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What meter are you using? That is, are you using the in-camera meter to measure the scene or are you using a flash meter to measure the output of your strobes? There aren't any 35mm format cameras, digital or film, that have an in-camera meter capable of metering proper flash exposure before-hand. They all meter ambient light and display a shutter/aperture combination for that amount of ambient light.
The way you determine proper flash exposure before-hand is to use a hand-held flash meter or use a simple mathematical formula that uses the guide number of your flash and the distance from the flash to your subject.
Cameras that have TTL metering measure the amount of light being received by a sensor in the camera. The camera quenches the connected flash when the sensor receives what it thinks is the proper amount of light. The camera may be fooled by subjects that are significantly brighter or darker than middle gray.
What follows applies to manually-controlled flashes and strobes, not TTL. TTL is a different beast.
A flash or strobe discharges its energy in the form of light in 1/300th. to 1/10,000th. of a second (depending on the manufacturer and power setting). Since this burst of light happens much faster than your shutter speed, the correct exposure is determined by what aperture you use. You use a hand-held flash meter to measure the amount of light emitted by your strobes.
For example, say you set up your lights in the studio, take a meter reading, and it reads f/8.0. By and large it won't matter whether your shutter is set to 1/15th. of a second or 1/125th. of a second. The exposure is determined by the quantity of light coming out of your strobes. If you want a lower f-stop, reduce the power of your lights. If you want a higher f-stop, increase the power of your lights. Only when you start using strobes outside in the sunlight will your shutter speed come into play.
Hope this answered at least some of your questions.
-Chip
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ya i guess i should have specified.
will be using my handheld minolta, with the sb800 nikon flash(es) -if i decide to buy a couple more-.
TTL metering ill seems to be a bit easier to learn for now anyway.
But your explanation helped a bit chip, not to say a little, but, I'm trying to digest it. Like i said, i tend to confuse myself about the issue. lol
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