First Experience with Off Camera Flash

Hello this weekend i decided to experiment with some off camera flash. I am looking for some feedback on what i can do to get more professional looking pictures. I tend to have better luck with my photos outdoors than i do indoors not sure why, but i will post some indoor shots later. Please critique away... ( have to learn somehow).

Camera: Mark 5d II
Flash: Speedlight 430 exII
Modifier: Shoot through umbrella
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO:640 (i think i left it there from when i was in the house and forgot to change it)
F stop: 9.0

I wanted to shoot wide open at 2.8 but the background was completely blown out and the Shutter Speed wouldn't go faster than 1/200. I believe that has to do with sync speed.

Your shutter speed issues are indeed caused by sync speed. However, you can set your slave to use High Speed Sync which will allow you to overcome this issue.

The light on her face looks a little hard, but other than that a very nice first effort. Keep up the good work.

Now that you mention it, I do believe I removed the shoot through umbrella because i felt the fill light wasn't strong enough to overpower the 3pm sun. Looking at the shadow from the nose it does appear a bit hard, but i love that there is no shadow under the eyes.

You mentioned that i can set my slave to use High Speed Sync. Does that mean I have two lights? I'm confused because I was only using one speedlight (430 exII). Do you have to have two lights in order for one to be a slave? Sorry I'm a computer guy and only used to hearing slave when it comes to HDD.

I have heard of this High Speed Sync but not familiar with how to perform this on my flash. I will look into this unless someone else can point this out to me. I think this would be helpful when i want to make the background appear black since i don't have a black backdrop.

I don't know what your intention was, but the light seems a touch too bright. In other words, I know there's a flash. Perhaps keeping that shoot-through on would have solved both issues

Not sure why you didn't lower your ISO - that would have let you lower the f-stop which would have helped your background a ton...

you could also use an ND filter to bring the light down to get you to the shutter sync if ISO 100 isn't low enough

I didn't lower my ISO because we were shooting in the house and then she said can we go out side. Then a rookie mistake of saying ok and not checking my settings before shooting. But i will check that next time cause yes i wanted a much lower F-stop.

I'm not too familiar with an ND filter, what does that do to pictures? Helps for bright light? or does it enhance colors? I'm actually not familiar with any filters as of yet.

AlFooteIII wrote in post #16944003
I don't know what your intention was, but the light seems a touch too bright. In other words, I know there's a flash. Perhaps keeping that shoot-through on would have solved both issues

This isn't always a bad thing. Just because something is obviously lit doesn't make it bad lighting. It depends on the intent of the photographer.

The light is a bit hard, but I dont mind that to be honest, what jumps out at me (and this isn't the lighting) but what focal length did you use? Looks like you where fairly close and wide as the perspective look a bit distorted, her hands look massive. If you have a longer lens it may be worth using it when shooting portraits.

the ISO/lighting thing has been covered, actually the focal length thing has too. :lol

back up and zoom in.

low ISO for more options. with a shot like this you should be able to arrange the umbrella very close to get more "power" from your flash.

Thank you all for the comments. As far as the lens goes, i currently have a 70-200mm lens but i'm using a cord with my off camera flash and can't use that lens becasue i can't get far enough for the camera to focus. However, that is a good spot about the hands looking big because it's something i didn't think of. I am getting a wireless sync here soon and i will back up and zoom in then.

That does raise another question. If i back up and zoom in, while having the flash and umbrella up close next to my subject. Will the flash be too strong because of E-TTL? From my understanding the flash will think it is as far back as the lens and put out a stronger flash.

Does it sound like my understanding is correct? I understand i can go to manual and bring the flash down but just trying to picture what will happen in my head, without being in manual. Or does it not matter how strong the flash is since it has an umbrella and the bigger and closer you are to the subject the softer.

robrod14 wrote in post #16946727
That does raise another question. If i back up and zoom in, while having the flash and umbrella up close next to my subject. Will the flash be too strong because of E-TTL? From my understanding the flash will think it is as far back as the lens and put out a stronger flash.

shouldn't be a problem.

i'm not real up to date with the behind the scenes ETTL tech, but the primary way it determines the flash output it with the pre-flash.

new wireless triggers will change your life.

Tiberius wrote in post #16945642
This isn't always a bad thing. Just because something is obviously lit doesn't make it bad lighting. It depends on the intent of the photographer.

Hence "I don't know what your intention was..." It feels neither fish nor fowl to me. It's not noticeable enough to feel intentional nor subtle enough to be trying to blend. It's just my critique.

Your photo would look way better with ISO lowered. More possibility to play with aperture.

One other thing that I don't think has been mentioned, and it relates to the ETTL on the flash. I would potentially have taken the flash into manual mode and turned the power down a bit. ETTL tries to determine the appropriate exposure for you. I only used ETTL a few times and that is when I knew I had to get the shot and I knew I could adjust it in Post.
You did have good placement on the light, maybe a small reflector to camera right to get rid of the harsh shadow. But that will come with time. I just got my first studio strobe and it has changed what I thought I knew about off camera flash too.