Advice on using flash for forest birds

Confession time: I am a birder who takes photographs, not a photographer who likes birds! So, when it comes to the technical side of things, I am quite ignorant.

Second confession - I prefer not to use flash if possible, because natural lighting looks better.

BUT - sometimes, it's flash or no picture! This is where I need help.

I have a Canon 7D, a 100-400mm Canon L lens and the 530EXII Speedlight. I don't use a tripod. My problem is that I either overflash or underflash - I rarely get the exposure correct so that the bird looks right.

Any tips? Later I can post some examples of my pics if it would help to know what I am doing wrong.

Thanks

Dave

1. you said you take birds photos but you doesn't like them?

2. agreed with you, not only if you used flash the birds looks unatural but also the color tend to be different.

3. what kind of situation you are trying to say, the bird that perch or BIF?

4. Why don't use a tripod?

5. flash can be tune to suite the situation. you can try flash compensation by setting <1/3 etc or multi storbe mode <1/64.



rgd,


Jeffery

Dave, usually if I need to use flash due to whatever the reason, I set them on TTL mode and rear curtain setup. this way I can get decent exposure with ambient light included.

another thing is, I add a Stofen to diffuse my flash, so that it won't give the steel eye effect... but the flash range would become very limited up to 5m I think

maybe you can consider a flash extender. I haven't got that, then I cannot describe. maybe Troylim care to share his flash setting.

Hi Jeffery

Thanks for taking time to find out more.

To answer your questions:
1. Generally, if I use flash, I don't like the results, coz the flash makes the birds look flat and unnatural (probably coz I'm not using it correctly)
3. Perched
4. A number of reasons. As I said - I'm a birder who takes pictures, not a photographer who likes birds. So when I'm in the forest I don't like carrying a heavy tripod. Also, I like taking pics of the shyer birds, and I find that I miss too many opportunities if I have to set the tripod down before taking the photo. Without a tripod, getting the photo is much quicker.

5. This is what I need to learn about. I've never tried multi-strobe mode.

I'll post some pics and then maybe you can tell me what I was doing wrong!

I found Wildlife photography are the most challenging, birds photograpy are one of them, without patience, passion is very tough. because most of the time we get nothing.

Using flash shooting a bird are tough, they are skittish, color tend become unatural. the most important you might scare the hell of them away. I think most of the birders use flash to fill up the shadows areas not direct flashing. so you need to learn and understand your gear. the distant between the subject and a factor too.

I feel your frustration because I'm a short lens birder too. using a tripod are the best to overcome these problem not to mention using the right method to click your shutter button. you must understand the comfort distant between your subject, if you are at the nearest comfort zone and lay down your tripod at these point your subject might fly away. I normally place my tripod down before going nearer.

posting some photos can help us to understand more of your problem.



Jeffery

[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img] Here's a very very confiding bird which took no notice of me at all, and stayed at the same perch for literally days! So it gave me lots of chance to experiment, but I still didn't end up with a satisfactory shot!

This pic was taken using ETTL mode, ISO800 at 1/60 sec. I find that it is soft and lacking in detail. (Struggling to upload more than one pic per post!)...

[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img] Detail from the same shot - you can see that it's soft. I don't think it's camera shake.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

This was taken using the flash in Manual mode, 50mm and under-exposed by 1/3 of a stop.

what f-stop you used? Sorry because these forum can't read exif data from the photos.

[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img] Detail of the same. ISO200 and 1/60 sec. Nice and sharp, lots of detail, but way overflashed.

Sorry - all f5.6.

[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img]

This was using the same settings as the previous one, but slanting the flash head slightly upwards and using the reflector to bounce light towards the bird. A bit better, but the flash was still too strong.

btw! i think your flash didn't fire on the #1 photo.

your 2nd photo looks sharper because your flash freeze your movement.

a.flash are too strong
b. you can see what I mean the color changes (unatural) using flash by comparing the 1st & 2nd images.

how far away between you & the subject?

[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img]

Detail of the same shot. In the end, this was about the best I could manage.

But the point is, this bird was exceptionally accommodating! I fired off over 100 shots over 2 days just to try to learn which settings were best. Most birds only give the chance for a few shots. So - how do I get it right first time?

Help much appreciated!

Dave

[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img]

Ah yes, Jeffrey, you're right. Here's one where the flash did go off (ETTL)

Dave