[blwnhr]

I've got my girlfriends 21st to shoot on Saturday night. I'll be taking my K10D with Sigma 18-125, plus my Sigma EF-500 Super and Omni hood.

I'm just wondering if someone can give me some suggestions as to settings etc. I can try to get the best possible pictures.

I'm good in natural light, but have done very little flash work, and next to none with the EF-500 Super (did have a EF-500 ST but that went for the Super).

So if someone can give me pointers for flash settings, camera settings etc. I'd be very very much obliged.

Thanks, Adam.

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Last edited by blwnhr; 08-08-2007 at 04:38 PM.

[WMBP]

So if someone can give me pointers for flash settings, camera settings etc. I'd be very very much obliged.

Adam,

I apologize, I'm not familiar with your flash. Does it do P-TTL? If it does, you may be able to get pretty good results by putting the K10D into aperture-priority (Av) mode, setting the ISO to Auto, and set the flash to P-TTL. With a K10D and the Pentax 540 flash unit, that combination of settings produces very reliable results. Remember, when you're shooting with the flash, most of the time, the shutter speed doesn't really matter. Not always, but most of the time.

Now, if you start using bounce flash, you may have to compensate a bit, by upping the power of the flash half a stop or a whole stop. If you're simply stepping farther away from the subject, and the flash is pointed more or less at the subject, the camera and the flash will take care of everything for you, because they can figure out how far you are from the subject, and that allows them to calculate the right amount of light to put out. But if you are bouncing the flash, well, the camera can't correctly figure out how far the light has to travel.

Bouncing the flash takes some practice and in real life, doesn't seem to be completely reliable, as real-life candid shooting involves bounce surfaces whose properties are somewhat unpredictable, and besides, the distances are hard to calculate in your head when you're busy shooting. I get decent results most of the time even with the flash unit attached to the camera and pointed right at the subject -- but with the flash dialed down slightly. A flash diffuser is supposed to help, but I don't use one yet.

I would recommend a little practice at home before the big party. I think flash is a whole area for graduate study in itself -- but the basics are not too difficult. P-TTL, Av mode and auto ISO is sort of the point-and-shoot mode for flash photography.

Will

[blwnhr]

I apologize, I'm not familiar with your flash. Does it do P-TTL?

That's fine Will, thankyou for taking the time to reply. Yes the flash does P-TTL, it is the current top-model Sigma flash - Electronic Flash EF 500 DG Super. I did have the EF 500 DG ST, but after going back for warranty twice they upgraded me to the Super version which has far far more control in the flash, and to be honest I have next to no idea what I'm looking at.

good results by putting the K10D into aperture-priority (Av) mode, setting the ISO to Auto, and set the flash to P-TTL.

Do you just set to the widest aperture your chosen lens can handle? I'll be using my 18-125 at 18-20mm which will give me F3.5. I've got my auto ISO set to roam between 100 & 400, should I let it creep to ISO 800 on this occasion? I don't know how dark the room is going to be, but I suspect not too bad.

Now, if you start using bounce flash, you may have to compensate a bit, by upping the power of the flash half a stop or a whole stop.

Do you mean adjust the EV, or some power setting in the flash? I'm sorry, I feel really dumb asking that, but I've no idea of what you mean.

A flash diffuser is supposed to help, but I don't use one yet.

I have one of these - a Stofen Omni-Bounce. It is the same as the one pictured here. I've used this rasied at 45-degrees as recommended by my camera store and the manufacturer with mixed results. Does anyone have any tips?

I would recommend a little practice at home before the big party. I think flash is a whole area for graduate study in itself -- but the basics are not too difficult. P-TTL, Av mode and auto ISO is sort of the point-and-shoot mode for flash photography.

I will try to practice, but I'm working a lot and have very little time between now and then. I think I will just see how I go on the night. But, armed with this extra knowledge I will be better off than I was.

I agree whole-heartedly that it is a very very difficult subject, and finding information is also very hard. Especially when is comes to complex flashed like the 500 Super. The manual is not much help either unfortunately.

[vievetrick]

What is the venue like? Low cielings, high cielings, colored cieling? Those are things to think about when using bounce flash. I have this combo and usualy use it in bounce mode when I can. Again as mentioned practice as much as you can before the event. Oh, will it be dark like at a club where lighting will change frequently? You will be fine I am sure but just throwing some stuff out there to think about.

[blwnhr]

It is just a function room in a hotel. 9-foot ceilings, white textured plasterboard (can you tell I work in architecture, lol).

I've used the ST in bounce mode and got good results. I used it once in a room with timber ceilings...didn't adjust WB...got a lot of photos that look like they were taken at sunset, lol. A nice warm hue to every photo, hahaha.

Lighting will be dim but not nightclub dark. There won't be coloured lights or anything so I'll be right there. Light should be fairly uniform all night.

There is another bar out in another room that will be used, this has better lighting. Ceiling height/colour is the same.

P.S. I'm not spelling colour wrong, that's how it's spelt this side of the Pacific.

[WMBP]

Do you just set to the widest aperture your chosen lens can handle? I'll be using my 18-125 at 18-20mm which will give me F3.5. I've got my auto ISO set to roam between 100 & 400, should I let it creep to ISO 800 on this occasion? I don't know how dark the room is going to be, but I suspect not too bad.

I think it would be good to let the ISO go higher, just in case. Remember, the flash will do most of the work, that is, if the available light is low, the first thing the flash does is try to output more light.

Do you mean adjust the EV, or some power setting in the flash? I'm sorry, I feel really dumb asking that, but I've no idea of what you mean.

Not a dumb question -- actually a fairly interesting one.

You have, as far as I can tell, THREE ways to compensate:

1. Exposure +/- compensation in the camera
2. Flash output adjustment in the camera's fn screen
3. Flash output adjustment on the detachable flash unit itself

I just took some quick shots to illustrate the effect of these adjustments -- and to test for my own benefit whether adjusting the flash in the camera really does do something different from adjusting on the unit. You can see the results here:

flash compensation tests: 4 photos

Read the comments on the photos.

As a practical matter, I use the exposure compensation to adjust my own sense of the right exposure for the photo. For example, if I'm photographing a scene that is very light-colored, I might adjust the exposure +1 or at least +0.5. That's the same thing I'd do if I were shooting with natural light.

But if I'm bouncing the flash or I feel the need to goose the output for any other reason, I'll do that using the flash unit's own adjustment dial, because it's right there in front of my nose and easy to get to. I only use the fn screen's flash adjustment when I'm stuck with the K10D's built-in flash only.

Will

[blwnhr]

Thankyou very much for your help. I'll be sure to let ou know how I go.