Flash photos

[Antonio Correia]

Today I have been to a young couples' home to make some photos of their young daughter. She is now 6 month old.

It was night and I was shooting with the umbrella and the flash. Of course I did not forget our friend the ST-E2

The light in the room was very dim and - since the beginning - I used flash bounced with the umbrella.

It was the first time I was shooting in such circumstances and I make a quick decision: I was going to shoot in Manual, setting the Aperture to 3.5 or larger and a speed fast enough not to blur the pictures.

When I was needing more light on the subjects I just reduced the distance of the flash.

Just trial and error business. :wink

My biggest problem on the Photoshop was to make a real, or a better skin tone, in spite of my efforts.

Any thoughts, please ?

http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/234033850-M.jpg . http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/233447651-M.jpg

[Antonio Correia]

http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/233459228-M.jpg . http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/234033235-M.jpg

I am sorry by that door ...

A different mood
http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/233773745-M.jpg

[photocat]

The last one in black and white definitely steals the show for me. They look good, as you have seen yourself, the door is a bit of a drag, next time better.
No harsh shadows, good composition. I think you can get yourself a business...

[Antonio Correia]

The last one in black and white definitely steals the show for me. They look good, as you have seen yourself, the door is a bit of a drag, next time better.
No harsh shadows, good composition. I think you can get yourself a business...

Thank you for your comment.

In fact I told already about the door to the young father.
And I was aware of the problem at the moment, but the door was not large enought to fit the father and child.:wink
Well, just a lauzy excuse...:dunno

It is already planned another session with better results, I hope.

Have a nice Christmas time !:clap:thumb

[pathfinder]

Antonio,

I think you did a commendable job. The backgrounds ( except the door-frame) are good, the compositions look good, focus seems pretty good. The baby is not crisp in the B&W, though.

I think your skin tones look pretty good with simple examination on my screen. I have not clocked the numbers, so to speak, but I think these look pretty good in terms of color temp.

As for shooting with flash into an umbrella, and some limited ambient light, - shoot in RAW and try the Flash light balance setting and see how the image looks. It may be just a bit cool, and need a slightly lower color temp if ambient is a factor. Flash is about 5600 Kelvin, but I sometimes prefer to balance my images down around 5300 when using speedlites indoors.

You can include an off-white object in a frame to use your white eyedropper in the RAW converter to see if you prefer that manner of white balancing.

www.balancesmarter.com sells a flat, gray foldable reflector that can be included in a shot, to use as a neutral gray balance source also. You can use it to set your camera's white balance, or use it later in the Raw Converter for your white eye dropper ( which is really looking for a known neutral)

I think your images are cropped pretty tightly, I might have included more of the father's forehead - this is really a minor nit, not something I feel strongly about.

I agree that the expression and crop in the B&W is the best of the bunch. Very nice and genuine warmth. The diagonal placement of the mothers and the infants eyes really works for me here too.

The poor infant in the first image does not seem to be enjoying him/herself very much.

You have some nice captures here, Antonio, as you always do.

Felice' Navidad ( Spanish, not Portuguese I know:dunno )

[Antonio Correia]

Jim. Thank you for commenting. :bow

The Portuguese for " Felice' Navidad" is Feliz Natal.

Feliz Natal for your Family and yourself. Thank you. :D
:thumb

[pathfinder]

Feliz Natal to you and your family also, Antonio.

[SloYerRoll]

Aren't gray cards for exposure and white cards for white balance? I've been taught that white cards are the way to go for white point. Of course that isn't to say that gray cards don't do the same. I've just never done it this way.

Any input is appreciated.

[pyrtek]

Aren't gray cards for exposure and white cards for white balance?

The only requirement of a white balance reference card is that it be completely
neutral in color. It doesn't matter whether it's white or gray or black, as long as
it is neutral. That's why it's good to get a reference card that is known to
be neutral, such as a WhiBal or the card pathfinder mentioned earlier.

[pathfinder]

Jon, I have it on good authority ( I think A Rodney made this point here, or in a Finishing School thread ) - not all 18% gray cards are a true color neutral. It caught me a little off guard when I first heard this, but 18% gray cards are made to set exposure by, not to set color balance, as you said. Pyrtek, however, is correct that any true neutral color will work.

I think that lighter neutrals, with more data in them, tend to work better. That said, I have occasionally white balanced images by clicking on a known black and found reasonable color balance in very dark images without a true known white or gray. Not my recommended technique however.

Generally, a white object - not a intense white object, but the one that is one step below full white on the MacBeth color checker is considered the ideal tone for white balancing an image, such that all three RGB channels read the same value for a true white.

The gray reflector sold by www.balancebetter.com is designed precisely for color balancing, and is supposed to be a very accurate neutral. I have not shot it and a MacBeth color checker at the same time though. It is available in several sizes.

http://babelcolor.com/main_level/White_Target.htm - offers a true white target for balancing color balance. It is small, and can be included when shooting a MacBeth Color checker for comparison. Since it is very white, it can also be used to evaluate exposure as they describe on their website. In short, a neutral gray, properly exposed, should produce a spike in the middle of the histogram; their white target, should produce a spike at the very right edge of the histogram. Babelcolor has been in the color balancing business for some time.

[Antonio Correia]

This is most interesting. :D My gray card are two large ones: one A4 and a small A6 from Kodak.

Yesterday I have been to Maria Luisa's home - the long term assignment or the growing of a child (http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/gallery/3215529#199959623) - and I screwed almost all the photos.:bash
http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/235143638-M.jpg
This is just an example. The picture is blurred.:cry
How could I shoot a decent photo at 1/15 or 1/30 in these circumstances, moving targets all the time, poor light, etc. ?? ...

I was an idiot and I don't know what came to my mind. :dunno
I had shot some successful shots under similar conditions, like the ones I have posted here, but yesterday ...:dunno

Thank you Jim for the nice links you gave us. :bow
:D:thumb

[pathfinder]

Antonio,

Shooting good candids of family can be challenging, as they move about, in and out of darkness and light.

I know you use the ST-E2 and a flash with good results. Try raising your ISO to 800 or even 1600, and use your flash high in a corner with a diffuser, bouncing off the ceiling ( if it is near white ) to raise the general level of light.
This might help some. It is so much easier when you can tell them where to sit and which way to look, and adjust the lights to your needs. Why can't our family members understand this and be more cooperative:D :D

Feliz Natal, Antonio.

[Antonio Correia]

Better results
http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/235614905-M.jpg . http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/235610648-M.jpg

[photocat]

definitely good result. I often wonder what is wrong with my flash photography. At times I get splendid results, on other occasions, the pics are very bad...
There must be a magical wand!
Well Done Antonio, looks like a cute couple. You still have the ambient light from the lamp, very soft light. I like it!

[CookieS]

The Xmas photo does nto look awfully blurred in the post, but im wondering IF part of it isnt a DOF issue as you are shooting CLOSER to your subjects so you have less dept of view, hence the softness, of course with lower light, and slow shutter speeds its all over blur. ?? try upping your ISO and doing a test shot at 1/200th ss and find out what your exposure SHOULD be . Ive just started this and flash to subject distance and checking my histogram are the tow things that seem to get me.

[Antonio Correia]

definitely good result. I often wonder what is wrong with my flash photography. At times I get splendid results, on other occasions, the pics are very bad...
There must be a magical wand!
Well Done Antonio, looks like a cute couple. You still have the ambient light from the lamp, very soft light. I like it!


Hello Photocat. How are you ?
First of all let me wish you a Healthy 2008 :D ... in other words: a 2008 with Health !:rofl:thumb

The light was at some 2 meters high against the wall. I supported it just above a picture which is hanging on the wall, above the TV set.
So, the light was coming from the wall itself and from the ceiling.
In this place the light was fine.

The corners of the room didn't have so much light ...In the photo of the grand-mothers it is very visible the noise.
EXIF (http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/newexif.mg?ImageID=235614831)

http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/235614831-M.jpg

[Antonio Correia]

The Xmas photo does nto look awfully blurred in the post, but im wondering IF part of it isnt a DOF issue as you are shooting CLOSER to your subjects so you have less dept of view, hence the softness, of course with lower light, and slow shutter speeds its all over blur. ?? try upping your ISO and doing a test shot at 1/200th ss and find out what your exposure SHOULD be . Ive just started this and flash to subject distance and checking my histogram are the tow things that seem to get me.

CookieS
I think you are refering the photo with the Christmas tree...
I can't reshoot it, but I don't think the problem isn't a DOF issue because the shutter was really slow... EXIF (http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/newexif.mg?ImageID=235143638) 1/20 is NOT an acceptable speed for this kind of shot even having very steady hands like I do ! ...:D
Thank you :bow and a 2008 with Health. :D:thumb

[Antonio Correia]

Have a look at this (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-game-plan-results.html), please.
:bow
Very useful. Very useful.:wink
Pathfinder is right all along. :clapI have never doubt it myself.:clap
And the confirmation - if ever needed - is there.

:D:thumb

[pathfinder]

Antonio,

I suspect he is shooting in Manual mode on the camera and the flash.

When I used two flashes controlled by an ST-E2, I had the flashes in ETTL, and could dial the lighting balance right or left by the control on the back of the ST-E2. In essence, I could choose which light was main and which was key, by varying the lighting ratios on the back of the ST-E2.

This year I only schlepped one 430ex and its foamie diffuser, along as I shot Christmas candids.

This one was caught with a G9 and an ST-E2 for triggering.

A P&S, with off camera lighting, how cool is that!?

http://Pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/236931441-L.jpg

[Antonio Correia]

Jim.

I have been looking for the price of another two toys:
a Canon G9 and a 580 SX II flash and both are rather expensive in Portugal.

However, they are in my buying list.
I think I'll buy sooner the second flash than the G9.
Better: in other works and by priority: 580 EX II; 5D ; G9 :wink

Yesterday I bought a Sony Cybershot DSC-W55 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Sony/sony_dscw55.asp) in black for my wife and myself to use as an every day pocket camera.

On the other hand I do have read that our beloved ST-E2 works with the G9 what is great and makes a useful combo (combo, stands for the set of the three equipments, right ?):wink

Your photo is very nice indeed. And so is the young lady ... :D

You do master this stuff, Jim :thumb

[pathfinder]

Antonio, the G7 offers much of what the G9 offers, but does not offer RAW which for me was a deal breaker.

The G9 is not perfect - it is still noisy as higher ISOs ( >100 I mean ) but 200 and 400 can be useful sometimes with a little noise reduction software. It focuses slower than a DSLR, and for capturing candids that can be annoying, I found that I strongly preferred the 40D for candids over the G9 - because of the focus delay in the P&S. I like the G9 for detail and close up ( not really macro ) shots. It works pretty good for architecture snapshots and scenics. It does allow manual focus and in a studio with good lighting that might be useful. But it is small enough, and good enough that I try to carry it at all time. At ISO 100 I am sure I can make pretty good 11x14 images with it. I like its color rendition too.

This was captured at ISO 200 yesterday in the Indianapolis Museum of Art This is my sister and her husband and our very own Nightingale. This is about a i/2 frame crop of the original image file. f3.5 1/10th no flash White balance from the gray-white wall

http://Pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/236930694-L.jpg

[Antonio Correia]

Jim
Today I shot some pictures with the Sony and I didn't like it at all.:dunno
Neither my wife. I went to the shop and received my money back.
They can't say I shot the new Year with it ...:D
Then, we shot some pictures with the old Sony DSC S 85 just to see the difference.
In fact, I am sure now that the G9 will be the right choice when time comes.:D
Sony DSC-W 55 shots
http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/237461026-M.jpg . http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/237461710-M.jpg
The photo on the left was shot with the built in flash

Sony DSC S 85 shots. I like the blurred one she took of me drinking the coffee.
http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/237482435-M.jpg . http://antoniocorreia.smugmug.com/photos/237482603-M.jpg

[Samantha]

The one in black & white is awesome.

Parents feel proud to share the pictures of their new child, as babies look cute and everyone loves looking at their pictures. You will have more fun while showing your babies precious pictures when you have more pictures of him.

[Antonio Correia]

The one in black & white is awesome.

Parents feel proud to share the pictures of their new child, as babies look cute and everyone loves looking at their pictures. You will have more fun while showing your babies precious pictures when you have more pictures of him.

Welcome here Samantha !:D

:bow for the comment ! You are right about that ! :D :thumb
Have a good and nice 2008:clap