Need Help!!!

Sam

This coming Thursday I have an opportunity to take photos inside a courthouse. Planed photos will consist of the vacant courtroom, (no problem tripod), a series of individual portraits, and perhaps a group shot. MY concern is that with ambient light my shutter speeds might be too slow.

One side is filled with windows, and there are overhead lights. Although it’s seems adequate to my eyes for reading etc, I am guessing the camera will see it differently, and here is where I need some help.

I have a 300D with only the onboard flash, and I spent some time this afternoon reading TFM, and experimenting with using the flash with damn near every mode available. Also tried to diffuse, alter output power, and bounce the flash, all without success.

My intent was to have the flash light the subject to somewhat near the background so the exposure would be correct for both the subject in low light and the background in bright light.

I tried to use fill flash at home with the subject inside placed in front of a screen door with the camera in the house facing the door to the outside. The subject was in low light and the outside was bright. (To expose for just the outside the camera set in AV would set the shutter speed to 1/1600.)

Now no mater which mode I used I was unable to get a faster shutter speed than 1/200. If I used the flash I could properly expose the subject, but the outside would be blown out.

These back light conditions are much greater than I will encounter at the courthouse, so I thought if I could get this to work under harsher conditions I would be good at the courthouse.

I think one angle for portraits will have the windows on the subject’s right side and I think I will shoot from about 45º on subject’s left, to capture the court seal, and flags in the background. This would, I think, create a shadow on the subject’s left side.

Besides flying Andy in, any Ideas?

Also while I have your attention. Camera data in CS2 always indicates that the flash did not fire even when I know it did? Also CS2 indicates metering mode as pattern. Seems to indicate partial ok. I only have evaluative, partial, and centerweighted.

For all who waded through this rambling question, thanks!



Sam

Andy

there's a thread by mongrel that should have some good stuff in it for you...

i think you'll need a real flash unit, sam - the pop-up's not really powerful enough for what you want imo.

it's late and i'm bushed here - but i saw this thread this a.m. and i put it in my dock for reply later - it's later so bump for some others who will join in if not then please pm me i'll help you

'nite

Mitchell

Ideally, it sounds like you would need two flashes for these conditions. One for the background and one on your subjects.

If shooting with a tripod. Why not take a few shots of just your backdrop with the flags and seals properly exposed. Then take your portraits with your subjects exposed (center weighted or spot metered) with and without your onboard flash. You could then layer in the background later.

Hope this helps!

XO-Studios

Sam wrote:

This coming Thursday I have an opportunity to take photos inside a courthouse. Planed photos will consist of the vacant courtroom, (no problem tripod), a series of individual portraits, and perhaps a group shot. MY concern is that with ambient light my shutter speeds might be too slow.

One side is filled with windows, and there are overhead lights. Although it’s seems adequate to my eyes for reading etc, I am guessing the camera will see it differently, and here is where I need some help.

I have a 300D with only the onboard flash, and I spent some time this afternoon reading TFM, and experimenting with using the flash with damn near every mode available. Also tried to diffuse, alter output power, and bounce the flash, all without success.

My intent was to have the flash light the subject to somewhat near the background so the exposure would be correct for both the subject in low light and the background in bright light.

I tried to use fill flash at home with the subject inside placed in front of a screen door with the camera in the house facing the door to the outside. The subject was in low light and the outside was bright. (To expose for just the outside the camera set in AV would set the shutter speed to 1/1600.)

Now no mater which mode I used I was unable to get a faster shutter speed than 1/200. If I used the flash I could properly expose the subject, but the outside would be blown out.

These back light conditions are much greater than I will encounter at the courthouse, so I thought if I could get this to work under harsher conditions I would be good at the courthouse.

I think one angle for portraits will have the windows on the subject’s right side and I think I will shoot from about 45º on subject’s left, to capture the court seal, and flags in the background. This would, I think, create a shadow on the subject’s left side.

Besides flying Andy in, any Ideas?

Also while I have your attention. Camera data in CS2 always indicates that the flash did not fire even when I know it did? Also CS2 indicates metering mode as pattern. Seems to indicate partial ok. I only have evaluative, partial, and centerweighted.

For all who waded through this rambling question, thanks!



Sam

As strange as this sounds, try a small aperture (high number) and a rear curtain flash set to fill, with a relatively long exposure. Your flash will not afect the back ground, as it will drop of fast enough, while the rear curtain flash will freeze the relatively slow moving subject.

XO,

XO,

Sam

XO-Studios wrote:

As strange as this sounds, try a small aperture (high number) and a rear curtain flash set to fill, with a relatively long exposure. Your flash will not afect the back ground, as it will drop of fast enough, while the rear curtain flash will freeze the relatively slow moving subject.

XO,

XO,

Thanks for your thoughts on this. To the best of my knowledge (which isn't much) I ain't got no curtains on my 300D. Doors yes, two of them, but no curtains.

I did try without sucess to get a faster exposure, because the background was overexposed, but I didn't try to slow it down.

I'll try this tomorrow and see if it's any better.

Sam

Sam

Mitchell wrote:

Ideally, it sounds like you would need two flashes for these conditions. One for the background and one on your subjects.

If shooting with a tripod. Why not take a few shots of just your backdrop with the flags and seals properly exposed. Then take your portraits with your subjects exposed (center weighted or spot metered) with and without your onboard flash. You could then layer in the background later.

Hope this helps!

This is a good thought, and will not be difficult. Hopefully this will provide more options durring post process.

sam

Mitchell

Good luck! Be sure to show us these pics.

Sam wrote:

This is a good thought, and will not be difficult. Hopefully this will provide more options durring post process.

sam

Sam

I found this and printed it out (70 pages). Seems like good info, but I need to read it a couple (or more) times.

Flash Photography with Canon EOS Cameras - Part I.

Sam

XO-Studios

Sam wrote:

Thanks for your thoughts on this. To the best of my knowledge (which isn't much) I ain't got no curtains on my 300D. Doors yes, two of them, but no curtains.

I did try without success to get a faster exposure, because the background was overexposed, but I didn't try to slow it down.

I'll try this tomorrow and see if it's any better.

Sam

I guess you know more than what you give yourself credit for. The 300D cannot synchronize on the rear curtain (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/)
Your shutter mechanism of the camera is made by two curtains, a front curtain, and a rear curtain. They both move, but with a small offset, the offset is your shutter time. Imagine the first curtain (front curtain) opening in front of a window, and the second curtain (rear curtain) almost immediately closing that same window. Tada there is your shutter in 99% of all camera's at least a shutter speeds up to 1/1000 or so. Beyond that a lot of digital camera's cheat a little bit and and solve the faster speeds in electronics.

FWIW,

XO,

Sam

As of ten minutes ago the photo shoot was put off a week. I now sit here contemplating placing an order with B&H for an 580EX.

Decisions, decisions.

Sam