Seeking Critique for my first off camera flash photos

[robrod14]

Hello this weekend i decided to experiment with some off camera flash. I am looking for some feedback on what i can do to get more professional looking pictures. I tend to have better luck with my photos outdoors than i do indoors not sure why, but i will post some indoor shots later. Please critique away... ( have to learn somehow).

Camera: Mark 5d II
Flash: Speedlight 430 exII
Modifier: no modifier
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO:640 (i think i left it there from when i was in the house and forgot to change it)
F stop: 9.0

I wanted to shoot wide open at 2.8 but the background was completely blown out and the Shutter Speed wouldn't go faster than 1/200. I believe that has to do with sync speed.

 

[Derrel]

Yes, Rob, outdoors during daylight hours, the 1/200 second top synch speed creates a need for small lens apertures at ISO levels of 200 or higher. Sunny 16 Rule gives ISO 200 at 1/200 second at f/16; at ISO 100, it's still 1/200 second at f/11; Set to an artificially created "Lo" value of say a nominal ISO value of 50, 1/200 second still yields a small aperture of f/8. SO, if you want to be shooting outdoors in bright daylight at f/2.8, you will want either a Neutral Density filter, OR a flash unit that has HSS, or High Speed Synch capability.

HSS-capable flashes are available from Canon, as well as the other 3rd-party makers like Yongnuo. You might also check into some of the special remote triggers like the Phottix Odin triggers, which use special time-delay settings which can allow you to synch flash at faster shutter speeds, so you could get the lens opened up more toward the f/2.8 zone.

 

[ruggedshutter]

For some reason the lighting on the subject doesn't seem to match the scene and it makes it look like she was photoshopped onto the background.

 

[The_Traveler]

Why would you want to shoot wide open?
I imagine it's to control DOF but look at the background in f9; it's fine.
Use dofmaster.com to get some idea of DOF for your camera/lens combination.