Fill Flash Challenged?

I've come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible to get good results using everything auto when it comes to Canon bodies and flash. What I would do is use AV and no flash to get the results that you want as far as ambient light and overall exposure and so on. When you achieve that, put the camera in manual mode and apply those settings. Then turn on the flash and in ETTL mode set the exposure comp on the flash to -2. Shoot again, then adjust as necessary.
If you are going to be maintaining the same flash to subject distance, it might even be better to set the flash to manual as well and take some test shots until you get the right exposure. I would start off at 1/32 power.

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