It’s days before Christmas so I don’t have too much right now. So, let’s go back to some basics. Here is an easy step by step for how to manage a session using flash of any sort.
Step 1: Compose the shot.
Step 2: Adjust for the natural lighting.
Step 3: Add and adjust flash as you want. Not all at once, you need to adjust for each individual flash so if you have 1 flash, step 3 has just one step. If you have 29 speedlites on tripods all around (you monster) step 3 is 29 steps long.
Step 4: Take one more look to see if it’s composed to how you want it.
Step 5: Take the picture.
Step 2 and Step 3 is where a lot of people go wrong, at least its where I’ve gone wrong early on. I’d add and adjust for flash and then wonder why my background was blown out. You get the background down to levels you want it to be (thus step 2) then you add flash to bring back out your subject (thus step 3). Of course, you also need to consider the inverse square law of light, but there’s a reason that’s usually talked about on its own – it’s simple to see but complicated to explain.
Anyway, these photos were just another test with a speedlite. Then the puppy escaped the fence by walking right through it like it was the terminator or something, so we puppy back and moved somewhere else.