Nightclub Photography overexposed or underexposed

[tom32y]

Hi,

This is my first post on this forum so hope I have put this in the correct place.

I currently take photos for a number of clubs and event companies, I use a canon 5d, 15mm lens and a 580 exII.

Im shooting using manual settings, generally ISO 800 f2.8 Shutter speed around 1/4 leaving flash on auto.

The problem im having is my photos are coming out over exposed as if the flash is too bright or underexposed or as if im way too far away from the subject and the flash isnt adjusting. Im finding it very hard to find the exact distance needed for the photos to come out perfectly.

What i need is a bit of help with sorting this issue out!

Example of the overexposed photo

Example of underexposed

this was underexposed before i adjusted it in photoshop!

I did use a diffuser which worked great on closeup photos but on anything further than a meter away was way too dark!!!

So Im thinking the issue is something to do with my flash running on auto or not being on the correct settings, Im no expert on flashes and really could do with some help on this!

Thanks in advance

Tom

 

[Cistron]

Hi,

This is my first post on this forum so hope I have put this in the correct place.

I currently take photos for a number of clubs and event companies, I use a canon 5d, 15mm lens and a 580 exII.

Im shooting using manual settings, generally ISO 800 f2.8 Shutter speed around 1/4 leaving flash on auto.

The problem im having is my photos are coming out over exposed as if the flash is too bright or underexposed or as if im way too far away from the subject and the flash isnt adjusting. Im finding it very hard to find the exact distance needed for the photos to come out perfectly.

What i need is a bit of help with sorting this issue out!

Example of the overexposed photo

Example of underexposed

this was underexposed before i adjusted it in photoshop!

I did use a diffuser which worked great on closeup photos but on anything further than a meter away was way too dark!!!

So Im thinking the issue is something to do with my flash running on auto or not being on the correct settings, Im no expert on flashes and really could do with some help on this!

Thanks in advance

Tom

I don't think the first is over-exposed. There are some hot highlights from the specular light source, but otherwise it seems fine.

Where are you pointing your flash? If there isn't a close ceiling, point it forwards, otherwise the pre-flash readout may fool your camera.

 

[tdodd]

First off, I've never shot in nightclubs, so take my words with a pinch of salt, but here are some thoughts....

I guess by "diffuser" you mean a Sto-fen type omnibounce thingy. They're pretty handy when you have something to bounce off, but I can't see any sign of anything here to return the light, so really you are wasting a ton of flash power spreading it around the vacuous space in the room instead of sending it towards your subjects.

If you are aiming the flash head forwards with that thing on then the camera will use lens distance data as well as the ETTL-II reading to determiine how much power to output, but the camera/flash does not know there is a Sto-fen there and will underexpose unless you turn up the FEC.

I think you would be better served by using a simple bounce card to throw the light forward rather than all around the room behind you. Depending upon how large you make it you could soften the light more than the Sto-fen will in this environment and have a more useful flash range. If you aim the flash head up (as you would with a bounce card) the camera will not misguidedly try to use focus distance data to calculate the amount of flash power required.

You should also appreciate that ETTL can be fooled by the tonal values of your subject/scene if they vary wildly from midtones. A dark subject can fool the flash into overexposing. A pale subject can fool the flash into underexposing. Use your FEC and check your histogram and look for blinkies to let you know how you are doing. Don't rely on the preview image itself for feedback on the exposure accuracy. In subdued nightclub lighting everything will look bright on the LCD screen even if it is underexposed.

There are a few flash threads on the go at the moment. Hoppy recommends the Lumiquest Quik Bounce for a versatile bounce card that I suspect could serve you better. Or you can just make your own variant.

p.s. http://abetterbouncecard.com/ used to be about making your own bounce cards, but has now gone very commercial. However, there are ideas there for designs, and videos which (painfully slowly) demonstrate their use.

 

[HoppyUK]

It can only be a guess with limited info, but what's this 15mm lens? How close are you shooting? Does it transmit distance data? If you are aiming the flash directly forward with a diffuser or anything attached, that will screw the metering. You must tilt or rotate the head a little to disable the distance-reading function (as if you were bouncing).

You're also very close to be shooting with flash (lens is shading the subject) and at high ISO and low f/number it could even be that the flash can't turn itself down low enough, then in other situations it's running out of puff.

Yes, as Tim says I like the LQ Quik Bounce for a lot of things, but it won't cover a 15mm lens on full frame.