Christmas Portraits gone wrong

[skyonfire]

Ok.. here's the deal. I've been trying to get some portraits of me and my family. I've been using the Minolta Maxxum that I have.. and the problem is that when the film is developed it looks overexposed. You can see some details in the image but not enough to make anything out. Now I've been using the same settings that I've used numerous times with no problems. 1/125th f5.6 ISO 200. Any ideas as to what could be causing this problem?

TIA
Amy

 

[Big Mike]

Can you show us an example?

What are you using for light?

 

[skyonfire]

I have 3 strobes. the main is set at about 7 ft high and angled at about 45 degrees to the subject with a softbox, the fill is set up at about 6 ft and angled the same way with a softbox. Then there is the backdrop light with a reflective umbrella.

I really don't have an example because the negs were to overexposed to print. I suppose I can scan the neg on my flatbed scanner.. but that won't give you very much detail.

 

[Big Mike]

Well...if you are getting different results that what you were getting before...there must be a reason. Are the lights on the same power setting? Are they the same distance away from the subjects? Same ISO film?

Can you tell if the negatives are over exposed? Maybe your lab is printing them too light.

 

[skyonfire]

The lights are on the same power setting, the same iso everything is the same that's why I can't figure it out.

 

[selmerdave]

Check the aperature blades. I had the blades on my Pentax 50mm/1.4 K get stuck open, so the camera thinks the shot is at f8 or f5.6 or whatever but in fact it's at f1.4 for every shot. Thus the pictures are waay, waay overexposed. Just take the lens off, look through it and change the aperature setting. If the aperature isn't changing you have a problem.

Dave

 

[skyonfire]

The aperature is controled electronically. When you take the lens off the body it closes down to the smallest aperature.

 

[selmerdave]

Well if it's able to close down to its smallest aperature when you take it off the camera then that is not your problem. With the problem I describe the aperature is maximum no matter what.

Dave

 

[skyonfire]

Thanks for the help though.. I appreciate it!

 

[Digital Matt]

Are you using a flash meter?

 

[skyonfire]

I did use the light meter on these.