Photographic Synchronization Optimization System and Method

Abstract

A system and method for synchronizing a photographic lighting device to image acquisition by a camera using light emission profile information to position a light emission profile at a desired location in an image acquisition window. A light energy balance point of a light emission profile can be used to position the balance point at a desired location in an image acquisition window.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of synchronizing a photographic lighting device to image acquisition by a camera, the camera generating one or more detectible signals and/or events between a first time at which the camera is triggered to start an image acquisition sequence and a second time at which the camera begins capture of an image from light incident upon an imaging sensor of the camera for the image acquisition sequence, the image acquisition sequence being at a first shutter speed setting of the camera, the photographic lighting device having a flash emission profile, the method comprising:
 receiving a user offset value from a user input interface, the user input interface being at least one of an interface of the camera and an interface of a wireless synchronizer located external to the camera, the user offset value relating to an offset of a position of the flash emission profile of the photographic lighting device within an image acquisition window for the image acquisition;   based on the occurrence of a first camera signal and/or event occurring between the first and second times, wirelessly communicating a wireless signal from the camera to the photographic lighting device, the first camera signal and/or event not being a signal or event intended by the camera for instructing the initiation of an X-sync lighting emission at the standard X-sync time for the camera; and   based on the first camera signal and/or event, the wireless signal, the first shutter speed setting, and flash emission profile information for the photographic lighting device stored in a memory of at least one of the camera and the wireless synchronizer, initiating light emission of the photographic lighting device at a third time after the occurrence of the first camera signal and/or event, the third time not being a time at which the camera is configured to provide an X-sync or an FP-sync light emission.   
     
     
         2 . A system for wirelessly synchronizing a photographic lighting device to an image acquisition by a camera, the camera generating one or more detectible signals and/or events between a first time at which the camera is triggered to start an image acquisition sequence and a second time at which the camera begins capture of an image from light incident upon an imaging sensor of the camera for the image acquisition sequence, the image acquisition sequence being at a first shutter speed setting of the camera, the photographic lighting device having a flash emission profile, the system comprising:
 one or more processing elements;   a wireless communications circuitry;   a user input interface for receiving a user offset value, the user offset value relating to an offset of a position of the flash emission profile of the photographic lighting device within an image acquisition window of the image acquisition; and   one or more memory elements, said one or more memory elements configured with information for instructing the one or more processing elements to:
 wirelessly communicate with the wireless communication circuitry a wireless signal from the camera to the photographic lighting device, the wirelessly communicating of the wireless signal based on the occurrence of a first camera signal and/or event occurring between the first and second times, the first camera signal and/or event not being a signal or event intended by the camera for instructing the initiation of an X-sync lighting emission at the standard X-sync time for the camera; and 
 based on the first camera signal and/or event, the wireless signal, the first shutter speed setting, and flash emission profile information for the photographic lighting device stored in a memory of at least one of the camera and the wireless synchronizer, initiating light emission of the photographic lighting device at a third time after the occurrence of the first camera signal and/or event, the third time not being a time at which the camera is configured to provide an X-sync or an FP-sync light emission.