Why is white so hard?! CC please :)

I wanted some shots of my nephews for their 18 months and 4 year pics. I got some decent ones but I have a lot of trouble with white backgrounds. Either I get them way to hot or the bg comes out yellow not white. These were shot with a point & shoot with a bounced 430EX and one light with umbrella. I think I need more lights. Any CC would be great!

what was the one light in the umbrella?

gonzogolf wrote in post #9701567
what was the one light in the umbrella?

yes

melissaandkris wrote in post #9701583
yes

lol ... No, WHAT TYPE of light are you using with your umbrella?

Also, how bright is the ambient lighting in the room?

ooo...sorry dumb moment there! It's just a cheap 120v light bulb and stand I got off ebay. There is a glass door and a small window in the room but not a lot of ambient light.

melissaandkris wrote in post #9701627
ooo...sorry dumb moment there! It's just a cheap 120v light bulb and stand I got off ebay.

Incandescent bulbs are yellow when compared to your flash, thats why you are getting yellow tinges. Dont mix types of light if you can avoid it.

That makes sense. Is there any specific bulb you would recommend that would work with my flash?

melissaandkris wrote in post #9701657
That makes sense. Is there any specific bulb you would recommend that would work with my flash?

yes, another flash. is your point and shoot capable of adjusting white balance? if so there might be other options.

Yes, it can be adjusted. I think I had it on auto for these shots. The camera is a Canon S5.

melissaandkris wrote in post #9701696
Yes, it can be adjusted. I think I had it on auto for these shots. The camera is a Canon S5.

You can get gels, that you would put over your flash to make it the same color as an incandescent bulb. Then you would select the white balance for tungsten lighting. You can usually get swatch books from rosco, the gel company from theatrical supply warehouses or b&h photo that are the right size for a canon flash. You would probably want to use a cto (color temp orange) gel on the flash.

I have one of the little sample books of gels, I didn't even think of using one of them, I think they are the perfect size to go on the flash. Thanks. I will have to try that next time

Keep in mind you need some method of mounting that to the flash so that it doesnt contact the face. The flash gets hot enough to melt the gel to the face if you mount in contact

Ok, thanks for the tip! I will try to figure something out!

melissaandkris wrote in post #9701731
I have one of the little sample books of gels, I didn't even think of using one of them, I think they are the perfect size to go on the flash. Thanks. I will have to try that next time

Try the tungsten gel over your flash and set the camera WB to Tungsten.

It is hard to get a true white BG without having a light directly on it. Set your BG light 1-2 stops brighter than your key light and things will liven up to where you want to be. BTW...these shots are not bad at all!