Balance on-camera hotshoe flash with ambient?

My approach is similar to the way Curtis works with a couple of exceptions.
I use Av and set the speedlite to HSS. Generally that means also setting the camera to lowest ISO and riding the aperture if I need to get below sync speed.

Canon has thoughtfully put a scale on the back of the speedlite that shows its effective distance range when the flash head is pointed forward. That's where it should be for fill light with ambient outside where there is no opportunity for bounce.

My starting point is EC about plus 2/3 and FEC about -1/3 or zero. My goal is to not see a discernible shadow from the fill light on or behind the subject.

Here are two examples:
Outdoor and indoor.

Curtis N wrote in post #16358102
Outdoor fill is not as complicated as some would lead you to believe. But you have to think about the shot, and the ambient light, both on your subject and the background. How much light your flash provides depends on the situation. Click the link in my signature on how to use flash outdoors.

My usual approach is to use Tv mode at X-sync shutter speed (1/200 in your case). Experiment with Flash Exposure Compensation until you get the look you want.

Thank you. This makes sense. I think I really just need to get out there and do some trial and error for it to really sink in.

Please see below for some test shots I just took out on my back porch. I took one in Manual where I metered on the sky I set the settings so that the meter showed a middle of the road exposure for the sky. The second was in AV mode with HSS turned on on the flash. This one had an aperture of 2.8 and I much higher shutter speed. To me, the one that was in AV is "better." What would I need to do in the one that was in Manual to make it "better?" Wider aperture?

dmward wrote in post #16359669
My approach is similar to the way Curtis works with a couple of exceptions.
I use Av and set the speedlite to HSS. Generally that means also setting the camera to lowest ISO and riding the aperture if I need to get below sync speed.

Canon has thoughtfully put a scale on the back of the speedlite that shows its effective distance range when the flash head is pointed forward. That's where it should be for fill light with ambient outside where there is no opportunity for bounce.

My starting point is EC about plus 2/3 and FEC about -1/3 or zero. My goal is to not see a discernible shadow from the fill light on or behind the subject.

Here are two examples:
Outdoor and indoor.

Thank you. So you typically the put the camera in AV mode, adjust your EC on the camera to plus 2/3 or so and then adjust FEC to -1/3 or so? I'll have to mess around with FEC. I assume it works just like EC on the camera? Adjusting the power output of the flash?

As I said above, here's two I took this evening. First on Manual where I set shutter to max sync speed (200) and then adjusted the aperture until the in camera meter indicated a good exposure. Turned on the flash to ETTL and took the shot.

The second was in AV mode with ETTL on the flash with High Speed Sync turned on on the flash. I set a wide aperture and took the shot. To me, the one I shot in AV mode looks better. Forground and background "mesh" together better I think. The Manual shot the sky is properly exposed (or close to it) but the houses are dark.

Should I have just used a wider aperture in the shot that was in Manual? Also, I had the flash pointed up for these shots so they probably aren't exactly like they would be if I were out in the open. Some light bounced off the ceiling of my deck no doubt. When I'm outside, should the flash always be pointed straight ahead or at an angle or what?

Manual

Access the FEC via the button on the top of the camera just in front of the settings LCD. On my 5DIII its the second button from right and has a nipple to help select it by feel. Front wheel adjusts FEC back wheel adjusts ISO.

For your M mode shot, you essentially under exposed the sky and houses. The Av mode, presuming it was in evaluative metering mode, reduced the shutter speed to bring in more of the shadows. Then the flash exposure acted as fill on the subject.

I use Av mode and EC and FEC to let the camera get the exposure close then I fine tune it. And balance the fill from the flash.

If there is something to bounce off of and its not going to eat all the power of the flash bounce. If not aim the head at the subject. That's where I apply my no noticeable shadow guideline for fill.

Couple was shot with flash aimed right at them for fill, sun off to left. Girl singing it was inside a reception hall, lights down for dancing, flash bounced off wall about 20 feet away.

dmward wrote in post #16362118
Access the FEC via the button on the top of the camera just in front of the settings LCD. On my 5DIII its the second button from right and has a nipple to help select it by feel. Front wheel adjusts FEC back wheel adjusts ISO.

Oh, it's on the camera? I was looking through my flashes manual last night and it has it's own FEC controls on the flash which I assumed would be what I need to adjust. Being that it's a Sigma, I'm not sure if that's something that it will allow my camera to control. I'll have to look. For example, if I want to change to second curtain, I do that on the flash, not the camera presumably because of the off brand flash.

dmward wrote in post #16362118
For your M mode shot, you essentially under exposed the sky and houses. The Av mode, presuming it was in evaluative metering mode, reduced the shutter speed to bring in more of the shadows. Then the flash exposure acted as fill on the subject.

I'd have to go back and see what the shutter speed was between the two. I forgot to grab that prior to posting. I thought though that my shutter speed was much faster in AV mode given that my aperature was so much wider. I believe my aperture was at f10 on the manual shot and f2.8 or f3.2 on the AV shot. So, given that it was in AV mode, if the aperture was that wide, it would have had to have made the shutter speed significantly faster right?

Thanks again.

Some flash units have an FEC adjustment, which mostly just creates confusion since you can also adjust FEC with the camera. You can use either method but not both at the same time. If the flash FEC is not at zero it will ignore the camera setting and use whatever you dial in on the flash unit.

I find it easier to adjust FEC using the camera.

Curtis N wrote in post #16362894
Some flash units have an FEC adjustment, which mostly just creates confusion since you can also adjust FEC with the camera. You can use either method but not both at the same time. If the flash FEC is not at zero it will ignore the camera setting and use whatever you dial in on the flash unit.

I find it easier to adjust FEC using the camera.

Me too. And with the new 600EX-RTs the FEC is additive. i.e. if FEC is set to -1 on the flash Group and you dial -1 FEC on the camera the total adjustment is -2.

That's a special case and I mention it only to illustrate that its critical to test, then practice, with camera and speedlite settings, as you are doing, to set them firmly in your mind before taking them on a job.

If your Sigma will accept camera FEC adjustments use them. It it doesn't then you'll have to use the speedlite controls.

As for different shutter speeds and F stops. remember that opening the aperture one F stop requires increasing the shutter speed 1 EV as well -- 1/200 to 1/400. Once you are over sync speed, the speedlite in HSS is a constant light source so shutter speed affects it just as it would a light bulb in a ceiling fixture.

dmward wrote in post #16367283
And with the new 600EX-RTs the FEC is additive. i.e. if FEC is set to -1 on the flash Group and you dial -1 FEC on the camera the total adjustment is -2.

Note the part on the Flash Group in the quote. If you just use a single flash in the hotshoe, then the 600 EX-RT works just like the 580 EX II, for example. If you set FEC on camera only, then that applies, but if you set it on the flash, then that only applies. So in the latter case, the camera's setting is disregarded.

When using Group mode and remote flash control, things change. Even with the old style remote control (580 EX II etc.), there were more than one FEC active at the same time, in some cases.

apersson850 wrote in post #16369743
Note the part on the Flash Group in the quote. If you just use a single flash in the hotshoe, then the 600 EX-RT works just like the 580 EX II, for example. If you set FEC on camera only, then that applies, but if you set it on the flash, then that only applies. So in the latter case, the camera's setting is disregarded.

When using Group mode and remote flash control, things change. Even with the old style remote control (580 EX II etc.), there were more than one FEC active at the same time, in some cases.

Important clarification. Thanks.

When I have a flash on camera outdoors, there are a few different combinations I use. Most of the time I put the camera on manual and flash on E-TTL. Sometimes I keep the camera on Tv with 1/250 or less and flash on E-TTL. And occasionally (in very difficult lighting conditions) both are on manual.

This was taken with camera on manual, flash on E-TTL.

^^ using the zoom control to help get reach is another useful tool.