Crash course in flashing needed

Sausages

Sausages

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307
Name
Damian
Edit My Images
Yes
I have just bought my first flash a 430exii, and need a crash course in the basics, settings for both camera and flash. I am at a friends wedding in a couple of weeks and would like the opertunity to try the flash indoors and out. I will be using 24-70L on my 550D. So far I have mainly been shooting my sons rugby with my 70-300, so now treading on new gound and any advise will be greatly accepted.

Here is my pitiful first shot which I would also like to salvage but learning Photoshop is something else:thinking:


Ellie3.jpg
 
Very difficult to tell without the EXIF data.

What mode were you shooting in and what were the exposure settings?

At a guess shutter speed wad too slow which allowed the light from the flash to flood the subject.
 
Basically the image is over exposed, there's too much flash hitting the subject, so it's possible she shutter speed was too slow (allowing too much light in) or perhaps after giving it more thought the subject was too close to the flash.

Is that better???
 
We need the camera/exposure settings before specific advice or comments can be given. the info. Russ has given may or may not be relevant.
 
chphotos said:
We need the camera/exposure settings before specific advice or comments can be given. the info. Russ has given may or may not be relevant.
Click to expand...

Did I not say that in my first post????? :shrug:
 
if you like reading grab a copy of syl arenas speedliters handbook an absolute gem of a book if your new too flash photography tells you all you need to know without the confusion
 
LOL thanks all for taking an inerest, I have just been looking at utube as well. Thanks I will also look out for a copy of syl arenas speedliters handbook

The photo above was F/9 iso400 shutter speed 1/200 50mm. I just clicked on the flash and shot, the plan was to reduce some of the shaddows, it was already a bright day. I should have taken time to look at settings
 
Sausages said:
LOL thanks all for taking an inerest, I have just been looking at utube as well. Thanks I will also look out for a copy of syl arenas speedliters handbook

The photo above was F/9 iso400 shutter speed 1/200 50mm. I just clicked on the flash and shot, the plan was to reduce some of the shaddows, it was already a bright day. I should have taken time to look at settings
Click to expand...

Depending on what mode you had the camera in will have a bearing how the flash operated.

Full auto or P mode the camera will let the flash pretty much control the exposure.

M, Av, Tv the camera will use the flash to fill in (which would have helped reduce the shadows)

I'm guessing the shutter speed needed to be faster and you hit the maximum flash sync speed (1/200).

Check the flash manual to see if the flash supports high speed sync. If it does, change the flash mode to enable the flash to fire when the shutter speed is > 1/200.

If this option isn't available, increase the aperture and/or lower the ISO to avoid over exposure.
 
Not sure about Canon speedlights but has it not got a TTL setting on it, to me it looks like the flash is set in manual mode. :shrug:
 
Russ77 said:
What bit don't you get/doesn't make sense? :lol:
Click to expand...

Russ77 said:
Basically the image is over exposed, there's too much flash hitting the subject, so it's possible she shutter speed was too slow (allowing too much light in) or perhaps after giving it more thought the subject was too close to the flash.

Is that better???
Click to expand...

That bit. The shutter speed controls the ambient content, not the flash portion.
 
Russ77 said:
M, Av, Tv the camera will use the flash to fill in (which would have helped reduce the shadows)
Click to expand...

No with the camera set in manual the camera will meter and use the flash to give the correct exposure for the whole scene. It will use it as a fill flash in Av and Tv.

Have a look at http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/index.html

It's a bit of a read but it tells you how canon flashes interact with EOS cameras.
 
amazon is your friend i paid £18 well worth it, and is in easy to follow. if your shooting in ettl you can use your flash exposure compensation to fine tune the amount of flash
 
Need to tag along on this thread as im just learning with the same flash but have a 500d.

One thing i do know is the 430exII does support High Speed Sync and ETTL.

With the flash on press the lightning bolt H/>>> (high speed sync/ second curtain sync)button until on the display in the bottom left hand corner you have a bolt H displaying.

Mode button changes from manual to ETTL
Thats the flash in HSS mode
 
As chiffs says

The photo you posted is over exposed due to it using a 1/200th for the shutter the flash will automatically set the shutter to that in bright conditions as that it its fastest it can do. You need to use highspeed sync which is the square with a H icon if I remember correctly that will then mean the shutter isnt restricted to 1/200 any more and expose for the scene but pop the flash also to freeze the action.
 
As the whole image looks over exposed, the frst thing I would try is lowering the iso to 100. As above, flash exposure is not affected by shutter speed unless you go faster than the max sync speed. If you do , the flash will fire while the shutter is partially covering the sensor giving a darker band across the photo. High Sync speed mode helps prevent this. There was a good youtube vid with animation to show how it works but I can't remember the link.
 
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