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10-04-2010, 04:00 PM   #1
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Outdoor flash use - people
Lens: DA*16-50/2.8 Camera: K7 Photo Location: Riviere du Loup, Qué ISO: 200 Shutter Speed: 1/1000s Aperture: F3.5 

Here is the first of a series of photos taken outside with flash (AF-540FGZ);
Av mode used; Flash=P-TTL (on HSS); Exposure bias -0.3EV; spot metering; at 50mm; White balance =Auto; ISO=320 (could not find this number in choices);

Please folks, this is my very FIRST attempt at this.
I realize already that the pic is underexposed, slightly out of focus too.

I use two monitors ... the skin tones seem reddish on one monitor (the one I use most) while skin tones look more natural on my "data" monitor.
This probably means that my main monitor needs calibrating but I don't have the equipment to do this.

Anyway, fire away at will and if you do offer to make changes, please detail what has been done so I can learn better.

Thanks!

JP


Last edited by jpzk; 10-16-2015 at 05:39 PM.
10-04-2010, 04:32 PM   #2
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Was flash on or off camera? I'm no flash expert, but if it was on camera, I think you did good. Usually any on camera flash shots you see are flat / washed out looking. Not bad for a first go at it.
10-04-2010, 07:29 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by eccs19 Quote
Was flash on or off camera? I'm no flash expert, but if it was on camera, I think you did good. Usually any on camera flash shots you see are flat / washed out looking. Not bad for a first go at it.
Flash was on camera.

Now, you have just made a good point and maybe this would have been better wireless, away from the camera.

I am trying to figure out how much "light" I have to get out of the flash so that I can have only what's needed, in the right a amount, for "fill-in".
So, I expose for the overall image (background) and try to fiddle a way to get the subjects sharp and clear.

Thanks for the reply.

JP
10-04-2010, 08:10 PM   #4
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I am no flash wizard...it is mostly a mystery to me at times, but that looks very good on my screen. Not flat or "washed out" at all, and the exposure is pretty good, just a little dark on the man, but otherwise just right for me. If I could get them that good all the time, I would be very well pleased!
Regards!

10-04-2010, 08:26 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
I am no flash wizard...it is mostly a mystery to me at times, but that looks very good on my screen. Not flat or "washed out" at all, and the exposure is pretty good, just a little dark on the man, but otherwise just right for me. If I could get them that good all the time, I would be very well pleased!
Regards!
Thanks Rupert.

I think the problem was that one of the girls has a lighter skin tone AND was wearing a very light coloured coat.
Maybe (I think I did aim at her for focusing) the camera was pointed at her and therefore it underexposed?
I am not sure if that is what happened.
I thought the flash would correct it though.

JP
10-04-2010, 09:52 PM   #6
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What's missing here IMO is texture.
The background is well-exposed and there is the faintest hint of flash hitting their faces but appears to be insufficient to bring out the skin tones and detail.
A more pleasing result would come from diffused off-camera flash with a stronger intensity.
10-05-2010, 06:29 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ash Quote
What's missing here IMO is texture.
The background is well-exposed and there is the faintest hint of flash hitting their faces but appears to be insufficient to bring out the skin tones and detail.
A more pleasing result would come from diffused off-camera flash with a stronger intensity.
Thanks for the reply, Ash!

I see what you mean and I certainly will try and "stage" a few more shots that way.

Problem is when you are out on trails or in parks, such as this one in the photo with the falls behind, the "staging" is more often than not a difficult task, if not impossible.
I could always use the wireless mode with the flash though ... mounting it away from the camera.
Which brings another question: would wireless +HSS +P-TTL work with this flash and the K7?

JP

10-05-2010, 12:45 PM   #8
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Nice - I like to cable the flash to allow HSS and off camera - I have not had good luck using the wireless function during the daytime. When out and about I take a 43inch umbrella which is small and light and you can handhold the cabled flash and the umbrella shaft together - it's awkward, but allows you to get get big soft outdoor light.

Link to an example, this time with the umbrella and flashed held by by my helper
Matt | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Len
10-05-2010, 12:46 PM   #9
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Yep, it would work just fine - no different to if you had the flash mounted on the camera. The 540 is quite a versatile flash. I'd suggest diffusing the flash even if slightly - like with a Gary Fong attachment or the like to eliminate the harsh quality of light it would cast on your subjects. It all depends on the ambient light, though. Don't be afraid to turn the flash intensity up, a lot of people advise to turn Flash compensation down to -1.5 or even -2.0 for fill flash - even at FEC 0 the flash would hardly overpower the ambient light.
10-05-2010, 12:49 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by LenWick Quote
Nice - I like to cable the flash to allow HSS and off camera - I have not had good luck using the wireless function during the daytime. When out and about I take a 43inch umbrella which is small and light and you can handhold the cabled flash and the umbrella shaft together - it's awkward, but allows you to get get big soft outdoor light.
Good result Len - subtle, but it works.
I tend to want the subject's textures to come out some more, and try and slightly underexpose the background just to accentuate the subject in the frame (depends on the ambience I suppose), so I do like higher powered diffused off-camera flash results, e.g.:

10-05-2010, 12:58 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by LenWick Quote
Nice - I like to cable the flash to allow HSS and off camera - I have not had good luck using the wireless function during the daytime. When out and about I take a 43inch umbrella which is small and light and you can handhold the cabled flash and the umbrella shaft together - it's awkward, but allows you to get get big soft outdoor light.

Link to an example, this time with the umbrella and flashed held by by my helper
Matt | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Len
That's a great shot, well exposed!
Hope your friend left quite soon after the pi was taken though!

JP
10-05-2010, 01:00 PM   #12
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Ash - I like the pop you get in your image with the underexposed bg - thanks for sharing it!
10-05-2010, 01:06 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ash Quote
Yep, it would work just fine - no different to if you had the flash mounted on the camera. The 540 is quite a versatile flash. I'd suggest diffusing the flash even if slightly - like with a Gary Fong attachment or the like to eliminate the harsh quality of light it would cast on your subjects. It all depends on the ambient light, though. Don't be afraid to turn the flash intensity up, a lot of people advise to turn Flash compensation down to -1.5 or even -2.0 for fill flash - even at FEC 0 the flash would hardly overpower the ambient light.
Thanks once more, Ash.

So, what you are saying is to use the flash remotely, at least to its full power, no compensation, while adding a diffuser to "tenderize" the harshness of the flash?
As for the background, you would meter for that, ever so slightly underexposed, to bring out the subject and show more details/textures.

This of course would also depend at what distance you are from your subject, right?
I was using a DA*16-50/2.8 and was rether close to the subjects, at 50mm focal length.

Do you ever meter ON the subject first?
Just thought I'd ask a potentially stupid question.

JP
10-08-2010, 05:55 PM   #14
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Something just came up in my ol' brain and I had to ask yet some stupid questions:

Will all that said about flash use for fill-in ... do I have to set the built-in flash as "controller" whilst the remote flash would be the "slave" ?

And ... one more st&%d question: will the built-in flash contribute to the exposure if used that way?

And ... if I'd used a little plasticy GaryFong diffuser on the built-in flash to avoid too much light from it, would it help at all or would it actually block the signal transmitted to the slave (if that is what happens with the proper setup)?

Cheers.

JP
10-09-2010, 09:17 AM   #15
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By default the k200 and k7 use the popup flash along with whatever slave you are using - so a diffuser would help with the light, but cut down on the likelyhood of it triggering your slave. In the settings you can disable the flash in wireless mode (it still flashes but only prior to the shutter, to trigger you slave) so that it does not contribute to the overall exposure. Let me know if you would like help finding the setting on either body

Cheers,
Len
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