Newbie with flashgun issues :(

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mc11

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Hey guys,

This is my first post, been lurking for ages and found some great help on here, and seems like a lovely forum!

I've currently got a 500D with a 430EX II flashgun. I'm getting to grips with the flashgun and usually bounce flash but often I'm finding that I get uneven light and some parts of the photo are beautifully exposed and others are not. Usually I'm on 1/200th second at around F9.0.

Another problem I face is using direct flash from the flashgun, it literally makes everyone/everything white when I take a picture, and then when i got into the settings and turn the power of the flash down slightly it goes too dark. I am seriously struggling with the flashgun, and sometimes I wish I never got it!

I was under the impression that I would get great results!!

Any tips guys on how I can resolve the issue? And just flash gun advice in general?

Thanks :D

mc11
 
One way so you can see the results yourself is to fire off a shot in full auto mode.
If this comes out with a good result, set to manual then replicate the results and see which settings work with the flash.

Once you have figured out what sort of power is needed, have a ply moving the flash head around, using the difuser, bounce etc.

It will then start to make more sense to you.
When i first started using the flash it was frustrating but i found shooting in auto then replicating the results in manual was the best way for me to actually see the results and how the settings changed things.
 
mc11 said:
Hey guys,

This is my first post, been lurking for ages and found some great help on here, and seems like a lovely forum!

I've currently got a 500D with a 430EX II flashgun. I'm getting to grips with the flashgun and usually bounce flash but often I'm finding that I get uneven light and some parts of the photo are beautifully exposed and others are not. Usually I'm on 1/200th second at around F9.0.

Another problem I face is using direct flash from the flashgun, it literally makes everyone/everything white when I take a picture, and then when i got into the settings and turn the power of the flash down slightly it goes too dark. I am seriously struggling with the flashgun, and sometimes I wish I never got it!

I was under the impression that I would get great results!!

Any tips guys on how I can resolve the issue? And just flash gun advice in general?

Thanks :D

mc11
Click to expand...

430EXII is about as good a flash gun as you can get. If it's possible to get a good result with a pocket flash gun in any given situation, the 430EXII will do it.

If you can post a sample pic, with technical details (Exif data) we can see what's going on. Just guessing, but it sounds like it might be an inverse square law problem (as it so often is with flash). It sounds very technical but is simply means that as the distance from the flash to the subject is doubled, so the brightness of the light is reduced to one quarter - the common result is either very bright foreground subjects and dark backgrounds, or both.

Once you understand what's happening and recognise the situations where it is likely to be a problem, you can usually work around it.

And welcome to TP :)
 
Hi

I have the same setup as you (500D and 430 EX II) and I am getting amazing results with them.

mc11 said:
Another problem I face is using direct flash from the flashgun, it literally makes everyone/everything white when I take a picture, and then when i got into the settings and turn the power of the flash down slightly it goes too dark.
Click to expand...

It sounds as if it's (as someone already mentioned) an issue with distance to the subject. I can only recommend playing as much as possible until you get the results you wanted. I had a similar thing when I got the flashgun, my wife was constantly getting flashed (not like that!!) for days.

Have you tried setting it to 'auto' as in ETTL and letting the camera and gun choose the correct flash for you?

If you direct the flash at the subject without using diffusers etc you'll always get an over exposed face, and under exposed background (if it's dark). Wherever possible bounce the flash or get a diffuser which will help slightly.

mc11 said:
I was under the impression that I would get great results!!
Click to expand...

You will, just persevere for a bit longer and if you want post some of the results you're getting up here for us to take a look at to see if we can shed some light (excuse the pun) on it.
 
Another problem I face is using direct flash from the flashgun, it literally makes everyone/everything white when I take a picture, and then when i got into the settings and turn the power of the flash down slightly it goes too dark. I am seriously struggling with the flashgun, and sometimes I wish I never got it!
Click to expand...
Make a bounce card using some Funky Foam and velcro/hairband

See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM
 
post an example of what your getting and settings you took (include distance from subject, flash angle, is it diffused?)

Ross
 
HoppyUK said:
430EXII is about as good a flash gun as you can get. If it's possible to get a good result with a pocket flash gun in any given situation, the 430EXII will do it.

If you can post a sample pic, with technical details (Exif data) we can see what's going on. Just guessing, but it sounds like it might be an inverse square law problem (as it so often is with flash). It sounds very technical but is simply means that as the distance from the flash to the subject is doubled, so the brightness of the light is reduced to one quarter - the common result is either very bright foreground subjects and dark backgrounds, or both.

Once you understand what's happening and recognise the situations where it is likely to be a problem, you can usually work around it.

And welcome to TP :)
Click to expand...


Getting to grips with the 430II is something I need to spend a lot more time with. In honesty I tend to flick to TV and fire off shots of my son at 1/200. I'm happy enough with the results but I never really understand why it's happening.

I'm thinking of buying this book to understand lighting a bit more....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-C...1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272708062&sr=8-1-spell

Anyone read it?
 
Welcome to the forum! Depending on your ISO setting I suspect the flash can't deliver enough light for f9 when bouncing. Direct flash usually looks terrible unless you are supplementing ambient light with fill.

Try the same at much wider apertures / higher ISO values and see if the problem disappears - the 430 is a great flash.

Phil
 
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