I have a Focus point Q and Exposure Q

Q1: This sounds really bad but I'm having issues getting the clarity I want in my photos when shooting in low light. I put it on multi point focus because the camera searches and searches when I use single point focus. Any tips on how to get around that?
Q2: I can get ok results when I shoot a low light picture and someone is wearing white but the colors aren't vibrant like if I took a shot with someone wearing a red and blue shirt. Can someone explain why I cant get the same results. Should I try a different metering?

re Q2: Can you post some examples with EXIF intact? How dark exactly was it?

usually Really dark, I shoot with my flash set at +1/3 on the 430ex and all the photos come out like I want them except for when I get a lot of people wearing white shirts together it makes the photo really dark, I will try and find an example.

This one everything is pretty vibrant,

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

There is no EXIF (that I could see)

CMax wrote in post #5899755
This one everything is pretty vibrant,

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO

and on this one its kinda darker, same settings, I was thinking the camera is making it darker because the shirt is bright but when I up the flash power the faces get hotspots.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO

This is because the white has fooled the camera into underexposing. The camera attempts to make everything a middle grey. Presumably you metered off of the white in this case or perhaps just because of the volume of white in the image. You should apply some positive exposure compensation to overcome this.

can you explain how to do so when I'm shooting in M mode? How will I apply more positive exposure without getting hotspots? I can bump up the ISO but if im not wrong I will just get more background but the same grayish white.

for both pictures Im pretty sure it was set at 1/5s 200iso f3.2, I rarely switched my settings when I first started. Its just I still haven't figured out how to get the result I want without getting a shiny forehead.

What camera? Can you pick a focus point just for the face?

I don't think that's a exposure problem. It's a glow problem.
(Men sweat, women glow.) I'm not sure that there's a good solution club shooting except to bounce off the ceiling.

m using a 40D and I guess I'll just keep on dealing with the darker picture since I have the garyfong diffuser, cant really bounce it...

If you were shooting without flash and had a large white area in the frame, you would give +2 EC. Shooting with flash and wanting to influence only the area affected by the flash, give +2 FEC. Simple logic, no?

For what it's worth, I use C.Fn-13 (1) to put the focus points on my joystick (multi controller) which makes it easy to switch when things are moving fast or other situations where I need an off-center point.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #5901817
For what it's worth, I use C.Fn-13 (1) to put the focus points on my joystick (multi controller) which makes it easy to switch when things are moving fast or other situations where I need an off-center point.

I've made this change based on your advice from another thread, and so far from yesterday, I do like it but there are a couple of things I wish I could fix.

Sometimes I select my focus point before shooting and I usually look at my top lcd to make sure the correct point is selected, (left instead of top left) and with multi-controller selected, the LCD doesn't show this. Also I usually use the dial on my grip to select my focus point while shooting in portrait layout but you cannot do this with C.Fn-13 selected.

Otherwise it is really easy to select the correct point and shoot fast, I just wish we could customize it or maybe get a multi-controller on the next grip upgrade.

Thanks, Ill try those options out.