided to use the SB-700 off camera. The SU-800 was in the shoe and Peggy held the flash, which fired through the diffuser for a soft, even light. I think the picture improved not only because of the lighting, but also because of the tighter framing I chose."
Bob Krist comparison photos of duck carver Bob Krist
Above: Exposure: (t. to b.) 1/60 second, f/3.5, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering; 1/60 second, f/4, ISO 400, manual exposure, matrix metering.

The distance between foreground and background meant flash fall-off when Bob made the shot with the P7100's flash. "To remedy that I fired the SB-700 through the umbrella, which was  to the left. I got a much nicer quality to the light and a much more natural look. I decided to go vertical for a tighter composition. One of my guidelines for using the camera's lens zoomed at its widest focal length [the equivalent of 28mm] is that I've really got to fill the foreground. I knew the lighting would favor the vertical composition, too. When you shoot flash on-camera, you almost have to keep all your subject matter at an equal distance from the camera because of the fall-off of the flash—it's just the natural dispersion of light over distance. But when you use off-camera flash, you can start to play with foreground/background relationships, and here you get a good look at what's going on behind him. Off-camera flash really enabled me to tell a more complete story."
Bob Krist comparison photos of lighthouse keeper Bob Krist

Exposure: (l. to r.) 1/30 second, f/3.2, ISO 800, manual exposure, matrix metering; 1/10 second, f/5.6, ISO 100, manual exposure, matrix metering.

"This was shot on Tybee Island, Georgia. I took the first shot of the lighthouse guide with the camera's pop-up flash, and it looks okay, but it was a lackluster day, and I knew I could have some fun by playing with color temperature. For the second shot I set the camera's color temperature to Tungsten, knowing that would turn the gray sky blue. Then, to keep him from looking blue, I put the SB-700's orange filter on the flash, effectively correcting the flash so the skin tone would be right. The flash was on the light stand off to the left, and Peggy held the umbrella."
Bob Krist comparison photos of totem sculpture Bob Krist
Exposure: (t. to b.) 1/125 second, f/3.2, ISO 200, manual exposure, matrix metering; 1/40 second, f/2.8, ISO 200, manual exposure, matrix metering.

A simple flash/no flash comparison with a totem sculpture on a South Carolina boardwalk as the subject. "I knew if I used the pop-up flash I'd get enough light," Bob says, "but it would likely be harsh and too direct, so I put the SU-800 on the camera and gave the SB-700 and the diffuser to Peggy, who was standing to the right. The even lighting brings out dimension and texture."
Bob Krist comparison photos of lady in victorian era dress Bob Krist
Exposure: (l. to r.) 1/80 second, f/4, ISO 200, manual exposure, matrix metering; 1/80 second, f/4, ISO 200, manual exposure, matrix metering.

An appropriately dressed tour guide for Victorian Lady Tours was Bob's portrait subject in Forsyth Park in Savannah. "Photographing her without flash resulted in almost a silhouette. If I'd popped up the flash on the P7100 I would have gotten a little fill flash for her face, but I wanted to illuminate her costume too, and getting its color, texture and dimension was worth a little extra effort. I set up the SB-700, my stand and the umbrella high to the left and shot a really nice portrait with diffuse light that captures so much of what makes this picture a story."

And if you're telling your stories with a Nikon D-SLR rather than a COOLPIX, all the tips, tools and techniques Bob talks about also apply to the big guys in the Nikon family.