Flash Outdoors

[adamfromperth]

Hi Guys,

I am having a big problem controlling my flash it seems to do what it wants :(

I Have a Canon 300d or the Rebel XTi ( i think that what it is called in the us) a 580speedlite and the st e2 transmitter. No matter what i seem to do the flash output tends to be to small when shooting outdoors off the camera. I must be doing something wrong so here is what i would generally do for a shoot. Let me know if this is a suitable workflow haha.

1. Compose mu subject.
2. Place my 580 speedlite close to where i would like it positioned.
3. Focus my picture
4. Hit the FEL Button halfway so it pre flashes. and records what is needed.
5. Shoot away
6. Be annoyed at the result :)

Am i missing a crucial step or what? Thanks guys

[Collin85]

We need more information.

What mode are you shooting in? Av mode resorts to fill-flash, while modes like Manual and Program asserts the flash light as the foreground subject's primary source of illumination.

Have you tried dialing in some Exposure Compensation? Your 580EX has a plethora of controls.. you can even set the power to manual yourself and choose the precise output you want. Play around with it!

By the way, the Rebel XTi is the 400D.

[zacker]

300D is the digi rebel, 350D is the XT and 400d is the XTI

youre shooting off cam flash, you should be in manual mode then..tisk,tisk,tisk! Dont make me send you to the main office Adam!!

adjust your shutter speed to expose for the ambient, then control the amount of flash with the aperture.. how are you firing the flash? off shoe cord? the 580 EX is adjustable manually.. correct? try doing it yourself, forget what the camera thinks.. what does it know about photography anyhow? lol

[René Damkot]

FEL measurement is made in the center portion of the VF. If that is over a light part (like a face), you'll need to dial in FEC (Flash exposure compensation).
Other then that: I agree on the "more info" bit. Some pics might help.

[adamfromperth]

Yes using manual mode.

Firing using the wireless trasmitter the ST-E2.

By reading over some stuff i think i had my shutterspped to high 1/60th so the flash wasn't really the main light source it was the ambient light taking over. So in theory if i make it 1/200 second the flash will be the main light.

[Collin85]

Yes using manual mode.

Firing using the wireless trasmitter the ST-E2.

By reading over some stuff i think i had my shutterspped to high 1/60th so the flash wasn't really the main light source it was the ambient light taking over. So in theory if i make it 1/200 second the flash will be the main light.

Don't you mean shutter speed was too slow then, in that context?

The shutter speed shouldn't matter too much here, if you only care for the foreground subject getting exposed decently. Manipulating the shutter speeds in Manual will mainly result in you changing the exposure of the background.

Slower shutter speed = more ambience background light registered, fast = less. Either way, your flash fires such that the foreground subjects are exposed decently. So even though you say turning up the shutter speed to 1/200 will result in more of the flash being the primary (which is correct), it won't change the exposure of the foreground subjects anyway, compared to a slower shutter speed.

If the exposure of even the foreground subjects are off, dial in some EC.

[adamfromperth]

But if im only shooting at 1/60th wouldn't my subject have a fair bit of ambient light already cast on them (from a window source) and therefore my flash not having as dramatic effect as i want?

[Collin85]

But if im only shooting at 1/60th wouldn't my subject have a fair bit of ambient light already cast on them (from a window source) and therefore my flash not having as dramatic effect as i want?

How do you define 'dramatic'?

Either way your foreground subjects get exposed decently. If you shoot at a shutter speed too fast, you'll often just end up with an underexposed background. If that's what you mean by 'dramatic' (i.e foreground subject well-exposed, but dark background.. perhaps typical to a nightclub shot by a P&S camera), then yes.. lift those shutter speeds.

Take a look at this:
http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/3-dragging-the-shutter/

[Jim M]

You say you are outdoors and you are shooting in manual at 1/60 sec. I assume you have metered something to get the ambient light correctly exposed. (In this case, you must have a very small aperture (large number) even at ISO 100. I would think that a higher shutter speed would be desirable, but that is almost irrelevant to the point I am planning to make unless the aperture is so small that the flash can't provide enough light to use it.) If you want the flash to be a more important part of the picture, you need to underexpose the ambient light. How much and how you do it is up to you. This assumes that your flash is actually firing. I don't have an ST E2 transmitter, but I have heard they are not entirely reliable in daylight outside. Others more experienced than I will have to weigh in on that.