How do you flash...

Not as it sounds!

I'm currently trying to learn about my 430 EXII flash. I'm just curious as to what settings you all use on your flashes when allowed to use them at a wedding.

Do you always stick it on high speed sync and AV mode so you can work with your depth of field?

Or perhaps work the flash manually and adjust the power and various reflectors etc?

As you can probably tell, I'm new to this... I didn't want to post in the flash section as I wanted answers from the guys who shoot weddings and not educated guesses. Not in a horrible way..

Edit:

At the wedding I did in the summer (second shooter to gain a little experience unpaid), I used the flash purely inside the venue in the dark etc.. I would love to be able to put the flash on the camera, put it in ETTL and use it in daytime and get results which I want rather than putting it on hoping for the best!

Camera in manual mode flash in ETTL. Shutter speed below x sync, usually even slower to improve balance between ambient and flash. Never AV mode at a wedding as AV mode sets the shutter speed to act as if the flash were only for fill so you get excessively slow speeds. There are safety shifts to prevent that but then its pointless to use AV anyway. Those are for indoor or lower light work, outside AV and ETTL fill with HSS may be useful.

Manual mode on my cameras. Flash in ETTL mode for bouncing or fill flash. Off camera lights in manual mode.

+1 ^^

Ok so using my camera in manual mode appear to be the way forward with flash in ETTL.

That just opens another can of worms for me, I just have no confidence in using manual mode, whenever I peer down the viewfinder I am looking more at what the subject is up to and not at what they meter is showing, a few clicks later and fairly often I have some very dark or very bright mages...!

I need some practice..

Stuuk1 wrote in post #15367249
Ok so using my camera in manual mode appear to be the way forward with flash in ETTL.

That just opens another can of worms for me, I just have no confidence in using manual mode, whenever I peer down the viewfinder I am looking more at what the subject is up to and not at what they meter is showing, a few clicks later and fairly often I have some very dark or very bright mages...!

I need some practice..

The flash takes over the auto exposure so you dont really need to look at the meter. The meter cant see a flash anyway.... But you should take a little care to look at the screen to see if you have the correct ambient light (background) to flash ratio. Ideally you want a balanced look.

gonzogolf wrote in post #15367283
The flash takes over the auto exposure so you dont really need to look at the meter. The meter cant see a flash anyway.... But you should take a little care to look at the screen to see if you have the correct ambient light (background) to flash ratio. Ideally you want a balanced look.

Ok this makes sense, so what you mean is check the shot each time to check the background isn't too dark? If its too dark then I'm guess I'd just have to adjust the shutter speed to allow more ambient light to light the background..

The other thing that totally throws me now is the exposure compensation stuff, what's the difference in adjusting the exposure compensation on the camera or the exposure compensation on the flash?

If these are ridiculous questions please say, I'll be googling it straight after posting this anyway, but would be good to compare what you guys say against what I read from various sites..

You dont have to check every shot as it wont really change much. My point was just to be aware of the balance. In manual there is no exposure compensation, its done by changing SS or aperture. FEC is in play though. To decide which you need you look at the shot, do you need more light on the subject (or less) or do you need more or less ambient. It helps to think of any flash photo as two separate exposure set on top of each other. The first is what is what isnt lit by the flash and the second what is lit by the flash. Some shots they appear indistinguishable because the flash floods the entire image (think of a person standing in front of a white wall), but others are distinct (think of a person standing in the middle of a large darkish church). In the second type of shot you need to be aware of what is going on in both parts of the exposure. I know it seems complicated, but once you try it a bit it becomes second nature.

For the church I use a rouge flash bender.. Ettl. The ceremony no flash generally. The camera always in manual.
The reception.. all manual flash on and off camera. camera all manual.

gonzogolf wrote in post #15367347
You dont have to check every shot as it wont really change much. My point was just to be aware of the balance. In manual there is no exposure compensation, its done by changing SS or aperture. FEC is in play though. To decide which you need you look at the shot, do you need more light on the subject (or less) or do you need more or less ambient. It helps to think of any flash photo as two separate exposure set on top of each other. The first is what is what isnt lit by the flash and the second what is lit by the flash. Some shots they appear indistinguishable because the flash floods the entire image (think of a person standing in front of a white wall), but others are distinct (think of a person standing in the middle of a large darkish church). In the second type of shot you need to be aware of what is going on in both parts of the exposure. I know it seems complicated, but once you try it a bit it becomes second nature.

AhHa! This is great, this makes total sense. So really, being in manual is easier as you just adjust the ss or aperture instead of messing with the exposure compensation.

That being said, can I assume that if I shoot the flash also in manual mode, I can adjust the flash power instead of the flash exposure compensation and vice versa?

Stuuk1 wrote in post #15367390
AhHa! This is great, this makes total sense. So really, being in manual is easier as you just adjust the ss or aperture instead of messing with the exposure compensation.

That being said, can I assume that if I shoot the flash also in manual mode, I can adjust the flash power instead of the flash exposure compensation and vice versa?

Yes. Just to make a point, adjust SS if you can to control ambient, as it has no effect on the flash exposure. If you adjust the aperture then you are adjusting both the ambient and the flash exposure. (because the flash is delivered in such a short burst ss has no impact, but aperture will change flash exposure).

Manual flash is great if you are doing portraits etc, more consistent exposures pop to pop. But ETTL is easier if you are moving so that lighting conditions are changing.

There are some observations made here that are taking liberties with how the camera and flash work together.
A) When you have the flash set to ETTL the camera IS metering the flash.
B) When you are outside there is nothing wrong with using Av and letting the shutter determine exposure for both the ambient and flash (ETTL) exposure. Canon camera have an algorithm that is designed to balance the two exposures.
C) FEC (flash exposure compensation) and EC (exposure compensation) can be used to fine tune the camera's metering for better exposures. Or, to darken the ambient.

My flash is always set for ETTL and HSS. When I'm outside I tend to have the camera on Av. When I'm inside, or near dusk outside, its manual with the ambient meter reading within a stop and a half of "proper" exposure.

Here are two examples to illustrate:

In the first, there are two lights, one on camera and the main on a stand camera right.
In the second just the on camera flash for fill.

Cool shots David