Correct flash setting in low light churches.

[SteveWhittaker]

I did a wedding yesterday in a church that was very poorly lit. It was 3pm and the weather outside was cloudy and threatening to rain, (UK Weather at times!!) and daylight was drawing to an end. The ambient lighting in the church was therfore very poor indeed.

If it had been summer I would have had reasonable ambient light light to work with, but that wasn't the case yesterday.

My question is about flash/camera settings in this situation.

I would normally meter for the ambient light, (say, 1/15th f5,6) transfer settings to my Canon 10D in manual and set my Metz to - 1 stop (f4).These settings would allow the ambient light to burn in and make the image. Normally the shutter speed is fast enough to capture the ceremony.

Yesterday was very different, the meter readings were to slow to even consider. If I had used them the subject would be blurred, my only option was to throw camera into Programme and put on the the 550ex flash and let it do it's stuff. The only problem with this is that the settings are somwhere in the region of 1/60th f4.5 and the result is an almost black background.

When the B+G were walking down the aisle I had to use programme etc again. The results look reasonable but I like the ambient light in churches to be part of the image.

Maybe I'm missing something that could 'lighten' my problem.

Can you tell me what your solution/experiences would be in this case?

[JoyPetersKurtz]

To spiff up the shots you already did, how about the following:

I'm assuming you're using a digital camera? Setting an action that opens the file, duplicates the layer and sets the layer to screen? Also, try Image, Adjustments, Shadow/Highlight. If this leaves too much noise, use a noise reduction program?

In the church I would have used my fastest lens, 1.4, and set the shutter speed to 1/30 (even if the ambient light needed a slower shutter) and then set my flash on auto and dialed in 1/30 at 2.8 (I think 2.8 is as fast as my Qflash allows to be set). This way, I will get as much ambient light as possible. I've never seen a church that I couldn't use this formula in and not get good results. Of course, I'm in Southern California, so what do I know about inclement weather? (It's raining as I write this!)

Best,

Joy

[NorbertBissinger]

Gain one stop by doubling the ISO.

[SteveWhittaker]

I use ISO400 normally as I'm afraid of noise, what do you think about 800 would I be save?

[SteveWhittaker]

Joy

Thanks for the advise - but let me get clarify. Are you saying on camera (digital) you set it to 1/30th f2.8 and your flash on full auto?

What ISO are you setting with the above?

Regards

Steve

[DonLashier]

> throw camera into Programme and put on the the 550ex flash and let it do it's stuff. The only problem with this is that the settings are somwhere in the region of 1/60th f4.5

I rarely use the 550ex in anything other than manual exposure mode. This gives you complete control over the shutter speed and aperture and the flash (still in auto) will make up the difference (with appropriate FEC if required). It might also have been helpful to kick ISO up if you hadn't already.

- DL

[David_A_Smith]

Well i'm sure this will be a contreversial approach but heres how I do it....

I stick my adequate 10D on either 800 or 1600 asa and pop up the inbuilt flash which is set to -1 stop. I have yet to be in a church yet where I couldn't hand hold it with a normal lens.
Yes you do get some " grain" at 1600 but the reaction from my clients is that they love the " feel" of the shots and personally I don't think the noise/grain in that situation detracts a thing, I think it adds something. Out of grain and the cold, hard lighting of a direct flash, I know what both myself and my customers prefer.

Something else I have done when I do need to do direct flash shots is to put an 81c filter on the head to warm the flash up a bit and take that horrible coldness away from it. I know the purists will say that the colour balance is out but my customers are not purists and the warm light is much more appealing than " white" light which is generally blue when comparing the ambient light in the room. Here in Oz, people like to be brown especially in summer so I give them a tan the safe way and I often get comments on how nice and brown every one looks in the pictures!

As photographers, being technically correct may be inportant to us but I have learned that clients don't know or give a fig about technicalities, they just like a shot or they don't.