Muzzle flash photography question

[NukemJim]

Oddball question, how long of a duration does the flash of a blackpowder long arm last?

A local Renaissance fair has BP firings and I am taking pictures of them. I am attempting to get the muzzle flash just as it comes out of muzzle. I've managed it a few times but am trying to optimize my chances by juggling the frame rates of my cameras. Knowing how long the flash lasts would be helpful in choosing my settings.


If anyone has any helpful ideas or experiences that they would be willing to share it would be greatly appreciated.

NukemJim

 

[Curator]

Getting a good "muzzle-flash" photo can be done a number of ways depending on the capability of your camera. High-speed video that can be viewed one frame at a time is a big help. With ordinary cameras I simply set for he longest shutter speed. Fireworks, lightning, and flintlocks show up best this way.

 

[J-Bar]

There are several nice black powder muzzle flashes in this little movie I made earlier this year at a cowboy action match. The fellows shooting at 40 to 60 seconds into the movie and another between 1:10 and 1:20 are producing some nice fireworks.

Maybe you can time the duration from the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_CtS3fecmQ

My best guess from the IMovie frames is about 1/20 sec., but that's pretty much a guess.

another edit:

So why not take a video and capture the frame(s) you want? Like a screen shot? As Curator suggested.

 

[NukemJim]

"With ordinary cameras I simply set for The longest shutter speed."

I have found for these BP rifles, possibly because they are shooting without projectiles, that I have been able to get a stronger muzzle flash at higher shutter speeds.

As for why I do not use video is that my desired end product are still photos ideally with better image quality than I can get from my video cameras. Think 8" X 10" glossy print.

I am trying to figure out how to post a picture to demonstrate what I am trying to get (Sigh! I am so not a compugeek.)

 

[freedom475]

video cameras will do this best...these are from my go-pro...128 frames per second!

I caught the lightning on accident and didn't even really see it on the video playback till I slowed it down.
And you can actually see the ball from the 1858 Rem

 

[Prairie Dawg]

These were taken a few years ago at PA State.
She was using "normal" shutter speeds (auto selected by the camera) for daylight shooting in mixed sun/shade.
It was a matter if timing.
Many had no flash or some from the beginning or end of the shot, but these turned out great.
--Dawg

 

[StrawHat]

Back when I was shooting a lot of film, there was a setting that would trigger the camera when the light flashed. Not sure if the new digital cameras or phones have that setting.

Kevin

 

[CANNONMAN]

Neat post. I used to work as a photographer for a government test facility and was also hired by smooth bore designer to photograph his gear for flash. I did spectrum analysis et al, tests to support his designs. [Later I produced an infomercial on his theories that included a "how-it-was-done" section to support the collection of data.] Much of this work was done at night and graphed. It looks like you only want the initial blast and not the accumulated flash effect? This is a bit trickier. It is both gear and skill dependent but by no means difficult. If you would elaborate on what you want to do and what gear you have I'd be happy to help. This takes me back. PS, if you want to graph the blast you'll need a strob or flash. A "bulb" setting on your camera would also be helpful.

 

[ArmedOkie]

Burst mode. Unless you have a very stable shooter, a long exposure can cause the shooter to blur.

 

[J-Bar]

Prairie Dawg--

That ROA Buntline is pretty neat! I don't think I'm man enough to hold a long barrel like that one-handed!!

 

[CANNONMAN]

Shorter answer: No more than 1/250. You'll get a more dramatic muzzle shot with the wider you open your lens, f4 or better. The idea of focusing on the muzzle is to express it as the interest of the shot. Hence, shorten your focal plane to no more than 2'. Get close without getting shot. [I used to take pics of 7 ultra mags at a distance of 6". Yeah, I had a long cable release.] The duration of the flash is longer than need for a good shot. This is mentioned above in that you can get blurring from too long a shutter speed. Twilight is a great time to do this as the flash with show better and you can use your strobe. I've shot professionally for years and in this type of scenario a flash would be highly recommended. Believe it or not, this is not a counterintuitive concept. This idea would cost a bit but what the heck. A sound trigger would also work. This would give you the starting point and you can regulate the amount of flash with exposure time. Check to make sure the memory card you are using is the fastest you can find. I'd do it on film but who knows what that is? OK, so this is the long answer. I wish I could go with you. It would be fun to set up a tin type camera filled with modern equipment and shoot the event. Have fun. Love to see your results!

 

[Prairie Dawg]

J-Bar:
It's not as heavy as you would think.
Rowdy Yates made it tapered.
And I took off the rammer to lighten it a bit.
They're fun.
When I come over to shoot with you guys (hopefully next year), I'll bring them
--Dawg