what the heck am I doing wrong?

[Michael Lyons]

Originally Posted by shutterflypro

Breezy how tall are you?

Think of the light coming out of your as going in a straight line. Most of the pictures taken with flash cause shadows like you are seeing, however because of the ange used the shadpws normally drop down behind the subject.

If you are short then you should try elevating yourself. Try a chair or step ladder. Remeber that most diffusers will still emit light directly from the camera in a straight line. From camer to subject. With that being said you will need to change you angle of attack.



DISCLAIMER: All spelling errors and incomprehensible grammer are due t the fact that I am typing this drunk out in California right now. So I hope you can understand what I am trying to say.

Raymond

HAHAHA . I hadnt scrolled down yet but when 1st reading this I was like...Raymond must be drunk, then I scrolled down and it was confirmed.

[Michelle Allmon]

Originally Posted by Breezy

YEah I knew that one was lower cause we had just come back in from out side and I forgot to change it.
THanks for all of the help.

How do you guys get them in focus at 2.8 etc..? That is why some of them were at 5.6 as for the 10 the pic was blown so I upped the aperture.
I appreciate all of you taking the time to help

Change AF points a lot, move with your subject.

[Michelle Allmon]

Originally Posted by Breezy

Most of my portraits shoot at iso100 and 1.7 maybe 2.0 and I really like the look, but at weddings like when the bride walks in I get her focused and then she has taken a step and then the focus falls from her face as an example.

Move with her, it's just like panning.

[TxManx]

Breezy -

I have a Metz 54 w/Canon adapter - the model I have has a 'wink light' that can be turned off/on - and if you're in 'A' mode (which automatically senses the reflectivity and shuts the flash down when 'properly' exposed, the wink light can cause the shadow...

Additionally - try using the Flash Exposure Compensation (on the flash itself) to lower the output...

I've found the TTL and E-TTL almost useless on my Metz, and use either Automatic of Manual settings...

Ken

[ngoduyviet]

Originally Posted by Breezy

Thanks for the comments Paulo
Thanks Viet.
I am helping with another this weekend. Hopefully I will get it right :D

You are welcome Breezy. I had this same problem starting out too and it was very frustrating for me as well until I read up on a bunch of lightning books and searched on various photo websites.

I only learned to bounce effectively recently, but it has been very helpful and made my pictures look a bit more natural than the deer-in-the-headlight shots

[Breezy]

Thanks Michell
Ken can you elaborate a little more on the wink mode?
I am still trying to locate the manual for download. I had it on Auto at times and ttl.
Viet I plan on reading lots this week without my compuer

[TxManx]

Originally Posted by Breezy

Thanks Michell
Ken can you elaborate a little more on the wink mode?
I am still trying to locate the manual for download. I had it on Auto at times and ttl.
Viet I plan on reading lots this week without my compuer

On the 54, there is the main strobe, and then there is a smaller strobe located on the front of the unit - it can be turned on and off.

If the cieling is too high, and it takes too long to bounce the light down, the wink light fires longer - and can defeat the purpose of bouncing...it is as though it over-powers the bounced light.

What model do you have? I was recently on the mecablitz site and downloaded electronic manuals for mine, I'm sure I can find yours and PM you a link...

[Breezy]

Ken I found it and sent it to dh thanks,
I have the 54 MZ 4i
I think that is the model, not handy at the moment. I know it has the little flash in front. I never thought of that being the actual problem. I did take the little black thing off and turn it around as I remembered reading that it would diffuse some of that light. Hopefully dh will print off the manual tomorrow as I hate LITERALLY his computer lol.
Since I am helping Sachin this weekend, I hope to have it all figured out before Sat.

[TxManx]

It's a great flash, but much more difficult to 'figure out' than the 580ex was...

I do like how quickly I can change the settings on it - and the wink flash does work pretty well to get a catchlight in the eyes, while the main strobe is being bounced...

Best of luck!

Ken

[Breezy]

Thanks Ken
Hopefully I figure it out lol

[DeLeon]

not a permanent fix, but one you can use to save a shot that you really want. I just did a small part of this image because my three yr old thinks she needs to eat lunch (who knows). The clone tool can help save an image in a crunch. Lighting conditions at weddings are not always easy to deal with without a lighting production team.

[Breezy]

Thanks Chris
I will have to play :D

[KdLaneJr]

This website is well written and discusses balancing your flash with ambient light.

Once you manage to overcome the the feature on your Metz that is causing such a harsh flash and shadow, the information in the link above should prove useful.

[Breezy]

Hey Ken thanks for the link
I figured out how to get the wink flash off without the manual lol.
I will check out the link and see what all I can learn :D
Thanks again for all of the help