Flash + Low Light

[mzzzgie]

Hi Dears, I'm totally need a help regarding Flash and Low light situation.

I'll be doing my mate's son birthday party. First of all, the restaurant isn't too big with minimum of light. Precisely dim so I've to use the flash. The problem is that I tried to use my flash and it still dark.

Any idea? I think I might have a wrong flash setting. At the moment I'm using Canon 430ex II.

And I apologized If I put the question in a wrong section, thank you in advance

[i speak in math]

I would try ISO 800, 1/40th and f/4 for a start and bounce the flash off the ceiling in eTTL mode with + 1 exposure compensation on the flash (in the flash menu on camera, not the camera's ec). Really, any semi-auto mode would work. Try shutter priority at 1/40 or move it around a bit and see what effect it has.

[mzzzgie]

thank you.. gonna try them again...

and how about if the ceiling is dark? because they don't ve a white ceiling though..

thanks dear.

[i speak in math]

If the ceiling is a neutral color, you can still bounce it. If it is something other than black white or gray, you will introduce a color cast. You might be able to fix it by setting a custom white balance before hand using something white, but it might not work too well. You might still have too many mixed color light sources.