Help! My Photo's are distorted??

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LensOfLondon

LensOfLondon

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Stacie
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I am having a few problems where there seems to be a file over my photos, i have attached a couple of examples. Any idea's why this is happening?

I am using a Sony A55 with a Tamron 18-200mm with a Sony HVL-F42AM external flash.

Any help would be greatly appriciated.

DSC06526_zps7ac1c987.jpg


DSC06515_zpsbc42e644.jpg
 
Whats a 'file'? do you mean the noise/grain?

It doesn't look like there is any flash on these photo's at all...
Have you tried to bounce the flash off the ceiling? which is probably too high and therefore lost?
 
Any chance you could elaborate on what you mean by 'distorted' and 'there seems to be a file over my photos'. Not quite sure what issues you're referring to.
 
They're very noisy (it looks a dark room, and no flash, so ISO probably through the roof) and the white balance is out. Other than that doesn't look to be any major issues.

Edited to add, your website says "I cover Photography for Babies, Families, Animals, Parties, Christenings, Concerts and Other Events and I like my photographs to have a natural but professional look, I don’t airbrush or digitally enhance my photo’s" wouldn't you have a handle on basic issues like white balance and noise?
 
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Sorry I meant film.

The room was not dark at all and the flash was on but ceiling quite high to bounce. I dont usually have this problem, which is why i am asking as i feel there could be a problem with the camera or flash perhaps?
 
RacingSnake said:
Whats a 'file'? do you mean the noise/grain?

It doesn't look like there is any flash on these photo's at all...
Have you tried to bounce the flash off the ceiling? which is probably too high and therefore lost?
Click to expand...

Sorry i meant to say film, noise yes

I had the flash on but it the ceiling was quite high
 
LensOfLondon said:
Sorry I meant film.

The room was not dark at all and the flash was on but ceiling quite high to bounce. I dont usually have this problem, which is why i am asking as i feel there could be a problem with the camera or flash perhaps?
Click to expand...

The exif data has been stripped from the photos, can you have a look at one and tell us the ISO, shutter speed and aperture?

I'm going to take a wild guess it was ISO 1600 or 3200 or so.
 
The exif would be useful but it looks very much like I'd expect from high ISO indoors, poor technique. Basically a lack of control on the part of the photographer.

It's not a ringing endorsement for digitalslrcourses is it?
 
I was looking for tell-tale signs of flash in reflections, and I can't actually see any. If you look at the wall clock in the first picture, there should be a sheen over the top arc of the clock's surround from a ceiling-bounced flash. It's not there.

I don't think the flash fired at all during the exposure. Or, possibly, the camera's shutter speed was too high to sync and the camera boosted ISO to compensate for the missing light.
 
Agree with the above.

Its a very high ISO hence the noise and lack of detail. The white balance being incorrect also hints there isnt enough/any flash hitting the subject there.

You've got a camera trying to take an indoor shot (where light is ALWAYS low) with no flash.

If the flash did fire it was pointed towards a ceiling that was too high to have any effect at all.

100% operator error there unfortunately (further compounded by not checking the pictures immediately after they were taken where any noise, odd ISO settings and white balance would have been immediately obvious for a reshoot after correcting).
 
put it in photoshop or other image processing software and adjust white balance. I just did 'auto color' and to my eyes it seems better. The white walls are whiter, so normally everything else goes with it.

Untitled-1-1.jpg
 
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philslizzy said:
put it in photoshop or other image processing software and adjust white balance. I just did 'auto color' and to my eyes it seems better. The white walls are white, so normally everything else goes with it.
Click to expand...
Whilst it's better, you're only addressing one of the symptoms.
There is still noise and lack of clarity... which is down to the way the shot was taken (lack of flash-light hitting the subjects).
 
looking at these pics and the ones on the website she owns are completely at two different ends of the scale.

I would have thought anyone who produces pics like on the web site would know what has happened to the ones above or am I missing something??
 
Stacie, the room may not have appeared dark to you but I bet the camera thought it was. Your iso was clearly very high so the problem you're seeing with these images is noise. Bouncing flash is all very well but clearly in this situation the wall/ceiling you were bouncing off was too far away. All you can do with these images is run some noise reduction in light room. In future watch your iso, and ensure your flash is strong enough.
 
Those of you saying Stacie's website pictures are of a better quality than the images shown here are wrong. They are of a similar standard.
 
ryanyboy said:
Those of you saying Stacie's website pictures are of a better quality than the images shown here are wrong. They are of a similar standard.
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This^
I wanted to avoid posting further in this thread, but it's amazing how wrapping some snapshots in a fancy frame and surrounding them with text can bamboozle people.
 
I must be missing something here? I don't see anywhere where the OP has linked to her site or even mentioned it?


Anyway, the pic's posted look to not have benefited at all from any bounced flash, or you'd not have needed to up the ISO much at all. It is basic stuff, using bounce flash at events. Or if needed, a direct diffuser. And mixing ambient and flash really isn't hard. But you you need to be able to know when to use it, and simple checks/chimping on the go will tell you what you need to adjust as you go along.
 
If you look at the ballons you can see what could be a specular highlight caused by a flashgun - certainly in the right place and is right size. If the flash was tilted up to bounce and the ceiling was too high there will be no effect in the images. Do not know if the camera has auto ISO but would think images are underexposed - camera calculated exposure without knowing the degree or lack there of of bounce.

Mike
 
Right after 10 minutes of searching and looking at the OP's website and facebook, I've tracked down the details for these photo's :thumbs:

Both ISO6400 and f/3.5 and 1/100th and 1/160 respectively oh and exif shows flash didn't fire at all, white balance was set to cloudy which explains the colour issues
 
Strange, why did the OP mention flash when it's not used for these images? Unless they thought it was - their flash unit not in sync with the camera? But then why would you be at ISO 6400?

The settings speak for themselves here really. Case closed. Your camera isn't the best at higher ISO performance, you needed to be using flash here, even bounced/diffused
 
Cagey75 said:
Strange, why did the OP mention flash when it's not used for these images? Unless they thought it was - their flash unit not in sync with the camera? But then why would you be at ISO 6400?

The settings speak for themselves here really. Case closed. Your camera isn't the best at higher ISO performance, you needed to be using flash here, even bounced/diffused
Click to expand...

A couple of possibilities spring to mind - possibly a 3rd party flashgun the camera isn't recognizing for some reason [as a maybe, not sure if this is actually possible] or OCF using non-dedicated triggers, both might give such an exif reading - BUT, I am with you and others here, I dont think either are the case, I just think the flash hasn't fired. :(
 
On my old D200 someone gave me an old flash head [studio type] with a PC sync cord - the flash would pop but not in sync with the shutter, like a split second before or after, it would have zero effect on the image. I never figured it out.

The thing was, when I took a shot, the flash 'seemed' to go off in unison to the naked eye. My eyes just couldn't tell at that speed whether they were in sync or not, but you can't fool the shutter.

I gave up and just bought a cheap Yongnuo 460 unit and a set of cheap PT-04 trigger/receivers. Worked a charm. If you're shooting events like this, it's a small price to pay to ensure you get nice sharp, well lit images on the night.
 
MWHCVT said:
Right after 10 minutes of searching and looking at the OP's website and facebook, I've tracked down the details for these photo's :thumbs:

Both ISO6400 and f/3.5 and 1/100th and 1/160 respectively oh and exif shows flash didn't fire at all, white balance was set to cloudy which explains the colour issues
Click to expand...

Did you really need to do that. I think we'd already worked out high iso and a flash which failed to register....
 
ryanyboy said:
Did you really need to do that. I think we'd already worked out high iso and a flash which failed to register....
Click to expand...

Well a few people kept asking about the settings used and the OP has not been in to provide them plus I was intrigued to take a look at the other work of the OP :thumbs:
 
I have this flash on my A77 and previously had the A55 in it's day.

It does sometimes not register with the camera. You have to fiddle with it a bit by reseating it.

I thought it was just my flash but maybe it's a more common fault?
 
yeah , id agree the flash hasnt registered , and the camera being on auto iso has cranked it right up to compensate for the lack of light - it seems unlikely that the OP would intentionally shoot on iso 6400 if they were using a flash for principal lighting

the contacts on either flash or hotshoe can tarnish leading to lack of connectivity ( ive had that on my 20D) - cleaning them gently with a pencil eraser usually does the trick
 
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