Pro Wedding Photogs

[Mike30D]

Maybe I should re-state my question in a different way.. Or ask a completely new question.. What setting do you keep your on camera speed light on? TTL? Manual and adjust spread, power, and compensation for each shot? Something else entirely? I'm real good at manipulating and using OFF CAMERA flash.. But put it on the camera and I'm all messed up..

For instance, scenario from tonight wedding (a friend of mine, I went as a guest)..

Very dimly lit reception room (with a yellow-ish ambient), odd-shaped ceilings as high as the heavens, and no on-flash diffuser available. Nikon D80, w/SB800 mounted to hot shoe... What are your settings looking like?

For on-camera flash and dark reception halls, I use manual. Crank my ISO, pick a shutterspeed that will stop motion, open up my f/stop to around 2.8 or bigger and use my FEC. All this while the flash is in ETTL and I'm bouncing the flash (with diffuser on) off of ceilings and walls. If you have no diffuser, watch your FEC a lot more.

 

[Freedbaby]

For on-camera flash and dark reception halls, I use manual. Crank my ISO, pick a shutterspeed that will stop motion, open up my f/stop to around 2.8 or bigger and use my FEC. All this while the flash is in ETTL and I'm bouncing the flash (with diffuser on) off of ceilings and walls. If you have no diffuser, watch your FEC a lot more.

I am with Mike30D- In a dark reception hall or any other dark place ISO 800, F5.6 and 125th is my starting point with flash in E-TTL mode and A Better Bounce Card in place. I will usually make changes to my F stop from there....changing my shutter will only make a change in ambient light, not the light from the flash.

Once you find that sweet spot in manual that works for the room, you dont have to really adjust anything. I also dont want the camera making those decisions for me in a tough situation.

Freedbaby