How to use Canon flash, externally?
- Thread starter Garfieldhellokitty
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Welcome to ClubSNAP..
You might want to start reading here to get the basics of Canon Flash photography:
Pay special attention to the different modes (ETTL, Manual Flash) and how to adjust flash power.
The 430EX is a hot shoe flash that requires contact to the camera. Alternatively, you can use your 430EX II as optical slave, triggered by camera flash. I would recommend paying a few Dollars and getting the wireless triggers that support ETTL and Manual Flash so that you can manage the flash power from the camera position. You will need a transmitter (put on the camera hot shoe) and a trigger (put underneath the flash). The radio signal will transmit the settings from either ETTL or Manual Flash).
Personally, I would recommend Godox here. The Transmitter has a nice display and you can use Canon flashes with Trigger or get the Godox flashes and use them directly.
You might want to start reading here to get the basics of Canon Flash photography:
Pay special attention to the different modes (ETTL, Manual Flash) and how to adjust flash power.
The 430EX is a hot shoe flash that requires contact to the camera. Alternatively, you can use your 430EX II as optical slave, triggered by camera flash. I would recommend paying a few Dollars and getting the wireless triggers that support ETTL and Manual Flash so that you can manage the flash power from the camera position. You will need a transmitter (put on the camera hot shoe) and a trigger (put underneath the flash). The radio signal will transmit the settings from either ETTL or Manual Flash).
Personally, I would recommend Godox here. The Transmitter has a nice display and you can use Canon flashes with Trigger or get the Godox flashes and use them directly.
Flash Exposure Compensation. Read Page 14 of the manual. You can reduce it by up to 3 stops. You can place a white diffuser over the tube.
Oh dear this ttl flash topic is sadly not fully explained here previously or makes for easy understanding. If you are expected to find links and read meaning self study and practice you will be more confused as they say a picture is worth a thousand words ( or from me).
That said moving the flash off camera DOES NOT make the light any softer or less contrasty, it is just as harsh. That does not mean direct flash is bad it's just the kind of look or effect you want to show or convey a certain mood/ look. To make light less harsh or contrasty the light needs to be diffused. The general idea is to bounce the light off a larger surface like a wall/ ceiling , use light modifiers/ diffusers to " soften" the light. Bear in mind the distance the subject and light source is from each other has an effect of softening or hardening/ harsh the effect on the subject. This is governed by the inverse square law of light which states that when the distance is doubled from the subject the light source or power is reduced by 1/4 or only one fourth of light power reaches the subject. In simple terms expect the light power to lose 1 to 2 or more stops of light when using a particular modifier or diffuser.
TS you can simply wrap a piece of tissue paper over the flash head and you have a diffuser.
The cheapest way of moving flash off camera as the above suggested is to use your camera's pop up flash if it has one to trigger the off camera flash via light output as optical master/ slave but this works by line of sight and is practical at short distances like indoors. Wireless triggering works at distances of 100 metres or more.
Enough of boring text let this kind gentleman teach us the basics of on camera TTL flash.
Video is 26 minutes long.
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Eh if 430 is harsh I'm using a 360w and 600w ones X 2 , even more harsh. But I diffuse it and double diffuse sometimes to great effect. Hard to explain lah
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