Every now and then for work, I need to use a flash on camera set up, and I’ve never really found a go to setting that works for me. Every time I use TTL, the exposure doesn’t look right, or is very flash heavy. I always end up going full M and guessing pretty close. If I shoot in Raw, I’m able to make small adjustments to get what I want in the end. But, I would love to have a proper setting that gives me the right amount of ambient light and attractive fill flash. I always use a Lite Scoop bounce attachment to soften it up. Does anyone have a favorite, go to flash/camera setting that they have confidence in for a decent flash on camera work? Thank you.
SB700 Question
- Thread starter mcrouser
- Start date
No, just as no one camera setting will not work in all situations. How you shoot, distance and ambient light make a difference. If you shoot manual no auto ISO and within sync speed the aperture and shutter speed control ambient light and aperture controls flash. If you are using TTL you have flash compensation that can be a help. I have a flash meter which can measure flash output at the subject which can be useful but not required. There are some good videos on flash photography but there is no substitute for practice.
If you shot in a location with the same lighting condition and you were the same distance from the subject you could probably come up with a go to setup.
There really isn't a guaranteed way to make sure the exact amount of flash will be perfect on the first shot. TTL is going to read the entire scene. If it's overly bright, the flash will read that brightness and come up with what it determines is correct. The same for a darker scene. The flash will aim to render enough light to produce a medium brightness. If a scene needs more or less light, you'll have to use the exposure compensation button to raiser or lower the output.
If you look at the scene, try to determine the scene's brightness. Part of the final results depends on how far the flash is from the subject. The closer it is, the less light you will need (relates to light falloff). Learning to see the brightness will help you decide which manual power setting might be close to what the scene requires. Start with a flash power in the middle ... maybe 1/8 or 1/4 power. From there you can adjust up or down as necessary.
If you look at the scene, try to determine the scene's brightness. Part of the final results depends on how far the flash is from the subject. The closer it is, the less light you will need (relates to light falloff). Learning to see the brightness will help you decide which manual power setting might be close to what the scene requires. Start with a flash power in the middle ... maybe 1/8 or 1/4 power. From there you can adjust up or down as necessary.