Patent ID: 8705950

Claim:
A method for synchronizing a photographic lighting device to image acquisition by a camera, the method comprising: associating a photographic lighting device having a light emission profile with an initial critical point and a terminal critical point with the camera; detecting a predictor signal and/or event; determining an amount of time from the occurrence of the predictor signal and/or event until a desired time for the initiation of light emission of the photographic lighting device wherein the determining the amount of time includes utilization of a time value determined using a calibration that includes: initiating an image acquisition sequence; determining a start of movement of a second shutter blade; and using a shutter speed of the image acquisition, a shutter blade travel time for the camera, the time from the occurrence of the predictor signal and/or event to the start of movement of the second shutter blade to determine the time from the predictor signal and/or event to the stopping of movement of the first shutter blade; communicating to the photographic lighting device an instruction for the initiating light emission of the photographic lighting device at the desired time; and initiating light emission from the photographic lighting device prior to a first shutter blade of the camera stopping movement such that the initial critical point occurs at a point in time after about 1 millisecond before the first shutter blade moves to a position that no longer obstructs light to an imaging portion of a sensor of the camera.