Lydia .. “good exposure” is going to be a variable quantity. It will depend on scenario to scenario, and also how YOU, the individual photographer, want to interpret the scene.

This is definitely a topic that I will tackle in future with a series of posts.

Now, about this specific image at the top, I got to what I deemed to be correct / good exposure, but taking a cursory look at my camera’s meter, and then taking a test shot and looking at how the window area looks on my camera’s preview. Simple as that.

Someone else might’ve liked it to be more blown out or more saturated. There is a wide range of what would be acceptable here. I liked this version. If I couldn’t get enough flash on my subject in how I bounced my flash, I would’ve opened my aperture or raised my ISO to get enough light on him from bounce flash .. even though this would’ve let the background blow out some more.

Neil vN

Neil – this is exactly my problem with photography – how did you determine “good exposure” (if you don’t care about the camera’s meter)? Experience? What is your line of thought when determining “good exposure”?

Would so appreciate an explanation.
Many thanks

Many thanks

Ed

Ed, that sounds like it should be the topic of an entirely new blog post .. or even a video clip. I’ll add it to the list of topics that could be covered, and make for interesting material here.

thanks

Neil vN

I’d be very interested to learn more about how you decide the angle to give to your speedlight. I’ve searched about this on your blog but never have found any useful information about this (you generally say “I bounced it behind me and to the left”, but what angle?, why?, …). I know of course about angle of incidence and angle of reflection, but when you shoot, do you precisely analyse your environment and decide the angle your speedlight will have or is this more about “feeling”?

Thanks for your help and once again, thanks for the great info you share with all of us.

Ed

Oh..After searching for advice on Flash Photography on the internet for I don’t know how many weeks..I feel I have found the holy grail of Flash Photography information and more!

Bless you 1000 and 1 times for your posts and site. How generous you are with your knowledge!

Thank you!
Joy

Roy, I would do as you suggest there. But I would make sure I don’t go outside the range that my flash is capable of. A flash diffuser might just have solved the problem by cutting down on the flash’s power.

Neil vN

Thank you for responding

Yes I was using direct Flash to the subject. I have no choice, I have nothing to bounce the light. I was at broadwalk, where the beach was behind me, and there are open space to my left and right. My subject is in front of me about 3 meter away, and the city light was behind the subject

I try to practice what you thought us, using M mode, metering the ambient city light with ISO 1000 and I got F 3.5 and speed 1/15 th, so it was pretty dark. I under exposed the ambient light by setting the speed to 1/30. and keep apature the same

I use my flash (guide number=54) on TTL, directed straight to subject with FEC -2 and -2.5, and I got way overexposed subject, with sort of OK city iight.

I did not check my speedlight minimum distance.

I am now confused as to what guide/ method do I use to shoot M mode at night. in open space such as park, beach, large field etc.

Would you shoot in Tv or Av (speed or apature priority) in this setting?
If you still use M mode, what your guide to set your speed and apature? ( I know your iso should be at least 1000-1600) + your flash

I am looking forward to hearing what you would do?
Thanks again

Roy

Hi there Roy

Where you using direct flash?

You don’t say what aperture you used. But I suspect you were simply too close to your subject (if you were using direct flash), for your flash and camera to react appropriately and shut off the burst of flash in time.

Looking now at my D3 and SB-900, for 1000 ISO at f4 (in TTL mode), I get a minimum distance of 2.8 meters. You were shooting at half that distance.

So just double check what your speedlight is telling you on the back of the LCD display.

Neil vN