indoor portraits coming too dark

Zee1970 · Jul 6, 2005

hi ..newbie here

i have a canon rebel xt with the 420ex flash ..now i'm taking pictures of my kids indoor ..the problem is light ..even with the flash they are coming dark ..now i got the camera set on auto everything ..can anyone share how can i set the the manual controls so to give more light to my subjects..i don't have any budget to get other external flash other than what i have..

thanks

Zee

ps.. i am doing this at night so there is no natural outside light or window that i can use..

Alison · Jul 6, 2005

Can you post an example? It would be helpful to see what the results look like. Off hand, some questions would be:
-What ISO setting did you use?
-You can adjust your shutter speed and aperture to allow more light manually on the Rebel
-How far away are you from the subject?
-Are you bouncing the flash or shooting directly at the subject?

Zee1970 · Jul 6, 2005

new at this i don't know exactly how to post a picture ..

the camera was set at auto .. need to know what iso, shutter, and aperture to set for manual

about 8-10 feet away from the subject

shooting the flash directly at the subject ..since the ceiling is way high ..like 20 some feet ..

thanks

Zee

photong · Jul 6, 2005

Go to photobucket.com (a free image host). Upload (your picture/file) and use the IMG code they give you under the picture and you'll be all set

Zee1970 · Jul 6, 2005

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Zee1970 · Jul 6, 2005

here's a pic .. please help

Big Mike · Jul 7, 2005

It looks like the subject (your daughter) is well exposed...and that just the background is underexposed. This is typical for shots made with a flash in the dark...if the background were exposed properly with the flash...your subject would be too bright.

If there is some ambient light in the room, you can use it to better expose the background by keeping the shutter open longer. Keeping the shutter open longer will not affect the exposure of the subject very much, that is controlled by the flash and the aperture.

Try setting the camera on manual. F8 and 1/125 (make sure the flash is also set at F8 and corresponding ISO) take some shots. Then try F8 and 1/30...do you see a difference?

Alison · Jul 7, 2005

I agree with Mike here, your daughter is well exposed. If you're shooting the flash directly at your subjec the results are generally not as pleasing as being able to bounce it or use a reflector to give a more diffuse light. You can try lowering you shutter speed, but I've found that with children they move so quickly you'll often get a slightly blurred or soft subject. Generally, I try to use my flash indoors in a dark room only when I have to, such as at a wedding reception. If you can shoot during the day think you'll be much more pleased with your results. If you absolutely have to do it at night try adding additional lights (floorlamps or table lamps would work just fine).

Zee1970 · Jul 7, 2005

thanks ..i'll give that a try ..

Alison ..daytime pictures look awesome with this camera ..at auto everything...so no problem there ..what i need to learn is to take good pictures indoor with what i have ..

now i have to shoot a lot of pictures for an indoor event ..more like a evening gala..so i want to try some manual settings that will brighten up my subject ..

any other pointers ??

thanks

Zee

Alison · Jul 7, 2005

If you're shooting inside with a flash and have to shoot it directly at the subject get a diffuser for your flash. They aren't too expensive. Also, shoot at an ISO 400 or so and you'll get a lot more light. Will you have a chance to go to the location of the gala before hand? That's the best way to check out the lighting situation and I would highly recommend doing that.