Outdoor portrait - flash caused over exposed

[small pig]

I am facing some problem of over expose when I shoot outdoor portrait during day time.

I am using sb900 on TTL mode, with D700. Setting is aperture priority.
Exposure compensation set at 0.
Metering : evaluative
Iso: 100

I always get the sky overly exposed even my flash compensation is reduced. While I thought my flash is set to TTL, exposure should be automatic.

Any advice ?

 

[catchlights]

Sky overexposed, try use high speed syn.

Flash compensation has nothing to do with ambient light metering.

 

[catchlights]

Do you really think the flash can overexposed the sky btw?

 

[small pig]

High speed syc mean ?

THe ambient is bright but person facial is being block thus I need to use flash.

On AV mode, without flash, shutter speed is 1/200. - ambient is ok but face is dark as block by sun.

Then plug on sb900, all same setting w TTL, I realised that shutter speed is still 1/200. Everything was washed out. Flash is diffused by Garyfong bowl diffuser.

Which means I need to used S mode and tuned up the shutter speed to 1/800.

It is possible and doable, but it is kinda troublesome and I always thought that flash TTL should auto solved this problem.

 

[catchlights]

You on auto iso?

 

[small pig]

No. ISo fixed at 100

 

[catchlights]

Outdoor daylight exposure is somewhere between f8 to f16, iso=1/iso, if your subject is back lighted, open two stops, of cause sky will be overexposed.
Use flash in high speed sycn is the way go beyond max sync speed.

 

[sjackal]

Your problem is too many things on auto.

ISO set 200. That is the base ISO of D700. If you set at ISO100, it is actually still ISO200 at capture but reduced in cam post capture, thus whites will be blown but midtones are one stop lower. If you don't understand, nevermind, just set ISO200.

Shutter speed set 1/250, that is the highest sync speed. Any higher is high speed sync that weakens your flash power drastically.

Aperture start at f/5.6 and see how your SB900 perform on TTL. If its recycling slowly is probably working at full power to 1/4 power range at f/5.6, if it is recycling fast enough, its probably at 1/4 to 1/16 and you can go to f/8 if you want to cut more ambient.

Lost the gary fong dong bowl and point your flash straight. Outdoors don't matter.

And check your flash contacts and flash shoe contacts, sometimes dirty or poor connection will results in the flash and camera going crazy.

 

[small pig]

I think the solution is camera set to 1/320 s (Auto FP) or 1/250 s (Auto FP) all the time since the Auto FP high-speed sync mode does not kick in until you raise the shutter speed above the maximum setting of 1/250 s. And use shutter speed mode.

Am I right?

 

[Octarine]

I am using sb900 on TTL mode, with D700. Setting is aperture priority.
Exposure compensation set at 0.
Metering : evaluative
Iso: 100
I always get the sky overly exposed even my flash compensation is reduced. While I thought my flash is set to TTL, exposure should be automatic.

Exposure and Flash exposure at two different things. First decide, whether your sky can be overexposed or not. Sometimes it does not matter at all. Adjust your exposure till the sky is fine. Now probably the face is underexposed without flash - that's why you add the flash. Check with your manuals how the camera meters flash exposure, especially where. Entire frame? Center? Coupled to AF points in use? Adjust to your liking using FEC or aperture. Keep ISO and aperture where they are. Just as a starting point...

 

[sin77]

Set to lowest iso. For portrait I guess u need shallow depth of field? If dont need, then you change your aperture to f8 or higher lor.

If you need shallow dof, then use high speed sync flash. If still don't have, you can use ND filter.

 

[one eye jack]

I am facing some problem of over expose when I shoot outdoor portrait during day time.

I am using sb900 on TTL mode, with D700. Setting is aperture priority.
Exposure compensation set at 0.
Metering : evaluative
Iso: 100

I always get the sky overly exposed even my flash compensation is reduced. While I thought my flash is set to TTL, exposure should be automatic.

Any advice ?

Hello, You used the wrong flash setting. TTL = subject properly lit by flash but don't care about ambient/background.

TTL BL = subject and background balanced.
Can also be used with P mode.

Of course TTL BL may not give best results so you need to play with higher sync speed ,ISO,aperture.
Below links offer more advanced off camera flash techniques.

Four Flash Photography Basics we must know - Flash pictures are Double Exposures

Flash 101 (Fill Flash In Use) | The Wonder Of Light

Fill Flash

more subtle fill-flash with your Nikon speedlight « Neil vN – tangents

 

[daredevil123]

Hello, You used the wrong flash setting. TTL = subject properly lit by flash but don't care about ambient/background.

TTL BL = subject and background balanced.
Can also be used with P mode.

Of course TTL BL may not give best results so you need to play with higher sync speed ,ISO,aperture.
Below links offer more advanced off camera flash techniques.

Actually SB-900 will automatically be in BL mode as long as camera metering is in matrix metering... And TS was using SB900 with camera on matrix metering. So, the flash is in BL mode...

 

[one eye jack]

Actually SB-900 will automatically be in BL mode as long as camera metering is in matrix metering... And TS was using SB900 with camera on matrix metering. So, the flash is in BL mode...

Thanks for the heads up.