430 EXII for first flash

I just got a 430ex II as a gift and am excited to learn to use it. Are there any basic tips for new users of this type of flash? Any 'homework' assignments I should do Ito get familiar with its capabilities?

Put it on, camera in green box, flash in ETTL, and bang away. You'll hate the pictures, so then read a bunch of threads in this forum (especially some of the stickies) to learn why. THAT's when you learn.

I started reading that last post and was thinking, "WHAT!? That's HORRIBLE advice!"

And then I finished reading it, and I decided I like it.

Thanks for the tip Anton, fail early and fail often until I figure out what I like.

Some light reading.

http://photonotes.org/​articles/eos-flash/index.html

NMB3 wrote in post #11678640
Thanks for the tip Anton, fail early and fail often until I figure out what I like.

More like, get the inevitable awful ones done first so you know what you need to avoid! Then start searching old threads for "deer in headlights," "dark background" and "hot spots" and see what you can try in order to improve.

But really, merely bouncing the flash indoors makes an enormous improvement even if you don't do anything else. Then work on balancing flash and ambient, and 75% of that battle is just being methodical about your ambient exposure. After that it gets really hard.

Has any one tried the sanyo eneloop? or the Energizer E2? I'm looking into the 580ex II but the price is crazy. I will be only doing family photography and just fool around. Think I will be ultimately happy with the 430ex ii. I would like to get good at natural light photography like the nifty fifty thread. I'm on the fence.

kipliq wrote in post #11680049
Has any one tried the sanyo eneloop? or the Energizer E2? I'm looking into the 580ex II but the price is crazy. I will be only doing family photography and just fool around. Think I will be ultimately happy with the 430ex ii. I would like to get good at natural light photography like the nifty fifty thread. I'm on the fence.

The eneloops are highly regarded here. If not those, other low self-discharge batteries will be better as they dont die in your bag in a week. Natural light photography is good, but flash photography isnt all about quantity of light, but also quality of light so just depending on a fast prime isnt always enough. Use your nifty in a room with tungsten can lights and see what you get. Raccoon eye shadows and glasses frames casting shadows on cheeks. A spot of fill makes all that go away.