Cheaper alternatives to 430EX II and suggestions for flash photography

How about anything Metz! You get professional grade with even better features than the Canon equivalent but at a lower price. Yongnuo's have gotten better but there is no better third party flash manufacturer with QC as Metz. They've been the standard bearer for over 50 years.

Take care,
Ralph

hes gone wrote in post #16513027
=he's gone;16513027]take the second shot above.

the white cloth in the exact middle of the frame would cause underexposure, and underpowered flash, if you were spot metering in the center of the photo. This would fool both the on-camera OR external on-camera flash. Using Evaluative metering would help dramatically.

I'm not saying you won't often have better results with the off camera flash, but in the examples you posted, I don't think it would make a huge difference. Most folks are wanting to bounce an external flash, and that option generally isn't available when outside.

Hi,
I think, it is a metering issue. I will try using Evaluative metering while using on camera flash. I am also thinking about getting Yongnuo 565EX. Price is within my affordable range. It is missing HSS. YN-568EX comes with HSS but price is very close to 430EX II. Not sure how much HSS is going to be useful for basic photography.
Thanks