Try turning down the highlights with the radial filter in stead of the exposure.
I would use the 85mm and the SB900 flash. For outdoors expose for the background then lower by 1 to 2 stops and use the flash to raise the exposure on your subjects making them the focus of the photo. Your subject will be sharper and brighter then the blurred background, this combination is most pleasing to the eye.
Check your shutter speed. Manual triggers cannot be operated at shutter speeds above the cameras sync speed, usually 200th of a second or slower.
I've uploaded extremely high quality jpegs to Facebook,with their recompression if someone saves the jpeg then re-uploads it back to Facebook it looks extremely degraded to me.
I've uploaded extremely high quality jpegs to Facebook,with their recompression if someone saves the jpeg then re-uploads it back to Facebook it looks extremely degraded to me.
@ Anthony P, I think they're Burger King, Jack in the Box, and Wendy's.
I use a Benro transfunctional carbon fiber tripod, I got from Ebay. I bring this up because you don't need to pick one over the other to get. My tripod has one leg that is removable, to become a monopod. I have seen other tripods with this ability for sale at BH and Adorama.