Thanks, Paul.
The flash is PTTL -- I just typed it incorrectly, and it does have flash
compensation. The unit came with a diffuser and I picked up an
Omnibounce while I was at the camera shop.
As for practicing on-camera first, being a babe in the woods on this,
that was the plan. I also picked up a 5-in-1 reflector set and plan to
incorporate/commandeer my niece into helping me use that, as well as
practice using the shoot-through screen with the flash in wireless mode
to see how that works in the next week, or so. (A friend wants me to do
family portraits for her on June 9, which is what lit the fire under me
to get this new gear).
I really wish I'd had the flash unit when I did the photo shoot with
LeeAnn a few weeks back. I did my best to minimize the shadows, but it
just wasn't enough. So, I lost quite a few shots that would've been nice
otherwise.
Thanks for all the advice. I'll see if I can put it to reasonably good
use in a couple of weeks.
-- Walt
On 5/30/2013 2:11 PM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
TTL doesn't work on the latest Pentax digital cameras. I think it went away
after K10, but I'm not sure. PTTL is the later version of through the lens auto
control, and it works to a certain extent. Combined with a flash compensation
setting, which your flash probably has, it can work quite well. Flash
compensation simply dials the flash exposure to a point over or under the
ambient exposure. You'll almost always want to be under. I'm usually at -.5
stop or -1 stop, but that can vary with distance and the reflectivity of your
subject. Lots of practice will get you to a good place.
As others have mentioned, there are gizmos you can attach that will diffuse the
light. The very simple Omnibounce is a darn good one. It doesn't get in the
way, so you'll see it on the flashes of most PJs.
Off camera can be fine, particularly when you are using two flashes or more,
but I'd focus on mastering the on-camera stuff first. You can create the
illusion of off-camera just by bouncing the flash off something in the room.
Outdoor fill is a blessing when the sun doesn't shine where you'd like it to,
but with no ceiling or walls in the great outdoors, you'll find the power of
the flash is greatly compromised. To get good fill from ten feet or so on a
sunny day, you pretty much need direct flash, but dialing it down with the comp
switch is still a good idea. The light from the flash probably won't reach a
-.5 stop fill level anyway, but in case it does, your butt is covered.
Paul
On May 30, 2013, at 2:12 PM, Walt <[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks, Dave.
Now that you mention it, I recall someone (maybe Bruce) pointing me to "Lighting 101" at
Strobist a while back as a place to start. In fact, I think I even "starred" the email
for future reference.
-- Walt
On 5/30/2013 1:01 PM, David J Brooks wrote:
This is a good place to staert:http://www.strobist.blogspot.ca/
After that just show up at Stenquest's place.
Dave
On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 1:54 PM, Walt <[email protected]> wrote:
Oops. Not the right URL.
This one's better:
http://www.amazon.com/Promaster-7500EDF-Digital-Flash-Pentax/dp/B00125XY28/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
On 5/30/2013 12:53 PM, Walt wrote:
Well, a couple of weeks after my little financial windfall at work, I
finally decided I should use some of the money to join the flash photography
world. So, I went down to the local brick-and-mortar camera shop in town and
picked up this:
http://www.amazon.com/Promaster-7500EDF-Digital-Flash-Pentax/product-reviews/B00125XY28/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Shorty: http://goo.gl/QQ3Kz
I tested it out in the shop and it worked fine as far as I could tell. The
thing is, I know jack shizzle about using flash units. Still, it seems like
a well-built unit -- good heft and smooth rotation. The wireless signal
worked well as best I can tell, too. So, for the time being, I feel like I
got a decent deal: $169, discounted from the regular $249 price tag.
When I got home, I spent the better part of the evening watching tutorials
on flash photography. The problem is, they all essentially said, "This is
where you can use flash to get this lighting effect." There was no
nitty-gritty technical detail to speak of -- as though TTL were completely
reliable, which I gather isn't really the case. So, I was wondering where I
might be able to learn more about shooting manual flash in the event the TTL
function fails me -- something to give me an idea of when to adjust the
flash output power, at what distances, etc. I know nothing about guide
numbers, flash modes, or anything like that.
Anybody got any suggestions to that end? Any guidance would be
appreciated.
-- Walt
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