using flash in manual mode

Hi, i'll be shooting my first wedding in august. Regarding that i'm trying to

get as much info as possible. About two weeks ago i was talking to wedding

photographer that has much more experience than me. He said that when he

shoots portraits (group or single) he uses some technique that always

guarantee right exposure. Now description (i may be a bit wrong with flash

setting) shutter speed 1/8 of the sec, f:8, and flash set to manual on 1/8 of

full power. Does anybody know anything more about that technique??? Just to

mention that i'm using canon gear. If anybody asks 30D x2, 17-55 f2.8 is, 70-

200 f2.8 is, 430ex x2, ste2 (so i can take flash of the camera).

"...shutter speed 1/8 of the sec, f:8, and flash set to manual on 1/8 of full power..."

 

Not very helpful that, not at all. 1/8 of a scond? Maybe an expert can pull that off, and still your subject better be motionLESS otherwise you'll get some shutter drag effects.

 

If you REALLY want to learn how best to use your Speedlite and Canon body then you must read and study this top notch EOS flash bible:

 

http://www.photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Back in the 80's, when I shot for a wedding company, I remember using ASA 160 1/8 sec f8.0 in dark Churches with no flash and the camera on a tripod with a normal lens in the back of the church (or balcony). [notice all my caveats?] Maybe the flash was to get rid of some of the tungsten. It does work fine - but the caveat is you have to be far away (so that movement is minimized) and the camera must be of a tripod. No way you could do that if you were anywhere near the altar or near the people you were photographing!

There are a couple of critical pieces of information missing.

 

First of all, one cannot determine flash exposure manually without knowing the distance from the flash to the subject.

 

Second, exposure and flash setting are dependent on ISO.

 

Third, you need to know the ambient light level. 1/8 at f8 could easily blow out the background. Also, you will get some subject movement if it happens.

Correct flash exposure is not a matter of finding a magic recipe of shutter/aperture numbers that will guarantee good results. Flash exposure will depend on distance to the subject, whether the subject is wearing white or black, and the ambient light level. If you set your flash manually you will need a flash meter or do a lot of histogram peeking. Otherwise stick to the ETTL capability of the Canon and practice a lot before the big day. In a dark room you will often underexpose the ambient light and the flash will properly illuminate the subject. Many different shutter/aperture settings will work since the ETTL flash is "doing all the work". You'll also need to understand "flash compensation" settings on the camera. Practice is highly recommended.

Sounds like something that only worked with wide-latitude film. Used to be you could take one meter reading then snap away anywhere in the general vicinity. Don't even think of this if you are shooting digital.

there is no special technique for flash unless you want to shoot everythign the same.

 

you youngsters have no idea how good you have it.

 

you have a DSLR, so why not look at your LCD and histogram?! I shot for years on film and would have kissed the moon godess ten times for every time I could look at an LCD of the image.

Sounds to me like he is using manually calculated flash, which, if done correctly, does guarantee the right exposure. If you shoot a lot of weddings and a lot of group images and full lengths of people, you do get to know exactly what settings will produce what level of exposure if you're paying attention. So his settings were probably right for his equipment, the ISO he was using and his specific poses and chosen f stops, which place subjects at the same distances. You need to determine the right exposure methods for yourself and way you shoot.

What he might have been trying to tell you is that the black clothing of the groom and groomsmen tends to cause auto-metering and auto-flash to overexpose, while the bride's white dress and other light clothing will cause auto to underexpose. Setting the camera and flash on manual will allow for the same exposure everytime no matter what tone the subject is.

well

 

Thank you all for answers and time taken. I just wanted to make sure. I thought that i was doin something in wrong way. After he told me about that technique i shoot a good few photos, to try it and it didn't work - either photos were underexposed or overexposed (i tried a few flash settings from 1/2 power to 1/16 and ASA from 100 to 800, constantly keeping only that 1/8 sec & f8). Anyway i see that i'll be better with trusting ettl and my eyes. Once again thanks guys. best regards. grego

When in doubt, whip out your meter. I recommend the sekonic 358, buy or rent or borrow one.

http://www.planetneil.com/faq/flash-techniques.html

Drime, thank you for that link. Neil explains everything that i needed to know. And there is even info about that "1/8 sec, f8..." thing over there. perfect. thanks once again. best regards. grego

I have been using this technique about a 17 years. And it works great. What it does, is the flash take care of the subject and the the 1/8 of the sec takes care of the exiting light in the church. I wouldn't use it on any other shots, especially outdoors. It was orignally setup by some California photographers and passed around by the WPA.

 

Use it.

 

Mike.

Mike thank you for your comment. the guy who told me about that didn't mention anything about church. but i think actually it may work in some darker enviroment. anyway thanks again for your time. best regards. grego