Too Dark

[lippy113]

hi i took this picture earlier as we were out i havent had much experience with my flash can anyone help me please ? tell me what i am doing wrong ?
all the pictures i seem to take inside in low light always seem dark
Canon 30D
Sigma 24-70 F2.8 EX DG Macro
Speedlite 580 EX
all pictures have been hand held
100450

Shooting mode Auto
Av 4.0
tv 1/60
ISO 400
Focal length 24mm
W/B Auto

[AirBrontosaurus]

What metering mode were you usuing? Also, was the flash diffused? Bounced? Direct?

That looks like a pretty large area. I'm no flash expert, but I think it would take a heck of a flash to light up all the areas, including the ones at the back corner.

If you shot it in RAW, this shot might benefit from HDR.

[lippy113]

direst flash
partial metering
no diffusser

[lippy113]

same room 10 seconds earlier different settings have a look please... But taken with slower shutter speed but how can i guarantee they will always be like this ???? I WANT TO TRY AND ADVOID A TRIPOD OR IS THIS NOT POSSIBLE
SHOOTING MODE AV
TV 1/20
AV 2.8
ISO 400
Focal Length 34mm
W/B Auto
HOW CAN TWO PICTURES TAKEN SO CLOSE APART BOTH WITH FLASH BE SO DIFFERENT

100463

[AirBrontosaurus]

Well, your aperture in the second one was f/2.8 vs f/4 in the first one, which is 2 whole stops. Then, your shutterspeed went from 1/60th to 1/20th, which is 3 more stops. Basically, you let 5x as much light in the second one as you did in the first one.

Also, the first one used Av (aperture priority), which treats the flash as direct instead of fill, i think.

Also, when using a flash, shutterspeed will ONLY effect background exposure. So, since you used a higher aperture and shutterspeed in #1, the background exposure was cut 5 times, while the foreground exposure was kept realtively the same.

Try using the flash for fill instead of direct. That way, the camera will meter the subject, and the flash will compensate the background. You should also get much mroe even lighting that way.

[xepherys]

As AB mentioned, the five stops is a huige difference, but hand holding at 1/20 is dangerous. You'll not usually get quite as shar of images. Using a lower aperature will let in more light. If you can get a fast lens (like an f/1.8) it will aid in this type of shot quite a bit. For ideal pictures, I'd recommend a tripod (I know, you odn't want to use one, but in low light, it's best if it's an option), a very wide aperature and a good long exposure at ISO100. You'll get less grainy shots that are more stable and more true to the environment you're shooting. In fact, depending on the existing shadows, you may not need a flash at all for that type of shot.