Using Canon 530EX II for Photoshoot on-Camera

[Shaun Hill]

Hello there, I have only recently obtained this flash and have been tasked with a casual photo shoot in some woods nearby tomorrow (portraiture and wedding style), and I need to be portable and at present do not have a wireless/wired ETTL controller.

Can anyone give me tips on how to use this flash best as a fill light to make the subject stand out from the background or any general tips for using it on the camera body? In case you wondered, I am using a Canon 400D.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

There’s no special trick to taking balanced-fill flash pictures outdoors in daylight, even in bright sunlight. With the camera in any automatic exposure mode such as Program (P), Tv, or Av, just mount and turn on your EX series Canon Speedlite flash unit.

The camera “knows” the flash has been activated, and all you need to do is focus and shoot the picture.

In the Tv and Av modes, if you’ve set a shutter speed (in Tv) or aperture (in Av) that simply won’t enable a proper exposure of the daylight in the scene, the opposite value blinks on and off in your viewfinder; just switch to a different shutter speed or aperture, until the display stops blinking on and off.

You’re ready to take the picture.

There’s no need to take the flash out of its automatic “E-TTL” setting (unless for some reason you want to use manual flash with an accessory EOS speedlite). The beauty of fill-in flash with a Canon SLR is that the camera adjusts background exposure and flash exposure automatically, with little input required from the user.

Raising your ISO to something like 400 or 800 will give the camera more light-gathering power when you’re in low light, and will minimize the use of extremely slow shutter speeds in Av or Tv mode with flash.

Also - you need to be within 15-20 ft of the subject, or the flash won't have enough power to make an impact on the ambient lighting.

 

[Shaun Hill]

Hello Chris, thank you very much for the tip.

That is the kind of answer I imagined getting. I have been practising shooting fully manual to take control of my photography and so far, so good (as long as I am not too far out it will be fine because I shoot in RAW). Previously I never realised how easy it could be using the built-in light meter reading on spot metering to get it right or close enough.

I presume the built-in diffuser is mainly for softening the light/spreading it better for longer distance shots?

I read the manual which said the built in white card is used for close-ups of people's eyes.

 

[Hamish Gill]

As Chris has said there is no real trick ... Same with Nikon ...
I only really use my flash for fill these days and even that isn't very often

Experimentation with ISO can be quite interesting, higher isos capture more of the ambient light in lower lit areas (like a wood)
I also often turn the power down on my flash, still on ittl just compensate down a bit ... This gives a more subtle effect ...
But it sounds as though you are almost looking for the fill effect?

 

[Hamish Gill]

Also ... Shaun, kudos for going manual, but don't forget auto modes altogether
If you are using the inbuilt light meter then by not using it on av or tv you are somewhat slowing your self down

Using the spot meter you can point the camera at various parts of the proposed frame and come up with a average...
but that really is what your matrix meter does ...

If you are enjoying manual mode and manual metering you might want to think about getting an incident light meter to read the light that is hitting your subject rather that what is reflected off it...

 

[Hamish Gill]

.... Just to expand a little
I don't want to harp on, just help a little of I can...
Manual mode for me is about setting and fixing an EV
As an example, imagine you are in a low lit room with windows and it's bright outside
I set the camera to manual at an EV that will correctly expose somone in the room in the most average amount of light I can see
That way if I shoot somone stood I front of the window I know the backlight from the window won't effect the meter and drop the person in to shadow.
Now I could use spot meter, but I've found it's more consistent to take the above approach!
Your Millage may vary, but the point I'm trying to make is that the best method with all this expensive high powered kit in your hands is to learn how to use it properly (like you are now doing) but then learn how to make it work best for you and your shooting style...
Understand how to take a photo in manual and get good results is half the battle... Learning how to harness the auto modes properly (ie not point and shoot) is IMO the next step after that

I hope that makes sense?

 

[Shaun Hill]

Hello Hamish. Thank you for your thoughts. I am mainly practising for instances where I am outside and previously I have had problems with the exposure on the subject because there has been strong sunlight coming through the trees and this throws the meter off. I do a lot of night-time photography and sometimes light throws it off too.

I would normally shoot in AV with matrix style metering, but never really shoot using TV. If I shoot in TV I might as well go manual to expose the shot properly.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Makes sence!

Same here ... I've used shutter priority only a handful of times ... Motor sport being the only ones that springs to mind!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

You can use the diffuser at any distance - it's small, but has some effect.

I put a larger diffuser on when shooting close-in, looks like a tupperware bowl and was made by Gary Fong.

This multiplies the effective area of the light source by 5 or 6 times, so creating softer light on the subject.

Used here to provide front fill with the subject in a shaded area

I wanted to point out the * button on your camera.

When using flash, this acts as a flash spot meter test button.

Point metering point at subject, press * button, camera test fires flash and gets metering from that, camera holds that exposure value so you can re-compose as required and then take the shot.

Very handy, and very accurate, as it's using actual metered flash rather than guesswork to set the exposure.