580 ex

[swight]

I've been trying to learn how to use my 580 flash, here are 2 pics that were taken in the evening, so I had to use the flash indoors, I haven't ventured off P mode, I don't quite understand how to use M with it... but I'll research the forum for more help on that. Are these photos a good/bad result of using the flash, what are you cc?

[Curtis N]

I like the first one. I think the sheer fabric helped throw some diffuse light on the infant. Diapers are never flattering - call the wardrobe department.

The second shot has the harshness that's typical with direct flash. Notice the shadow under the child's hat. If you're indoors with a white ceiling, aiming the flash straight up will give you a more pleasing look. The 580EX is powerful enough to light up the whole room this way. Pulling out the little white plastic insert will give you some catchlights.

The short version of using flash indoors in "M" mode is -
1) Shutter speed won't affect flash illumination, you just need to keep it at 1/200 (flash sync speed) or slower.
2) Aperture and ISO will affect the distance range, but the flash unit (in E-TTL mode) will compensate for those settings and deliver the required power within that distance.

Try these settings for a start:
1/200 shutter
f/5.6
ISO 400
Flash head pointed straight up.
+2/3 FEC

Have fun experimenting!

[swight]

Thanks a lot! I forgot to mention I was using a lightsphere II, straight up, but I had an overhead dining roomlight on too, that cast most of the shadows, what lighting, if any?

[Curtis N]

The lightsphere II will throw some light at the ceiling and some of it will pass through the plastic and hit your subject (and everything else) directly. My guess is the hat shadow was from light coming through the LS2.

Overhead lights won't contribute anything significant to the exposure unless you have a combination of exposure settings (shutter, aperture and ISO) that allow it to. Since tungsten and fluorescent lights have a different color temperature than flash, I usually try to minimize their effect by using flash sync shutter speed and an aperture/ISO combination that will require most of the flash unit's power. If you take two shots using the settings I listed above - one with flash and one without, you'll probably get a pretty black picture without the flash. This proves that the ambient light is not affecting the image.