On a Sunny Day, my best friend became my model.

First time posting here, CC very welcome. It was a very sunny day so I had to push my flash hard just to fill.

1)

Obi Wan has taught you well...
Nice shots!

These are nice.

you didnt have to push your flash to fill

Your background is really blown out. if you would have used Manual mode and adjusted your setting a little differently, you could have brought the exposure down a little to bring the background back, and used your flash (without pushing it to its limits at all) for a fill

Here is your exif data on the first image

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Image Date: 2008:07:04 14:55:29
Flash Used: Yes (Manual)
Focal Length: 85.0mm
CCD Width: NaNmm
Exposure Time: 0.0025 s (1/400)
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO equiv: 100
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)

and here it is again with my changes in red

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Image Date: 2008:07:04 14:55:29
Flash Used: Yes (Manual)
Focal Length: 85.0mm
CCD Width: NaNmm
Exposure Time: 0.0025 s (1/400)
Aperture: f.5.6 (or 8.0)
ISO equiv: 100
White Balance: Shade (or custom if you know how)
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual

Closing your aparture down (higher number) pumps less light into your sensor, thus making the photo a tad darker, add your fill flash and you have a properly exposed image

Hi Jack,

I thought about doing that but I didn't do so because she was actually in the shade so even if I stopped down the background wouldn't be blown out but her face would have still been too dark. (I actually upped the exposure in PP thus overexposing the background to bring up the light on her face). I think in this situation because the sunlight was so strong and her being in the shade, a reflector would have been most ideal to compensate for the shade.

Also I was greedy and wanted creamy bokeh from the 85L so I kept the aperture wider.

were you using the on board flash, or a off camera strobe? you could accomplish this without blowing the background if you were using a strobe..and keep the bokeh

Number 1 her face looks a little green to me.

OneEyedJack wrote in post #5882813
you didnt have to push your flash to fill

Your background is really blown out. if you would have used Manual mode and adjusted your setting a little differently, you could have brought the exposure down a little to bring the background back, and used your flash (without pushing it to its limits at all) for a fill

Closing your aparture down (higher number) pumps less light into your sensor, thus making the photo a tad darker, add your fill flash and you have a properly exposed image

But the aperture would affect your flash as well. If you close down the aperture to darken the background, you're going to also decrease the effect of the flash. You could use a faster shutter, but I'm assuming he was using already using high-speed synch to be using something like a 1/400th shutter while still using flash. If your flash isn't powerful enough to match ambient, you're pretty much SOL.

he could take a double exposure. one for the model and one for the background and merge in post

OneEyedJack wrote in post #5883609
were you using the on board flash, or a off camera strobe? you could accomplish this without blowing the background if you were using a strobe..and keep the bokeh

Unfortunately I only had a 430ex on board at the time. No assistant, no lightstand with boom arm and no reflector...

Next time take a couple more friends and load them up like mules. Love #2 and 3, really good work.

Nice friend great smile very happy set

love them ;o)

OneEyedJack wrote in post #5883820
he could take a double exposure. one for the model and one for the background and merge in post

Yes, but keeping everything steady for two shots? Nearly impossible.

Thanks for all the comments so far everyone. It was a particularly lively and fun impromptu shoot thanks to the model. The great weather also set the perfect mood.