How would you have shot this? I have no idea how to improve this shot

[MiFleur]

There was a gold color curtain that was covering the wall where the light was coming from, the whole room was yellow.
I was shooting against the light, tried with and without flash as you can see. The ceiling was so high that I could not bounce the flash to diffuse the light. The official photographer (from the newspaper) was not using any flash. I was not feeling at ease to use the flash off camera...
What is the best way to come up with a good image in such conditions?
The curtain was as yellow as it appears on the second shot. It is in situations like that, that I realize what is the next thing I have to learn.


the first image is just straight out of camera (without flash) (just adjusted the white balance in camera raw)







The second with flash, I worked in photoshop without very good results.

 

[kathyt]

I would have used my Expodisc in this situation to get the correct white balance. I most likely would have spot metered off the subject and used flash to fill.

 

[Derrel]

Shoot with fill-flash, to try and bring "up" the chef's face, while still holding the brightness of the yellow curtain behind him. To avoid that diffuse reflection on the rostrum in the flash shot done directly on-camera, I would have shot this with the flash on a 1-meter pigtail cord, and held it high, and to the left, in my left hand, and aimed it down, and to the right side of the camera's frame. A fairly standard, old-fashioned way of shooting events, with the flash held in the "lens" hand, and the camera held with the right hand--this is easier than it has ever been, now that the LENS can focus itself!!!!

I have been using the Nikon SC-17 TTL remote cord for about 25 years, but 3 or 4 years back, I bought a newer cord, the SC-19, which works with the newer cameras and the newer flashes. FlashZebra.com sells some decent, generic cords of this type.

FlashZebra.com: TTL, ETTL & iTTL — Off Camera Cords

Consider that a GOOD cord of this type is a 2-decade-type purchase, so, I would say evaluate the price of mfr's. versus off-branded with that in mind.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

#3 for the fill flash

 

[MiFleur]

Shoot with fill-flash, to try and bring "up" the chef's face, while still holding the brightness of the yellow curtain behind him. To avoid that diffuse reflection on the rostrum in the flash shot done directly on-camera, I would have shot this with the flash on a 1-meter pigtail cord, and held it high, and to the left, in my left hand, and aimed it down, and to the right side of the camera's frame. A fairly standard, old-fashioned way of shooting events, with the flash held in the "lens" hand, and the camera held with the right hand--this is easier than it has ever been, now that the LENS can focus itself!!!!

I have been using the Nikon SC-17 TTL remote cord for about 25 years, but 3 or 4 years back, I bought a newer cord, the SC-19, which works with the newer cameras and the newer flashes. FlashZebra.com sells some decent, generic cords of this type.

FlashZebra.com: TTL, ETTL & iTTL — Off Camera Cords

Consider that a GOOD cord of this type is a 2-decade-type purchase, so, I would say evaluate the price of mfr's. versus off-branded with that in mind.

When using the flash that was my intent, but it is the first time I hear about the cord, however I am not sure I would need it, as I could have handheld the flash at the same distance without the cord. and use the on camera flash as the commander, I simply did not think about that. I am not used to working with a flash.

My flash is the SB600, what I usually do is set the flash to TTL and then adjust the exposure compensation of the flash. There may be other ways to do that?