Is this too dark?

[candidrachel]

I wanted to capture just the candle light. My husband said it's way do dark. What do you think? Next time I'd like to capture my daughters face lit up by the candles only she's asleep at the moment with a heavy cold!



Exif:

Canon 40D
ISO 100
1/8 sec
f8
50mm
Tamron 28-300 lens

[quentaylor]

Originally Posted by candidrachel

I wanted to capture just the candle light. My husband said it's way do dark. What do you think? Next time I'd like to capture my daughters face lit up by the candles only she's asleep at the moment with a heavy cold!



Exif:

Canon 40D
ISO 100
1/8 sec
f8
50mm
Tamron 28-300 lens

I am not a pro, so take this as you will.

When you meter on a face that is lit up by the flame your camera will compensate by overexposing the flame even more to make the face visible.

IMO, I would go about this shot by opening the aperture to its lowest setting and compose the flame and the subject to where the subject is all that is being metered.

[Sterling]

Yes, it's too dark if you are trying to showcase the metal candle holder. The flames and the wax candles look fine but they aren't really the subject here. I can sort of make out an angel figure at the top but really have no idea what the rest of the candle holder looks like.

[candidrachel]

Thanks! I'll give it a go again later! Trouble is this is an Angel Chime candle holder and so the heat of the candles spins the angels round so I might get a blurred mess lol! I'll do my best

[fortunato_uno]

If you have your Canon utility setup on a lap top, plug in your camera and use the comp to adjust your settings. This works best in Manual. It will give you a good idea what the shot will look like.
You might find that the higher shutter speed might mean a more open apiture, or a higher ISO, but with the live view (on the laptop) will help you capture the moving angel.
Hope it works.

[dandellion]

Problem with this image is that the upper part of the object is too dark. The lower one, near the candles is just right. Can you use some reflecting surface to even the lighting?