What am I doing wrong

I done some wedding photos and this one I have posted is an example of the soft, less than sharp results I got. I have sharpened this but it still looks soft. I shot in AV mode and auto ISO with a off camera flash at 1/2 power. I am shooting a Canon 60D using a Canon 24-70mm f2.8

Looks like you were focused on the plants in the back. What aperture were you using and what focal length? You list the lens but that's useless without the added information.

Maybe this video will help:

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=3CW9BNf79Dg

I am out of place today and unable to get my camera settings but will get them tonight. In this image example, what should have been my focus point? The middle girls eye?

mdaddyrabbit wrote in post #15830352
I am out of place today and unable to get my camera settings but will get them tonight. In this image example, what should have been my focus point? The middle girls eye?

Maybe her hands. Whatever is the centre point of the subject depth. Remember that the DoF is around 1/3rd in front and 2/3rds behind the point of focus as a rough and ready guide. However, I have to say the sharpness seems OK on screen.

If you're shooting in AV mode, the camera is using available light to determine the shutter speed and ISO. If you're choosing something like f5.6 or f8 for a group shot, with typical indoor lighting, the camera will first pick the lowest hand-held shutter speed it thinks it can get away with for the lens you're using, which might be as slow as 1/30, and then it will start bumping ISO to get the exposure right, if lowering the shutter speed isn't enough. Also, if this is the "mark I" version of the 24-70, I never found mine to be amazingly sharp (the mark II is better in that regard). I suggest you shoot in M mode, set the aperture to something like f5.6, the shutter speed to 1/125, the ISO to 200 or 400 or even 800, depending on the indoor lighting, and then adjust the flash to get the exposure you want.

Yea, I cant really tell the sharpness from this size file but it looks OK? I probably would have focused on the middle girls knees or face. If I was using auto ISO (which I do a lot for this type of work) I would have just made sure my shutter speed wasn't too low..... As stated above your camera might be setting your shutter speed way too low.

Maybe manual settings for off camera flash...

Interesting shadows....Did you have a ceiling light overhead and the OCF camera left?

Question to sdipirro

Is that due to Auto ISO? I've never used Auto ISO but when my cam is in AV the system has never selected the lowest possible hand held speed. It just selects whatever shutter speed for the Aperture and ISO I select. It can go to 1/10 or slower if I'm not careful. It will do that in P mode but I've never seen it in AV mode which made me curious about Auto ISO.

Definitely manual with flash for me. I know you can use Av if you want to expose correctly for the 'background' or ambient light and just fill in the shadows a bit with the flash, but personally I still have trouble making this work for me.

For a shot like this I'd likely be on a tripod and use LV to check focus and DOF before shooting. What was the shutter speed? Would be nice if people didn't strip the EXIF.

Shooting in Av with auto ISO and flash on manual, sounds like trouble to me. If you went to the trouble of figuring out what flash power you needed then why wouldn't you shoot in manual as well?

I suspect slow SS may be part of the problem.

Also I'm assuming it is soft since at the web resolution I can't tell either.

I as well shoot in M indoors and AV outdoors. I have seen several people on other forums get into trouble using Av indoors and flash. Nothing wrong with it if you have it dialled in correctly. One member here who does nice work shoots in AV indoors.

here is settings

1/2 seconds is a long time to keep a shutter open. Probably some movement on your camera and your subjects that caused the lack of focus. Prob better to have ramped up your iso and/or increase your flash power to have a proper exposure and a faster shutter speed .

Your flash also looks harsh. Are you using any type of modifier?

losangelino wrote in post #15831716
1/2 seconds is a long time to keep a shutter open. Probably some movement on your camera and your subjects that caused the lack of focus. Prob better to have ramped up your iso and/or increase your flash power to have a proper exposure and a faster shutter speed .

Your flash also looks harsh. Are you using any type of modifier?

I was using tripod with shutter release cable.

Your shutter speed is WAY too low. A tripod doesn't matter if your subjects are moving. I would have bumped the ISO up to a level so I can get at least 1/60th...Maybe even more. ISO closer to 800 or 1000? Or increase the flash power...

Kronie wrote in post #15831947
Your shutter speed is WAY too low. A tripod doesn't matter if your subjects are moving. I would have bumped the ISO up to a level so I can get at least 1/60th...Maybe even more. ISO closer to 800 or 1000? Or increase the flash power...

After sitting down and really thinking this thing over, I think you hit the nail on the head. They were a fidgety group, the whole wedding party. I will try not to make that mistake again.

Can't believe I miss that.

mdaddyrabbit wrote in post #15832145
After sitting down and really thinking this thing over, I think you hit the nail on the head. They were a fidgety group, the whole wedding party. I will try not to make that mistake again.

Can't believe I miss that.

Actually for that slow of shutter speed I think the picture is very good. To get people to sit still that long with no movement is pretty tricky. If you don't want to increase ISO then you will need to increase your light.