Molly - I can't begin to tell you how helpful this is...and i'm only on the 2nd lesson. THANK you SO much!
Chris - Sorry for the really basic question but where are you generally pointing the flash? At the subject or bouncing it off a surface?
Melissa Jill - Hi Chris -- I think I mention that briefly in part 1. I keep the flash pointed straight up with the diffuser on it.
Tricia - Just found this from a friend. Great info - thanks for sharing. This may sounds like a really basic question, but when you shoot with flash are you shooting in manual mode?
Nicolle - Hi MJ, Thank you for spending time to do this. I am finding it very, very helpful. My question is that I've experienced the opposite of what you stated, in that my subjects are overexposed when using TTL on camera flash so I've been compensating in the opposite direction, -2/3 to -1 stop. I haven't had a chance to experiment with the slower shutter speeds since reading part 1, but my average on camera flash picture without compensation would look like a slightly underexposed background with overexposed (washed out, stark) subjects. With the compensation to take the brightness off the subjects, I have an all over slightly underexposed image and then I adjust it in post. Do you think this is just a matter of lowering the shutter speed? I feel like if I compensate +2/3 or +1 stop my subjects would be super bright. But then again, I haven't had a chance to try it out, so I will see if I can get the opportunity to before this fall when my season starts up again.
Karen (Mikols) Bonar - Why this method instead of using the flash power. i.e. using it at 1/8 power or 1/4 power? Is it just 2 ways of accomplishing the same thing?
Melissa Jill - Hi Karen, The flash compensation using ETTL is much more accurate because the flash is sending out a signal each and every time you release the shutter to find out how much power to put out. Using the manual mode on your on-camera flash will result in much more inconsistent exposures.
Gina - Love this explanation! I never use compensation and now can't wait to try it out, sure beats the guessing game of using manual flash!
Kori - Awesome series! Can't wait for the rest :-)
Gail - How have I never known this? I feel like you're teaching me the Holy Grail of Flash!!! THANK YOU MJ! Mwwahhh! :)
Nadya - this post originally way back when i saw it helped out so much!! I have a quick question how to aperature affect flash? I have a wedding next weekend my first one and and ic hecke dout the ceremony room and god its soo dark , and the walls and ceilings are wood so nothing to bounce off of. i will be using on camera flash witht he white bounce card, but i noticed when i shoot at like 2.8 the subject being focused on and hit by the flash is over exposed and im afraid the brides dress will be just onebig wite blob! If i raised the aperature to like 5.0 it looked better, i guess i can't get too creative with dof when using flash? What kind of metering do you use when shooting flash in a dark room and do you expose for the subject? Rightnow i am using high iso and low shutter speed but not too low because i have noticed if i go too low i have OFF images maybe i need to up the flash compensation? ahh! thanks for any help! ^.^
Kodi - Thank you. You rock. You are my new bff and I can't wait to learn more!
Mark - I have tried this technique mutiple times and have 1 common problem. The photos only look good when the couple is blocking the off camera flash. I have even turned down the off cam flash to 1/128th power but still, @ f4.0 or so, I get an image that the flash across the dance floor "blows" the image away. Any tips
Joanne - I am literally hanging on your every word Melissa. I am Determined to conquer this problem with reception shots lol. Thanks for showing us the way =)
Rachel Tatem - Thanks for your thoughts! I used to shooting in natural light and have been trying to get a full understanding of flashes, both on and off camera... I love hearing other people's thoughts. Love that second photo by the way!