Problems with External Flash

[snoopygirl79]

Hello all,

I'm probably going to sound really stupid but I'm really struggling to get to grips with my external flash (Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash Unit).

I've got twin girls who are 3 years old and I like to take photos of both of them in, and with winter coming, some of these photos will be inside. I just can't seem to get any good photos with both of them in focus. Unless the aperature is at the lowest number, the shutter speed is too slow. I try using both P and Av modes but they seem to differ even with similar settings. I try raising the ISO and they doesn't seem to make a difference.

I know I sound really stupid and I'm still trying to get to grips with using a DSLR and all the terminology and numbers etc. I've read Understanding Exposure as it took me a while to understand how apertures, shutter speeds and ISO works and even now I still feel clueless about some things to do with photography. I don't really understand depth of field.

Does anyone have any advice for me or anything I can read up about flash or photography - something in simple terms as having kids has fried my brain!!!

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

 

[bob100]

Hello all,

I'm probably going to sound really stupid but I'm really struggling to get to grips with my external flash (Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash Unit).

I've got twin girls who are 3 years old and I like to take photos of both of them in, and with winter coming, some of these photos will be inside. I just can't seem to get any good photos with both of them in focus. Unless the aperature is at the lowest number, the shutter speed is too slow. I try using both P and Av modes but they seem to differ even with similar settings. I try raising the ISO and they doesn't seem to make a difference.

I know I sound really stupid and I'm still trying to get to grips with using a DSLR and all the terminology and numbers etc. I've read Understanding Exposure as it took me a while to understand how apertures, shutter speeds and ISO works and even now I still feel clueless about some things to do with photography. I don't really understand depth of field.

Does anyone have any advice for me or anything I can read up about flash or photography - something in simple terms as having kids has fried my brain!!!

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Unless you're familiar with the "creative" modes Av/Tv sometimes it's best starting out to just use "P" or the auto mode and in many situations you should get good pics. "both in focus" means the lens must have an aperture that has enough "depth of field" and shutter speed that's high enough. For birthday parties and other family events indoors I use an external flash (bounced) and set the aperture at f5.6, shutter at 1/100 and ISO at 800 or 1600. Then I set the flash in ETTL and it determines the correct exposure.

an example

Canon Rebel XSi (450D)
ETTL external Flash (it's a yongnuo brand but Canon is just as good !)
1/160
f6.4
ISO 400

 

[handicap18]

I would make sure your flash is in auto mode and like bob said, put the camera in Program mode. Set ISO to either 200 or 400 (I like 400 for flash because then I can get a smaller f/stop which is especially good if there are a number of people in the shot).

With these settings, the camera should do everything. If the flash is to harsh then try bouncing it off the ceiling.

My typical indoor setting with a flash are camera in manual, ISO400, 1/125th shutter, f/5.6 to f/8 and I have my flash in manual mode set to 1/2 or 1/4 power bounced with a diffuser. I'll adjust as needed here and there based on available natural light. For me, it took a lot of time in auto modes to get to know everything well.

 

[GrillMouster]

What specific settings are you using? How far are the children from the camera? How far is one child in front of the other (even inches can matter if depth of field is shallow)?

Could be you focused on the wrong area, could be depth of field isn't large enough to cover both children, could be shutter speed to slow (not a focus problem, but commonly the issue when people say "not in focus"). Without an example photo with settings data we'd just be guessing.

You said that you use the lowest aperture number, which means the widest aperture. Your depth of field will be at its minimum. You'd need to make sure the children are at equal distance to the camera when depth of field is shallow. You can increase depth of field by using a smaller aperture (higher number).