balancing flash and ambient..

[TamiAz]

Some pictures I took using my flash.. Trying to practice balancing ambient and flash. Trying to avoid flashy looking pictures.

makenna flash practice 1 by TamiAz, on Flickr

makenna flash practice 2 by TamiAz, on Flickr

 

[Derrel]

Pretty good lighting. Nice, soft, well-diffused light. The flash foreground is just a little bit brighter than the ambient background, but I personally think people prefer that. Overall, I think you did well on these.

 

[TamiAz]

Pretty good lighting. Nice, soft, well-diffused light. The flash foreground is just a little bit brighter than the ambient background, but I personally think people prefer that. Overall, I think you did well on these.

Thanks for the feedback.. I do like the background a tad darker, so I guess I'm not balancing the ambient/flash. I'm just trying to prevent the image from looking too flashy.

I have another question.. This is another picture I took and I noticed there is a shadow from her glasses. Is that a no no? Would you consider it distracting? It doesn't bother me, but I'm curious if it would be a deal breaker for an image. Thank you!

makenna flash practice 3 by TamiAz, on Flickr

 

[tirediron]

Nicely done; that's how flash should look. Like no flash at all! As for the glasses shadow, I wouldn't worry about it, especially since it's something that could occur naturally in sunlight. If it bothers anyone just make it go away.

 

[Derrel]

The shadow is not that big of an issue. It's pretty minor, and does not bother me

 

[Frankinfuji]

Looks good to me. I like the slightly brighter flash compared to the background. Nice use of a narrow DOF too.

 

[Designer]

There are shadows from the glasses in all three shots, but the first two are at the very edge, therefore not as bothersome. The answer then is choosing the location of the shadows which is a function of light placement.

 

[Braineack]

look great. what was the light source?

 

[zombiesniper]

Very nice set.
I think you did an excellent job glancing the flash and ambient light.

 

[Granddad]

At first look I didn't even notice the shadows. After I'd read the comments and went back to look again I could barely see them and they bothered me not one iota.

 

[ronlane]

Nicely done. I would agree with what has been said above. The shadow doesn't bother me at all.

 

[weepete]

I Agree, nicely done!

 

[TamiAz]

look great. what was the light source?

Thank you. I used my SB700 and a 26" Rapid Box Octa.

 

[DanOstergren]

I noticed there is a shadow from her glasses. Is that a no no? Would you consider it distracting? It doesn't bother me, but I'm curious if it would be a deal breaker for an image.

Great shots; you made it look very natural. To me, the shadow is something I would reduce or remove.

 

[Dave442]

I expect if you want to try balancing ambient and flash using numbers, the best option is to use a handheld light meter.