Is the flash the most difficult aspect of photography?

[alexthecheese]

Come back from another wedding (last week) and sitting through more drunken photos. The problem I had this time is that the ceiling was high and I didn't take into account for it. I also used my 14-24mm lens to get some group photos in, but don't like any of them because everybody's arms etc. are distorted and it's really unflattering.

I also came back with a bunch of photos that weren't focussed properly, for whatever reason the focus-assist lamp on my D800 wasn't working, and it wasn't tricking the red hash focussing light on my flash either. Something to work out.

However, I couldn't really get the flash doing what I wanted. I can't, for example, get around the 1/60th second shutter limit on Aperture mode. What's that about? I thought I could go up to 1/250? It means that photos are taken with a slightly blurred mess around people - the flash must've fired first? Or after? I'll check that out.

How do you use the flash when directed at people to best effect? Most of the time I'm either blinding them or just not taking very good photos.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I'd moved away from Av with flash very quickly. Av will balance the scene which means slows shutter speed right down. So I shoot manual.

When shooting manual with flash you are limited to 2 things.

1 - how fast is the scene moving, with dancing if you want to freeze people, you want to have it as fast as you can but;
2 - Sync speed will limit you.

So you are basically between that bracket. Things like high speed sync helps but it also kills battery quicker.

So you put your flash to ETTL, then set shutter speed you want between that bracket for movement, aperture for the DoF and ISO for the scene.

 

[alexthecheese]

Cheers, will go down that route. Manual is a bit terrifying as I'm not able to confidently use it on the move yet.

Do you use the flip-down diffuser? Or the little bounce card?

I've just Googled flash bounce cards to see if I had the right term and there's a variety of different style ones to presumably soften and spread the light. Should I go for something like that?

 

[Raymond Lin]

I have a Rouge Flashbender, a Fong and a Stofen but I just use the built in flash card 99% of the time !

M is easy, start with 1/100, F/2.0, ISO 800.

If its too bright, lower the ISO, if it's too dark, up it.

If it's blur, make it 1/200.

 

[alexthecheese]

Cheers Raymond, much appreciated.

When you use your flash card, where's your flash pointing? Straight up for off the ceiling with a bit of extra light in their direction, or 45 degrees up? Somewhere else?

Is your flash power set to automatic?

 

[Raymond Lin]

Normally up, and ETTL means auto.

Off camera flashes are always manual though when I do.

 

[ElDude]

I can vouch for this method. I asked on here when I needed settings in a rush once. It works perfectly in manual and is much easier than you'd think. Just lowering the ISO to get the level of lighting you want, works a treat

Sods law, I've only needed to use the flash twice since I bought it 13 months ago

 

[An Exception]

No, there are much more difficult areas of photography.
The deeper you get, the less it becomes about camera settings, light, composition etc.. at least shooting with people.

To help you out with the flashes AF assist lamp. The likely reason it didn't work is because you were in AF-C mode. Stay in AF-S.

 

[a1ex2001]

Ray's advice is spot on, I read something similar years ago and have used it to great effect for years, it is almost literally the only time my camera enters M mode and really with the flash in ettl it's still an automatic exposure!