Improve Picture Quality With Flash

I could use some help in improving my skills with using the 580 flash when shooting with 2.8 lens within daylight or well lit environment. I tend to experience tons of over exposed or under exposed images when shooting within these environment. Can anyone provide the basic rule of thumb for shooting with the 580 flash or just general flash in daylight / well lit environments.

Challenges

-Using flash with well light background with subject in front. How can I fill the subject without over exposing the background (sky, white walls, reflections, and other bright surfaces) shooting at 2.8. Is this even possible to achieve?

-What is a good recommended distance to use flash from subject with super bright or dark backgrounds?

- Any rule of thumb on using flash vs aperture range to achieve perfectly exposed pictures

- Any rule of thumb on using flash vs shutter speeds for perfectly exposed pictures?

- How can I keep both subject and background light simultaneously using flash?

Thanks!

Turn High Speed Sync on when shooting in bright places with the 580 as fill - otherwise your shutter speed will be limited to 1/250 which may well be causing your photo to be overexposed.

For the initial scenario I'd meter for the background, e.g., put it on something like partial metering, meter lock on something in the background then recompose and let ETTL provide fill for the subject. If that makes sense. I'm very tired

IMO, the only way to be sure that you get what you want every time, is to tell the cam & flash what you want them to do. That means using manual.
Read through this & see if it helps: Flash at events
See post #6.

Manual in a fast paced shooting environment can be self defeating, missing shots while you are fiddling with the flash output is why TTL has its place and uses. The key is understanding how the flash system works and being comfortable with it *before* you need it.

Jim G,

To my knowledge the camera can only sync up to 1/250 with the 580. If I shoot in H-Sync, are you saying I can shoot at a higher shutter speed? As for metering, I'm tried various meter modes with little or no results. I've shot in AV, TV and M modes. I will continue to try until I figure out how to use the 580 maximum potentials.

Photoman65 wrote in post #5529921
Jim G,

To my knowledge the camera can only sync up to 1/250 with the 580. If I shoot in H-Sync, are you saying I can shoot at a higher shutter speed? As for metering, I'm tried various meter modes with little or no results. I've shot in AV, TV and M modes. I will continue to try until I figure out how to use the 580 maximum potentials.

If you enable the high speed sync mode your 580EX will be able to sync at any shutter speed. See page 17 of your 580EX manual. High speed sync does tend to be power hungry however and it also reduces the output of your flash.

This is a question ...

Can you meter a bright area and use the "*" to hold that meter value ... there is another term for this, but I can't remember and do not have manual with me.

Keep holding down the "*" and recompose, then shoot?

If you meter a bright area without using EC, then your image will be dark.

It's SO much easier to transfer the "correct" exposure into a manual setting. What if someone moves? Then you have to re-meter, use the "*" to hold that meter value, reshoot... and if something else goes wrong in that shot...