Too much or not enough fill flash?
Jan 16, 2012 21:13:10 #
loyalpentaxfan
Loc: South Carolina
This is a tough shot to balance, because the top half of the photo has non-reflective items (the woman's face and the distant background) while the bottom is more reflective (the skin on her legs and the white wall.)
That said, I think the amount of fill flash is just fine - ok her face might be a little darker than you would like, but it is within my personal tolerances.
One easy improvement would be to crop the bottom half, say around her knees, to emphasize the best parts of the photo - namely the ocean, boats, and especially your wife's lovely smile!
That said, I think the amount of fill flash is just fine - ok her face might be a little darker than you would like, but it is within my personal tolerances.
One easy improvement would be to crop the bottom half, say around her knees, to emphasize the best parts of the photo - namely the ocean, boats, and especially your wife's lovely smile!
Jan 16, 2012 23:55:50 #
KC! Your wife is lovely and it's a nice shot! I agree with loyalpentaxfan on the cropping, and I'd like to see just a little lighter flash. The legs don't add anything to the picture - it's a nice record shot of where you were! I also like the boats in the background!
Jan 17, 2012 01:32:47 #
Exposure for her is good. To darken the background, use flash set to high-speed and increase the shutter speed. The attached photo was taken at 11:30 am in bright sunlight, using a Canon Speedlight EX II.
1/3158 sec; f/4; ISO 100
Jan 17, 2012 09:01:36 #
What do her eyes look like? I prefer no Sun Glasses especially when using a flash
Jan 17, 2012 09:18:37 #
One way to deal with this is to bring her more inside the room..not on the balcony...then you can bounce flash on the wall and back to here....softening the shadows (or elminiating them)
The way you do it is to expose for the outside...figure out what it is...then set the camera for 1.5 to 2 stops lower.
That way when you add the bounce flash, you are perfectly exposed and not over exposed.
Do some adjusting to get the ambient vs flash levels like you want them and you are good to go....
here is a really good link for this technique.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/4-bouncing-flash/
EDITED TO ADD: Looks like "OleRedeye" just illustrated what I'm talking about....nice.
The way you do it is to expose for the outside...figure out what it is...then set the camera for 1.5 to 2 stops lower.
That way when you add the bounce flash, you are perfectly exposed and not over exposed.
Do some adjusting to get the ambient vs flash levels like you want them and you are good to go....
here is a really good link for this technique.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/4-bouncing-flash/
EDITED TO ADD: Looks like "OleRedeye" just illustrated what I'm talking about....nice.
Jan 18, 2012 10:28:18 #
docrob
Loc: Durango, Colorado
KG wrote:
Last night, I took a photo of my wife on the balco... (show quote)
I think if you are outside on a hotel balcony it would simply be way too much effort and expense to set up a diffuser for the flash - one good breeze and its gone. However, why not strip the sheets off the bed tie one end to the lower rail of the balcony above you...........this could go on ad absurdam.
The image is fine - flashes do produces shadows - you did all you could....or hire someone....i think your quest for perfection (shared by all) is blinding you.
Jan 18, 2012 10:32:30 #
docrob wrote:
The image is fine - flashes do produces shadows - you did all you could....or hire someone....i think your quest for perfection (shared by all) is blinding you.
The image is fine - flashes do produces shadows - you did all you could....or hire someone....i think your quest for perfection (shared by all) is blinding you.
That's just the point...it's not "fine"...compare it to the shot of the woman in the blue dress in the thread.
They are much different. he was asking about how to improve and there have been some valid suggestions offered that don't take a lot of effort and make a vast improvement over "frontal flash-passport" photos.
It's not a blinding quest for perfection...he's trying to improve and with little effort this picture would be improved....
Simple.
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