Party Pix...what flash setting?

I'm taking party pix this weekend indoors with low light (1 yr. olds). I'm going to shoot in RAW on AV (one shot, 800 ISO) with my 430 EX set to ETTL and in some trials, I can't tell the difference between setting it on high speed synch and second curtain synch. What's the difference between these two and what is the appropriate setting?
Thanks.

Steps for great indoor photos -
1)Point flash at ceiling
2)Put camera in M mode
3)Adjust FEC on flash to +2/3
3)Set aperture to ~f/5.6
4)Set shutter speed to 1/250s
5)Set ISO to 400.
6)Make sure flash is in E-TTL

shoot!

To get more flash "power", you can raise the ISO or open the aperture. To get more ambient light in, adjust the 3 usual components of exposure. Flash exposure=ISO+aperture+​flash duration. Ambient exposure=ISO+aperture+​shutter speed

Don't use Av mode for indoor work as your shutter speed will most likely be too slow. RAW is good though

So should be no different than using your studio lighting, except you only have that one light on top of your camera (pointed at the ceiling so the ceiling becomes the light source, direct flash=yucky)

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=552984

I'd be uncomfortable charging a client $250 when you've never done this before. Do you have a friend/relative having a birthday party anytime soon so you can practice?

Basically you only need HSS if you need shutter speeds faster than 1/250s (mainly outdoors). Second Curtain means the flash fires at the END of the exposure, rather than at the beginning. For most shots, doesn't make a difference. Mainly used when doing S-L-O-W exposures.

egordon99 wrote in post #6182915
Steps for great indoor photos -
1)Point flash at ceiling
2)Put camera in M mode
3)Adjust FEC on flash to +2/3
3)Set aperture to ~f/5.6
4)Set shutter speed to 1/250s
5)Set ISO to 400.
6)Make sure flash is in E-TTL

shoot!

To get more flash "power", you can raise the ISO or open the aperture. To get more ambient light in, adjust the 3 usual components of exposure. Flash exposure=ISO+aperture+​flash duration. Ambient exposure=ISO+aperture+​shutter speed

Don't use Av mode for indoor work as your shutter speed will most likely be too slow. RAW is good though

Ceiling is out of the question---its about 35 ft. tall. Its a banquet room.

egordon99 wrote in post #6182934
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=552984

I'd be uncomfortable charging a client $250 when you've never done this before. Do you have a friend/relative having a birthday party anytime soon so you can practice?

The original plan was to set up my studio and do portraits with baby/moms, but the Ritz said no---its a public area. So, I'll give it a shot and it'll work out. What kind of a coward do you think I am? Just hate on camera flash.

irishman wrote in post #6183418
Ceiling is out of the question---its about 35 ft. tall. Its a banquet room.

A 430 combined with a 2.8 lens and high ISO should allow you to bounce off even very high ceilings, unless they are some weird color.

If not, you might want a small diffuser like a mini softbox and a flash bracket. The key is to let in as much ambient light as possible so the flash shots don't look too unnatural.

Yeah---I'll show up early and make some trial shots. I have a Fong Lightsphere and a Lumiquest Pro-max system.

How about looking into one of them flash brackets like the stroboframe?

Leave the Lightsphere home and use the Lumiquest. The Lightsphere relies on nearby surfaces for reflecting the light and wastes a ton of it in the process.

www.abetterbouncecard.​com might also be a simple answer if you can't locate a bracket and off-shoe cord (which adds about $70 to the cost).

I would definitely use M on the camera, ETTL on the flash. Set your f-stop at something to give you the necessary DOF, adjust ISO for ambient conditions and use the shutter speed to control the ambient exposure.

If you want to get correct about it you should gel your flash to give you proper white balance for both ambient and flash.

Forget about high speed synch and second curtain synch for inside. HSS is only for outside in bright light. 2nd curtain is very very rarely useful, google will teach you about it.