Photo Plus - USA (2019-07)

FLASH EXPOSURES

Some filters can add a colour cast. Choose a preset, dial in a colour temp

(if available) or create a custom white balance for predictable results

The Canon Magazine 85

CONTROLLING AUTO WITH MANUAL

As^ shot^ Corrected^

he flash output
is normally set
automatically to
provide a balanced exposure
between the subject and the
background. But, as with
normal metering, it can be
fooled into pumping out too
much light when faced with a
dark subject, and not enough
light when the subject is very
pale. You may also prefer a
more subtle or in-your-face
result, in this case you can dial
in some flash exposure comp.
You can do this in the camera
menu and the Quick Control
Screen; some cameras have a

dedicated flash exposure comp

button – press this and turn the

Quick Control Dial. If you’re

using an external Speedlite,

then you can also set the comp

• up to +/- 3 stops in 1/3
  increments – on the flashgun.
  Unlike some camera
  systems, exposure
  compensation and flash
  exposure comp work
  independently of each other.
  This seems logical: dialling in
  negative exposure comp
  darkens the parts of the shot
  which are not lit by flash, while
  flash exposure compensation
  only affects the flash output.

f the colours don’t
look right in an
image, you can
probably point the finger at
the white balance setting.
Canon’s Auto White Balance
does a decent job in the
majority of situations, but it can
struggle under some types of
artificial lighting and when
there’s a single, strong colour
in frame. If you set the Picture
Qualit y to Raw, however, then
you’ll be able to t weak the white
balance – or opt for a different
setting – when you process
your photographs.
That being said, there are
some situations where it pays
to override the auto setting
in-camera. When you shoot
JPEG, for instance, then the
white balance is ‘baked’
into the image when it’s
taken. You can alter
the colours later in
editing software,
but as you’ll be
manipulating an
image that’s already
been processed and
compressed it may

take longer to get the results

you want. The same is true

when you shoot movies with

your camera. Each frame of a

video clip is essentially a JPEG,

so it’s often better to set the

white balance manually in

order to get consistent

results between clips.

Another instance when

you’ll want consistency is when

you’re shooting images to

stitch together for a panorama.

If you leave the WB set to Auto

there’s a risk that the colours

could shift between shots,

which means you’ll have to

tweak each image later for

them to match.

Improving your flash exposures

Getting accurate colours

Override a camera’s flash exposure in a similar way to the regular exposure

Remove a colour cast – or add one – to suit your tastes

T

I

WB

SET AF

ISO

Flash Exposure Compensation

can be combined with Flash

Exposure Bracketing, giving

up to 6 stops of adjustment