[bikram]

How to shoot a good family photo with external flash for so many people about 20 people with 3 layers? The result of my photo seems that the front people is a bit overexposed (may be due to the some of them with white face and white T-shirt) and the people at the back seems a bit underexposed. Is there any way to solve it ? Can Photoshop make some correction so that the front and back people are well balanced with exposure? Thanks....

[maximilianyuen]

i have no experience at all, but i guess u are using that basic skills like pointing the ext flash to the ceiling...

maybe u should consider other lighting other than your flash

and maybe u can remember how the school graduation photo is taken

for ps i don't think it can help much on this

ps: you got a really BIG family :)

[tam_dominic]

Increase the distance between the camera and object upto the limit of the flash can reach.
This is to decrease the lighting difference between the front row and the back row.

You may also use slow sync to absorb ambient light. The shutter would be very slow (eg. 1/4 seconds) beware of motion blur.

If you can use external powerful flash, use bounced flash light would be ideal.

[bikram]

Thanks all of your advice.. It is very helpful.

[bikram]

If I use the Nikon SB 800 散光, will it help to spread even over the flash light over everybody so that the light on left and right person to be balanced???? Thanks.

[bikram]

If I NOT using Nikon SB 800 散光片, Can i use the bouce card at 60 degree to have a well balanced picture?

[pongyee]

The front row is nearer to the flash than the back row, you can apply a bounce card, which is better than a direct flash, but the front row is still brighter than the rest.

[bikram]

Ponqyee . Thanks for your comment. So which one is better : bounce card at 60 degree or direct flash without bounce card but using 散光片?

[Ah Chai]

I think 散光片 is not work here.

For family photo, iso should be low for keeping the details of the faces. I suggest 100 to 200
For 20 or so people, the aperture should be smaller for keeping good quality of sharpness. I suggest 5.6.

Under these two conditions, I wonder the flash light can reach the distance group of people with散光片

[Ah Chai]

Have found that you use SB 800
If 20 people are arranged in three layers, I think the flash light still can reach the target people. However, 散光片make the object soft, especially in digital camera.

Another choice is using hammer light with SB 800
The hammer light makes the bounce flash and the SB 800 makes direct flash
This is a usually method adopted by wedding photographer.

[bikram]

Thanks Ah Chai C Hing,

Can you explain what is meant by Hammer Light?

[Ah Chai]

手柄燈(e.g. Metz 60CT4)，形如鎚，有d人叫Hammer Light。

其實不一定要用手柄燈。如果有支火數大的燈，如SB25, 26, 28, 80DX。理論上，可以用閃燈連動的方法落bounce。不過SB25同28就要加slave。

我冇試過，有冇C Hing可以講吓，用兩支燈既心得。

[pongyee]

我覺得 (只是覺得) 唔理你用幾多支燈，除非有遠有近，否則的話，改變唔到前排受光多而後排受光少。

其實真係可以考慮第二支燈擺前 D 黎反射。

如果攝影師站得高一點，而鏡頭稍為向下，亦有助於光源平均一點。

[bikram]

Thanks A Chai and ponqyee for the advise. It is very helpful..

[yatsugiri]

盡量企遠d, 之後盡量用長一點焦距影.
燈頭跟埋zoom.

-1/3 - 2/3 fv

三行人光差應該會好細.