How I use the MT-24EX

Flash Head Position
Originally uploaded by Dalantech.

Due to the number of questions I’ve received lately I feel the need to do a step by step guide on how I set up and use the MT-24EX. But before I dive in there are a few things that you need to understand…

I’ve spent the last six months or so experimenting with the MT-24EX and looking for a way to get the light I want from a flash that, out of the box, is really harsh. I started by learning how a flash works by reading the HiViz web site and reading the tutorials at Strobist. There is a huge difference between getting good results with a flash and understanding how you’re getting the light that you’re seeing in your images. If you’re not willing to invest a little time to read those two sites then, IMHO, you should stop reading this post now. Odds are I’m going to confuse you in the long run because you’re not going to understand what you’re doing –and you’re not going to understand why the things that I do work…

The last disclaimer before we get into the nuts and blots of things: I am not now, now will I ever be, the last word on any photographic discipline. There are a lot of ways to get from point A to point B and I’m only giving you one of them –my way. Take what you read here and elsewhere and experiment. Make your photography look like it’s coming from you and not me –otherwise you will always be walking in my shadow…

Let’s get started by going over what I’ve learned about ratio control on the MT-24EX.

The light that the MT-24EX produces is harsh. Enabling ratio control just makes one flash head a lot harsher that the other –but the light is still harsh.

You do not need ratio control to get good shadows, so turn it off. The only time you should have ratio control enabled is if the flash heads are 180 degrees apart on the flash mount and even then if you have the heads angled differently you still don’t need ratio control. If you do feel the need to use ratio control then don’t set it higher than two to one –and keep in mind that I do not use it…

You can get really good shadows and images that look three dimensional just by placing the flash heads as close together as possible at the top of the flash mount. The image included with this post is how I have my flash heads positioned on the ring for 90% of the images that I take. The other 10% varies with the scene that I’m shooting, like if I’m trying to keep the flash heads from being blocked by leaves or other obstacles. It helps if you can visualize in your head how the light is going to hit the subject and then adjust the position of the flash heads on the ring. This next image is a prime example –there were flower petals close to the bee’s face and I had to play with the positioning of the heads to get the light from both of them into the scene. If you look at the reflection in the eye you can see where the flash heads were pointing.



I usually have one flash head at the very top center of the lens and the other flash head is off to the side. Which flash head is at the top or on the side depends on the subject. If the critter is facing to my left I turn the flash mount so that one flash head is to my left and the other is on top, and if facing to the right I turn the mount so that one flash head is on my right and the other is on top. It doesn’t always work though. This shot of a bee is good example since the bee has its face buried in a flower. Placing one of the flash heads to the right would cause the bee’s face to fall into a shadow from the flower. Again look at the eyes to see where I have the flash heads positioned –they are both toward the top of the lens.



The angle of the individual flash heads can also make a big difference. I usually keep them both pointed directly at the subject and at the same angle. If I’m getting some glare that I don’t like and I have time to correct it then I’ll angle the flash head that’s causing problems either toward the lens or toward the subject –it depends on the scene. Also the magnification that I have the MPE-65 set to determines how I have the flash heads angled, and it’s kinda tough to show it in a photo so I’m going to do my best to explain it.

If you own the MT-24EX then you know that the flash heads make a clicking sound when you move them up and down. So as a starting point push the flash heads all the way down so that they are pointing toward the lens. For life size bring both flash heads up two clicks. For twice life size and higher magnification bring both flash heads up one click. My method of angling the flash heads at the various magnifications keeps them pointed directly at the subject, and it keeps the flash duration short. In some situations you might what to change the angle to eliminate bad reflections, but the angle that I set the flash heads to works most of the time.

You can also turn the flash heads from side to side, and you might want to depending on the subject and if you’re getting a bad reflection. But I rarely turn the flash heads.

Because the light from the MT-24EX is so harsh the key to getting the quality of light that I want from it has been to get the flash heads pointed right at the subject, get them as close to the subject as possible, and to diffuse them. The end result is that people are starting to think that my images are taken in natural light and that tells me that I’m on the right track. My goal when I started experimenting six months ago was to get flash photos that didn’t look like flash photos. But keep in mind that I’m still learning, still experimenting, and that you should do the same…

I’ll end this post with a shot that I took toward the end of last summer when I was working on reducing reflections –something that got me to think more about how the light was hitting the subject.