50 mm lens HELP!

[weepete]

Well with flash shutter speed controls the ambient light and aperture and flash power controls the subject exposure.

If you are just using the on camera flash for a bit of fill dial in some FEC.

If you are not using flash and your photos are underexposed in Aperture priority mode either your shutter speed is too fast or your ISO isn't high enough.

If you are in aperture priority mode and you are getting under or over exposure with settings that you suspect should be ok it could be you've accidentally changed the metering mode or the exposure compensation and not noticed. It may be worth a check. Oh and don't use you LCD to check exposure, use your histogram for that.

If it's not those things we'd need to see a photo of what you are having trouble with to suggest more I think.

 

[Braineack]

Well with flash shutter speed controls the ambient light and aperture and flash power controls the subject exposure.

If you're using flash outdoors, any change to the aperture will also affect the ambient exposure (or ss or iso).

 

[Vtec44]

Aperture will affect overall exposure, but it has a much more profound effect on your flash.

No flash, f1.4, 1/800, ISO100

Flash 1/32, f2.2, 1/800, ISO100

Flash 1/32, f1.4, 1/800, ISO100

 

[andmart1]

After seeing your photos, I have new advice for you.

I disagree that 3 o'clcok is "the worst time of day" to shoot outdoors...it is in my opinion, the beginning of the BEST time of day. Seriously. Why is 3 o'clock the best time of day? it has exactly what I want: a HIGH mainlight position, for good catchlights in the eye, and a decent under-chin shadow, and some actual "direction" to the lighting. Direct 3 o'clock sunlight looks like classic parabolic studio flash, like from the golden era of Hollywood. The light has ****direction** to it.

One tip for shooting at 3 to 4 PM is to look for an area where the SUN's light is angling in toward the subjects, then place them into a bit of shaded area, out near the edge, where the SUN-lighted area meets the shade; this band is typically only four to five feet wide. This is the place where you can place your people, and shoot some TALLS, so you can see their outfits, head to toe! Do not butcher the shoot with tons of horizontal shots.

A few steps into the shaded area, the light is softer. A few steps out, toward the sun/shade line, the light is brighter. Here is what I would suggest: on a boy/girl pair, shoot from 15 feet away with the 50., tall orientation. Have him stand behind her, half of his body showing, have them turn their bodies (chests, feet, shoulders) AWAY from the sun and toward the shadows, then turn their faces back toward the sun-side. Swap the boy around, first on the right, then on the left.

If you want to shoot back-lighted stuff, take close-up FACE meter readings, and get the exposure figured out: let the background fall where it may. But again, the key at 3 to 4 o=clock on a sunny day is to get that high source of main light, which makes the shadows fall "down and to the side" in a lovely way, and then to find some GOOD LIGHTING conditions; again, open shaded areas, not the deep,deep shade, but the edge area, between sun-lighted and shade, is a generally safe place, and one that gives different lighting options, all within literally a 10-foot circle of subject foot positon, and a 360 degree arc for your camera.

I read your tips and I have a (maybe dumb) question. Once the subjects are in place (at the edge of sun/shadow), where it would be better to me to stay? At the shadow as well to get the sunlight on the background or at the sun (if no other shadow is available) ?

 

[ashamee3]

Well here are the much anticipated Prom pictures. I didn't do to bad but there is still a lot to learn about the camera and lens

 

[Derrel]

You did reasonably well...they're not all "cookie cutter" images. Not perfect, but you really got the gist of one way to approach this time of day down. Count this is a great learning experience.