Off Camera Flash Newbie

[truephotoga]

So I bought a Canon 430 EX II Speedlite yesterday. I would like to use this flash off-camera for portraits. I setup the flash on its stand about a foot or two to my right and it was about five or six feet away from my subject. I have a Canon T3i and so it was wirelessly synced and in ETTL. The shots all came out overexposed with shadows in the background also. I am already thinking of getting a stand and umbrella to either shoot thru or reflect the light off of, but will I run into these issues until I get the umbrella? Do I need to change my setup, as far as the distance? Do I need to just dial down the output power of the flash? (FEC)Thanks.

 

[pgriz]

I've found ETTL (T1i with either 430EX or 580 EX) to be unreliable if indirect flash is used (bounce, with modifiers, etc.). So I've learned to use the flashes in manual mode, setting my f/stop at whatever level I'd need for the DOF desired, and adjusting the power and/or distance of the flash to get the right amount of light. In my experience, ETTL works reasonably well if the flash is directed at the subject. Unfortunately that produces rather harsh lighting.

 

[KmH]

So I bought a Canon 430 EX II Speedlite yesterday. I would like to use this flash off-camera for portraits. I setup the flash on its stand about a foot or two to my right and it was about five or six feet away from my subject. I have a Canon T3i and so it was wirelessly synced and in ETTL. The shots all came out overexposed with shadows in the background also. I am already thinking of getting a stand and umbrella to either shoot thru or reflect the light off of, but will I run into these issues until I get the umbrella?

Yes.

The issue is the apparent size of the light source. the bare flash is a small light source, so the light is hard, and the shadow edges are sharply defined.

Using an umbrella makes the light source apparently larger, which softens the light and makes the shadow edges 'wrap' around the subject making them softer too.

Subject to background distance needs to to 6 to 8 feet and in most instances the light will be somwewaht higher than the subject so that shadows are below the main point of interest.

Do I need to change my setup, as far as the distance? Do I need to just dial down the output power of the flash? (FEC)Thanks.

Yes, you will need to change your setup, and I recommend you use the speedlight in manual mode and set the power level yourself.

Using a speedlight effectively in eTTL mode is quite complex, and difficult learn to use well. Even when understood well, because the camera is making most of the decisions and is just a dumb machine, using eTTL will give inconsistant results.

 

[Big Mike]

I agree with the posts above. Putting the flash into manual mode (instead of E-TTL) will probably make it easier to understand and control. E-TTL is basically 'auto' flash metering...and as such, it's reliant on what is in front of the lens. So you will get different results depending on things like the color of clothing the subject is wearing. Manual flash in consistent, so you have fewer things to worry about, once you pick a setting.

 

[truephotoga]

Thanks for all the great advice! KmH, do you mean subject to background distance needs to be 6 to 8 inches, instead of 6 to 8 feet?

 

[Village Idiot]

Thanks for all the great advice! KmH, do you mean subject to background distance needs to be 6 to 8 inches, instead of 6 to 8 feet?

No. The closer the subject is to the background, the more apparent a shadow will be. Seamless setups generally have the subject standing off from the background and the background lit separately for this reason. That or have a light on the background to kill the shadow for you.