Learning Flash

[midgett]

I made this image with a full cut of CTO on the flash to warm it up and the white balance set to daylight. The camera was comped -1 to saturate the sky and water and the flash +1. The flash was off camera and about a foot above her eye level and to camera left. Minor adjustments in CS3 to smooth the skin and sharpen/whiten the eyes.

[Mad Aussie]

The exposure on the sky is great and the saturation in the sky works for also.

I do find the diagonal presentation the wrong decision for this photo though.

I think the model is over saturated (especially obvious just above her lip) and a little under-exposed. I think some more flash might have helped. I think turning her slightly to her left may have helped hide that roll (no offence ... I have the same roll I think!) above her left hand also.

Fairly low in the sky is a smudge. A bird perhaps but it looks more like a spot of dust on the sensor. I'd be cloning that out.

Hopefully some of that is helpful.

[kat]

The exposure on the sky is great and the saturation in the sky works for also.

I do find the diagonal presentation the wrong decision for this photo though.

I think the model is over saturated (especially obvious just above her lip) and a little under-exposed. I think some more flash might have helped. I think turning her slightly to her left may have helped hide that roll (no offence ... I have the same roll I think!) above her left hand also.

Fairly low in the sky is a smudge. A bird perhaps but it looks more like a spot of dust on the sensor. I'd be cloning that out.

Hopefully some of that is helpful.

I don't have any of camera flashes so I can't comment on that part but for the rest, MadAussie has it down.

Beautiful colors in the sky!!! Just gorgeous!

[midgett]

The exposure on the sky is great and the saturation in the sky works for also.

I do find the diagonal presentation the wrong decision for this photo though.

I think the model is over saturated (especially obvious just above her lip) and a little under-exposed. I think some more flash might have helped. I think turning her slightly to her left may have helped hide that roll (no offence ... I have the same roll I think!) above her left hand also.

Fairly low in the sky is a smudge. A bird perhaps but it looks more like a spot of dust on the sensor. I'd be cloning that out.

Hopefully some of that is helpful.

I desaturated the skin slightly, you were right she was way too bronze, and brightened it up a little, does this look better? I think I will keep the diagonal perspective though because she likes it, and I think I do as well.

I also posted another photo, with out a diagonal perspective. ;)

[kat]

That second one (the straight one) is my fav. She looks great.

[Mad Aussie]

I desaturated the skin slightly, you were right she was way too bronze, and brightened it up a little, does this look better? I think I will keep the diagonal perspective though because she likes it, and I think I do as well.
Well if the photographer likes it ... and the model/client likes it ... my opinion doesn't matter then ;)

Definitely looks better to me with less 'bronze'

[scorpio_e]

I like the first one. Maybe just a tad desaturation. The angle does not work for me. I have not shot with CTO's. Did you use a double CTO gel?

The second one. I am not sure why but it looks like it was cut out and the background was placed in. I am not a fan of the purple background.

[Marko]

Love the sky and the backgrounds in these shots. The orange gel though is not working for me at all.

[nomad358]

Yeah I have to agree with Marko. Also, keep your eye on the horizon when shooting on a beach. Nothing looks more ridiculous than a lake or ocean tilted diagonally in a photo. I have done this a few times myself when I started, so I'm also guilty. Other thing is composition. You could have shot this in Portrait rather than landscape to fill the frame a bit more. There is too much empty space around the subject.
As for Flash, Try diffusing or moving your flash back a bit from your sublect. This will help eliminate the white hotspots on her face.

[midgett]

Yeah I have to agree with Marko. Also, keep your eye on the horizon when shooting on a beach. Nothing looks more ridiculous than a lake or ocean tilted diagonally in a photo. I have done this a few times myself when I started, so I'm also guilty. Other thing is composition. You could have shot this in Portrait rather than landscape to fill the frame a bit more. There is too much empty space around the subject.
As for Flash, Try diffusing or moving your flash back a bit from your sublect. This will help eliminate the white hotspots on her face.

I was using a 70-200, so I was probably 10 or 15 feet away. I started with a Westcot Mini Apollo softbox, but found it to be cutting the light way too much, it was silhouetting her even with +3 dialed into the flash, so I ended up taking that off and using a Sto Fen. I was also using a Manfrotto flash bracket I just purchased. I tried shooting a few in portrait, but found it very cumbersome with the bracket because of the way it juts out to the side of the camera, that thing is a beast and Im not entirely sure I like it. The added weight between that and the 70-200 2.8 was wearing me out! But your right, I agree that a 3/4 portrait would def have worked better here.

Thanks for everyones comments!

[nomad358]

I was using a 70-200, so I was probably 10 or 15 feet away. I started with a Westcot Mini Apollo softbox, but found it to be cutting the light way too much, it was silhouetting her even with +3 dialed into the flash, so I ended up taking that off and using a Sto Fen. I was also using a Manfrotto flash bracket I just purchased. I tried shooting a few in portrait, but found it very cumbersome with the bracket because of the way it juts out to the side of the camera, that thing is a beast and Im not entirely sure I like it. The added weight between that and the 70-200 2.8 was wearing me out! But your right, I agree that a 3/4 portrait would def have worked better here.

Thanks for everyones comments!

Try taking your flash off the camera and off the flash bracket and completely off the same axis as the lens. Buy a cheap light stand and a hotshoe umbrella adapter and use the flash with your Sto Fen. Place the light stand at about a 45 degree angle inward and 45 degrees downwards toward your model or subject. Set your flash at about 1/8th power and start with a setting of about F5.6, s125, ISO 100. If that doesn't work, adjust your aperture ONLY.
Here is an example I did with the exact same setup I just described. It's not diificult to do, it just needs some know-how. Hope that helps! Good Luck!