I need advice on indoor flash combined with natural light

[farkashon]

I had problems setting up an indoor shot of friends, in a house with big windows. It was early morning, and there was warm natural sunlight inside, but not enough for a nicely lit photograph.
I tried to use the existing natural light and enhance it with my 430EX, but I couldn't combine the two successfuly. The flash was too dominant even at 1/16. It casted a harsh shadow and it's white color didn't go well with the warm natural light.
Could you give me some advice on how to approach such shots, and make the natural and flash lighting work well together?

[swimchic]

The best way (I've found) is to bounce your flash - if it's warm light coming through the window- bounce the flash with a warm reflector- you can pick one up very cheap - and most are double sided with a cool refelctor as well, so it really comes in handy.

[Curtis N]

The flash was too dominant even at 1/16.If you're using E-TTL flash, the flash metering will compensate for your aperture. So by stopping down to f/16 you were actually reducing the ambient exposure while the flash threw more light into the scene to expose it properly.

So the thing to do when combining ambient with flash is to meter for the ambient first. If you meter the ambient at -1 stop, then the flash will do the rest of the work and you'll have half ambient and half flash. After you meter the ambient light, then adjust FEC to get the flash exposure to your liking.

A 1/4 CTO or 1/2 CTO gel on the flash will get you closer to a consistent color temperature in the early morning or late afternoon.

[PacAce]

If you're using E-TTL flash, the flash metering will compensate for your aperture. So by stopping down to f/16 you were actually reducing the ambient exposure while the flash threw more light into the scene to expose it properly.

So the thing to do when combining ambient with flash is to meter for the ambient first. If you meter the ambient at -1 stop, then the flash will do the rest of the work and you'll have half ambient and half flash. After you meter the ambient light, then adjust FEC to get the flash exposure to your liking.

A 1/4 CTO or 1/2 CTO gel on the flash will get you closer to a consistent color temperature in the early morning or late afternoon.
Curtis, I think you missed that fact that the OP was using the flash in manual mode set to 1/16 power. He wasn't using an aperture of f/16.

But, at any rate, your advice is still a very good one. Setting the flash to ETTL mode instead of manual mode would let the camera control the amount of flash lighting required which can then be further reduced via minus FEC adjustment.

[Curtis N]

the OP was using the flash in manual mode set to 1/16 power. He wasn't using an aperture of f/16.So much for that Evelyn Wood speed reading course. Skimming doesn't always work. :oops:

Sorry for the confusion.

[PacAce]

So much for that Evelyn Wood speed reading course. Skimming doesn't always work. :oops:

Sorry for the confusion.

Speed reading? Yeah, I do that, too, half the time. The other half the time, I forget to put on my $2.00 reading glasses. :lol:

[canonpink]

I had this scenario almost exactly at an on-site portrait shoot recently, except I knew that my flashes would be the main light.

I had a large group (14 + people) and I had two flashes with one at full power aimed at the ceiling to camera left and another flash at camera right set on 1/2 power. I found in the initial test shots that the flash on 1/2 power was doing its job by allowing a bit of the camera right sides of the faces bit a tad darker and provide a nice shadowing effect (maybe only a 1/2 stop difference).

What was interesting was that since my shutter speed was 1/200, there was absolute no ambient light registering from the window (it was around 1pm for the shoot and a very sunny day, so plenty of white light was coming through). This being the case, the people closes to the window (and that was also the side where I had the flash on 1/2 power), appeared too dark for a pretty evenly lit photo; they were simply and noticeably too dark. I dropped the shutter to 1/60 and Voila! I got a bit of fill from the window that worked perfectly.

Your situation is a bit reversed, but I agree that bounced flash is the way to get that broad soft light that will mimic the sunlight you had pouring through the windows. My only suggestion on matching flash to the window light when it is so orange is to gel the flash with an orangeish gel.

[Titus213]

ETTL may not be the perfect solution but it could be far ahead of manual mode in this case. Use ETTL and adjust with FEC and ISO if necessary to get the impact you want.

[canonpink]

ETTL may not be the perfect solution but it could be far ahead of manual mode in this case. Use ETTL and adjust with FEC and ISO if necessary to get the impact you want.

Not sure I agree here.

[ust82gopher]

Curtis/Robert/Leo have all helped me a bunch with flash. I think this might be an example of the situation you described. It was taken just this Sunday.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m184/ust82gopher/Maria2ndB-dayIMG_2540.jpg

5D with 24-105 MM lens, f/8.0 at 1/200 with Flash in E-TTL -2/3rd

Thought it turned out just fine - can see the faces pretty well and the background is not blown out.

Hope this helps.

Tim

[Titus213]

Not sure I agree here.

What do you not agree with?

[JustinL]

http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/2-flash-ambient-light/

[canonpink]

What do you not agree with?

Well, it simply seems that his case is more of an environment where he can set up the shot and take test shots. This is a perfect environment for manual flash where once you are set, you are set and can forget about something changing the metering for Ettl to mess up things. I simply think that Ettl is more for dynamic situations (i.e. weddings, pj work).

Do you agree?

[canonpink]

Curtis/Robert/Leo have all helped me a bunch with flash. I think this might be an example of the situation you described. It was taken just this Sunday.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m184/ust82gopher/Maria2ndB-dayIMG_2540.jpg

5D with 24-105 MM lens, f/8.0 at 1/200 with Flash in E-TTL -2/3rd

Thought it turned out just fine - can see the faces pretty well and the background is not blown out.

Hope this helps.

Tim

Did you bounce the flash on the ceiling, or shoot it straight into the folks?

[Titus213]

Well, it simply seems that his case is more of an environment where he can set up the shot and take test shots. This is a perfect environment for manual flash where once you are set, you are set and can forget about something changing the metering for Ettl to mess up things. I simply think that Ettl is more for dynamic situations (i.e. weddings, pj work).

Do you agree?

Perhaps you are correct but...without a meter this could turn into a marathon of shoot and chimp. I would have put the camera in M, the flash in ETTL with -1 FEC, metered the window light with the camera, fired. Generally the flash takes very good care of these situations.

BTW - Tim's shot is blown. The sky out the window is white, no detail left at all. People look terrific.

[ust82gopher]

Did you bounce the flash on the ceiling, or shoot it straight into the folks?

Shot straight on.

Tim

[Derbyshire Weddings]

Set the camera on manual & meter for the ambient light-IE -point it at the outside ambient light & adjust speed or aperture till camera is set to expose corectly. Make sure your flash is set to High Speed Sync. The flash should light the subjects and you have already metered to get the ambient light exposure correct. Just one method.

[Curtis N]

Make sure your flash is set to High Speed Sync.I don't see a need for HSS for shots like this.

[ust82gopher]

P
BTW - Tim's shot is blown. The sky out the window is white, no detail left at all. People look terrific.

Dave,

It was a tough shot. My brother's house has a just a ton of SW exposure with lots of standard window glass. It was a very bright day and the reflection from the glass was really high. I figure what I got for background exposure in this picture was a couple f-stops higher than what was actually present.

Thanks for the compliment on the people!

Tim

[ust82gopher]

OP,

Just to complete the story, this is what happened to me before I added the E-TTL flash; (photo by my wife)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m184/ust82gopher/Maria2ndB-dayIMG_2500copy.jpg

The set up is window, subject, camera. f/8 at 1/125 at ISO 800. Windows blown, subjects dark. I assume that is what you were getting. The E-TTL flash in my previous photo lit the subjects well - unfortunately kept the blown out windows!

By the way, this is what I got with the windows behind me (windows, camera, subject)

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m184/ust82gopher/Maria2ndB-dayIMG_2478crop.jpg

I thought this to be a pretty good exposure though the picture itself is a little too soft for my liking (no PP).

Hope this helps.

Tim

[Titus213]

Tim,
ETTL works great in these situations...

[canonpink]

I don't see a need for HSS for shots like this.

Agreed. Tripod and under exposing the ambient by 1/2 to 1 stop would be great. Subjects should almost always be the best lit parts of the scene.

[farkashon]

Thanks everybody for the great advice. Hopefully I'll do better next time.