Flash Exposure Problem?

Can someone please provide some understanding as to my scenario below?
I've also read the Canon Flash Notes but to no avail.

Canon Elan 7e + 420EX Flash
Aperture Priority Mode
Evaluative metering
Bright background scenery
People in the foreground (in shade)
No flash or exposure compensation
Slide film

I get the slide film back and the people are dark. My intention was
to fill-in the people balance against the background. How best to
remedy this? My initial thought is to do a flash exposure lock. Any
other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

In article ,
pencilcup wrote:
Can someone please provide some understanding as to my scenario below?
I've also read the Canon Flash Notes but to no avail.

Canon Elan 7e + 420EX Flash
Aperture Priority Mode
Evaluative metering
Bright background scenery
People in the foreground (in shade)
No flash or exposure compensation
Slide film

I get the slide film back and the people are dark. My intention was
to fill-in the people balance against the background. How best to
remedy this? My initial thought is to do a flash exposure lock. Any
other ideas?

FEL is indeed your friend. If you don't use it, the flash will try and
expose for whatever is under the active AF point when it takes the picture.
Try pointing at the face of one of your subjects and doing an FEL, then
recompose and shoot.

Also, in Av mode (assuming it's like the digital EOSes), it will reduce the
flash power slightly. If you're finding it too dark even when using FEL, try
adding a stop of flash exposure compensation.

Good luck!

Bright background scenery
People in the foreground (in shade)

This is always a tricky situtation. What you really need is a manual
flash (Sunpak, say - I seem to be writing a few messages a day
recommended a manual flash!). Then here's what you do:

1. Set your camera to the highest sync speed, probably 1/125.

2. Meter your bright background, and set the f-stop accordingly.
Bright sunshine at ISO 100 will probably be around f/16.

3. Measure the distance to your subject.

4. Use the table on the flash to set the flash for the right exposure
at the distance, ISO, and f-stop you end up with.

You'll get a perfect exposure of the background and foreground. (Of
course, you may WANT the foreground to be darker, or the background to
be brighter. If so, "season to taste."

-Joel Hoffman

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please feed the 35mm lens/digicam databases: http://www.exc.com/photography
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Will a Flash meter do me any good here assuming I have a flash that I
can set?

I'm thinking of the Sekonic Flashmate L-308B in combination with the
Canon 580EX.

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 14:41:33 GMT, (Dr. Joel M. Hoffman)
wrote:

Bright background scenery
People in the foreground (in shade)

This is always a tricky situtation. What you really need is a manual
flash (Sunpak, say - I seem to be writing a few messages a day
recommended a manual flash!). Then here's what you do:

1. Set your camera to the highest sync speed, probably 1/125.

2. Meter your bright background, and set the f-stop accordingly.
Bright sunshine at ISO 100 will probably be around f/16.

3. Measure the distance to your subject.

4. Use the table on the flash to set the flash for the right exposure
at the distance, ISO, and f-stop you end up with.

You'll get a perfect exposure of the background and foreground. (Of
course, you may WANT the foreground to be darker, or the background to
be brighter. If so, "season to taste."

-Joel Hoffman

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please feed the 35mm lens/digicam databases: http://www.exc.com/photography
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

pencilcup wrote:
Will a Flash meter do me any good here assuming I have a flash that I
can set?

I'm not going to discourage you from getting a flashmeter.
They are very useful devices if you are doing complex work
with flash, but many people are put off using guide numbers
because they find the mental arithmetic too difficult.

There is a nifty trick to calculating guide numbers in your head
based on the f-stop sequence. The chances are good that
the guide number of your flash is close to an f-stop sequence
number in either metres or feet. You should determine your
own guide number for your flash set to manual rather than trust
the manufacturer's number because manufacturers often seem
a little optimistic.

If your guide number is 100 (based on feet), you can convert that
to 30.5 metres which is close enough to 32 metres. You can then
very easily make a chart.

f/1 - 32 m
f/1.4 - 22 m
f/2 - 16 m
f/2.8 - 11 m
f/4 - 8 m
f/5.6 - 5.6m
f/8 - 4m
f/11 - 2.8m
f/16 - 2m

All you have to remember for the rapid mental arithmetic
is the f/5.6 - 5.6m line. Opening up one stop extends the
flash range by one number in the f-stop sequence, closing
down one stop decreases the flash range by one number
in the f-stop sequence.

Peter.
--

"Peter Irwin" wrote in message
...
pencilcup wrote:
Will a Flash meter do me any good here assuming I have a flash that I
can set?

I'm not going to discourage you from getting a flashmeter.
They are very useful devices if you are doing complex work
with flash, but many people are put off using guide numbers
because they find the mental arithmetic too difficult.

There is a nifty trick to calculating guide numbers in your head
based on the f-stop sequence. The chances are good that
the guide number of your flash is close to an f-stop sequence
number in either metres or feet. You should determine your
own guide number for your flash set to manual rather than trust
the manufacturer's number because manufacturers often seem
a little optimistic.

If your guide number is 100 (based on feet), you can convert that
to 30.5 metres which is close enough to 32 metres. You can then
very easily make a chart.

f/1 - 32 m
f/1.4 - 22 m
f/2 - 16 m
f/2.8 - 11 m
f/4 - 8 m
f/5.6 - 5.6m
f/8 - 4m
f/11 - 2.8m
f/16 - 2m

All you have to remember for the rapid mental arithmetic
is the f/5.6 - 5.6m line. Opening up one stop extends the
flash range by one number in the f-stop sequence, closing
down one stop decreases the flash range by one number
in the f-stop sequence.

I have an old Nikkor 45 mm "GN" lens that does this for me....It couples the
focus ring to the apeture ring at any guide number point you want, so I can
use it as a, "guide number calculator". It was designed before they had
flashes that could be quenched when the camera sensed that it had enough
light........