Comments on: a light touch

By: Neil

Neil — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:02:18 +0000

Hi there Jeff …

The camera and flash, when in a mode where it will regard the flash as the main source of light, will try and expose correctly, regardless of the ambient exposure.

So I only need to keep the flash exposure compensation around 0EV. (It depends on the reflectivity of the subject / scene in front of the camera.)

It is from *this* baseline – (the camera calculating correct TTL flash exposure, whether as filll or as main source), .. that I need to adjust FEC up or down.

Neil vN

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:12:00 +0000

Hey Neil,
Great post (as usual). Question: For this shot, you underexposed by 1.5 stops, but yet used 0 exposure compensation. Why don’t you need +1.3 ( or +1.7) FEC to compensate for the underexposure of the ambient? I understand the concept of exposure compensation (both FEC and in camera: +1 or so for white subject; -1 or so for black, etc.), but I keep wanting to equate FEC with ‘power’. Is that wrong? Like my above question indicates, I would think you’d need extra flash ‘power’ to make up for the 1.5 underexposure. I’d appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!
- Jeff

By: Yiftach

Yiftach — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:19:53 +0000

First time looking at your site, Wow ! Thanks.
Just a comment about light meters, I find that when I am doing a family grouping inside and using umbrellas and studio flashes, I can easily wind up over exposing one side of the grouping by having for example, my right flash one stop or more brighter than my left flash. I can not see this on my cameras monitor !
This can cause me lots of problems when you have people in white dresses and men in black etc. I use a light meter to make sure my flash is even from both sides of the large family grouping.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:28:04 +0000

Thanks Neil and also Lucian for your comments. I really appreciate people’s willingness to share their knowledge and opinion. I am on a very tight budget and I have to think very carefully about the next addition to my kit bag. What you say makes sense to me and I will for now skip the light meter and put the $$$$ to something else, thanks

By: Lucian

Lucian — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:54:11 +0000

Hi Rachel, if I may again:

I think light meters are very accurate ways of measuring exposure, but as Neil has pointed out, it may not have *that* crucial a role in the digital era as compared to film days where messed up exposures meant wasted time and money.

I don’t use external light meters personally because
i) it’s an extra load to carry around, esp when you need to be on the move (for the kind of photography I like). There’s already enough in the form of camera + lens + flash +/- tripod to lug around as it is.
ii) I find it an acceptable compromise to use the camera’s light meter and adjust based on test shots / histogram results.

It never kills to use a light meter, and some purists may insist on it, but to me it is a personal preference (like many things in photography) and you will have to see if it is beneficial for you (but like Neil said, the knowledge is never wasted =)

——–

Re: the comments made by others regarding the teachings here:

I have to admit that I’m not someone who just take people’s teachings for granted. I truly have to see the logic and reasoning behind the words in order to be fully convinced.

And convinced is what I have been after having read many of Neil’s articles. Not just regarding flash photography, but I’ve found his reasoning behind his articles of exposure modes, camera shake, why we shouldn’t be too hung up on noise and high ISO (to list a few) pretty solid.

The final test is how it applies in RL though, and the results have been wonderful. In the end, I would say let the pictures speak for themselves and find what works for you.

By: Neil

Neil — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:03:35 +0000

Hi there Rachel ... I do have a Minolta flashmeter, but I rarely use it. When I do shoot with studio lighting or on-location lighting, I use the histogram method to determine exposure. I would never dissuade anyone to get a good flashmeter, but I'm not entirely convinced that it is as an essential tool with digital photography as it was with film. The histogram now gives me the info that I need to pre-determine correct exposures when I am shooting under controlled situations such as studio lighting or consistent ambient light. Knowledge of how to use a lightmeter is never wasted, but there are probably more useful items to get if you're on a limited budget, than a lightmeter. Neil vN

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:02:59 +0000

Thanks for the clarification Lucian. When you are relatively new to all of this flash business you can very easily doubt yourself. How you described the teachings of neil is exactly what I thought.
The individual may have as you said misunderstood what I meant …or…. may not know as much as what they think. I have suggested to a few people the techniques taught on planetneil and have met with a condescending, “well when you have been doing this as long as I have…” Their loss.
Neil, do you use independent light meter’s. Should we have one and learn how to use it. This is something I really don;t know a lot about and if it is going to help me create better shots would love to know and learn more.
I am sure you are never short of things to teach here but if you are ever looking for an idea it is something not many people bother with

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:29:55 +0000

Hi there Dave …

In this case I wasn’t bouncing the flash behind me at any degree. The flash was pointing more forwards than directly 90′ to my right .. so the couple would’ve seen the flash-head. Therefore there would’ve been direct flash of some kind.

In this case I didn’t have time for a comparison photo .. I barely had time to fire off the pull-back shot to show where I was bouncing flash off.

While shooting I am less interested in parsing the idea of when flagging the flash like that will have a discernable effect (and to what extent) .. than I am interested in getting the images and have them look good.

As such, the technique works.

best

Neil vN

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:21:31 +0000

I tried this with a large area such as this and I’m not convinced that half-snooting in a situation like this makes any noticable difference. The amount of forward directional light is very little and not much of it is making a large impact at this distance. Unless I am misunderstanding exactly how much of the strobe is actually pointing at the subject? I imagine it is pointed up and to your right, nearly over your right shoulder. If I were the groom, could I see the flash head from where I was standing?

Have you tried a comparison leaving it on or off? I suspect, in the heat of shooting, I would just leave it on and forget about it.
Thoughts?

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:26:28 +0000

Rachel ..

Lucien has it correct. :)

I suspect the person who told you E-TTL doesn’t work in manual, was thinking of manual flash exposure … which is different from manual exposure mode on your camera. E-TTL certainly works with manual exposure mode.

Neil vN