Grand daughter. Auto ISO

[jcdeboever]

I am learning this camera (D3300). I am using a 35mm f/1.8 prime. I wanted to try using it with the built in flash. No processing done. In finished basement, no light setup. Looking for suggestions. Auto ISO mode experiment.

Pic 1: ISO 1000, 1/60s, f/5
Pic 2: ISO 280, 1/13s, f/2.8

#1

#2

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[spiralout462]

number 1 has a kind of "mug shot" feel, nice smile though. I like the candid shot better. Both seem underexposed to me. Keep shooting, you will be amazed how much better your photos will be in as little as a couple months! Portraits especially!

 

[frommrstomommy]

Your equipment handled that ISO 1000 quite well, I'm surprised. With a single subject you would be much better off bringing that f/5 down to maybe f/3.2 or 2.8 and get the shutter speed much faster. For people in general 1/160th is my minimum usually.. and kids I really prefer 1/250+. You'd have sharper images if you get that shutter speed up.

 

[Derrel]

I am learning this camera (D3300). I am using a 35mm f/1.8 prime. I wanted to try using it with the built in flash. No processing done. In finished basement, no light setup. Looking for suggestions. Auto ISO mode experiment.

Pic 1: ISO 1000, 1/60s, f/5
Pic 2: ISO 280, 1/13s, f/2.8

#1

#2

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

As far as suggestions, I would say that these two photos have pretty good example value. The first, shot at a moderate aperture size, f/5, at 1/60 second, at ISO 1000 is pretty much "a flash shot"...the flash seems to be a high percentage of the light that made the exposure. The second shot looks more like flash + ambient...the slow speed of 1/13 second combined with the f/2.8 lens aperture value has allowed a slight blurring, a slight so-called ghost image, to form. Which one is better depends on the photographer's intentions, and the desired results. Generally though, slow speeds in the 1/6 to 1/20 second range WILL pic up at least some ambient light, especially at wider f/stops like f/2.8.

My suggestion would be to keep experimenting, and to keep track of how far the in-built flash can carry at the ISO 1000 level or thereabouts. Just keep trying different things. Get a feel for how the pictures look when shot at slow speeds, like 1/15, as well as faster shutter speeds, like 1/60 to 1/200 second. Sometimes it's GOOD to shoot flash + slow shutter speed, which is called "dragging the shutter"--like say, at Halloween parties, or when there are lots of Christmas lights, or when you want to create a mixed lighting feeling.

 

[chuasam]

Take a piece of gaffer tape, stick the pop-up flash down and never use it again.

 

[jcdeboever]

Take a piece of gaffer tape, stick the pop-up flash down and never use it again.

Should I just use a Nikon SB-400? That's what I have now that I located it.

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[spiralout462]

Take a piece of gaffer tape, stick the pop-up flash down and never use it again.

They are handy for triggering speedlights.

 

[Braineack]

Take a piece of gaffer tape, stick the pop-up flash down and never use it again.

yeah, the pop-up flash is dreadful.


DSC_0306-6 by The Braineack, on Flickr


im not saying this picture if going to win awards, but learn how to use your tool...

 

[Derrel]

I've grown so,so tired of the knee-jerk cry of "Off-camera flash or die!" that has taken over the last five, six years in internet fora. It has become fashionable among a certain segment of the photo population to bash flash on camera every chance that comes up.

Pop-up flash gives the classic on-axis fill light, and can be used with back lighting or side-lighting to give decent lighting effects. I've grown tired of hearing the same, repeated parroting of the, "Tape it down and never use it again" commentary; what is this, the third time the same comment has been made regarding pop-up flash? I think so.

Terry Richardson is making six figures a year using close-to-lens-axis flash; there's actually a new way people have discovered to put an external speedlight RIGHT ON TOP or RIGHT UNDERNEATH a 70-200 zoom lens, in order to get DIRECTLY on-axis flash effects.

There is even a Strobist column from 2008, dedicated to the way to use on-axis fill light.Strobist: On-Axis Fill: Introduction

Learn a bit more about using flash--in ALL of its possible permutations.

 

[jcdeboever]

Thanks for clearing that up Derrel because I was considering taping it up. That link really cleared some things up for me, thank you.

To others, I am just experimenting. I have been shooting film for years so this DSLR is quite a change for me. I have a couple point & shoot digitals for use as a sketch book but this equipment is way more sophisticated and I am biting things off one at a time. I want to get good at it as I enjoy it as much as painting.


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[Derrel]

Here's the website of that guy that David Hobby mentioned loves using an on-camera, in-the-hotshoe flash, to provide on-axis fill light...even when he's using his Profoto strobes to photograph famous athletes. politicians, actors, celebrities, and business executives. Peter Yang

As Hobby wrote, "....he liked to work with an on-camera speedlight even while he was shooting with the big Profoto 7B lights off-camera.

"You know," he said, "just to kick in a little fill in there."

 

[kdthomas]

I've seen ads in Vogue that I swear were shot with a speedlight right on the hotshoe... They were intended to be snapshot looking high-society-page shots but the effect was terrific, even with harsh projected halo-ish shadows on opposite walls.

I don't think it's a good idea to unilaterally rule anything out.