Flash and skin tones question

[hus]

I also did a blog on beginners flash info if interested .

DesmondD that blog is a jem, thanks for putting the effort to put it up already booked marked and will be checking on a regular basis

[DesmondD]

DesmondD that blog is a jem, thanks for putting the effort to put it up already booked marked and will be checking on a regular basis

Thanks , it makes it easier to explain things that come up regularly on the forums

[Chilli]

DesmondD, a huge thankyou from me also..

[DesmondD]

DesmondD, a huge thankyou from me also..

Thanks for the feedback It's amazing what you can learn from "springbok photography" hey !

[Gluggy]

Just a thought, could the focal length of both shots change the impct of the flash? Looking at the exif data, one shot is at 50mm and the other at 70mm. Hus did you change your distance between you and the subject? If so then its an example of the light squared rule, where the further the light source is from the subject then light drops off quickly? even a few feet difference effect the light fall off on the subject. Just a thought.

[Brodie]

yeah the guys have pretty much sussed it out. When using ETTL it will often do funny things. You need to be wary of what metering mode your in and be sure to get in close to your subject to fill the frame to help it make its calculations. Too much background in the frame can cause the flash to use more power because its going to want to light the whole room.

Remember when using flash, the flash will freeze your subject so you can drop back on the shutter speed. And Id recommend bumping that ISO up a bit. Bring a bit more of the ambient light back. On the 30D you run into noise trouble at just 400 but give it a go.

[hus]

Gluggy the distance is the same, on one of the pics I used my prime and he other I used my zoom lens (thats another issue with this body).

Brodie you are right, 30D is not too great above 400 iso, so I have already started the grovelling procedure at home to allow my finance department to approve the purchase of a new Canon 50D

Thanks to everyone for their feedback on this problem.

[viscountvics]

Others have answered already, but i'll probably put more emphasis on desmond's answer about the flash recycle. I never used canon flashes myself, so this is guesswork.

If you are shooting consecutively at iso 100 and long distance, you are asking alot from ur flash. Even though you just charged your battery the night before, it can still do a slow recycle. These kind of shot probably can be avoided by:
1. Shooting closer (with wider lenses)
2. Bump up iso to >400
3. use battery packs
4. Go full manual

I really almost go full manual nowadays too. Its quite scary at first, but it get easier when you are used to it. Hope it helps you for next time.

[Brodie]

Others have answered already, but i'll probably put more emphasis on desmond's answer about the flash recycle. I never used canon flashes myself, so this is guesswork.

If you are shooting consecutively at iso 100 and long distance, you are asking alot from ur flash. Even though you just charged your battery the night before, it can still do a slow recycle. These kind of shot probably can be avoided by:
1. Shooting closer (with wider lenses)
2. Bump up iso to >400
3. use battery packs
4. Go full manual

I really almost go full manual nowadays too. Its quite scary at first, but it get easier when you are used to it. Hope it helps you for next time.

In this case the flash has still gone off, its just not powerful enough to overcome the settings set in the camera. ETTL does whacky things depending what it meters. beauty of manual modes.

Shooting this kind of scene the canon flash with good batteries wont have any dramas firing off like crazy. Recycle times shouldnt be a problem until you really wear out the flash after taking a stack of photos.