Flash advice please

[Trev4]

Hi guys. Any day now I am going to have to take some shots of a new born baby (my grandchild), there will be one chance to get it right in the hospital. I have searched the threads here and haven’t found an answer to my query yet but I feel it must have been covered before so I apologise for repeating a question.
So far all my photography has been nature work and flash isn’t something I have got my head round yet, so please excuse my lack of knowledge.
Having had a play with the camera, I found Av or even Tv wasn’t suitable because the camera set itself up for the ambient room lighting and not for flash.

Is it better to use Manual or the preset portrait setting.

My thoughts, but please correct me where I am going wrong, is to use manual at 1/60th f5.6 ISO 100.
The equipment I will be using is a Canon 50D, Nissin Di622 off camera flash (on the hot shoe) with a Stoffen type white diffuser. I was going to bounce the flash at around 45 deg. off the ceiling/wall rather than point it directly into the baby’s eyes, with the flash set to ETTL. The lens, either a Canon 17-85 IS, or a nifty fifty.

Am I thinking in the right way please, any advice would be a huge help.

Cheers
Trev

 

[Splog]

Hi guys. Any day now I am going to have to take some shots of a new born baby (my grandchild), there will be one chance to get it right in the hospital. I have searched the threads here and haven’t found an answer to my query yet but I feel it must have been covered before so I apologise for repeating a question.
So far all my photography has been nature work and flash isn’t something I have got my head round yet, so please excuse my lack of knowledge.
Having had a play with the camera, I found Av or even Tv wasn’t suitable because the camera set itself up for the ambient room lighting and not for flash.

Is it better to use Manual or the preset portrait setting.

My thoughts, but please correct me where I am going wrong, is to use manual at 1/60th f5.6 ISO 100.
The equipment I will be using is a Canon 50D, Nissin Di622 off camera flash (on the hot shoe) with a Stoffen type white diffuser. I was going to bounce the flash at around 45 deg. off the ceiling/wall rather than point it directly into the baby’s eyes, with the flash set to ETTL. The lens, either a Canon 17-85 IS, or a nifty fifty.

Am I thinking in the right way please, any advice would be a huge help.

Cheers
Trev

Hi Trev
Well I'm certainly no expert on flash but if I were in your situation I would do as you have already suggested but aim to bounce the flash halfway between you and the subject ceiling probably best

 

[Chaz Photos]

I am not sure why you was 1/60 this will pick up room light 1/200 if you not wish to balance flash with the room light
I would use ISO 100 with a softflash If you not OK about settings try auto with the ttl You can try some and look at them

 

[HoppyUK]

To guarantee a good result, set the camera on P and the flash on E-TTL. It will look after everything and in a normal kind of situation such as you describe it is unlikely to be far off optimum. It will make some allowance for the ambient light, but will not let the shutter speed drop too low for camera shake, nor will it let it go above x-sync (1/200sec).

You could set things the way you have descibed and probably be fine (make sure the flash is on E-TTL and it will match whatever f/numbert you set) but using P mode will cater for unexpected variables without any worries.

Angle the Stofen at 45 degrees, and assuming it is a light walled room you will get very nice bounce-fill light. I would use the zoom to get good framing.

 

[RobertP]

I agree with Hoppy

You are right that the camera will set itself for available light and the flash will top that up as required. In manual the flash output will top up whatever available light gets it at the aperture/shutter you choose to get you a correct exposure.

I normally use manual with flash but P is a good choice too. I'd suggest you practice with the flash taking pictures of things on say a white bed sheet. The return light from the white surfaces may quench the flash too soon and under expose your subject. At least if you practice a few shots you can guess if you might need some flash compensation set on the day.

Shoot raw to give you the best chance of recovery if the exposures are a bit out.

 

[CT]

Another vote for P and ETTL. It will produce good results and free you to concentrate on the pics.

 

[towershot]

If you shoot JPeg don't forget to set the white balance to flash.

 

[HoppyUK]

If you shoot JPeg don't forget to set the white balance to flash.

If the camera is set to auto white balance, it will switch over to flash balance whenever the flash is switched on.

However, if using the Stofen a lot of the colour balance will come from reflections off the ceiling and walls, in which case a custom white balance is the only way to get that dead right straight out of the camera.

Alternatively, in reality it probably will not be a million miles out unless the walls are bright green or something and the good advice about shooting Raw will allow colour to be fine tuned exactly in post processing, while also giving a bit more wriggle room if, for whatever reason, the exposure goes astray.

 

[Trev4]

Hi Trev
Well I'm certainly no expert on flash but if I were in your situation I would do as you have already suggested but aim to bounce the flash halfway between you and the subject ceiling probably best

I am not sure why you was 1/60 this will pick up room light 1/200 if you not wish to balance flash with the room light
I would use ISO 100 with a softflash If you not OK about settings try auto with the ttl You can try some and look at them

To guarantee a good result, set the camera on P and the flash on E-TTL. It will look after everything and in a normal kind of situation such as you describe it is unlikely to be far off optimum. It will make some allowance for the ambient light, but will not let the shutter speed drop too low for camera shake, nor will it let it go above x-sync (1/200sec).

You could set things the way you have descibed and probably be fine (make sure the flash is on E-TTL and it will match whatever f/numbert you set) but using P mode will cater for unexpected variables without any worries.

Angle the Stofen at 45 degrees, and assuming it is a light walled room you will get very nice bounce-fill light. I would use the zoom to get good framing.

I agree with Hoppy

You are right that the camera will set itself for available light and the flash will top that up as required. In manual the flash output will top up whatever available light gets it at the aperture/shutter you choose to get you a correct exposure.

I normally use manual with flash but P is a good choice too. I'd suggest you practice with the flash taking pictures of things on say a white bed sheet. The return light from the white surfaces may quench the flash too soon and under expose your subject. At least if you practice a few shots you can guess if you might need some flash compensation set on the day.

Shoot raw to give you the best chance of recovery if the exposures are a bit out.

Thank you everyone for your sound advice. I have played with settings but my confidence was falling down because it had to be right with no going back for a second try. TBH I hadn't thought of using P mode, but it makes sense now and means there shouldnt be any mistakes. You have helped me no end here with your experience, and as suggested, I'll try some test shots again, but using the settings you have given, and where I can fine tune if needed. Cheers, I really do appreciate your help

 

[AndWhyNot]

What I remember from the birth of my second (first happened at home) the delivery room has fairly subdued lighting, midwife rules the roost and rightly or wrongly (s)he may be uncomfortable with flash. Might be worth a contingency high-iso plan just in case.

Even if flash is fine, knocking the ISO to 200 will give you a stop less light punching into the room. Only advantage of choosing 1/60 is if the room lighting is flourescent any colour cast in your images will be consistent because of the frequency of fluoro tubes

Hope everything goes well with the birth.

 

[Trev4]

Another vote for P and ETTL. It will produce good results and free you to concentrate on the pics.

If you shoot JPeg don't forget to set the white balance to flash.

If the camera is set to auto white balance, it will switch over to flash balance whenever the flash is switched on.

However, if using the Stofen a lot of the colour balance will come from reflections off the ceiling and walls, in which case a custom white balance is the only way to get that dead right straight out of the camera.

Alternatively, in reality it probably will not be a million miles out unless the walls are bright green or something and the good advice about shooting Raw will allow colour to be fine tuned exactly in post processing, while also giving a bit more wriggle room if, for whatever reason, the exposure goes astray.

Thanks again guys. I do use RAW for all my shots now so that should help, and as you say, give some wriggle room. The reason I was going to use the Stoffen was to soften the flash and give a more realistic colour to the skin, if I am right in thinking this way I am unsure.
Having the camera look after virtually everything to let me concentrate on the shot is sound. As this is for my daughter and grandchild, there is going to be enough to think about on the day and its so easy to overlook something important in the camera settings etc.

 

[Trev4]

What I remember from the birth of my second (first happened at home) the delivery room has fairly subdued lighting, midwife rules the roost and rightly or wrongly (s)he may be uncomfortable with flash. Might be worth a contingency high-iso plan just in case.

Even if flash is fine, knocking the ISO to 200 will give you a stop less light punching into the room. Only advantage of choosing 1/60 is if the room lighting is flourescent any colour cast in your images will be consistent because of the frequency of fluoro tubes

Hope everything goes well with the birth.

Cheers. She wants the pictures taken immediately after the birth when the baby is in her arms, I certainly wont be there beforehand, so maybe the midwife wont be so much of a problem, but its a very good point, thanks. Most likely the lighting will be flourescent, again, something I hadn't thought about. Your good wishes are appreciated and I'll pass them onto my daughter and her husband too

 

[HoppyUK]

A Stofen works really well in most average rooms. What it does is diffuse most of the light around and above, so that it bounces off ceiling and walls providing nice soft light all around. It also sends light directly forward to the subject so you always get clean direct flash light on the subject and a nice sparkle in the eyes.

Most of the time it looks great, but the final effect is very largely dependent on the room you shoot in as the walls and ceiling provide all the fill lighting. For example, if you use a Stofen outside where there is no ceiling or walls, it has no diffusing effect at all and just wastes light blasting it away into nowhere.

Have a practise. If you are still unsure, get to play with the flash exposure compensation so you can lighten or darken it on the day, according to the LCD/blinkies and histogram - that is your best guide to optimum epxosure. Do you have blinkies enabled? That is, the highlight over-exposure warning that flashes black and white on the LCD when you've over cooked it.

 

[Trev4]

Have a practise. If you are still unsure, get to play with the flash exposure compensation so you can lighten or darken it on the day, according to the LCD/blinkies and histogram - that is your best guide to optimum epxosure. Do you have blinkies enabled? That is, the highlight over-exposure warning that flashes black and white on the LCD when you've over cooked it.

That helps Hoppy, thanks, I had the right idea but didnt know why, you explained that nicely I always have the blinkies and historgram enabled, its so usefull now that I have got used to using it.
Once again I appreciate all the help thats been offered, I feel much more confident now, lets see how it goes on the day