Quick tip.
When using Pocketwizards to fire your flashes or speedlites (use Flashzebra cables for the latter if necessary), perhaps for pictures like this:
Evanna Mills, photo by Michael Willems
You get a choice of three settings: local, remote, or both.
Local means “when triggered, fire the device connected to the Pocketwizard”. “Remote” means “when triggered, use your radio transmitter to fire the remote devices that may be listening”. Both means both.
Tip: In any normal situation, set your device to remote on the camera, and to local on the others, that have a flash attached.
Why not just set them all to “both”?
- Many radio signals will be sent each time, leading to an increased chance of confusion.
- More power is spent this way too.
Yes, I know, radio all over can even make things more reliable. But in my opinion it is as likely to make things less reliable. And yes I know, radio does not use a lot of power and the PWs last forever on two AAs. But “forever” does not actually mean “forever”. The longer you make the batteries last, the better.
It’s one of those engineering things.
PS: in the menu on the right, you can sign up for email notifications every time I post – which is typically once, or sometimes twice, a day. Handy and recommended so you do not miss anything.
No flash fired
