I am going nuts - to flash or not ?

Jill,

I'll keep it simple (and because I do (and don't teach)... way too wordy and confusing to be a teacher + still learning myself = bad combo for giving advice).

Read - Understanding Exposure as well as Light: Science & Magic

I think there are plenty of awesome, knowledgable people here who will give you advice and even break it down step by step, but you'll likely remain frustrated and for longer than you should be. There's no one formula that's going to work everytime - that's where understanding (versus following a recipe) becomes most handy.

I'm not trying to deter you from playing - if you don't, learning will seem more like a chore than not. I'm just speaking from experience. I've spent the better part of nearly 2 years doing more "playing" than "understanding" and I've formed some wicked bad habits and half-right/half-wrong concepts in my head that I'm finding difficult to dispel now. If I'd taken a more studious approach from the onset, I'd be a little better off in the "understanding" department and a lot less frustrated!

So use the tips given here and play but try to find a more thorough, linear source on the subject (in this case - exposure and light). Then maybe you can change your signature from "frustrated and loving every minute" to "learning and loving every minute" Not that learning in a classroom or from a book can't be frustrating too, of course!

(see what I meant about wordy)

Curtis N wrote in post #4226535
Does the white balance indicator on your camera's LCD look like this?

yes it does .. why ?

JCurtisxx wrote in post #4227840
yes it does .. why ?

I'm having a hard time figuring out why your custom white balance isn't working and wanted to make sure you have it set properly.

... cuz I'm running out of ideas.

Only thing I can suggest is try taking the test shot for the custom WB again with the backdrop exposed to neutral (zero on the meter).

Have you tried just using the camera's Tungsten light balance setting instead of custom white balance? It probably won't be as exact as a custom white balance when it works right, but it may get you to the point of actually practicing with your lights.

I have to admit, even though I don't have a Rebel XT 350D, this thread has me so fascinated that I actually downloaded the manual for it.

I've been following this topic and I must say that your WB still looks off in your last pic and it still looks a bit underexposed. You should be able to get some nice pics with your lights once you get the settings dialed in properly. I would suggest turning your lights on and using manual mode, meter your BG 2 stops (or maybe a click or two more) above the mid exposure. Once you get those settings, add in a subject and shoot away. IMO...you may be best served shooting in RAW and adjusting your WB after the fact since the custom WB doesn't seem to be working all that well for you. Considering that you're using hot lights, keep your ISO up a bit so that your shutter speed is sufficient (you'll have to experiment to find what you need but 400 may be a good start). IMO...there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get some nice pics with your set-up....you just need to figure out what settings you need. (BTW...I'm assuming that you're not using on camera flash)

Agree. WB looks still off.
Try the 'tungsten' ("lightbulb") setting or K at about 3200K...

If that looks better, redo the CWB setting.

JCurtisxx wrote in post #4226169
What is frustrating is when I see the photo in the view finder it looks great, and the background is white, when I upload it though I get this ie second photo.

The viewfinder on the XT is small, so it's possible to not notice when you look at that. However, what software are you using to upload/view the file?

wow, the custom WB youre using looks ok but im wondering why it isnt affecting your shoot. Is it possible that the camera may be defective but only if you use custom WB?

this is going to be a stupid question but pls bear with me. After taking your custom WB shot do you go to menu, go to custom WB, and then choose the pic you shot?

Im not making you sound stupid, im just running out of ideas myself like Curtis.

k I am going to have to put this on hold for a day .. although its still drivng me nuts (and my poor husband lol) - dentist appointment with sedation will stop me playing / reading for at least 24 hours.

What I am going to do is buy a proper grey card, then try and do the custom balance again, which btw I am setting right ... although I did question that myself but its right.

To upload btw I use Zoombrowser which is the software I think came with my camera - cant remember but it uploads all my other photo's ok and with decent results.

THANK YOU so much for helping with this, I am sure many others are in the same situation ie frustrated at first setting up a studio, and in my opinion no question is too daft to ask, its the only way we all learn.

Will post again with my results once I get the grey card and do another w/b cos I really do think this is user error somewhere on the line and am determined to try and correct it.