Am I shooting the right way?!!

[karthick_ganapathy]

<p><br /> How correct am I shooting?<br /> <br /> I have been learning to shoot with flashes in the outdoor oflate. I want to know whether i am doing it the right way or wrong..If i am doing wrnog corrections please.. I use canon 400d with 430ex and Vivitar 285. Here is how i set up...<br /> <br /> I connect my primary off camera flash to through a PC synch chord which doesnt support TTL and secondary flash(if needed) with an optical slave to trigger of.<br /> <br /> I shoot both camera and flash in manual mode..I have been preferring shooting with ISO 100 or 200. <br /> <br /> I am not very clear about the effective usage of metering hence I use evaluative metering.<br /> <br /> I use these setting for portrait shots with reflectors and diffusers.. Please correct me as i want to improve.<br /> <br /> <br /> Thanks,<br /> GK</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>That's the right approach - set everything manually so that you have control over how the camera captures the ambient light, as well as how much each strobe contributes to the exposure. The main thing that come to mind for me would be the benefits of a light meter to help you arrive more quickly at the right exposure/ratios, and perhaps some radio triggers, so that you are free to work without a cable between your camera and one of the strobes. Neither are necessary, but both help you pay more attention to your creativity and your interaction with the subject.</p>

[arjen van de merwe]

<p>I would recommend to use the histogram to get exposure right. Especially when you are using non ttl flash.</p>