First attempt at OCF

These were shot tonight around 8:00pm, had the iso at 1600 so they look noisy. Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated. Softbox camera left on 1/8 and 1/16th, 580EXII.

nate..

what was your shutter speeds? and did you really need 1600?

i don't think so.

ok.. @ 8pm.. you can have your iso around 800.. shutter around 1/80 or even 1/50.. or 1/60ish..

but that all depends on your F stop.. start off with 5.6 then move up or down or move your light in or out..

1/16 power is probably a little low.. 1/8 is where i would have started off..

To me these look like they were exposed for natural light and the flash is not really doing much except adding a catch light to their eyes. Underexpose your background by about a stop and let the flash light your subjects, that will give you more "pop".

phamster wrote in post #8615488
nate..

what was your shutter speeds? and did you really need 1600?

i don't think so.

ok.. @ 8pm.. you can have your iso around 800.. shutter around 1/80 or even 1/50.. or 1/60ish..

but that all depends on your F stop.. start off with 5.6 then move up or down or move your light in or out..

1/16 power is probably a little low.. 1/8 is where i would have started off..

I will try again tomorrow. I tried a lower iso but I couldn't get the shutter speed up even at 4, which is lowest my 70-200 goes. The few I took on the 1/8th power seemed really washed out, the softbox was prob 6-8 ft from them.

I will try again tomorrow though!!

Redfire_Cobra wrote in post #8615509
To me these look like they were exposed for natural light and the flash is not really doing much except adding a catch light to their eyes. Underexpose your background by about a stop and let the flash light your subjects, that will give you more "pop".

Thanks for the suggestion, I will try again tomorrow hopefully.

so what was your settings for this photos posted?

i need to see your

shutter speeds
fstops
what camera body too
and what mode your shot in the posted photos..

size of softbox?

Nates98cbr wrote in post #8615551
Thanks for the suggestion, I will try again tomorrow hopefully.

Definitely give it another go, you will get the hang of it in no time! These are not bad at all but with a little less ambient and more flash it will really improve them. I would also shoot at f4 and increase the distance from the tree to give some separation from the background.

Nates98cbr wrote in post #8615528
I will try again tomorrow. I tried a lower iso but I couldn't get the shutter speed up even at 4, which is lowest my 70-200 goes. The few I took on the 1/8th power seemed really washed out, the softbox was prob 6-8 ft from them.

I will try again tomorrow though!!

What mode are you shooting in?!

Try a different background too. The tree would be okay if it were the whole background but doesnt work as is. One of the nice things about ocf is using the difference between exposing the background area and the subject. The tree is so close its getting the same exposure as the subject meaning not a lot of dynamic range in the photo. Its amazing how even a rather mundane background can really set off photo when its slightly defocused and darker with an illuminated subject.

phamster wrote in post #8615624
so what was your settings for this photos posted?

i need to see your

shutter speeds
fstops
what camera body too
and what mode your shot in the posted photos..

size of softbox?

Canon 30D, manual mode (usually shoot in Av for people),
first photo was 1/125, second was 1/80, both at f 4.0 and 70mm, softbox is 60cm x 40cm, prob 6-8ft away. The photos were adjusted in Lightroom too.

gonzogolf wrote in post #8618030
Try a different background too. The tree would be okay if it were the whole background but doesnt work as is. One of the nice things about ocf is using the difference between exposing the background area and the subject. The tree is so close its getting the same exposure as the subject meaning not a lot of dynamic range in the photo. Its amazing how even a rather mundane background can really set off photo when its slightly defocused and darker with an illuminated subject.

Yea I agree, I should have had them further away or just standing in the open to get more depth in the photo.

You did a very good job exposing the ambient light here. ISO 1600 was extremely unnecessary. I never shoot over ISO 250 when I am using strobes. Don't be hesitant to underexpose your backgrounds. It's nearly impossible to get perfect exposure throughout an entire photo. I know what the rules say, but your only supposed to learn the rules so you know how to break them. Next time try ISO 200 f/8 @ 80 with your speedlight at 1/4 to half power. Try it out and go from there, a slightly underexposed background with a properly exposed subject will be much more exciting to look at. Great shots and keep shooting

I forgot to say, For a first Attempt you've got me beat by a long shot, my first OCF stuff was horrendous... lol

Scoen wrote in post #8619262
You did a very good job exposing the ambient light here. ISO 1600 was extremely unnecessary. I never shoot over ISO 250 when I am using strobes. Don't be hesitant to underexpose your backgrounds. It's nearly impossible to get perfect exposure throughout an entire photo. I know what the rules say, but your only supposed to learn the rules so you know how to break them. Next time try ISO 200 f/8 @ 80 with your speedlight at 1/4 to half power. Try it out and go from there, a slightly underexposed background with a properly exposed subject will be much more exciting to look at. Great shots and keep shooting

I forgot to say, For a first Attempt you've got me beat by a long shot, my first OCF stuff was horrendous... lol

Thank you very much!!