Life, the Universe, and Flash Exposure Compensation

I was dinking around on the DPReview.com forums, and I found a great page on getting the most of your on-camera flash, and how to use things like Exposure Compensation and Flash Exposure Compensation to get the best mix of natural light and on-camera flash.

PlanetNeil photography - techniques for better flash photography

He has some great info on how important it is to use your camera in Manual Mode, but allow the Flash to work in TTL (i-TTL,eTTL, eTTL II, etc). This will allow you greater control over how much natural light you meter for, and by adjusting the Flash Exposure Compensation, you can control how much flash power augments the natural light.

The big thing I got out of the page was how to adjust Flash Exposure Comp based on the tonal quality of the scene:

• When using Ambient light, start with the Flash Exp Comp at -1 to -3
• When using the flash as the main light source, start with Flash Exp Comp at +0.6
• If shooting a mainly bright scene, raise Flash Exp Comp to make sure that the camera doesn't think there is enough light because of a highly reflective object (such as a white dress) and underexposes the face, eyes, etc
• If shooting a mainly dark scene, lower the Flash Exp Comp to make sure the camera doesn't think it needs to drain the flash because of a light-sucking object, (such as a black suit, or a dark backdrop) and overexposes the face, eyes, etc

I think I need to take some of my 5-in-1 reflectors, one with the Black side out, and one with the White side out, and play with how to set my Flash Exp Comp when shooting one white/one black, two whites, two blacks, etc, and come up w/ a "cheat sheet" for how to figure out the Flash Exp Comp for a given scene.

Give it a read. If you own a camera and a flash unit, you own it to yourself to check it out; there is a lot of good info there.

Kunal, Glenda, and Kaden

One of my friends from work asked me to take pictures of his family and his 9-week-old son, (OK, really I kept hounding them until they gave in...)

For a 9-week-old, Kaden was super alert. We was wide awake, and interacted very well with both Mom & Dad. He did have a bit of a gastrointestinal issue that left a few spots on the backdrop, (and Momma's jeans...), but that's just part of being a munchkin.

Kunal, Glenda, Kaden - 4/14/2007

The last time I shot an infant I also used the white backdrop, (sheet of Muslin from Joann's Fabrics), but it wasn't as bright as I would have liked. I found that Paul C Buff, (makers of my AlienBees strobes) had started a Forum w/ some tips and tricks. I found a post on how to setup an AlienBees 3-Light High Key Portrait Setup and thought I'd give it a try, (since I only have 3 lights...).

Basically, I used two of my Bees w/ umbrellas to blast the backdrop (+2 stops over what I metered the subject for), my third light on a Large Softbox (32"x40") for key, and a reflector for fill.

The reflector was just resting on a small stand I had, so it was constantly being knocked over. I think next time I get a little cash, I'm going to pick up a reflector stand so it will stay where I want it to go.

I still think I need to add some more warmth to my camera settings. Even white balanced the colors just don't seem to "Pop". Someone I bought some gear on eBay from suggested getting some "warming gels" and put them inside the softbox to warm up the skin tones.

Everyone that they show the pictures to seems to really like them. Kunal today told me that a bunch of his wife's friends asked about getting their family pictures done, but didn't know if I wanted to be "bothered" with them asking me to take pics for them. It's a hobby, and I'm practicing, so said they could call me if they wanted to.

It's all fun and games, until someone wants to pay me, and then it just feels like work... :(