So I bought a new flash based on recommendation by Tony Northrup
Yongnuo Speedlight YN-568 EXII Nikon

Just arrived yesterday and I started to look at the manual and search for how-to's online...still a little confused.
Based on my recent photography class I understand flash photography is a whole new world with its own challenges.

Can you folks get me up and running? I'd like to be ready for some indoor holiday party shots (kids and such for grandma)...

Settings, auto stuff, tips for direction and using the built in diffuser and reflection card?

Appreciate the help or guidance to online info.

Set your camera to manual  f/5.6 and shutter at 1/250 and ISO 400, 640 or 800, if you can synch at that speed if not to the highest synch speed. Don't bother with high speed synch  for indoor pics as it reduces the flash power Set the flash in manual power and set the flash straight up to bounce with a 3x5 white index card rubber banded or taped to the flash head with the 5" long part standing up lengthwise. The practice setting the power on flash to get proper exposure on lcd screen. Adjust up or down accordingly  Start at 1/2 power on the flash

You should be able to do ISO 400 just fine. I am a Canon shooter. This bouncing of flash will help reduce harsh shadows and the index card will help with catchlights in the eyes and lighting the face. Don't pile everyone front to back or your depth of field will be shallow at f5.6  You could always change it to f/8 and bump iso to 800. Also if yours is crop camera shoot at about 35mm focal length. If full frame then 50mm.  Those are extreme basics

If shooting just one or two people then focus on their eyes

For what you are doing, its best to leave it in i-TTL for now

Nikons i-TTL works very well . For example, when you run your diffuse or bounce card or  bounce off ceiling , the i-TTL adjusts the flash out put to ensure proper exposure

I tend to just use diffuser ( even though generally used for wide ) at head at about 45deg ( assuming relatively low ceiling )  for all my indoor people shots when I'm running flash on camera

You should also play around with the i-TTL BL mode ( take ambient light into account ) . when you switch your camera to spot metering off matrix , the flash will default to std TTL mode

To really play with the ambient light, its best to go manual exposure , with TTL ( not manual flash ...no reason to ! ) . You set your camera manually to dictate how much ambien into want in picture, and the TTL system will figure out the rest

Where you will have lots of creativity with that is using the HSS ( high speed sync ) outdoors to kill the ambient light .  Google image "HSS outdoor portraits " for examples

The Nikon model for this flash is YN-568EX. The "II" is for Canon.

When taking shots indoors, avoid pointing the flash at the subject(s). Instead, bounce the light off ceilings or walls. If bouncing off the ceiling, use the built-in white card to throw soft light toward the subject.

Tony has a flash tutorial, too.

As others have said, I-TTL mode on this flash works just fine. You can play with manual settings after you get through the holiday season.  

Thanks for the help...I did get the Nikon model (not II)...
I'll check out the TTL setting today at lunch...I'm sure my cat and son will be impressed.

The flash does have the built in diffuser and white card.

ETA: given the lenses I have, which would be best for these indoor people shots?

- 35mm F1.8 prime
- 18-55mm kit
- 55-200mm kit

I think the 55-200 would give me the most versatility for portraits...but would that still work with flash?

ETA II: Nikon 3300 so yes, crop.

E-TTL with Canon is horrible. Grossly underexposes unless you are doing HSS outside and then in that case the reduction of flash power in E-TTL is appreciated
85mm-135mm focal length on a full frame is perfect for portraits. I would assume your camera is a crop camera so the 35mm or your kit lens that goes to 55mm will be ideal

I would start with the 55-200. Longer focal lengths tend to compress features and result in more flattering portraits.

And it works just fine with the flash.

Here is simple bounce 1/250 f5.6 ISO400with 85mm lens

Here is outside HSS with 135 f/2 1/2000 ISO320

Not sure why but on my work monitor that outside pic (second one) the eyes look soft to me but it reality on my photo monitor they are tack sharp on the eyes...weird

I had a nice little tutorial / discussion thread on using single on camera flash posted here.

Zero fucks were given. Pictures and examples were included.

Most of the basics have been covered. I prefer to use a single flash more as a fill rather than a primary source of light, but well diffused (bounced off of something) it can also be a good primary.

People are giving you aperture and shutter and ISO settings - they're good starting points but as you should already know this each situation is different.

The single best tip I can give you is this: Control all aspects of the light in your scene. Remove as much as you can, add back in only what you need to light the picture.


This was lit with a single on camera flash (this picture has been approved for use in technical discussions, even though it's walking the line of BOTD):

Click To View Spoiler

Is it the best picture? No, her expression is dreadful, and the composition and overall feel of the picture could use some work. That's not the point. The lighting is fucking AWESOME.
This was one of the test shots I did to see if I could get the light to do what I wanted it to do. The others..well, they'll never be posted.

Exif info looks something like this:
D7100
17-55 f/2.8 @ f4
30mm
1/200
ISO100

I don't recall what the flash power was set to, I'd bet it was on TTL +1 but I can't 100% guarantee that.

Here's how I did it:



I don't have any specific experience with your flash, but I suspect it plays by the same rules as most others.

Zack3g...perhaps your thread was archived as I did a search for "flash" before posting...none the less, all of you have been great getting me started.

At lunch, the son was gone and the cat said" fuck you and your camera"...so I shot my guitar on a stand in front of the Christmas tree...
35mm F5.6
no flash
straight on flash
straight up flash
straight up with diffuser and white card
Room is too wide to bounce off the wall...

Big differences in color. Can't wait to try it on skit tones which I will do tonight in preparation for the coming parties.
FYI - I want to make a Costco picture book of the grandkids playing for grandma...probably give it to her around New Years.

I'll post some pics if all goes well.

I promise you the room's not too wide to bounce it. You might have to turn up the power a bit, but it'll work.

Use your 18-55mm. This gives you flexibility to do group photos and individuals.

Do not be afraid to bump up the ISO. You will have to make a choice here. If you want to use the ambient light as primary lighting and the flash as fill, you will have to gel your flash to match the ambient light or you will get weird colors.

Most indoor lighting is insufficient to use as primary and flash as fill. So, usually you will use your flash as the primary light. Easiest way to do this is to set manual white balance, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Then let the TTL do its thing. Dial in flash compensation as needed. Using the speedlight as primary light will also overpower the ambient light on your subjects and you won't have any white balance issues on your subjects (the underexposed background will, obviously). Setting your ISO higher will allow the speedlight to use less power, recycle faster, and have the batteries last longer.

I'm not familiar with your particular flash, but with the Nikon Speedlights, there is an iTTL and an iTTL-BL. If you have these options, then use iTTL if you choose to use the speedlight as the key light.

Just like anything, flash photography takes some practice, experience, and knowledge about how the flash will behave.

Check out this site and bookmark it for future reference: Strobist.



Lighting 101






 

You can bounce off the ceiling if you are in a wide room. My family room is over 65' wide and 23' high and I bounce all the time

I knew there would be a ton of stuff to learn when I bought the flash...lots of info from you guys and the links.

So, next step, and it has been mentioned above...what mode do I want to set my I-TTL at?

i-TTL
- Standard: for dark backgrounds...Set metering at SPOT
- BL: for subject and background lighting...Set metering at MATRIX

I'll be in a house with 9' ceilings (white) and am trying to capture the kids mostly in candid shots, maybe a few poses.
I won't get a chance to shoot in the house prior but I'll mess around at home and see what I get between the two modes.

BL is for fill flash where you already have light but you are using the flash to fill in shadows.


The other mode is when the flash is your primary light source.

The only way to learn it is read and practice.

You can bounce off 9' ceiling just fine. Just look at the LCD and adjust exposure compensation as needed. I have to use +1 and a 1/3 exposure when bouncing and using E-TTL with canon. Since I am always adjusting that depending on how far away I am from the subject I just use manual
I dont use spot metering for flash ever with Canon. I do use partial center weight when outside with strong backlighting like the pic above of my daughter. Inside primary flash I use center weight or evaluative matrix

You can just leave it in matrix. Experiment.