Playing with fill flash

[Dace]

I was practicing using fill yesterday and here are the outcomes.....input much appreciated!

First one: No flash
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/Dacec2/Practiceshots008.jpg


Second one with flash: Her eyes perked up but does it look natural or is the flash too obvious?

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/Dacec2/Practiceshots010.jpg


Third shot, clearly too much flash (I was too close) any tips to avoid this?

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/Dacec2/Practiceshots011.jpg

I am really trying to learn how to use flash properly!

[Reefbone]

I personally think the first one, sans flash, is the best. Fill flash is very useful but I think in this setting, it wasn't needed. There just aren't shadows here that needed filling.

The third is obviously over flashed but even second photo the flash is still hot. Your getting a flash shadow of her chin on the neck. I like the way the flash illuminates the tree trunk in #2 but maybe -1/4 or -1/2 FEC would have been better.

As far as your last question, use - FEC (Flash Exsposure Compensation) to lower flash power. If your not sure how, it might be time to break out the manual.

[Dace]

Reefbone...thanks for your input. I thought I needed the flash to brighten up her eyes.
I appreciate your comments and I am off to look up Flash Exsposure Compensation!:D

[Reefbone]

Reefbone...thanks for your input. I thought I needed the flash to brighten up her eyes.
I appreciate your comments and I am off to look up Flash Exsposure Compensation!:D

The flash could put a little sparkle in the eye (called catchlight). If thats what your going for then I would think you could really lower the flash output using the FEC. Fill flash is for bringing up the exposure of the subject so that the background (ambient light) and the subject (flash light) are more in balence. Of course for filling shadows caused by harsh sun.

In this post (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=321379) the OP states the day was perfect... yet the day was overcast? It was perfect because he had alot of light, but no shadows caused by glaring sun. Your subject seems to be covered by an arbor or the tree itself. Lots of light but not direct which is a good situation.

BTW I think the pictures are good (pretty child as well) ... I'm just trying to respond to your flash questions.

What camera are you using? Built in flash or 580/480 ?

[Titus213]

The fill looks pretty good - but you've really got to get out of program mode. What flash are you using? Was it in ETTL mode? You could probably afford to drop your ISO to 100 also.

[Dace]

Reefbone, I appreciate the clarification on correct terminology. I am very new and eager to learn this forum has really been valuable!

I did look at the thread that you noted and I agree it was probably an overcast day as the lighting is terrific. and yes, my little one was in the shade of the tree itself.

I am using a Canon Rebel XT with the built in flash.

I read up on FEC, but my little model needed lunch before she was willing to put on her happy face....so I am waiting:rolleyes: .

Titus....which mode do you recommend? What is ETTL mode? Sorry, you really have to speak to me like I am a child. :D I will drop the ISO when I convince her that she is ready to pose again and see how that turns out.
Again...thank you!

[Dace]

Here we are with another go at it.

First with FEC down 1/3

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/Dacec2/Practiceshots020.jpg


Second down by 2/3

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/Dacec2/Practiceshots023.jpg


The first is still a little funky along her chin line but I was closer in that shot too, so that did not help. Is this better though?

[Reefbone]

I think people here mostly use M, AV and TV. I personally forgot the camera had other modes. When I first got the camera I would put it in full auto just to see what the camera thought was ideal. Then adjust for for what I wanted in other modes. Don't get me wrong... I still take alot of poor photos. I know the theories.. it's the practice and awareness I have a problem with.

The manual is going to be your friend as you study up on the various modes. Must read includes the "Flash Bible" links that are stickies in the "Small Flash and Studio" forum.

[song4themoon]

The second shot looks great, the fill flash works there, in the last one it looks like the flash bounced off the tree and back in her face and thats why its too much

[zacker]

they look good, to me, the thing thats killing the shots is the flat lighting from the flash bieng straight on your subject...shadows in all the wrong places and such... you shold try an off shoe cord at the least and try to hold the flash at a 45 degrees to the subject or hold it high and point it down..try to hide the shadows out of frame... try a better bounce card too, it might help with reducing the light enough to quell the shadows. good job all in all, its not your fault.......... its the flash being in the hot shoe!

[Titus213]

...

Titus....which mode do you recommend? What is ETTL mode? Sorry, you really have to speak to me like I am a child. :D I will drop the ISO when I convince her that she is ready to pose again and see how that turns out.
Again...thank you!

I use M mode for flash - meter the background light (ambient light), set my exposure probably a bit under that, then adjust the flash with flash exposure compensation.

ETTL is the flash system Canon uses - Evaluative Through The Lens. The flash will fire a short pre-flash that the camera uses to make its final settings. It's obviously happening very quickly.

Your flash images aren't looking too bad at all.

[Eric DeCastro]

are you metereing the ambient light before you shoot?

[Dace]

Thanks for all the informative feedback, it is truly appreciated :)

I will look for the Flash Bible, thanks for the suggestion.

Eric....I am not metering at all. A bit embarrassed to admit that I really am not sure how :o I need to do a bit of reading LOL....any simple explanations or a link to a tutorial would be welcome!

Every time I think that I have have begun to understand one theory or technique I quickly realize that there are about a million more that I am clueless on!

[Reefbone]

I will look for the Flash Bible, thanks for the suggestion.


Looks like the - FEC really worked for you. Nice pics.

The "Small Frash and Studio Lighting" forum has alot of great info. There is a link for the Flash Bible in this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138907). The afore mentioned thread is a sticky on that forum.

[JMHPhotography]

The second one of the second series looks about right. The first one shows a little too much shadow under the chin which tells me the flash was a little brighter than the ambient light.

How you know you're only filling with your flash? The shadows from the ambient lighting are still present... just not as dark and contrasty, and any shadow from the flash should not be darker than the shadows from the ambient light.

[Curtis N]

Fill flash is used for different purposes in different situations. In this case, you have a shaded subject and a sunlit background. (By the way, getting her out of the sun was a good thing!) Without flash, you are faced with overexposing the background to properly expose your subject, which is what I see in the first shot. She is very nicely lit but the background is too bright.

I like the second shot in the first series.

Properly exposing the background is one of the keys to success. If you just aim at your daughter and shoot, the camera sees the shaded subject filling most of the frame and will expose the ambient accordingly. The sunlit background will be overexposed. But if you meter on the background first, then recompose and shoot, you'll get a more pleasing background exposure and the flash will do the rest.

There are several ways to do this metering. You can use manual mode, set the shutter speed at 1/200 and adjust the aperture to center the needle. Or you can use Tv mode at 1/200, aim at the background and half-press the shutter button to lock the exposure. Normally I like Manual mode in these situations but that's an "ease of use" opinion with no single right answer. The important thing is to set the shutter speed at 1/200 because that's the fastest shutter speed your camera can use with flash.

It's good that you were shooting from a fairly short distance. The built-in flash doesn't have a lot of range in these conditions.

[Reefbone]

Fill flash is used ......


Nice new title. I think "King Measurebator" was a little more complementary though. :D

[adam75south]

you'll get ALOT more pleasing results a couple hours before sundown. put her in the sun and then use your flash at about -2 FEC..put the camera on M and play with the aperture and shutter speed until you even up the little slider thing that goes left and right til the exposure is right on the 0(this is what they mean by "meter"). personally, i use spot meter, but if you don't have it, use the smallest spot you can get which i think is partial. meter on a bright part of her face.

fill flash for what you're wanting it to do is meant to soften/even the light..but since she's already in a shadow, the light is already soft.

[Dace]

Curtis...thank you for the informative post. I noticed when taking the shots that the sky in the BG was going to be an issue so I rearranged to have the foliage behind her and that works much better. I will play around with the settings you suggested that I try.

Adam75...thank for your thoughts. I know that I probably did not need the flash but I wanted some catch light in her eyes. I will try your suggestion at sunset.

[Hellashot]

I personally think the first one, sans flash, is the best. Fill flash is very useful but I think in this setting, it wasn't needed. There just aren't shadows here that needed filling.


You probably think #1 is best because the girl's facial expression is the best - natural. The lighting is better in # 2 though her expression is rather forced. I would like to see the lighting on #2 with the expression from #1. :)

[Cleo199]

Every time I think that I have have begun to understand one theory or technique I quickly realize that there are about a million more that I am clueless on!

Welcome to my world. Google has become my best friend. LOL When I find someone here using a terminology I'm not familiar with, I google it. I'm still not 100% sure what "I took this shot wide open" means, nor am I sure what a "100% crop" is. But I'm too embarrassed to ask, and I've yet to find any info when I Google........... [hint hint]

:lol:

Oh, and by the way, I love the 4th picture best. She's a very pretty little girl!

[Curtis N]

I'm still not 100% sure what "I took this shot wide open" means, nor am I sure what a "100% crop" is. But I'm too embarrassed to ask, and I've yet to find any info when I Google........... [hint hint]Wide open means using the lens at its maximum aperture (lowest f/ number).

A 100% crop is a small piece of an image that is not resized (100% magnification) - Used to show a small detail in an image and make it fit within posting size limits.

[Cleo199]

Thank you Curtis!

[nvrl8]

Dace, I love you!! Just kidding. I just think it's wonderful that you were humble enough to post the questions that you did here. I know it's a little embarrassing at times to admit that you don't know one thing or another, but for every one person who has the balls to ask, there's forty others that don't and want the answers. So I'll say thank you on behalf of those forty people who have now bookmarked this post. Keep asking and learning...and I will too!!