Technique and technicalities...

[rtrace]

Same deal for flash exposure compensation. Add or subtract as needed based on the subject color, distance, light, etc.

 

Metering is not rocket science by any means, yet it's made out to be for some reason. And I don't buy that automation has anything to do with making it more complicated. I think it's just people not understanding the fundamentals of exposure - tonality, how meters work (incident or reflective), how their cameras work, how their flash works, etc.

 

It's simple to say, "I just shoot manual", but to ellaborate would be helpful to those learning. Are you using MF? Manual flash? What? How? That sort of thing.

 

Bogdan

[fotografz]

David didn't ask that question Bogdan. Using Programed metering or not isn't asking how

you set your flash ... which is an independent question. I always use TTL flash no matter

what mode I use for the camera metering.

 

As to reasons for doing something, that's a fair question.

 

Personally, I use AV because I use very fast lenses (like the 85/1.2) outdoors and many

times want to be sure the aperture is wide open to dissolve the backgrounds behind the

subject to make them stand out amongst the clutter of a wedding crowd or location.

 

I prefer manual camera metering indoors because I set the shutter for the least speed I can

can hand hold with a flash considering subject movement and how much background I

want showing in each shot. Canon's set to AV will deliver to slow of a shutter speed in very

dark lighting conditions. Program will do the same or open the aperture wider than I may

want for a particular scene. Thus, AV or Program in dark conditions isn't even an option

for my style of wedding photography.

[oofoto]

Marc, when you say you use TTL flash does this mean you are using ETTL/ETTL II with your Canon?

[jmichaelc]

Never use P Mode...

 

AV 90% outdoors

 

M 90% indoors

 

If i'm in a well lit venue where i have sufficient shutter on a 360 degree turn, i will use AV indoors as well. Very rarely do i use aperatures smaller than 5.6.....90% of the time im in the > 2.8 area. Flash most always at Eval Ettl and comp as needed.

 

Never has this slowed down my process and NEVER do i stage anything. I couldn't imagine relying on P mode for what i am to accomplish at a wedding.....but that's me and how i work and what i am to accomplish. Do you really think that there are many professionals out there working that could admit to working in P mode? I doubt it and i sure wouldn't hire someone who settled with the limitations of P mode to shoot my wedding :)

[rtrace]

Marc, I was responding to Bob's reply if you look. Anyway, I felt it was useful information and I don't see the harm done. I've already answered David's original question in my first post.

 

I don't understand what you say about Av though:

 

"Personally, I use AV because I use very fast lenses (like the 85/1.2) outdoors and many times want to be sure the aperture is wide open to dissolve the backgrounds behind the subject to make them stand out amongst the clutter of a wedding crowd or location."

 

You can do the same in M mode. I'm confused, unless you mean that you prefer Av for flash use, but of course need to use M when light levels are low (i.e. inside - same thing I do and said in my post above)since Av will expose for the background resulting in too slow a shutter most times. And of course with M, you can set the shutter to whatever you want - you control how the background gets exposed.

 

Otherwise there's no difference between using Av and M with flash.

 

Bogdan

[jmichaelc]

"Is it your wedding to control"

 

Yes - the photography aspect of it.

[fotografz]

Yes Bogdan, M or AV can accomplish the same thing, but outdoors AV eliminates having to

adjust the shutter speed every time you move from shade to sunlight. I just find it faster to

select the aperture and let the camera vary the shutter speed to accommodate change ...

keeping in mind not all AV readings will be optimal and may need some compensation ... but

it's a small % of the shots. I'm mostly responding to why not Program as opposed to M verses

AV.

[think27]

Ahh and I thought "P" was for Professional.. At least thats what Joe Buissink says ;-)

[Dave Gardner]

I mostly use 'Aperture'....but to be accurate...if your using anything other then 'Manual'...you are using a type of programing. There's nothing wrong with using 'P' mode....but using the others will take you further artistically.

 

Dave

[picturesque]

The reason I use AV or TV sometimes is because there are times where you just don't have the time to change settings. Those times are, for instance, when you are going from inside to outside constantly (I use M inside and switch the mode control to AV or TV when I go outside and reverse when I go back inside). Or when moving fast with your subjects and they are passing through various kinds of light. When something happens fast and the light has changed or is changing and you just have to shoot, it is faster to switch the mode control to AV or TV, and possibly the ISO to whatever is appropriate and shoot, rather than think and set the controls manually. It comes down to getting the shot or missing it because you had to switch three or more different controls. And guessing and "being OK" on exposure is not a possibility with digital--you could do that with film. I have to say, though that I use M inside all the time, usually with flash. AV or TV outside only. With that in mind, I usually anticipate the possibility of going outside suddenly or fast action in whatever location I am in, and set the AV or TV controls appropriately, as well as the ambient exposure compensation, and then when I have to move fast, I switch the control to AV or TV, and then the ISO. Has saved my bacon a few times as far as not missing shots. This method only works because the settings "stay in memory" on the camera when switching from the various modes.

 

Sometimes, though, you just have to take the time to move the controls and use manual. I just shot a wedding where there was a Chineses Lion Dance outside in the bright sunlight in front of the groom's house. Then the Lion went inside the house to make an offering at a shrine. The groom motions to me to take the photo of the Lion making the offering, so I hurry inside. Unfortunately, I was using M outside since it was constant lighting (and AV or TV is not so good in bright sunlight, by the way). So I had to make the poor Lion (actually two very athletic young men) do the bow and offering 3 times while I quickly changed the setting (3 separate controls), plus moving the flash head to bounce, etc.

 

It used to be easier with all manual cameras like my medium format gear and the fact that with film, you were "stuck" with one ISO mostly. You basically just moved the rings (aperture and shutter speed) on the lens, and often just one of the rings to change settings very quickly, plus you could sync with flash at 1/500th and guess at exposure and be OK. I don't know if I'll ever get completely used to the dials and electronic LED type controls...call me a dinosaur.

[al_kaplan1]

And in the dark, without looking, you can "count clicks" when changing f-stops or shutter speeds on those old primitive film cameras. With tabbed Leica lenses you get to know where the tab should be various distances. With the non metered Leica M bodies you can feel where the notch is on the shutter speed dial with your finger nail.

[grant g]

The only thing I am brave enough to admit in regards to this thread, is the fact that I've never taken a single shot in P mode. Never. And I must also admit, that I can do this without interrupting the natural flow of a wedding, or even one that is way behind schedule.

 

However, I think you are very brave for admitting that you don't shoot Manual. Some others just get defensive about it.

 

Haven't seen any other 'pros' using the 'portrait' mode. I suppose that's an even bigger admission.

 

Shoot whatever works and be happy. : )

[conraderb]

I grew up on OM-1 bodies that were 100% mechanical - the battery was only for the meter, which was often dead anyway!

 

I shoot mostly on M, but I used to do a lot of Av mode until I realized that I really liked using M b/c I would know exactly what the camera woudl do and what the result would be.

 

of course, if I need to quickly shoot between two scenes back and forth, I'll put it on Av.

[chetn]

I use M with flash and Av without (sometimes fill flash with Av into the sun) and havent the need for anything else yet.