What I Learned from Mark McCall

[KellyL]

Like it or not, Mark, I am your student and I soak up everything you post. In your Metz series, you preach the ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/30 for capturing subject and ambient light. I used this formula all last weekend...from a wedding rehearsal, to a salon visit, to a wedding, to a reception. I am so very pleased with the results of so many of the images. Before, I was afraid to use a shutter speed less than 1/125 and felt like 1/60 was pushing the limits. I have many, many pictures to process over the next week from all the shooting I did at three different events, but wanted to share this image. I have done absolutely nothing to this image, except convert it from raw to jpg. I did not use the Metz flash, however, because I don't know how to control it yet, so for this wedding I needed to step back and rely on what I know. I used my 580EX flash, set to ETTL, Gary Fong Diffuser, bounce light from ceiling. Handheld. Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS. I might add that the photo is sharper than it appears here, and once I apply sharpening to it, it looks fairly crisp. Could the image have been improved with a tripod...probably. Do I have a million things yet to learn. Yes.

Thank you Mark for posting and helping. You are one of the best.

[Worm324]

Kelly, The exposure in this image ins incredible!! The skin tones for right off the camera un-edited in those lighting conditions looks great Also the ambient light looks excellent as well. The TV looks mint. It's amazing that the dynamic range in this image was all captured with 1 click. Really nice job !

I was wondering, did you use a custom white Balance?? Also, do you recall what powere the flash was on?

I plan on using this technique this weekend at my brother restaurant I really look forward to playing around with the flash


Thanks,
Jay

[KellyL]

Jay, flash was set on ETTL. I did not mess with the settings. Auto white balance. I have been thinking that maybe I should start playing with the white balance settings more, but then, I am ingnorant of such things.

Thanks for the comments Jay and ALL of your help. You're great!

[Worm324]

Right-on Kelly I was curious about the white balance, because I had mine set to auto the other day in my house when I was taking some portrait shots. I took over 100 shots and noticed the randomly a few were greenish for some reason?? very odd. at random like 4 or 5 shots in a row had a totally different white balance.

I always take a picture of my Mcbeth Chart and I reference that for the white Balance in Lightroom. Then I sync all the pics to that Mcbeth image. This way the white balance is correct, so it wasn't a big deal, but just odd.

The weird thing was the floating WB when it was set to auto?? That ever happen to you?

Thanks for the info,

Jay

[Jimmyz]

Great control Kelly! I find much success using the white balance set to Flash when the flash is the main light.
Jimmy

[KellyL]

Jay, I am a schmuck when it comes to the gray card or the McBeth card. Shame on me and please kick me in the ars anytime you want for not being more faithful to that system. I need to do it. I am a pro afterall.

Never had the problem with the floating white balance. Not that I now of. Probably have, but I am just not smart enough to recognize it.

Jimmy, you know I need to work on that whole white balance thing. I have so much going on right now I don't have time to do any real practice...time is limited! Thanks for stopping by. Always glad to see ya.

[Mr. Pickles]

Nothing really bad about the image, but your text left me thinking.

I don't think Mark uses a diffuser, or if so, it is just a stofen jobbie. So I don't think he bounces up off the ceiling. Maybe he does. I know he hates ETTL, so just goes all manual as far as that goes. So, wonder if we are looking at similar type images, or is one way better or worse in this ambient and flash combo case?

Do you know? maybe he will comment

[KellyL]

Actually, I took his method for shooting bridals and applied the principals to a new situation with a variation to make it fit my own knowledge. What I was especially pleased about was the color range and the number of different items that came into proper exposure. Overall...not a great composition...a little soft...but I do know the groom on the left is really going to like it. And that is a mirror reflection in the background behind the bar. You don't even see the flash going off...which is amazing to me.

I was just thrilled that I seemed to have gotten something right. I get so frustrated with trying to figure out exposure and mixed lighting. It drives me insane. I don't know if I just make it more difficult that what it is supposed to be or if I am just really dense. I was hoping he would comment too...but then he may be going...I inspired THAT!??!

[Mr. Pickles]

Yeah, I know. I'm just wondering aloud and maybe educating me or some other lighting goof about the bouncing and all.

If you went direct, with maybe a stofen or nothing, would the scene be lit a lot different? A little? Noticeable?

In this situation, unbouncing and all, would it need an exposure adjustment form 1/30sec at f/5.6 is really what I'm wondering...?

[KellyL]

I have a stofen, but never used it. Every time I go direct I get shadows. I am a dedicated bouncer.

[expensive_hobby]

Great image Kelly!

(...writes down the instructions for the next time we're hanging at the bar...)

[KellyL]

Well, you just never know when you might need a good bar shot.:Banane35:

[kgphoto]

Aall this was was bouncing off the ceiling, ceiling not returning much so exposure based on return of the forward spill of the Fong Diffuser, dragging the shutter, and dim light that prevents ghosting.

The reason the light doesn't show in the bar mirror, is because it is not pointing straight back at the camera, but away to camera left at an angle. Remember, angle of incidence, equals angle of reflection. Think Billiard ball bank shots.

[deluco]

You can even slow the shutter down more in this situation when the background is fairly dark. I probably would have got to 1/20th at 400 ISO to bring the background up even more, but then the Budweiser sign would have been blown out. Your photo is great. I was surprised when you said you bounced the flash because I noticed that the ceiling in the bar area is really dark. I guess at ETTL, the camera must have compensated the flash.

Then I noticed in the mirror that you may have been standing in an area where the ceiling was white? This would have given you more light from the ceiling.

Great shot.