On camera Flash snap shot sucks...help...lol

Ok I always take photos outside and not inside so here goes as this is just a snap shot but it sucks.
I used a 5Dmk3 in one shot AV mode at ISO 400 1/60 f/4 24-70 2.8MkII at 70mm. Flash was a Canon 600ex with spinlight 360 clear dome and larger white reflector card for bounce. Flash was set on ETTL. There was no real ambient light to speak off. I focused on her left eye or in the photo the one on the right as we look at it.
I had to add one stop of exposure in lightroom. My thoughts was the whole image is underexposed by a stop or more. Would shooting the flash with +1 1/3 exp compensation on the back of the flash help? Ir the flash in manual? I would have expected the image to be "much clearer"?? Sharper?? I think it is the underexposure being an issue but that is why I am asking for help. It was just a two second snap shot but I expected it to be better. Outdoors the photos from this set up are gorgeous so I am assuming it is all about the light

was your 600 ON the camera? I notice her shadow is off to camera right. Did you bounce the flash or was the flash head pointed in her direction? It looks like the latter. If so I'd try bouncing the flash to see what happens.

Yes sorry the flash was on camera and bounced to the right with a spinlight 360 let me see if I can find the link to show you how it was done. Fourth picture from the left but my camera was in vertical position so the flash really was looking like pic number 1 on the left. Flash was bounced straight up. I am hoping that makes sense

Looks exposed correctly too me. Background seems too bright for me though. I would move her away from the background more and shoot at a higher shutter speed and/or lower ISO. 1/60 seems unnecessary to me. I would shoot more like 1/160-1/200.

I can move her away. The issue was I already applied 1 stop more of exposure in LR and .30 more to her face and neck

Notice the marketing material you show has the camera in landscape orientation and you seem to be using portrait. This is one big reason you have a large shadow to the right of the subject. Get the light up above the lens and as Blake said, pull the subject off the wall.

IMO your biggest problem is that the ambient is too prominent and is a different color temp than the flash. While balancing flash and ambient (both in power and color) is important in some situations, if you are taking a portrait you can offer just overpower the ambient.

Try cranking up the flash power, shoot landscape, and aim the flash slightly behind you, to one side, and up at the ceiling. Also, back up as far as you can and zoom in on the subject.

Okay I actually read the post rather than just looking at the pic.

Get out of AV mode and into manual mode on the camera and hopefully the flash too. Most people reserve AV and ETTL for rapidly changing conditions ... Run and gun, not posed portraits.

So it really wasn't bouncing much to the right very much because you still got the shadow on the right. This to me is the most annoying part of the image. Here is something to think about for future shots. Never put your subjects back or so close to a wall. Put your back to the wall. That wall is pretty distracting as it is pretty busy.

There was probably some spill to the right which actually may have helped the right side. The image does have depth because of the difference in light on the left an right side and that is pretty good. That is what people strive for in on camera flash. Was that planned and repeatable? I ask because of that device on the flash which some may talk about more.

If it needed more flash then just add FEC or put it on manual. Really up to you. ETTL is a good tool but just ball part and if you bounce you usually need to adjust FEC.

Sharper? I can read her name plate. Over all not bad. A little refection on the chin. The histogram would have been a very helpful tool in this this shot to help you with the flash exposure with all that white in the frame.

I think I found a possible culprit to the shadow to her right besides her being too close to the background. We live in an A frame contemporary and the wall to the left of the picture is angled that would have bounced the light from her left to the right even though I had the flash in a vertical position. I know it is confusing by the spinlight pics with me having the camera in portrait position as the flash was angled to the right SO it would be vertical when I was shooting the pic. I am not home now but the exposure was easily 1 1/3 stops underexposed in raw

I depend on my histogram if I'm not using my light meter. Not perfect but a good ball park. Scroll down and look at the gent with the white towel.

http://super.nova.org/​DPR/Histogram/

Also. If you really want to get into on camera flash scrap the gizmo and read everything on this site.

http://neilvn.com …am-to-determine-exposure/

I think as there is such a large area of white your camera did what it's designed to do and under-expose to stop blowing highlights. Plus 1 stop on camera would/should overcome this in the future.

I have found the more modern the Canon model the more they seem to protect the highlights.

He stated on that site There is another way to approach this, and that is to spot-meter off only the relevant white area, and place it around 1.3 stops over the zero mark on your camera’s meter display. You don’t want to zero the meter reading then, since we don’t want the white to appear as grey. We want the white to appear as white .. and that will be around 1.3 stops to 1.7 stops over the zero mark. You will have to figure out the specific value for your specific camera, since there are some differences between the camera makes.

And that is exactly what I had figured 1 1/3 stop exposure compensation

If it works for you use it.

I also have been reading that site. Great info thanks

the shadow on the wall is from the white thing on the spin light.