Photoshop vs Stroboscopic shooting

I'm a big fan of doing it right in camera. This is partially due to my lack of Photoshop skills, and also because I find it easier to reshoot a frame while I'm there instead of trying to coax Photoshop into doing what I want. There are exceptions however.

Angie graciously agreed to come out and do a few back handsprings on a TumbleTrak in the dark while being flashed 2 to 5 times a second. Props to her. I got disoriented just doing a diving shoulder roll.

Attempt #1
The TumbleTrak is pushed up against the wall of the gym. We originally wanted to move the TumbleTrak away from the wall, but were unable to because of the rest of the equipment in the gym. Eric, Chris and I tried our best to flag/snoot/grid the light off the wall and still keep it on Angie. The light color and close proximity of the wall proved to be too much for the stroboscopic shoot. Since there are multiple flashes, the little spill on the wall lights turns the "luminosity" down on Angie.




Attempt #2a
Chris and I went back for a second try, this time we ended up shooting on the older tumbling mat/track that is further from the wall. Angie now stands out better against the background, but since the floor mat is constantly being lit from the flashes, her feet/hands disappear near the ground. It's still a decent improvement over the first shot.



Attempt #2b
Borrowing Chris' 40D, we did a rattled off a few runs with multiple frames. Merging these together in Photoshop comes out with a decent shot. The floor doesn't get hit with the multiple pops, and is thus much darker.



Attempt #3
If we went back for #4, I would change the following:

• Don't flag the light from near the floor area
• Somehow move the TumbleTrak