Testing 17 - 85, 20d and onboard flash

[Ann McRae]

I cannot afford anything different before Christmas, but am trying to make a concerted effort to get more candid and not so candid photos of the people around me. We will have many family gatherings over Christmas, including a visit to my husbands grandmother who turns 90 on Dec. 26. So I am trying to make the most with what I have, and to get settings down beforehand. I envision the need for group shots - I do have the 85mm for any real single portraits I need to do.
This first is my mom and my pup. No PP really yet, red eye reduction and USM. Need to redo the red eye, I think.
Would a smaller apeture have been better - mom is a bit soft compared to Kelso.
http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787109-M.jpg (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787109-M.jpg)
My nephew:
http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787108-M.jpg (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787108-M.jpg)
My goofy son
http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787104-M.jpg (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787104-M.jpg)
http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787107-M.jpg (http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787107-M.jpg)

How'd I do?
ann


how come the pics aren't embedded?


Ann, I hope you don't mind, but I fixed 'em for ya. All you need to do is add a [img ] on the front and a [/img ] on the back and they will show up. (minus the spaces, of course). - fish

[Baldy]

Great Ann, they look really good. I like the combination of natural lighting if you can use it, with the flash not being so powerful that it becomes the only light. I like that you can see natural light in this shot and that the flash didn't blow out his face or create huge shadows.

http://canadian-ann.smugmug.com/photos/12787107-M.jpg

I have a 20d too and use the f 2.8 lenses to get a lot of ambient light and use the flash to provide just a puff of fill. Yesterday I had lunch with a guy who wanted me to shoot some corporate photos, so I whipped out the 20d with an on-board flash and did it the quick way.

I don't like it when the flash is bright enough to create shadows from his hands to his pants or something. Just enough to put a sparkle in the eyes and lightly fill the shadows.

http://tod.smugmug.com/photos/12766015-L.jpg

[dkapp]

how come the pics aren't embedded?

It looks like you've done a real nice job w/ the on board flash. I'm not much help here since I don't know the first thing about flash photography, but I can help your question above.

To embed an image into the post, you will need to put the html tags before and after. It will look like this:
link to your photo

hope this helps,
dave

[fish]

I whipped out the 20d with an on-board flash and did it the quick way.
The built-in flash on the 20D is nothing short of amazing. Easily 3x better than the flash on the 10D. I was constantly fighting white balance, color, and exposure on the 10D. With the 20D, I can flip and snap in confidence.

Ann, I was going to make a comment about the boy's hair over his eyes, when I realized I was just jealous that it's not an option for me anymore. :cry
Nice fireplace, btw :)

[ian408]

How'd I do?
how come the pics aren't embedded?
In the support section is some more detail. But if you click on the
Insert Image icon, second line, yellow--looks like a mountain, and add
the link in there "the right thing" will happen.

I'd say ya done good! The flash is enough to light the subject but not
blow them out. Very nicely done.

Ian

[Andy]

:clap :clap :clap

well done ann, good looking family. love kelso, never tire of seeing him.

oh and :bow to baldy, excellent example as well!

agree with the others, the onboard flash on the 20d is super.

[Ann McRae]

Ann, I hope you don't mind, but I fixed 'em for ya. All you need to do is add a [img ] on the front and a [/img ] on the back and they will show up. (minus the spaces, of course). - fish[/QUOTE]


Thank you, fish. Much appreciated.:clap
ann

[Ann McRae]

Hi Baldy - thanks - thats a great portrait.
A little short of natural light here in December, unfortunately!
:D
ann

[Ann McRae]

Thanks, that does help!

ann

[Ann McRae]

Ann, I was going to make a comment about the boy's hair over his eyes, when I realized I was just jealous that it's not an option for me anymore. :cry
Nice fireplace, btw :)[/QUOTE]

He went to great lengths to put it in his eyes:dunno
He agreed to posing if I agreed to him choosing clothes and hair etc. So, what's a mom to do?

ann

[Ann McRae]

I'd say ya done good! The flash is enough to light the subject but not
blow them out. Very nicely done.

Appreciate it!
ann

[Ann McRae]

well done ann, good looking family. love kelso, never tire of seeing him.

Thanks. Kelso is a real charmer - just climbs up on my moms lap like that is a natural thing to do - and gets away with it to boot!


ann

[fish]

So, what's a mom to do?

ann

Push the shutter release! :D

[ginger_55]

http://gingerSnap.smugmug.com/photos/12601390-M.jpg


Hi, Ann, I am ginger, my husband took that of me and my dogs last Saturday. My hair is always in my eyes, I embarrass my 37 yr old daughter, but last Sat with the wind blowing, I could either hold my hair back, or hold the dogs, and I couldn't resist posting this.

I do like your candids, and your slightly less than candids. I own a Rebel, am trying to learn to use a Sunpak with it. I certainly had no control of the on camera flash, am learning to control ratios by trial and error with the sunpak.

I really have no idea what I am doing. Any details would be appreciated.

As an aside, for family gatherings, they don't care............I have 5 pages of about 15 people from Thanksgiving family reunion, everyone loves them, even the ones where my flash was failing, the ones before I decided that after having the Sunpak almost a year, I needed to try using it. Etc.

The worst thing I ran into was not enough pictures of one daughter. She is not saying "why are the pictures sooooooo whatever", she is saying, "where are the pictures of ME!"

The more of everyone the better.

ginger