I finally got my kids to sit for a photo. It only took me 464 days.
My daughter Tori (left) is about the graduate grade 12 and my son Bailey is about to graduate grade 8. June is going to be busy....and expensive!
For Mother's Day I got a remote trigger for my flash and a light set which includes a small appollo softbox http://www.henrys.com/58871-WESTCOTT-MINI-APOLLO-KIT--2219.aspx and a super mini softbox for on camera. Had to take it back. Apparently it wasn't made for mounting a flash with a trigger attached to it! Even the lady at the store said it was stupid. Returned it and got the little mini one, a new tripod and a 16gb card.
I have lots of questions about flash now. This was taken with the flash off camera with the small softbox.
Quite a few of the shots turned out unfocused or overexposed. Shutter speed was too slow I tried to raise it but then I got a weird black band across the bottom. I'm thinking I need more ambient light? I know I'm being vague...but seeing as I don't really know what I'm doing wrong, it's hard to explain!
Anybody got any tips? or good links to share? how do you avoid reflection in glasses?
My only tip is that the black band was your shutter closing on the frame while the flash was firing....so they aren't synched up...I'm sure you've figured that out by now. But congrats to them and to you for surviving them! (I'm kidding about surviving btw)
I am not a flash expert but.....usually 1/200 is as fast as you can go with a flash.....this is relatively slow shutter speed so I think you need more light in the room....or to intensify the flash...maybe @agima has some ideas....sorry I'm not much help right now. :)
I think @shadesofgrey has got it right, not that I'm sure, I just notice more light is needed at slow shutter speeds It think this is a super portrait photo!
that's a beautiful portrait! you've got lovely kids :) can't answer any questions about light... i've stopped using my on camera flash and have yet to acquire an attachment flash or whatever it's called... but have fun learning how to play with the new toy!!!
What mode are you shooting in ? If you are using any manual modes, the camera does not take the flash into account. This can easily lead to overexposed photos. I suggest using M -mode in camera, ISO to minimum, f4.5 like in this pic is okay for portraits, and then set the shutter speed to reasonably fast (1/100 ish). Now, indoors withouth flash you'd get an almost totally dark picture. But, set the flash in "automatic" mode = E-TTL mode and it will compensate the lack of light. If you want to have some natural light also in the shot, just use longer shutter speed and the flash will then automatically reduce its' output and the overall exposure stays OK, the light just comes from a different place.
@shadesofgrey thanks for the mention. I think I should be able to help out. :)
Jani is spot on with the back bars. They are produced because your shutter speed is quicker than your flash. Some I think your camera will do up to 1/250 before you get the black bars.
I take it that you didnt get a Canon speedlite? and that your remote trigger doesn't handle ETTL?
Tips for glasses. Tilt them down. :) If you can not see the arms you can tilt them down so the reflection doesnt fall on the glass, or you can get your subject tilt their head down. NOTE: Watch out for the double chin. :)
If you go through my photos you will get heaps of example using strobes along with position and flash settings.
Another point is if using flash dont use AV mode as it will try and expose the background and hold the shutter open which will cause blur.
My normal/starting setting for this would be:
1/160
F9
ISO100
Power at around 1/16 for a speedlite at around 2 meters away from the subject
I know nothing about flash or details such as this although I am tempted to print this page so can read again when I have more time & can work it all out ...you can learn so much on this sight ! All I know that my camera works better without flash mostly.
Anyway your portrait looks wonderful to me & so good to see your lovely son & daughter...a really good photo of them both ! Portraits look better in b/w I think !!
@pwallis She's the one that's always telling me that. She's proclaimed that she's my unofficial manager and I'm curious as to what's going to happen with payment! Thanks for tagging Jani...never even though of that
@northy I got my flash for Christmas. I think I only used my on cam flash once and it was horrible. For "my brotherly cheese" series in Movember, I needed a flash so I rigged up some tin foil to bounce the flash off the ceiling. Didn't work too bad AND got the point across that Santa should bring a proper flash!
@shutterbugger huh...was just searching brotherly cheese in tags to show you ...and they're gone! Hid them in my other albums, which are gone now. Didn't renew my Ace. Might have to do that..I miss lots of the features!
I'm going to try and wrap my head around this this aft, but I just wanted to say thanks now. I have a Metz 44AF-1 flash (it doesn't work TTL when off camera) and a Cactus wireless flash transceiver. I can't remember what mode I was shooting in, I tried them all!
I'll mooch through both your albums and have a look. I might have more questions! @janmaki@agima
Well nice portrait and clearly a technical triumph. I don't have a flash and try and avoid it but I'm sure I'm missing out somewhere. Jani's advice sound excellent - I'll have to remember this is I ever get to play with one!
No TTL? No problem. Flash is about knowing your equipment i.e. don't be afraid to adjust and re-adjust your flash output. e.g. My approach would be camera in manual mode (f/8, 1/125s, iso100), and I'd start with flash power output at 1/8s...if underexposed, I'd adjust to 1/2s..otherwise, if overexposed, I'd adjust to 1/32s. Don't be afraid to take big steps with adjusting flash power (rather than 1/8 to 1/4, do 1/8 to 1s or 1/2s), the bigger the differences in your exposure, the better feel you'd get for control. You're the boss, take control of those babies!
exactly, what Jani and Brendan said, I got black bars for ages before I rea\lised Canon wants to shoot less than 200 with flash. you'll get there, it just takes practice and lots of batteries.
posted May 19th, 2012
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What mode are you shooting in ? If you are using any manual modes, the camera does not take the flash into account. This can easily lead to overexposed photos. I suggest using M -mode in camera, ISO to minimum, f4.5 like in this pic is okay for portraits, and then set the shutter speed to reasonably fast (1/100 ish). Now, indoors withouth flash you'd get an almost totally dark picture. But, set the flash in "automatic" mode = E-TTL mode and it will compensate the lack of light. If you want to have some natural light also in the shot, just use longer shutter speed and the flash will then automatically reduce its' output and the overall exposure stays OK, the light just comes from a different place.
If you are seeing black bars in the frame, that sounds like a sync issue. Very high shutter speeds (faster than 1/200 in Canon, typically) require the flash to be in Hi-speed mode (if it has one). You might want to take a look at this article : http://learningdslr.com/2010/10/dslr-shutters-flash-sync-speeds-and-the-second-curtain/
Jani is spot on with the back bars. They are produced because your shutter speed is quicker than your flash. Some I think your camera will do up to 1/250 before you get the black bars.
I take it that you didnt get a Canon speedlite? and that your remote trigger doesn't handle ETTL?
Tips for glasses. Tilt them down. :) If you can not see the arms you can tilt them down so the reflection doesnt fall on the glass, or you can get your subject tilt their head down. NOTE: Watch out for the double chin. :)
If you go through my photos you will get heaps of example using strobes along with position and flash settings.
Another point is if using flash dont use AV mode as it will try and expose the background and hold the shutter open which will cause blur.
My normal/starting setting for this would be:
1/160
F9
ISO100
Power at around 1/16 for a speedlite at around 2 meters away from the subject
To avoid reflection in glasses remove them first :D
Anyway your portrait looks wonderful to me & so good to see your lovely son & daughter...a really good photo of them both ! Portraits look better in b/w I think !!
I'll mooch through both your albums and have a look. I might have more questions! @janmaki @agima