Tired of flash hit and miss! (please help)

Wilt wrote in post #5560544
Wait a second folks!

Sure, you'd have to wait until the flash is fully recharged. Same goes for ETTL.

Then again, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think the Canon flashes won't fire until the ready light goes on, so they are (almost) recharged.

One advantage of manual flash is that you don't get the ETTL preflash, which has been known to cause people to blink, and be on the picture with the eyes closed...

Village_Idiot wrote in post #5560613
IAnd by manual, I meant manual mode, not 1/1 or full power.

But of course, even if you were at 1/4 power in manual mode on the flash, if the flash was only 1/128 recharged it fires at 1/128 power, and if it were 1/8 recharged it fires at 1/8 power, etc.

René Damkot wrote in post #5560616
Sure, you'd have to wait until the flash is fully recharged. Same goes for ETTL.

Then again, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think the Canon flashes won't fire until the ready light goes on, so they are (almost) recharged.

Yes, the Quick Flash mode must be set via Custom Function, in order to permit the flash to be fired before the Green ready light

Right - you can fire the camera, but not the flash - been there done that a couple of times too many when the action was going strong - black frame. (Unless you set it up the way Wilt said.).

René Damkot wrote in post #5560616
.....Then again, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think the Canon flashes won't fire until the ready light goes on, so they are (almost) recharged.
.......

Yeah, I can relate to a lot of the black frames that Sapearl is talking about. So then I think it would of been better to spot meter, set the flash manually (not to full power) and then shot away waiting for flash to fully recharge before shooting again. Yes, it was really dumb of me to keep it in rapid fire shutter when handing the remote to the teacher. Sure am glad that I didn't fry my flash!

Will also not be using the tupperware due to the excess of power it uses.

Am I missing anything?

Wilt wrote in post #5560681
Yes, the Quick Flash mode must be set via Custom Function, in order to permit the flash to be fired before the Green ready light

From the 580EX manual, page 10 (emphasis mine): "Quick flash enables a flash to be fired before flash-ready, when the pilot lamp is still green.
Although the Guide No. will be 1/6 to 1/2 that of the full output, quick flash is effective for near subjects and when you want a shorter recycle time. Set the drive mode to single,. Quick flash cannot be used in the continuous shooting, FEB, manual flash, and stroboscopic flash modes."

So, if I read this correct:

• Quick Flash only works in ETTL, and *can indeed* lead to underexposed images then,
  
  
• If the pilot light isn't green, the flash won't fire, regardless of setting QF or not,
  
  
• QF will not work in continuous drive,
  
  
• QF will not work in Manual flash.
  

René Damkot wrote in post #5560893
From the 580EX manual, page 10 (emphasis mine): "Quick flash enables a flash to be fired before flash-ready, when the pilot lamp is still green".

I think there is the question of what is the correct interpretation, because the wording makes it somewhat ambiguous...

a) "Quick flash enables a flash to be fired when the pilot lamp is still green, before red flash-ready"

b) "Quick flash enables a flash to be fired before green flash-ready"

The behavior you reported is consistent with interpretation A, which is how I originally interpreted the manual.

phsv wrote in post #5560247
Could this have anything to do w/ the ETTL have something to do with this? Maybe the couple was wearing different colors and the camera metered it wrong?

Sample images would help answer this question. White clothing and reflective fabrics like satin (common in prom dresses) have been known to make E-TTL underexpose terribly. You may want to try switching to Average E-TTL (via camera custom function) which is somewhat less prone to this problem.

That's what I would have done in that situation, but I also have a flash meter and some experience with it. Manual flash is a skill set unto itself, but it's worth learning.

rabidcow wrote in post #5559362
Professionalism is more than neato-frame-rates. In this business you need to create the image, not shoot until the image happens.

Unless you are shooting very small children.

Curtis N wrote in post #5559432
Tupperware type devices destroy the inherent efficiency of a flash unit by throwing the light in all directions.

I agree! Not only did Fong take your money for the Tupperware device itself, but he exhausted your batteries and scattered your light all over the place.

Well, I highly agree that it is not professional to shoot until the image happens, but this was the first time I had encountered this problem, so I tried to make the best of it. I am sure (I hope) that I will be more professional thanks to you guys.

And for what the Fong cost me, it got the job done for other events. But the more I learn about flash photography, the more time it stays at home and rely on soft foam reflectors; especially for the price!

phsv, sorry if I blasted you there, I was still working on my coffee and did not READ that YOU did not take these images. My bad. I do NOT retract my statement, it is as true now as it was then, I simply re-direct it to those who might need it.

Rule of thumb: Known distance, known environment, and manual camera settings all add up to manual flash settings and a light meter.

Oh Rapid, don't worry about it, I didn't take it that way. No offense taken.

I really do appreciate the input from all that posted here.

phsv wrote in post #5564673
And for what the Fong cost me, it got the job done for other events. But the more I learn about flash photography, the more time it stays at home and rely on soft foam reflectors; especially for the price!

A big vote here for the soft foam reflectors. Cheap and very effective.

rabidcow wrote in post #5559362
16 shots in one minute, 25 seconds. Are you serious?

A mother came up to me after a one outfit senior session and told me how happy she was. She had originally taken her daughter to a friend's uncle to get senior pictures taken all because he had a snazzy new DSLR and talked like he knew what he was doing. He took the girl out to a park and machine gunned around 300 images. There was little to no posing whatsoever, and the mother was starting to get it. This guy probably knew allot about his gear, but he knew little of portrait photography.

She had come to me because she had to. Her daughter's school has a yearbook contract with us. So, I took the yearbook shots and then 4 more, pretty standard for a one outfit session. The mother watched me intently, and then looked at the pictures afterwards. She told me that she was amazed at how I didn't even touch my camera until I was ready to take the shot, she was floored by the fact that I posed and lit her daughter toe to head. I took the time to create the pose, and then to develop the expression. I only pushed the button when I needed to, and I only pushed the button eight times. She received eight proofs. She bought 5 out of the 8 and none from the 300 or so she had received from the gunner.

Professionalism is more than neato-frame-rates. In this business you need to create the image, not shoot until the image happens.

A good lesson in this story. Taking time to set up the shot is something I often fall foul of. Your skills would have been enhanced by the fact that you had already worked out your camera and flash settings from your previous shots (and experience). It makes a world of difference when you are sure about the camera/flash settings and you can relax and get the pose and expression right.

For a yearbook shoot, how do you set up your lighting? And typically what camera settings do you use?

Meaty0 wrote in post #5579224
For a yearbook shoot, how do you set up your lighting? And typically what camera settings do you use?

For senior Yearbooks I use a 4 light set up. Main, fill, hair, and background. Main is modified with a HALO for REALLY soft shadows, and setup at subject forehead height and 45(ish) degrees off centerline (the line from background center to background light to subject center and then to camera center) This produces a nice 10 or 2 o'clock catchlight. Fill is placed centerline about 14 feet from subject with a 42" umbrella. Hair and background lights are in the usual places.

Lighting is at a 3:1 ratio. Fill metered at 5.6.5, fill-main combined at 11. Hair at 8.5 and background at 11 (metered at ISO400).

Camera settings...ISO200, 1/125, f/9, flash white balance. Sounds weird to meter at ISO400 at f/11 and shoot at ISO200 f/9.....right?

Metering this way gives me nice easy numbers to meter to, and then I am basically shooting 1/3 under at a cleaner ISO in order to avoid any blowout on shiny foreheads or blond hair.