problems with my 550EX + 10D ?

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu, High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Check the custom function that allows for auto reduction of flash out put is set as such.

Other question is what sort of shutter speed were you getting, if two slow I think you'll find the camera treats it as a normal flash shot.

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

Can you show us a few of the shots?

Sir Fallot said:

Other question is what sort of shutter speed were you getting, if
two slow I think you'll find the camera treats it as a normal flash
shot.

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Put your 10D in MANUAL mode. Select your aperature and shutter speed and let the 550EX in E-TTL handle the rest.

You may want to reduce the flash output a bit. Maybe 1/3 or 2/3 power. Getting the exposure closer to available light will result in more natural looking flash shots. I don't see why you'd need high-speed sync unless you were doing syncro-sun fill at higher iso's wide open.

Diffuse the flash, bounce the flash, put the flash on a flash frame above the camera, use an off-shoe cord to move the flash away from the lens.

These are just a few tips.

One thing to realize is that what you meter on is going to have an effect on your flash exposure using Av or Tv because E-TTL is using information from the camera. If you're metering on dark items, you're gonna blow out the whites.

Do some practice shots using similar lighting and find some settings that work for you. After all, it's digital. You can shoot a ton of tests and get used to how the flash works in various situations and then simply erase them.

Have fun!

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Chris.
This is what I do.

When I shoot my out door shots for a wedding, I try my best to use the existing natural light. We try to get the new bride and groom to book their wedding in the later afternoon when the lighting is perfect for natural light shots. While some bride shots are being taken inside as she is getting ready, we would have the groom and family members outside under at tree, etc. Always take more than one shot of each setting and bracket your shots.. I can not express enough about bracketing. Remember, film is cheap on a digital camera.
You will get alot of suggestions here from many experienced people.
You just need to experiment what works for you.
I use primarily either P Mode, or Av Mode when shooting a wedding.

My camera stays at ISO400 unless I start hitting shutter speeds over 1/1000, then I will bring the ISO down..The the images are clean as they can be and I am at an ISO range the best works indoors and out and I dont have ot keep fooling with it.

When using the 550EX, it works well on ETTL on either program or Av mode, but you must be certain what you are focusing on. When dealing with white dresses and black suits, your best bet is to focus on the face.

This ensures a close to correct exposure ( remember to bracket though ) and the face and eyes are sharp with plenty of detail.. Always get the eyes in focus. When I am on Av mode is only when I need that control for DOF for a particular shot, then back to P mode. Focal Point: I hardly ever use the center focal point. If I am shooting in portrait, then I select the focul point that best rests on the subjects face without having to do a complet recompose every time. I can not stress enough about using the correct focal point along with bracketing when taking the important shot.

When shooting indoors with the bride while shes getting ready evaluate the room. If the ceiling is low enough, I bounce 60 deg up angle( with an Omni Bounce-White piece of plastic that covers the flash) at an EV as low as -2 stops down when shooting up close. This works well when the room has stained glass windows keeping then in full color (not washed out) and the bride is still properly exposed. It works..Weddings can be fast and stressfull. These two settiong I listed work best for me. Manual mode is great but I personally do not feel that it is the best setting when shooting on the run for sometimes 8 hrs straight. Though, I break my own rules at times as well. So, just test some settings out and see what happens. Take this for what its worth. About .02 cents, if that.

Good luck.
Vaughn

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Vaughn T. Winfree
Friends Don't Let Friends Shoot Film

pBase supporter http://www.pBase.com/vaughn

you could shoot in M mode all the while getting the benifits of E-TTL from the 550EX? I'll have to try that.

rlindabury said:

You may want to reduce the flash output a bit. Maybe 1/3 or 2/3
power. Getting the exposure closer to available light will result
in more natural looking flash shots. I don't see why you'd need
high-speed sync unless you were doing syncro-sun fill at higher
iso's wide open.

Diffuse the flash, bounce the flash, put the flash on a flash frame
above the camera, use an off-shoe cord to move the flash away from
the lens.

These are just a few tips.

One thing to realize is that what you meter on is going to have an
effect on your flash exposure using Av or Tv because E-TTL is using
information from the camera. If you're metering on dark items,
you're gonna blow out the whites.

Do some practice shots using similar lighting and find some
settings that work for you. After all, it's digital. You can
shoot a ton of tests and get used to how the flash works in various
situations and then simply erase them.

Have fun!

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Regards,
Phillip@keepsake
http://www.keepsakephotography.us

Good info here. I'm not a wedding shooter. Not something I'm interested in. So, I imagine Vaughn knows a lot more than I do about doing weddings. Try his methods and see what works best for you.

Like he said, focus/expose for the face and bracket. In fact, the 10D will AUTO-bracket! Check the manual.

Have fun!

Vaughn T.Winfree said:

Good luck.
Vaughn

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Vaughn T. Winfree
Friends Don't Let Friends Shoot Film

pBase supporter http://www.pBase.com/vaughn

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Just so theres no confusion.

I am a photographer in training with professional wedding photographers that are getting from$3,500.00 to $5,000.00 for the service.

The end product is a Digital Album along with other detailed items based on package purchased. I take the education in the wedding business seriously and I plan on taking my time before I do my first wedding on my own...This is simply based on the level of service that I plan on providing on my first job. The goal is to start out with a high level standard and maintain that level of service. Regards.....
Vaughn

rlindabury said:

Like he said, focus/expose for the face and bracket. In fact, the
10D will AUTO-bracket! Check the manual.

Have fun!

Vaughn T.Winfree said:

Good luck.
Vaughn

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Vaughn T. Winfree
Friends Don't Let Friends Shoot Film

pBase supporter http://www.pBase.com/vaughn

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Vaughn T. Winfree
Friends Don't Let Friends Shoot Film

pBase supporter http://www.pBase.com/vaughn

Yup, works great if you know what aperature/shutter you want and how it's going to be affected by the flash.

Here's a shot using a 50mm 1.8 wide open using the 550ex bouncing indoors. The light looks pretty natural.



Here's another one of my daughter, 1/80th @ f2.8



Try it and let us know how you make out.

pfiltz said:

rlindabury said:

You may want to reduce the flash output a bit. Maybe 1/3 or 2/3
power. Getting the exposure closer to available light will result
in more natural looking flash shots. I don't see why you'd need
high-speed sync unless you were doing syncro-sun fill at higher
iso's wide open.

Diffuse the flash, bounce the flash, put the flash on a flash frame
above the camera, use an off-shoe cord to move the flash away from
the lens.

These are just a few tips.

One thing to realize is that what you meter on is going to have an
effect on your flash exposure using Av or Tv because E-TTL is using
information from the camera. If you're metering on dark items,
you're gonna blow out the whites.

Do some practice shots using similar lighting and find some
settings that work for you. After all, it's digital. You can
shoot a ton of tests and get used to how the flash works in various
situations and then simply erase them.

Have fun!

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Regards,
Phillip@keepsake
http://www.keepsakephotography.us

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

because with Canon DSLRs, flash is independent of ambient light (after all, it really is!). M mode allows you to expose the ambient light the way you want, and flash does its thing on its own (unless you use the auto-fill flash reduction C.Fn which I personally disable).
That's the beauty of the thing.

Guillaume
http://www.at-sight.com

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

chris boar152290 said:

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

Click to expand...

was it a paid wedding??

chris boar152290 said:

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

Click to expand...

First, be sure to expose ambient light right. Then you can tell the flash to come and play. for fill flash you'll want to light up the faces in the shadows, so your best bet is use FEL on the faces and fire away.

Guillaume
http://www.at-sight.com

pfiltz said:

you could shoot in M mode all the while getting the benifits of
E-TTL from the 550EX? I'll have to try that.

Click to expand...

What a surprise considering your wonderful portraits. I've got to get back to the Lighting forum and enjoy some of them. You are a master.

I shoot M all the time in the studio, cuz, I'm metering for the exposure I want. I always shoot 125, and around f8. Now I'm outside with the 550EX. I want to shoot at 125/f8 with the 550EX. I set flash or camera compensation to -1/2 stop. Pop the shot. Now I want to shoot 500/f11 with the same compensation. Both shots will be exposed correctly. I'll try it this afternoon. I have a ginnie pig I can test on

rlindabury said:

Here's a shot using a 50mm 1.8 wide open using the 550ex bouncing
indoors. The light looks pretty natural.



Here's another one of my daughter, 1/80th @ f2.8



Try it and let us know how you make out.

pfiltz said:

rlindabury said:

You may want to reduce the flash output a bit. Maybe 1/3 or 2/3
power. Getting the exposure closer to available light will result
in more natural looking flash shots. I don't see why you'd need
high-speed sync unless you were doing syncro-sun fill at higher
iso's wide open.

Diffuse the flash, bounce the flash, put the flash on a flash frame
above the camera, use an off-shoe cord to move the flash away from
the lens.

These are just a few tips.

One thing to realize is that what you meter on is going to have an
effect on your flash exposure using Av or Tv because E-TTL is using
information from the camera. If you're metering on dark items,
you're gonna blow out the whites.

Do some practice shots using similar lighting and find some
settings that work for you. After all, it's digital. You can
shoot a ton of tests and get used to how the flash works in various
situations and then simply erase them.

Have fun!

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Regards,
Phillip@keepsake
http://www.keepsakephotography.us

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Regards,
Phillip@keepsake
http://www.keepsakephotography.us

Two things:

First the flash will deliver enough power (as far as it is able) to light the subject to -1/2 stop of the correct exposure, but if the ambient light is brighter everything will be overexposed/ darker then what is not lit by the flash will be underexposed.

Second this is the 10d forum - cats only (no guinea pigs allowed!!)

pfiltz said:

rlindabury said:

Here's a shot using a 50mm 1.8 wide open using the 550ex bouncing
indoors. The light looks pretty natural.



Here's another one of my daughter, 1/80th @ f2.8



Try it and let us know how you make out.

pfiltz said:

rlindabury said:

You may want to reduce the flash output a bit. Maybe 1/3 or 2/3
power. Getting the exposure closer to available light will result
in more natural looking flash shots. I don't see why you'd need
high-speed sync unless you were doing syncro-sun fill at higher
iso's wide open.

Diffuse the flash, bounce the flash, put the flash on a flash frame
above the camera, use an off-shoe cord to move the flash away from
the lens.

These are just a few tips.

One thing to realize is that what you meter on is going to have an
effect on your flash exposure using Av or Tv because E-TTL is using
information from the camera. If you're metering on dark items,
you're gonna blow out the whites.

Do some practice shots using similar lighting and find some
settings that work for you. After all, it's digital. You can
shoot a ton of tests and get used to how the flash works in various
situations and then simply erase them.

Have fun!

chris boar said:

Anyone help?

What are the ideal settings for shooting fill in flash outdoors?

I did a wedding on the weekend (my 2nd), tried my flash on a few
shots.

10D was in AV mode, at F5.6, Fill in Flash set to auto on the menu,
High Speed sync set on the 550EX along with E-TTL. Every shot was
completely blown out.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

chris

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Regards,
Phillip@keepsake
http://www.keepsakephotography.us

Click to expand...

--
Bob Lindabury

Click to expand...

--
Regards,
Phillip@keepsake
http://www.keepsakephotography.us

Click to expand...