Shooting with speedlight flash - technique

USER876 wrote in post #6278555
eek! I would be afraid to shoot at 1600 with a flash.

and that's why it didn't work for you. that is how it's done. you can get away with 800 and 400 can work if you want ot push the flash.

yes she is shooting the 24-70. no you don't need to upgrade, the flash has enough juice.

dave fec should be realtive to the subject. -2/3 on a dark subject will give you an overexposed shot, not fill. what's more fill does not add dimension, it removes it. if you are creating dimension with your flash the flash is now your main, ambient is fill.

Oh heck...

I saw a photographer shooting at the end of a night foorball game in an open air stadium. He was "bouncing " the flash straight up (against the sky???) using a Stofen Omnibounce...

RPCrowe wrote in post #6279174
I saw a photographer shooting at the end of a night foorball game in an open air stadium. He was "bouncing " the flash straight up (against the sky???) using a Stofen Omnibounce...

Catchlights for the eyes, maybe?

When I tried bouncing from the side, it looked just like that in the picture.......side of people's faces were light and the other side was dark. I guess I have to practice. I will try going to iso 1600, I was shooting in auto at 1/60 shutter at the lowest aperture I could. Next time I am going to try manual with a 1/200 shutter @ iso 1600. Should I scale the flash back? Do I need the frosted white cap difuser?

wear a white hoody and bounce it off yourself?

think of bouncing like using a studio light. typically you would position a studio light at 45 degrees, slightly above the subject. try and bounce your flash to give you that same directionality.

USER876 wrote in post #6278555
eek! I would be afraid to shoot at 1600 with a flash. Thanks for the responses, are you sure she is shooting with a 24-70 F2.8? I don't think my 430EX has enough throw to shoot with it turned at 180, maybe it's time to upgrade!

The difference between the 430 and 580 is the same when bouncing to the rear as it is under any other circumstance. The 430 will work fine but the 580 will allow greater distance between it, the bounce surface and the subject.

I bounce all the time, be it forward or backward like that lady, nothing wrong with it if you know how to do it correctly to make it look natural.

As far as shooting / focusing speed, they sounded like an experienced couple of shooters. Shooting weddings or critical events, you need to be pretty fast and plan things out ahead of time or think on your feet. Shooting weddings long enough, you'll get into that mind set and you can be really fast without noticing it.

sando wrote in post #6279188
Catchlights for the eyes, maybe?

Or just plain lazy? I know I point my flash up or away sometime just because I don't want to turn it off in case I need to pop a quick flash shot and not having to wait for it to charge up.

suyenfung wrote in post #6279285
think of bouncing like using a studio light. typically you would position a studio light at 45 degrees, slightly above the subject. try and bounce your flash to give you that same directionality.

Do you shoot on auto wb?

usually. if the flash is the main light the camera will always nail the wb. if i gel to tungsten i will use the tungsten preset. i find this more consistent for whatever reason.

btw in the situation you described before you will definitely get a better result if you gel for fluorescent. however it sounds like b&w time to me!

Thanks for the followup.

BTW -- checked your site -- outstanding work!!!

thanks!

My guess is that she is using the AF beam assist to get a faster focus and not using it for its flash at all. Just my guess. only because I have done that myself in a large room situation.