C&C Please-First shot with 580exII

[KwasiFocus]

I'm brand new to the forum, Here is my latest shot with my new 580exII. I had a friend hold it above the left side of my subject. I used the built in 7D trigger with no modifiers. I plan on getting a softbox and hot shoe mount for a light stand or possibly an umbrella. I haven't been able to use the flash in daylight yet but more to come!! Let me know what I can do better with the 580 to get the best results!

 

[tirediron]

Hmmm... it's an interesting image, but it's not working for me. Your light was a bit hot judging by the blown/nearly blown areas of his right hand and shoulder. I would like to either see full silhouette or just enough detail on his face to be able to recognize him. As-is, the dynamic range is just a bit too extreme.

As far as light modifiers go, you can make cheap, effective modifiers with white card stock (reflectors, bounce cards), translucent plastic (diffusers) for very little or even no money.

Some excellent reading here.

 

[KwasiFocus]

Hmmm... it's an interesting image, but it's not working for me. Your light was a bit hot judging by the blown/nearly blown areas of his right hand and shoulder. I would like to either see full silhouette or just enough detail on his face to be able to recognize him. As-is, the dynamic range is just a bit too extreme.

As far as light modifiers go, you can make cheap, effective modifiers with white card stock (reflectors, bounce cards), translucent plastic (diffusers) for very little or even no money.

Some excellent reading here.

Thanks Tirediron, I really had no idea what I was doing. I think my friend had the speedlight to close to the subject, so I guess a light stand would have been much better. I definitely appreciate the C&C!! Next time around I will turn down the flash a little or move it further away to not blowout any areas!

 

[KwasiFocus]

Here's another shot not to long after taking the first one. Speedlight was put on the opposite side above the subject. Turned down the flash to 1/64th I believe

 

[tirediron]

I like this one much better, 'though I'm not sure about the white lines on wall behind; they're a bit distracting.