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I used flash...*gasp*

paigew

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I used my speedlight at a photo session today. Before this I have maybe taken 5 photos with it. I am pretty proud of myself for these :D But feel free to c&c.

1) I know she is on the wrong side of the frame :confused: mom was in front of baby and had to be cropped out
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2)
IMG_9228.jpg


3)
IMG_9240.jpg


4)
IMG_9248.jpg


5)
IMG_9250.jpg


6)
IMG_9141.jpg
 
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Soooo cute.. They look pretty good to me, but I'm still learning myself. I'm sure you'll get some good feedback. Love the B&W pics! :)
 
Exposures aren't bad, especially in #1. I would tone down the highlights a little and crop most of the empty space image left away. #2 is a little flat, but it's decently exposed; a little too centred for my taste. Watch the background for things like those trim lines; not bad in this shot, but it could have been a real detractor. #3 would have done well with a little more DoF. Surplus empty space image left in #4, and a tad warm. #5... Howcomeforwhy you gave her a buttectomy????? #6 is a good conversion (maybe just a little more contrast) and well exposed. Good job on your first serious flash-shoot! :thumbup:
 
Exposures aren't bad, especially in #1. I would tone down the highlights a little and crop most of the empty space image left away. #2 is a little flat, but it's decently exposed; a little too centred for my taste. Watch the background for things like those trim lines; not bad in this shot, but it could have been a real detractor. #3 would have done well with a little more DoF. Surplus empty space image left in #4, and a tad warm. #5... Howcomeforwhy you gave her a buttectomy????? #6 is a good conversion (maybe just a little more contrast) and well exposed. Good job on your first serious flash-shoot! :thumbup:

I know about the trim lines. there was no way around it, I thought about cloning it out but it wasn't worth it to me as this was a free shoot. As for the buttectomy :lol: it was a spur of the moment shot...you know she did that perfect pose and I caught it! Stinks I cut her butt, but still cute imo ;)
 
I think the lighting looks very good to nearly excellent in all of these. It really does.
 
These are really very nice. It's a shame #5 is chopped at the top and could #1 be cropped into a vertical shot to lose the dead space to the left?
I never understood why parents want B&W of ther babies. There was a time when there wasn't a choice, but today I don't get taking a cute, soft baby, dressed in pastels and reduce it the shades of gray. I love B&W on the right subject, but I never understood the baby thing
 
I think the lighting looks very good to nearly excellent in all of these. It really does.

thank you derrel! I am glad I was 'forced' to use it ;). I still prefer to shoot without it but hey, if you got no light you gotta make it!

@rick, I love black and whites because they are more timeless imo. Also by using b/w it brings out shadows and details that maybe you wouldn't notice in color. It forces you to look at the subject rather than be distracted by clothing or busy, colorful backgrounds. At least that is why I like it :D
 
Shots #1 and #2 have a light, airy feeling, which was described above as in need of having the highlights toned down a bit on #1, and of being a bit "flat" on #2. I can understand that person's opinion on those two shot, but on the other hand, I think these are supposed to be bright, light, and "airy", and so, to me #1 and especially #2 are very,very well-lighted. I would crop off about a third of the left side of #2: I think the baby's too centered, and that a crop that sort of echoes her arm position would really strengthen the shot.

#6, the seated B&W pose....soooo cute! Really nice lighting on that...very soft, yet with good, big eye catchlights. I know a week or so ago, you caught hell from another TPF forum member for NOT using flash...but,uh, I've gotta state it--for first efforts with electronic flash, I think these results are unusually good...almost as if you're lying to us about never having used flash, and are secretly a long-time flash afficionado....hmmm...yet another conspiracy theory to ponder as I drift off to sleep...
 
this is how it starts. You have success with flash for the first time, you say you 'still prefer natural light'. Then one day you use it 'just for fun' in a situation where you didn't think you needed light at all. You sort of like the results. Maybe its a month later, maybe its a year later, but soon enough you're using some form of flash almost all the time.

The thing about speedlights or OCF in general is that it can provide as much or as little of the light as you want. You've got control over it. You can then use the ambient to get certain aspects of the background or maybe some other aspect of the subject right, and then use your flash to perfectly nail the subject's face. Maybe you're using a backlight subject in sunset light as a gorgeous hairlight. Maybe you love the way it lights up the subject's golden flowing hair, maybe you love the sunset background. But your subject's face is too dark. Preiously, as a 'natural light' photographer, you'd be left with either losing that gorgeous hair light and background, or having a subject with a dark face that you had to fix in post, making a face noisy (which is obviously sort of ugly) Or maybe with some crazy concoction of gigantic reflectors, you can barely squeak in enough light to get a face light enough to where fixing it in post 'won't be all that bad'. But you'd still feel slightly disappointed in the shot, sure, you'd have the cop out of 'well, that was just the light I had to work with, I can't very well move the sun!". However, now that you are a flash master, you can have IT ALL. ALL THIS AND MORE, IT CAN BE YOURS! Simply for the price of a cheap speedlight and maybe a cheap speedlight softbox kit, a monopod held by a breathing light stand.

Ambient lighting + a speedlight or strobe off camera is still probably the greatest, most versatile two light setup you'll ever find. It allows you to control the ratio of brightness of your subject to your background, basically however you want. By adjusting your aperture, and/or the power of the flash, you can make your subject lighter or darker. Using shutter speed, you can make your background lighter or darker (shutter speed doesn't change the flash, only the ambient light).

Great pictures by the way! echo what Derrel said. Hard to believe this is your 5th time using flash. Pretty soon you'll be a daily reader of strobist ;)
 
thank you guys :) @fjrabon haha yeah, well we will see, who knows ;)
 

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