Ok try #3 at the skate park! C&C required!

I'll only post a couple. Please check the link and let me know what you think this time. I took some advice from my last results. I flattened out my holding of the camera.. my bad! The focus is a little better in my opinion, but still needs work. I was using the kit lens mostly and my 28-135 for a couple shots. I DID add a flash into the mix this time, the day prior i picked up the 580EX. This really was my first time using a flash EVER and it's definetly a learning curve. I was also LOST when choosing ISO... i need a course bad! Or maybe i should read one of these books i keep collecting.

http://public.fotki.co​m …/south_surrey_s​kate_park/

#1
Focal Length 30.0
F-number F/11
Exposure 1/200
ISO 400

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These are pretty good. I especially like the shooting angle, the fact that you captured the faces, and your timing/composition. The colored ground and pine-tree background make a nice contrast.

Usually with flash, the ambient light contributes little to the exposure of the main subject so the exposure time that counts isn't the 1/200 the shutter is open, but the 1/10,000 or so the flash is firing. In your shots, the ambient light seems stronger than the flash in #1 and #3. The camera seems to be going for fill flash. Try going to M mode. Set the exposure so that 1/100 to 1/200 at f8 or f11 (to have a good depth-of-field and optimize focus on moving subject) gives a slightly dark background (adjust the ISO to get this effect). Then the flash will illuminate the subject a little more, and your shot will have more "pop"

AWESOME! Some advice! Thank you!

Question.. to adjust the ISO to darken the background.. which way should i go? UP or DOWN?