Next week I have a wedding in a golf course. This also means will have to shoot out door on the course with the couple. I like to know all the tricks of metering the light or getting the correct exosphere of the shot (including the landscape as well as the subject). The issue I had before was the face was under exposed. How can I avoid this?
If I to use a fill flash (Day time) should I use manual or ETTL with + / - ?
Here's my recommendation... Get your butt outside with an assistant, and experiment with the flash to balance exposure between subject and background. You've got until next week to figure it out. Taking advice on specific settings you should use is just a terrible idea. And the metering isn't going to be totally different on the golf course than it would be anywhere else outdoors, so you don't necessarily have to do the tests on the golf course. You will want to go scout for the best locations though, at least.
to be honest, it's unfortunate that you're shooting a wedding as a professional and are asking about the basics of exposure and fill flash-you should already know this if you're taking money for doing it-i digress...
you can 1. watch your histogram to ensure you have a proper exposure 2. spot meter off the face with +2/3 to +1 stop compensation or 3. use a light meter -in the end, expose for your subjects first and foremost
shooting outdoors usually involves more dynamic range than a digital sensor can handle-therefore, you have to expose for your subjects and let the rest fall where it may-you could always light them to bring the ambient down, but this is pretty advanced-check out the strobist blog to learn more
hopefully, this is helpful-but really, learn the basics of your camera before taking money for a job-you're doing this backwards
radioblurs wrote:
to be honest, it's unfortunate that you're shooting a wedding as a professional and are asking about the basics of exposure and fill flash-you should already know this if you're taking money for doing it-i digress...
you can 1. watch your histogram to ensure you have a proper exposure 2. spot meter off the face with +2/3 to +1 stop compensation or 3. use a light meter -in the end, expose for your subjects first and foremost
shooting outdoors usually involves more dynamic range than a digital sensor can handle-therefore, you have to expose for your subjects and let the rest fall where it may-you could always light them to bring the ambient down, but this is pretty advanced-check out the strobist blog to learn more
hopefully, this is helpful-but really, learn the basics of your camera before taking money for a job-you're doing this backwards
dimi_arachi wrote:
I like to know all the tricks of metering the light or getting the correct exosphere
Sorry, had to google that...
"The exosphere is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere. In the exosphere, an upward travelling molecule can escape to space if it is moving fast enough to attain escape velocity; otherwise it will be pulled back to the celestial body by gravity. In either case, such a molecule is unlikely to collide with another molecule due to the exosphere's low density."
In all honesty, I'd have to agree with daniel here, on most everything he said. At this point, your best/cheapest option is to get some reflectors. Learning the intricacies of outdoor fill flash photography (and correct me if I'm wrong) with no proper strobes is a causa perduta. Your best option is to find a shaded area to situate your subjects, have their backs to the sun, and use the largest reflector you can get to fill some of the shadows.
Last summer I shot a wedding at noon in a Golf course. The sun was red-hot and the grass was burning. It was more than 100 degree out there and everybody was sweating.
I used flashes to fill in the light to take care of the strong shadow cast by the harsh sun light. The Nikon SB900 overheated like crazy. Had to switch to the faithful SB-800 to take care of the business. I used TTL mode and it was fine.
Anyway, practice a lot before you go to the real shooting.
dimi_arachi wrote:
I like to know all the tricks of metering the light or getting the correct exosphere of the shot (including the landscape as well as the subject).
Any tips greatly appreciated.
my tip is to learn to spell exposure before you ever pick up a camera again. ever. especially for money.
my second tip is to re-read daniel's post. then read it again.
Golf courses are wonderful for wedding photography, just wait til the last, low, golden light of day and capture the magic that ensues. As for proper exposure and flash techniques, well, these are things photographers learn through study and experimentation, over months years and lifetimes, not from spending an afternoon reading internet forum posts.
