Help needed with flash settings

[cybervin]

Hi everyone.
I am new to the forum so I hope I am posting to the right section!
I have a Canon 50D and recently purchased a Nissin Di622 flash. However I have no training in lighting and as a result, I just can't seem to get any consistent results from the camera.
My daughters graduation ceremony is coming up soon and I don't want to let her down with photographs that are either washed out or too dark.
So I have a number of questions I am hoping someone can help me out with
1. What mode should I shoot in, manual, program or auto?
2. Should I stick with the TTL setting on the flash or experiment with the different power levels?
3. Is there a recommended series of settings, eg. 125th sec, f8, 100 iso, that can guarantee an evenly lit shot?
4. Should I use the built in diffuser, should I aim the flash straight or bounce it?
5. Is there somewhere on this wonderful site that answers most of these questions!

I am hoping that you won't tell me to just read the manual

[inkista]

One suggestion. Try the planetneil website, or van Niekirk's book (which is essentially all the website info organized into a book). If you fear not the information overload, there's also the Strobist and its flickr group discussions.

1. What mode should I shoot in, manual, program or auto?

Manual. You want to be able to balance your ambient light against your flash, and the easiest way to control this balance is by using Manual settings. Program/Auto/Av/Tv won't help you very much, because they're based on ambient metering, and Canon has some idiotic "idiot-proofing" for flash built into their auto modes that you just don't want to deal with.

You really really really need to have basic ambient exposure down and set in your head before you start with flash photography, IMHO. The book for that is this one.

2. Should I stick with the TTL setting on the flash or experiment with the different power levels?

See which one suits you best. TTL is like the Auto mode on your camera: the flash's power level is set based on the camera metering a pre-flash burst before the real flash burst. Manual on the flash is like manual on the camera: total control. Typically, TTL is going to better for rapidly changing lighting conditions and only have a single chance at a shot, Manual better for posed situations where you can adjust and retake. Manual will be more precise, TTL is likely to be in the ballpark, but may never be quite right, and you will want to know how to ride the flash exposure compensation (FEC), the way you'd ride regular exposure compensation on the camera.

3. Is there a recommended series of settings, eg. 125th sec, f8, 100 iso, that can guarantee an evenly lit shot?

Nope, sorry. This is like ambient exposure. There's no single guaranteed group of settings that'll work every time. It's always an it-depends.

It's also more confusing with flash, because there are a multitude of "right" exposures, depending on your tastes. Flash photography is, in essence, combining two exposures in one: the ambient exposure, controlled by your iso/f-number/shutter speed, and your flash exposure, controlled by your iso/f-number/power/distance.

4. Should I use the built in diffuser, should I aim the flash straight or bounce it?

Again, it depends. You want the diffuser, if you're going wide and need to spread the light. It won't do a helluva lot to soften it, since your flash head is going to remain the same size. And all you may lose is some power on the output. I'd say never aim the flash straight, but sometimes it may be your only choice, if there are no good bounce surfaces.

My preferred mode is to bounce, but that requires that you have a venue that makes it a good choice--i.e., surfaces close enough that you don't lose the power to correctly light your subject, and of a color that won't give you a white balance nightmare in post. Remember, though, with bouncing, to choose your surface. Going 45° straight ahead may work, but there are often better choices.

[imkrystleco]

Ditto! I am having the same problem as well. I have a 450D with 580ex II. Whenever I use the flash with my camera, the shutter speed slows down resulting to a very poor/blurry image. Also, whenever I photograph people, where should I point my flash? I point it slightly upwards and pull out the white cardboard/film to let it bounce, but still doesn't result in to a nice picture.

Help anyone?

Thank you!

[Samanax]

Originally Posted by imkrystleco

Ditto! I am having the same problem as well. I have a 450D with 580ex II. Whenever I use the flash with my camera, the shutter speed slows down resulting to a very poor/blurry image. Also, whenever I photograph people, where should I point my flash? I point it slightly upwards and pull out the white cardboard/film to let it bounce, but still doesn't result in to a nice picture.

Help anyone?

Thank you!

What shooting mode are you using when you shoot with the flash?

Check out the following web site for lots of information regarding shooting with an on-camera Speedlite:

Flash Photography Techniques

[inkista]

Originally Posted by imkrystleco

Whenever I use the flash with my camera, the shutter speed slows down resulting to a very poor/blurry image.

Get out of Av. Shoot in Manual.* This is what I meant about the idiotic idiot-proofing.

You'll want to read the link I provided: "EOS Flash Confusion"

This is also the main reason I was gnashing my teeth at a lot of the CLS handwaving that McNally was writing in Hot Shoe Diaries. I just knew I'd end up having to explain this to bedazzled Canon readers of that book who had no idea how many blind alleys he was going to lead you down.

* ok, ok, if full Manual scares you, go spelunking into the Custom Functions, and tell your camera that you want your shutter speed to be at least 1/200s if you're shooting with a flash in Av mode (on the 450D, it's Custom Fn. 02: "Flash sync. speed in Av mode"). Just realize that you've completely thrown away your ability to balance ambient against flash.

[cybervin]

Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed reply.
I intend to read through all the links you provided, put my camera on mauual and become an expert by the time this graduation event comes around!

[sybren]

Personally I find manual mode easier to understand than those automatic modes

[inkista]

Originally Posted by sybren

Personally I find manual mode easier to understand than those automatic modes

Gawd, ain't that the truth.

Sorry, I forgot to answer the second half of imkrystleco's question, or to give the easy answer for the slow shutter speed problem: you can also get out of Av and go to P, and the flash will work the way you expect it to (i.e., like a popup on a P&S camera).

Originally Posted by imkrystleco

Also, whenever I photograph people, where should I point my flash? I point it slightly upwards and pull out the white cardboard/film to let it bounce, but still doesn't result in to a nice picture.

Ok, despite the many many thing you read, that is NOT a bounce card. That is a catchlight panel. It's meant to throw a tiny bit of light forward to be reflected in your subjects eyes so there are catchlights. It's not a way of reflecting all the light. For that, you need a bigger surface, but it won't be as good as bouncing, because it's still, in effect, on-camera flash, and you don't have a choice on the direction and placement of the light. You bought a flash that tilts and swivels for a reason.

To bounce effectively, you have to have a large reflective surface of some kind near at hand. The smaller your flash power, the nearer the surface has to be, because light falls off over distance (look up: "inverse square law"). Ceilings, walls, floors, and reflector panels are all good bounce surfaces. Essentially what you do is mentally place a softbox as if the room were your studio, and then aim your light where the softbox would be, so that the light emanates from that point. You may also need to flag/gobo/snoot your light so that light doesn't spill forward directly onto your subject.

You want to read Neil van Niekirk's blog entry on directional light.

[momtoamiracle]

Originally Posted by inkista

Gawd, ain't that the truth.

Sorry, I forgot to answer the second half of imkrystleco's question, or to give the easy answer for the slow shutter speed problem: you can also get out of Av and go to P, and the flash will work the way you expect it to (i.e., like a popup on a P&S camera).



Ok, despite the many many thing you read, that is NOT a bounce card. That is a catchlight panel. It's meant to throw a tiny bit of light forward to be reflected in your subjects eyes so there are catchlights. It's not a way of reflecting all the light. For that, you need a bigger surface, but it won't be as good as bouncing, because it's still, in effect, on-camera flash, and you don't have a choice on the direction and placement of the light. You bought a flash that tilts and swivels for a reason.

To bounce effectively, you have to have a large reflective surface of some kind near at hand. The smaller your flash power, the nearer the surface has to be, because light falls off over distance (look up: "reverse square law"). Ceilings, walls, floors, and reflector panels are all good bounce surfaces. Essentially what you do is mentally place a softbox as if the room were your studio, and then aim your light where the softbox would be, so that the light emanates from that point. You may also need to flag/gobo/snoot your light so that light doesn't spill forward directly onto your subject.

You want to read Neil van Niekirk's blog entry on directional light.

Thank you so much for those links! I was needing info of this sort. As always, you're a great help!

[imkrystleco]

Originally Posted by inkista

Get out of Av. Shoot in Manual.* This is what I meant about the idiotic idiot-proofing.

You'll want to read the link I provided: "EOS Flash Confusion"

This is also the main reason I was gnashing my teeth at a lot of the CLS handwaving that McNally was writing in Hot Shoe Diaries. I just knew I'd end up having to explain this to bedazzled Canon readers of that book who had no idea how many blind alleys he was going to lead you down.

* ok, ok, if full Manual scares you, go spelunking into the Custom Functions, and tell your camera that you want your shutter speed to be at least 1/200s if you're shooting with a flash in Av mode (on the 450D, it's Custom Fn. 02: "Flash sync. speed in Av mode"). Just realize that you've completely thrown away your ability to balance ambient against flash.

Thank you so much for your help!!