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.

 

[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?

 

[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?