Help with Shadows

[canon400d]

I recently took some presentation shots for our Scottish Rally website and local paper and when I returned home I noticed they all had shadows behind the subjects. I used a 40D with a 580 flash shooting manual F/8 1/100 and ISO 800 with AWB using a difuser.
I would appreciate if someone could tell me where I went wrong here for the future and also could I get rid of the shadows in CS4 or is that too big a job for someone like me.
Cheers
Bob
1
http://canon400d.smugmug.com/Other/Presentation-Photos/Scottish-Rally-Presentations42/921944785_NDdn8-L.jpg
2
http://canon400d.smugmug.com/Other/Presentation-Photos/Scottish-Rally-Presentations33/921944721_PR2yk-L.jpg
3
http://canon400d.smugmug.com/Other/Presentation-Photos/Scottish-Rally-Presentations59/921944794_bV6bq-L.jpg

[dlscott56]

Can't tell from the photos what the ceilings like but bouncing off the ceiling could help. Sometimes I'll bounce my flash as well as attaching a 3x5 card to it with a rubber band to throw a little fill light on the faces. I'm not all that experienced so others may have better suggestions for you.

[canon400d]

Can't tell from the photos what the ceilings like but bouncing off the ceiling could help. Sometimes I'll bounce my flash as well as attaching a 3x5 card to it with a rubber band to throw a little fill light on the faces. I'm not all that experienced so others may have better suggestions for you.

Thanks for that Dave. It was quite poor lighting and the ceiling was so high and was no good for bouncing the light.
Cheers
Bob

[Sam]

The simple answer is to move your subjects away from the background / wall.

Sam

[canon400d]

The simple answer is to move your subjects away from the background / wall.

Sam
Thanks Sam,
That would have been very difficult indeed as it was a long presentation and was carried out on the stage with around 300 guests looking on. I and two other photographers were in the front at ground level. Did I have the correct settings and especially with the White Balance?
Cheers
Bob

[Seefutlung]

There are many things you could have done ... some impractical and some are easy. The most practical and easy is to bounce the flash. With tall or colored ceilings I bounce the flash off my hand. With the flash pointing up, flatten out your hand and place at a 45 degree angle over the flash lens. I'm always forgetting or losing flash bounce attachments ... I rarely forget or lose a hand. The hand method even adds a bit of warmth to the image.

Gary

[Sam]

Thanks Sam,
That would have been very difficult indeed as it was a long presentation and was carried out on the stage with around 300 guests looking on. I and two other photographers were in the front at ground level. Did I have the correct settings and especially with the White Balance?
Cheers
Bob

Bob,

Sounds like you were the official photographer. It would not have been out of line to talk to the presenters and ask if they could stand closer to the front of the stage or move the background back. Don't be obnoxious or anal, but try and control what you can.

Without the ability to bounce I might have tried a better bounce card and shoot aperture priority. Use a higher ISO and use the flash as a fill at a lower power to at least minimize any shadow.

Using flash at these types of events is not the easiest thing to do. I am trying actually get good at it myself. :-)

Sam

[canon400d]

There are many things you could have done ... some impractical and some are easy. The most practical and easy is to bounce the flash. With tall or colored ceilings I bounce the flash off my hand. With the flash pointing up, flatten out your hand and place at a 45 degree angle over the flash lens. I'm always forgetting or losing flash bounce attachments ... I rarely forget or lose a hand. The hand method even adds a bit of warmth to the image.

Gary
Thanks Gary that really is a good tip I will certainly remember that.
Cheers
Bob

[canon400d]

Bob,

Sounds like you were the official photographer. It would not have been out of line to talk to the presenters and ask if they could stand closer to the front of the stage or move the background back. Don't be obnoxious or anal, but try and control what you can.

Without the ability to bounce I might have tried a better bounce card and shoot aperture priority. Use a higher ISO and use the flash as a fill at a lower power to at least minimize any shadow.

Using flash at these types of events is not the easiest thing to do. I am trying actually get good at it myself. :-)

Sam
Thanks for that Sam.
Yes I was one of the official photographers. I could have got them to stand nearer and away from the white back ground. I kept checking my shots and histogram and they looked fine. It was only when I returned home I noticed the shaddows. In actual fact I have always used manual when shooting indoors using the settings as outlined and without any problems. It was that damned white back ground that has thrown me. Anyhow Sam they have all appeared on the Scottish Rally website but in future I will remember the advice you have given me.
Cheers
Bob

[SUMGUY]

Can I ask why are the shadows looking like the light is coming from the right of you? The last shot looks like your flash is straight in front of the subjects?

cheers, Scott

[Qarik]

side shadows become an issue whne you are shooting in portrait mode as you can see in your 1st few shots. To get rid of them:

1) get a bracket..always keep the flash above the camera. shoot in landscape when you have wall behind your subject if you don't want a bracket
2) don't directly aim your flash at the subjects...bounce your flash off the ceiling and get bounce diffuser like GF sphere or dembit.
3) shoot away from walls

[canon400d]

side shadows become an issue whne you are shooting in portrait mode as you can see in your 1st few shots. To get rid of them:

1) get a bracket..always keep the flash above the camera. shoot in landscape when you have wall behind your subject if you don't want a bracket
2) don't directly aim your flash at the subjects...bounce your flash off the ceiling and get bounce diffuser like GF sphere or dembit.
3) shoot away from walls

Thanks Scott and Qarik very useful tips which I will certainly keep in mind when I am doing these type of shots again,
Cheers
Bob

[adbsgicom]

actually m confused........
About what?

[kwcrow]

A couple of other tips. Along with bouncing the flash. Open your lens up to maximum aperture so that the flash is not dominating the shot nullifying all ambient light, assuming that you have some amount of ambient light to help reduce the shadows. Also if you are shooting at max synch shutter speed, it might help to shoot at a slower shutter speed so ambient light can help more also.