Newbie Outdoor Flash Question

[hamm3r]

I can't understand why I can't get this right.

I have my 300D in AV mode using 50mm/1.4 at 1.4
I have my Sigma flash with LSII with dome in ETTL mode pointing at the subject.
It is overcast skies.

The photo comes out overexposed.

AV should be monitoring for background to chose the shutterspeed and the ETTL should automatically adjust for fill flash, right? Why would it come out overexposed? I could probably lower the flash compensation, correct?

(any other tips welcomed as well).

EDIT: Yikes, the photo is so big too! I've never posted one. What's the best approach to posting photos?

EDIT2: Since the photo is so big, rather than embed it, I'll just give you the link.

http://www.itguy.net/overexposed.jpg

[mdmedicgod]

I am not flash expert. I have the same issue. However, your aperture 1.4 is letting a boat load of light in.......I notice a lot of my images come out over exposed with my 300D. Even if I set in full auto....

[MCB]

You have more than one choice for metering, right? If you're spot metering, maybe the spot you chose is a bit dark, so it's adjusts that to your middle gray and you get blown out highlights. You could try another mode and see if that's any better. Also, you could try turning down your flash compensation. I frequently use -1 or -2 for a fill flash, depending on the ambient light. If all else fails, just shorten your exposure a bit when your histogram shows you a blown out image. With my 350D there's a little trial and error sometimes, so I know how you feel.

[tim]

Av meters for the available light, if you add a flash it's going to add more light than is needed for a proper exposure. I turn the FEC down by a stop or a bit more, that seems to work.

I though i'd read that if you use flash in Av mode it changes to be a fill automatically, but in my experience that doesn't seem to be true. I use FEC a lot, and I can often predict what the flash is going to do wrong, so I just FEC it myself.

[hamm3r]

Thanks, all. It's been a bit frustrating reading the FAQs/bible and not getting the expected results. I'm glad to see I am not alone!

[Lotto]

I don't have a Sigma, but with my EX flash doing fill in bright day light, and I forgot to switch over to high speed synch, my 20D's AV speed would get stuck on 1/250, combine with F1.4 = way over exposed.

I think you were in the same boat.

[markubig]

Hi Hamm3r, I had the same problem as you for a while. Check out:

Thread1 (http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66896)
Thread2 (http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=76446)

In most of my blowout cases, I believe i've been metering on the wrong things like dark shirts/hair. I've remedied that by metering on things that are as close as possible to 18% grey. A lot of my subjects now are wondering why I am never pointing at them right away. It's because i'm looking for something to meter properly before I shoot them.

Other things that have worked are circular polarizers and/or dialing in some negative exposure compensation (~ 1 to 1-2/3).

I think that in your situation, shooting f/1.4, negative exp comp would have helped the photo a lot.

I've been getting a lot better results that have been more manageable in PS.

http://images9.fotki.com/v182/photos/1/113845/2278702/_MG_1747-vi.jpg

http://images10.fotki.com/v191/photos/1/113845/2336115/_MG_2587-vi.jpg

http://images9.fotki.com/v199/photos/1/113845/2354356/_MG_2721-vi.jpg