Questions for all you wedding photogs...

[OdiN1701]

What settings do you guys usually use? Do you use Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority? I tend to use either Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority during fast paced stuff like the ceremony.

I've been doing some test shots on location (just assisting another guy) and I'm not getting the results that I want.

I have a problem with lighting...when shooting indoors I'm not getting enough light in some cases. With a 580EX flash, ISO at 800 I can't seem to get enough light in dimmer indoor settings at hand-holdable shutter speeds.

Anyway...just looking for tips and tricks if you all would share.

[tim]

I'm new to weddings, but for all my photography I shoot on Av as my main mode, usuall with fill flash at FEC-1 or so. I switch to manual sometimes for difficult shots, and ballance the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed to get a good background exposure as well as a good foreground shot.

I have a problem with lighting...when shooting indoors I'm not getting enough light in some cases. With a 580EX flash, ISO at 800 I can't seem to get enough light in dimmer indoor settings at hand-holdable shutter speeds.

What mode are you shooting in? Can you show us an example? Shutter speeds generally aren't an issue when you're using a flash, though it will make a bit of difference if you want to catch a background, or in some other circumstances I can explain if I need to.

[Wilt]

I tend to shoot with camera in Manual, and let the flash do its own thing.

My understanding is that Av causes the flash to do its own thing but also let the camera set the shutter speed for fill exposure, resulting in very long shutter speeds if ambient light is really low. This behavior is affected by the Custom Setting for flash shutter speed, always Fixed on 1/250 vs. in Auto mode. Try an experiment tonight a see for yourself!

[subtle_spectre]

I never have good results in the auto modes...I get ghosting and blur. I isue aperture mode with the custom function set so that the shutter speed is always 1/250 and let the flash adjust accordingly. I try to keep my shots in a comfort zone of 10-25 feet and use FEC to tweak as necessary.

My best strategy is using fast lenses in available light.:D

[Wilt]

>>I never have good results in the auto modes...I get ghosting and blur<<

I have done some initial testing and find that Canon ETTL flash results are just too complex for most people to be able to predict the result consistently. That is why I have dragged my feet on buying a Canon external flash unit, but mount my reliable Metz flash which is rock solid predictable in the outcome.

I am hoping that continued testing will reveal some pattern which I can internalize so that I can predict the outcome with Canon flash, whether its the in-camera unit on my 20D or something like the 580EX. But judging from preponderance of unsatisfactory results reported over a very long period of time, I think that the Canon flashes were engineered by someone unpredictable!

[tim]

I find ETTL2 to be ok, so long as you understand FEC. It has big trouble with bright light sources or reflections, in which case you're pretty much out of luck. You could stick the flash on manual if you can work out guide numbers in your head, or perhaps zoom in and FEL on a face or mid shaded object.

[subtle_spectre]

>>I never have good results in the auto modes...I get ghosting and blur<<

I have done some initial testing and find that Canon ETTL flash results are just too complex for most people to be able to predict the result consistently. That is why I have dragged my feet on buying a Canon external flash unit, but mount my reliable Metz flash which is rock solid predictable in the outcome.

I am hoping that continued testing will reveal some pattern which I can internalize so that I can predict the outcome with Canon flash, whether its the in-camera unit on my 20D or something like the 580EX. But judging from preponderance of unsatisfactory results reported over a very long period of time, I think that the Canon flashes were engineered by someone unpredictable!

Well, it's good to see at least one other person question the 580EX and 20D combo. FRankly, even the manuals are. at best, of scant information. Everybody always says, "Get a 580EX or some variant, slap it on the EOS and away you go." Never works that way for me...which really makes me mad because I had in mind a straightforward Metz flash-gun but about 100 forum posters talked me into the 580EX...then you have to get the fancy off-shoe adapter...then the fancy Stroboframe, which is flimsy as hell and got sold on eBay...then a better custom bracket...then a diffuser...

But hey...I look good with all that gear!:rolleyes:

[Ronald S. Jr.]

custom bracket...YESSSS!! good to see someone else with some sense!! :-D I use the QRS-35-EV. People wonder why after they pay "a whole 40 bucks" for a bracket, why it gets crap results and ends up breaking. In that case, you got what you paid for. Yeah, custom brackets are expensive as hell, but they're worth every penny. Built rock solid, and really does the trick. Although, mine ended up costing about $350. Some people just can't justify that kind of money no matter how good the results. All I have to say is...PSH.


You know...I've seen that Lightsphere PJ in action, and it made me want one. Mine will be on the way soon.

[subtle_spectre]

custom bracket...YESSSS!! good to see someone else with some sense!! :-D I use the QRS-35-EV.

I didn't go that far...I was so disgusted with the $70.00 Stroboframe I went to the local camera store, which I detest, to see what else was available. I was just going to get a $15.00 to-the-side handle of yester-year when I saw the CB-Digital T for $45.00. The thing is a tank and 10x the bracket of the stroboframe and a heck of a lot less complicated. Got the anti-twist plate for it and still ahead of the stroboframe. http://www.custombrackets.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=111

Back to the thread, though, if you use the 580EX on auto mode, you are shooting at 1/60th. Every single shot I have taken with either the 20D or XT using any lens shorter than my 70-200, has had ghosting or blur. Change to AV with the custom function set to 250th..bingo. I suppose I could use TV mode, as well, above, say, 125th, which is where my 24-70 starts to be solid. It's vexing...

[pcasciola]

Here is a link directly into the FAQ that Scott Berger put together, which is a very important read for how the different modes operate with regards to the flash. The most important part is that the camera meters for the background and the flash is only used for fill in Av/Tv, so without the forced 1/250 sync you will usually get very slow shutter speeds. This is why I use M mode 90% of the time when using a flash, even though I rarely use M mode when I am not using the flash.

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/index2.html#confusion

[OdiN1701]

I'm new to weddings, but for all my photography I shoot on Av as my main mode, usuall with fill flash at FEC-1 or so. I switch to manual sometimes for difficult shots, and ballance the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed to get a good background exposure as well as a good foreground shot.



What mode are you shooting in? Can you show us an example? Shutter speeds generally aren't an issue when you're using a flash, though it will make a bit of difference if you want to catch a background, or in some other circumstances I can explain if I need to.

Thanks for all the info guys.

First...no I don't have an example off hand, but when using Av mode I tend to get a little motion blur due to slower shutter speeds the camera selects - either because of camera shake or the people walking.

With Tv mode I can't always get the DOF quite how I want it, with obvious reason as why.

Maybe I'm just confused how the light meter on my camera works with the flash attached. Can someone explain how it relates to flash or does the flash just take care of exposure itself and I don't have to worry about that? In other words...can I set the camera to M mode and the aperture to what I want...usually around 5.6 is what I am using for during the ceremony for shots of people coming down the aisle, shots of the B&G on stage (which I use a tripod for). Then I can adjust the shutter speed from like...1/125 or so to 1/250, and if there is too much or too little light, adjust the ISO and the flash will just take care of itself?

I'm just starting out into portraiture, etc....I have always done mostly landscape stuff which usually requires no flash at all save for some macro stuff like flowers and such. Just trying to process everything and understand how it all works so that I can better my skills and take better shots.

Right now, getting good wedding shots can be a bit frustrating for me, adding to the stress that is already present. I want to get so I will not have that on top of the normal stress and time constraints....will make things so much easier on me. I have friends who want me to do their weddings and I just want to get to where I'm comfortable to say yes and know that I will get good photos for them.

I guess I probably just need to really work on flash exposure etc.

Oh..how do I enable FP mode on my 20D? Do you think that would help with people who are walking down the aisle?

Thanks again for the info, really appreciate it. So much to learn :)

[robertwgross]

Oh..how do I enable FP mode on my 20D?


The 20D, with its built-in flash, cannot do it.

High speed sync mode can be set on an external -EX flash, and then the camera's shutter can be set faster.


Do you think that would help with people who are walking down the aisle?


No.

Subject motion is not going to be frozen by 1/250th so much as it is frozen by the extremely fast pulse of the flash, which is more like 1/10,000th.

---Bob Gross---

[OdiN1701]

The 20D, with its built-in flash, cannot do it.

High speed sync mode can be set on an external -EX flash, and then the camera's shutter can be set faster.



No.

Subject motion is not going to be frozen by 1/250th so much as it is frozen by the extremely fast pulse of the flash, which is more like 1/10,000th.

---Bob Gross---

Well... 1/250th should freeze subject motion, so FP would just improve on the overall lighting of the shot compared to just a single flash?

[Jon]

Actually, no. Whether you use a flash in FP-sync (high speed) or X-sync, its lighting impact will be governed by its placement. The only thing using FP-sync will get you is possible reduction in ambient light, but that'll be accompanied by a reduction in flash output as FP sync GNs are less than X-sync GNs.