plasma181

I have the opposite problem. Sometimes I get a good exposure with overexposed faces. This happens with TTL if my subjects are wearing something dark, or there is empty space behind them. As a general rule, I find that with flash, overexposure happens more often than under.<div></div>

If one wanted to take pics of total strangers, would it help to use a telephoto lens so you could keep a little distance? Anything that might give you a few seconds before they noticed you would be a great help.

Well, I knew it was time when somebody asked me, "Hey Bob, want to shoot a wedding?"

Donald: What scanner did you use? You've got some pretty good detail out of that shot.

I find that sometimes I can get a 25th or 37th frame with my FM3a and sometimes I can't. The manual wind is nice in that if you can't quite wind all the way, the shutter won't trip. Of course, a few times I mistakenly took a picture before getting to "1", and the frame came out nicely.

Well I just tried it again and the TRP page seems to be loading correctly. The offending picture must have gotten bumped off. This is very weird.

Dennis:

 

When did it start happening? Do you have dial-up, DSL or cable modem? It's good to hear that I'm not the only one in the world with this problem. Maybe we can find an answer.

 

Bob

Rick:

 

A few basics. There should be a ready light on the body of the flash itself, and in the viewfinder of the FM3a that goes on when the flash is ready to fire. Are these lights going on? If they are slow, there may be corrosion in the battery compartment. If the contacts in the cover piece are corroded, take a paper towel with a little aclohol and rub hard. If the contacts deep inside the compartment are corroded, it is harder to get a good grip. You have to try Q-tips. Likewise, try cleaning the contacts on the bottom of the flash where it meets the hot shoe.

 

If that doesn't work, you need to isolate which part is failing. If possible, try another flash on the camera, and another camera with the flash.

 

Bob C.

Will:

 

No dice. Because it happened so suddenly, I have to assume there is something in one of the thumbnails that my browser doesn't agree with. I'm not sure what it could be.

 

Bob

That was one of the first things I tried.

 

Bob

I have a 4-bay charger than can charge 1 or 2 AAA, or 1 to 4 AA. It charges overnight, so probably 7 to 10 hours or so. The brand is Maxell.

I have had SBC Yahoo DSL for about 3 weeks now. The problem arose for the first time yesterday all of a sudden.

I seem to be having problems with the Top Rated Photos. When I

click on the phrase on the home page, all I get is empty boxes; no

pictures. Not only that, but I loose all ability to download

pictures on any web page; on photo.net or anywhere else. I have to

close my browser and restart it to download pictures. Very weird.

I can not be the only one this is happening to.

Here is a shot of my grandmother. You can see she is a willing vict---, I mean subject.

 

Bob

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/3413102

Something still doesn't add up. In TTL, the camera tells the flash when to shut off. If it fails because the flash is not powerful enough, setting exposure compensation does not boost the power. If setting compensation gives good exposure, then this proves the flash has the raw power necessary to do the job. Something else has to be wrong.

Vladimir:

 

With all the white the subjects are wearing, your TTL may have under exposed the shot. Did you use exposure compensation?

 

Bob

It looks like a softened burst of flash coming from one side.

Several months ago, I remember reading about a lens that looked like a long telephoto, but with at window cut in the side. There was a mirror in there that let you look sideways. So people thought you were focusing on something else when you were actually focusing on them. Now that's what I call a candid lens.

Actually, I wrote my own.

 

Bob

Nadine: Thank you for the encouragement. I hope the stars align up as well.

 

Conrad: The situation is a little hard to explain. My mother has a nearly supernatural ability to play slot machines. She often flies out to Vegas for slot tournaments, and gets her meals and room comped. She just pays airfare; which she always wins back. The daughter of 2 friends of hers is getting married in Vegas and the couple does not intend to hire a photographer. My mother's friends somehow got some strange notion that I take good pictures, and would like me to shoot the wedding. So, my mother will use her influence to get me a free room and meals for about a week; I will just need to buy the plane ticket.

 

As for the actual shoot, the only thing I will settle with the couple beforehand is that they need a professional. I will not ask for payment of any kind. After the shoot, I will present the couple and parents with simple 4 x 6 prints. If there are a few they like, I will have enalargements made which I will charge for. If they prefer, they can have all the negatives and do what they please.

 

That's about where we stand at the moment. Stay tuned.

 

Bob

One more thing. Don't type your message in Word for Windows and then cut and paste. You get question marks instead of quote marks and apostrophies. If you type in Word, cut and paste to a plain text program like Notepad, then cut and paste here.

 

Bob

Dave:

 

I appreciate the thoughtful response. It seems there are two types of messages on these boards. There is the �I need help!� type of message and the �I have an interesting photographic story to share� type. Both varieties are perfectly valid. My initial post is of the later type.

 

You are quite correct. There is a great wealth of valuable information on these boards on all manner of photography. That�s why I haven�t asked for help. In any case, there really is no help. All I can do is fly 2,500 miles and do the best I can.

 

We�ll see what happens.

 

Bob

I use the SB-20 with my FM3a. It's pretty useful, but it only tilts up and down, it does not swivel left and right. My understanding of TTL is that the camera tells the flash when to shut off, so I dial compensation into the camera. The 20 also can do its own automatic exposure for cameras without TTL.

I've been thinking about upgrading myself. The SB-24 looks good if a little large.

Gentlemen:

 

I share your concerns. I have no wedding experience and I have not had a chance to talk to the couple. When I do, the first thing I will do is recommend they hire a professional. If they do not wish to hire one, I will state that there are absolutely no guarantees concerning the quality of my work. If they forbid any photographer from the event, the matter is concluded as there is no reason for my being there at all. So, we'll see what happens.

I have been asked to shoot a wedding in Las Vegas early next

year. The couple are apparently flower child / hippie types, long

thought extinct, who are joining the Peace Corps after the wedding.

They will not hire a photographer and their parents are asking me to

step in.

At first, I was pretty scared, but the more I think about it, the

more of a no-lose situation it becomes. There are 3 possible

outcomes.

 

1) No framable pictures. Total failure. The flower children will

not pollute Mother Earth with the chemicals needed to make

enlargements. I didn't charge them, so double their money back.

 

2) A few framable shots. They got more then they expected. Not bad

for a first try.

 

3) Many framable shots. Complete success. Parents are delighted, I

could possibly charge a little for my effort, and I fly home the

king of amateur photography.

 

Whatever happens, I gain some valuable experience that I may come

handy later if my chemical engineering carrer falters. It is

actually a pretty good deal.

 

Bob