Hey guys, thanks for the great advice.
Let me describe my setup. I was shooting in an enclosed space with high ceilings and coloured walls (so no bounce flash), shooting at f/2,8 (yupz, you got it right
I wanted the bokeh). I don't have a light stand, so I was handholding the flash off to one side at the lowest output power. This makes it difficult to move the flash back (esp with the enclosed space). ISO was 100.
So in summary, this are my options:
Move flash further back - difficult if in enclosed space, but applicable in most situations
Bounce flash / reflector - possible to use reflector
Use diffuser or softbox - don't have either. Can improvise using cloth or paper though.
Use smaller aperture - will affect bokeh, but can add blur in PP
Feather the light
Thanks again for your suggestions. Got to play around with my setup more I guess.
Let me try and give you a simple work flow... but this is not a rule but a guideline. You can adjust any of the settings, but just something to start you off with...
1. Set ISO to the required level (normally I start at lowest).
2. Use the camera to meter the scene when you adjust the aperture and shutter speed by looking at the +/- section.
3. Set aperture to the required amount (aperture controls the amount of light, esp. from the flash).
- 3.1 If you want to use wide aperture (e.g. f/2.8), you can decrease flash power, decrease ISO, or use ND filter.
4. Set to a shutter speed that does not pass the max sync speed (normally 1/200s). The shutter speed controls ambient light.
- 4.1 If you need more ambient light, decrease shutter speed.
--- 4.1.1 If shutter speed is so slow that cannot be handheld, use a tripod.
- 4.2 If you need less ambient light, increase shutter speed.
--- 4.2.1 If the shutter speed is at the max (e.g. 1/200s), you can use ND filter and/or decrease ISO.
5. Set the flash sync speed to an amount and try it out.
- 5.1 If you need more light from the flash, increase it or move the light closer (inverse sq law).
--- 5.1.1 If you are at max power and need more light, you can add another flash, and/or increase ISO and/or decreased aperture f-number (bigger aperture).
- 5.2 If you need less light from the flash, decrease it or move it further from the subject (inverse sq law).
--- 5.2.1 If you cannot decrease it anymore, you can use ND filter, and/or decrease ISO, and/or increase aperture f-number (smaller aperture).
6. If you want softer light, the size of the light source should be bigger in comparison to the subject and also the distance from the subject.
Hope this helps
