Need advice Pls!

[havoc]

Okay, im no pro! Last night i tried taking some "studio/indoor" pics of some of my snakes on a black background (black shirt). I have a 350D and a 430EX flash at this point. Now i normally use the Av setting on my camera, but this time wanted to try the Tv setting to hopefully achieve crisper shots with a fast shutter speed.

With this mode all the pics were just way too dark! Now im obviously doing sumin wrong but everything i tried at the time just wasnt working ... So i resorted back to using the Av setting.

I know i would need alot more light to help with the Tv setting, (was trying a shutter speed of 200/250 i think) but is a direct flash not enough? Do i need studio lighting? I mean what else do i need to do to achieve crisp shots when using the Tv mode... Is the Tv mode good to use? Bare in mind that snakes often do not keep still at all, so blur is a pain! But I see so many awsome shots of snakes taken in doors that just truely inspire ... and frustrate at the same time.

Any advice ???

Here's a link to a good photographer's website that takes amazing shots of spiders and snakes! Spend the time and have a look at his gallery. I know he uses studio lighting but at this point, i dont have!

http://www.savagedigital.com/myalbum/

And here's some of the pics that I took, using the Av setting on my camera ...

Thanks for your time, any advice would be deeply appreciated!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/HAVOC303/Reptiles/hypo-motley2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/HAVOC303/Reptiles/hypo-motley.jpg

[havoc]

I know the pics above dont look that bad (i think anyway), but bare in mind that they've been resized ...

Im also having an issue with depth of field aswell ... Am i correct in saying that the only thing that rectifies this is more light ?

And any ideas on what black material to use when taking pics like this?
I figured black material would be better than black plastic or melamine as it doesnt really reflect the light, but im still not really happy with the black shirt, i had to edit out alot of it in the above pics. Any ideas ?

Thanks again!

[PhotosGuy]

I'd like the 1st shot IF you'd focused on the eyes?
What's "crisp"? Everything sharp? Or the most important thing sharp?
See if this sheds some light on using M settings:
Virtual Camera
http://www.photonhead.com/simcam/

With this mode all the pics were just way too dark! Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123) but is a direct flash not enough? Do i need studio lighting? Two flashes are plenty. You just need to learn how to use them.
FAQ - Studio Lighting (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66140)

[overclock]

Try using bubble wrap as a diffuser for the flash. Sounds funny doesn't it. Check it out here... (http://home.comcast.net/~dougsmit/bounceflashtoys.html)
I even went as far as to put a 3x5 index card inside the bubble wrap on the back of the flash to direct more light to the subject. Works great.

[havoc]

Thanks those are some interesting links ... I'll keep practicing.

[havoc]

Yes Photosguy by crisp i meant sharp, and not blurry. I tried to focus on the eyes, had the lens on auto focus and it was just kinda just "point and shoot" from there, while playing around with reflecting and bouncing the flash. Maybe i didnt use the right lens ...

[queenbee288]

Try using a bright lamp shining on the subject instead of the flash. Take the shots when the snake is quiet and not moving around. Stop the lens down to get good depth of field. Manual focus.

[Vortex99]

Try using bubble wrap as a diffuser for the flash. Sounds funny doesn't it. Check it out here... (http://home.comcast.net/%7Edougsmit/bounceflashtoys.html)
I even went as far as to put a 3x5 index card inside the bubble wrap on the back of the flash to direct more light to the subject. Works great.

Thanks for the link need to paly around with some of those ideas.