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

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #17736350
the shadow on the wall is from the white thing on the spin light.

Yes that might be it. Neil actually had that device on his site for a while but not anymore. Can't really promote that and what he teaches.

This book is very good as well.

http://www.amazon.com …5&creativeASIN=​1584282584

I might face the ire of some, but I think this is indicative of how 'celeb' photographers are monetising their viewership at any opportunity or not biting the advertising hand that feeds them.

Even when it contradicts their previous teachings.

This spinlight device adds nothing to any serious photographer's arsenal when they know how to light properly and can use tools that cost pennies, such as NeiVs black foamie thing, as he likes to call it.

I was surprised but he did pull it.

digital paradise wrote in post #17736362
Yes that might be it.

i'd put money on it.

there are two "main" light sources in the image ... the yellow light almost directly above the subject and to her right, and the other is the direct light coming from the white part of the flash gadget. Of course there is other ambient reflected from around the room but it is largely insignificant.

black line shows the delineation point between the shadow of the overhead light and the area lit by the on camera flash.

white line shows the effect of having the flash off to one side and is evidence that the shadow on the wall is from the direct light falling on the subject from the white thingy on the gadget.

Yeah I missed what you were saying. The shadow on the right is coming from the device.

Learn to use a flash bracket
Further from background
Open aperture

digital paradise wrote in post #17736376
I was surprised but he did pull it.

How long ago was that?

It's still a link on his tangents blog.

http://neilvn.com/tang​ents/about/spinlight-360/

He is the blog on spinlight 360 as well. I watched it and bought it after seeing him endorse it
http://www.spinlight36​0.com …kerks-spinlight-360-demo/

This is what flash bomb photographs look like - you see the bomb of light hit and speckle the areas it is hitting (forehead, nose, cheeks, white shirt on chest, tip of nose, chin, etc).

You can improve this in many ways:
- wardrobe
- makeup
- angling the body wrt the direction of light to better manage this
- FEC
- using more ambient and less flash (reduced speckled flash look)
- using less ambient and more flash (better color matching + kill background)
- more side bounce flash (increased shadow = more dramatic)
- less side bounce more direct (less shadow = more fashion shot)

Now back to reality
- you have to decide what kind of picture you want
- really natural - way more ambient with a touch of flash to give light to the eyes
- do you want the background in or out (doesn't look like this was thought about)
- you have a shelf (or something) that is running through her neck? (this is not good) - way less ambient, higher SS to kill the background
- before you put the camera in your hand and start with 'default type' settings to get some kind of Automatic image, stop and think what you want given the light and the space you have - your job is to create something with what you have

You are in a room with bad lighting and a terrible background. If this is the best you have then you have to do what you have to do. Do you own a white sheet you can hang from the ceiling? Not available - and must shoot now with what you have. Ok lets go.

Wall sucks and light sucks. Ideas:
- F1.4 - to F8 to blur background more
- move model as far as possible away from background
- position flash directly behind camera to avoid light spillage
- use longer FL
- use angle, above, below, whatever is required, to at least minimize awful distracting background (do something), have her go on her knees to have her face in a better position (do something)
- Shoot at F8 or smaller to kill light completely from room
- have a portable small softbox to soften the light
- gel your flash to match ambient
- shoot flash through a white reflector / bed sheet / umbrella to soften it
- light her from the side to avoid light spill on background (try it - maybe completely the wrong style)
- get on a ladder, shoot significantly downwards, use a video $30 video light to light her face and shirt to give context, up the iso and see what you get


There is always something that can be done. If all fails, and sometimes it does, use PS, cut her out and place her on a better background and fix the flash hotspots on her face.

Thanks Paul,
Turns out I had 30 seconds to snap two pictures before Eileen left for rotations this morning at 6am!

agrandexpression wrote in post #17736408
How long ago was that?

It's still a link on his tangents blog.

http://neilvn.com/tang​ents/about/spinlight-360/

Oh. I did not see that. I open on this page and it was easy to spot at one time. I don't see any ad for it on this page unless I'm missing something.

http://neilvn.com/tang​ents/

gqllc007 wrote in post #17736446
Thanks Paul,
Turns out I had 30 seconds to snap two pictures before Eileen left for rotations this morning at 6am!

then you did fine

my goto 20 second setup is:
- meter what you have
- set exposure to 2/3rds stop below center (adjusted for too much black or white in scene appropriately)
- bounce back, up and to one side to create some directional lighting
- if ceiling and wall is close and white / lighter colour, then FEC -2/3rds (this removes the hit in the face with a light bomb look)
- if ceiling is high and farther away, then FEC up to and as much as +1 maybe +1 1/3 to comp for distance bouncing dispersion
- with a 5D3 type camera, I have no problem doing this up to ISO 2500 depending on how much ambient / background I want in scene

If walls are funky and interior lights are crazy, then now you have a decision to make because mixing types of lights is very problematic
- your case was not such a case (you just had not the greatest background)
- in a wedding with up coloured uplighting and tungsten interior lights you either go big or go home in my opinion (pump a big strobe at nearly full power off the interior roof to be your main light and then also hopefully have an assistant with a mobile fill light OR you just want to use a big aperture and a tiny bit a fill or Rear Curtain to add to the natural 'funky' ambient

When I look at the picture, what I see and try not to get, is that speckled flash bomb look - anything but that is my motto - keep turning down the flash compensation until that is gone and try and get a more natural look. If you are in a studio with big soft modifiers then lots of perfect light is amazing - without those tools, less and more natural is always better. Get very comfortable in adjusting FEC in camera, not on the back of the flash, so you can do it very quickly.

Get the flash off the camera and if shooting with one hand with the camera and holding the flash with the other if you have to. Get rid of that dome thingy. Get a flash bender. Much greater surface and more diffused light. Your ISO is too low and probably underexposing the ambient light by 2 stops??? That will create the harsher look and with a much more harsher shadows. Bump your ISO higher to 1000 to 1600. I always use ISO 1000 to 1600 shooting events indoor. The light color mismatched is not an issue because you can fix in PP.

Remember that your light to light up the background. Two, your light to light up your subject. A combination of ceiling bounce and pointing the flash a bit forward to the subject are needed shooting with one light.

Don't forget: Strobist.blogspot.com , Lot of good info and set up shots . Chris

Remember larger aperture (smaller aperture number) will give a shallower depth of field as will shooting at a greater distance with more zoom.