help with my photography

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Exodist states that you need a longer shutter speed to give light time to travel from flash to ceiling to subject and back to camera. I beg to differ. The speed of light is so great (requiring only 1 nano-second to travel one foot), any shutter speed is sufficient for this configuration. For reasons stated earlier in this thread, you should not let your shutter speed get faster than the camera's sync speed.
 
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Exodist states that you need a longer shutter speed to give light time to travel from flash to ceiling to subject and back to camera. I beg to differ. The speed of light is so great (requiring only 1 nano-second to travel one foot), any shutter speed is sufficient for this configuration. For reasons stated earlier in this thread, you should not let your shutter speed get faster than the camera's sync speed.
While I generally agree with you. Even in a heavy moderate lit room. I can still underexpose the camera settings by increasing the shutter speed, then introduce a flash to the subject. And then shoot the subject, (while making even a white wall behind the subject turn black) and get a pic of the subject before the flashes light has hit the wall. Helps to be about 9 to 10 feet though from the wall.. This was what I was getting at. But the OP does need to take your advice and have them synced. I get very artistic with my work, and was just trying to point out while even a poorly lit room one can still achieve proper exposure if they know how to operate their camera. Which I feel is what the OP is really having trouble at..
 
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...shoot the subject, (while making even a white wall behind the subject turn black) and get a pic of the subject before the flashes light has hit the wall....

I think that you will find that "problem" is related to the manner in which your camera is syncing the flash rather than the speed of light. Perhaps you have your camera set to the so called "rear curtain" sync. In this case, as I understand it, the flash does not fire until the end of the shutter open period. This can certainly produce some very "artistic" effects. I refer you to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_synchronization
 
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Wow has this thread gotten way out of control.

The OP is using a kit lens and a very basic flash. There is no light lighting the white background and the flash is being directed at the ceiling. If the OP directs the flash at the subject then he'll get a harsh shadow on the background.

What I would do with this equipment is to take the picture as he's been doing. Then use Nikon Capture NX2 (Nikon's editing software) and use the Color Control Point tool. Put a spot on each corner and enlarge the circle so that it covers as much of the background as can fit without covering the subject. Then adjust the Brightness to its highest.

I have the same background, but I use a D600 with a SB-900 attached with a diffuser on as a Master flash and 2 SB-600's as slaves. One SB-600 on each side of the background with big white cards attached so that as much of the flash is directed on the background and they are set on full power. I also have a few extra 150 watt lights directed at the white background. For a lens I use the 24-70mm f/2.8. I have my aperture set at f/2.8. My shutter speed is usually pretty high.

Even with all that I have to brighten up the background in Capture NX2.

I believe the OP would like a final product to look like this:
KG6_04014-L.jpg
 
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BTW... I do not like the Muslin white background. I'm going to be getting a 9'x20' White Vinyl Background instead. It takes way to much time to steam the muslin background smooth.
 
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Pro advice

Unfortunately you have been given a lot of inaccurate information. As a professional for over 40 years and a believer in keep it simple, here is what you need to do.

No tripod - the flash alone should expose the image
100 ISO
125 / sec, or the highest sync speed the camera allows
Ambient (room) light high or low - no matter - the flash is the only exposure
Bounce off ceiling aimed slightly behind you
The folds in the muslin will show. Consider photographic paper roll, probably cheaper than muslin anyway.

Can be made white in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements by placing the magic wand in the area and feather to about 3. Keep clicking in the background whilst holding down "shift" adding to the selection till the entire muslin is selected.

Then select Enhance > adjust lighting > Levels. In levels you will see a white eye dropper. Click that in the darkest area of the muslin. The entire muslin will be perfectly white in a moment.

All of the above works, but is not as professional as using a camera with external flash socket and obtaining a two flash semi-pro system

As the electronics are very delicate in modern cameras, all external flash unit systems should be triggered by an external wireless unit. Mine was about $20. Saves tripping over flash cables too.

When you have a 2 flash system, bounce one off the roof slightly behind you (or via an umbrella or bounce off a card or muslin near your camera, slightly behind - to avoid light spill into the lens) and the other flash aimed at the background, say sitting on a tripod near floor level. Or simply sitting on the floor with the reflector on cooking foil to bounce it up and to keep the floor from any heat from the flash.

If the rear light does not spread enough, either move it away from the background or cover it with an opaque white plastic shopping bag. Do you still have thin white shopping bags in your area? That's all I use.

You can also have a coloured background by placing colour cellophane over the rear flash.

Alternative
Do you have a big window in the house? On holidays I take some outstanding images just using the light near the window in the hotel. See attached. ( note I did a quick change of background to white - you would need to enlarge your photo and do more of the hair areas than I did)

Set on Auto, spot meter reading - easy as.

image.jpg
 
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I think the person needs to read a bit more on the subject and do not expect to be taught everything here. This is not a photography forum and it is obvious she /he has not learned a lot about photography yet to understand many things said to her. Study first. Read. Try out things, experiment, but please do not expect to be hand guided through a photo session and lighting here.
 
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I think the person needs to read a bit more on the subject and do not expect to be taught everything here. This is not a photography forum and it is obvious she /he has not learned a lot about photography yet to understand many things said to her. Study first. Read. Try out things, experiment, but please do not expect to be hand guided through a photo session and lighting here.

Well said my friend. We are a Apple Mac forum, so we don't need the (mines bigger than yours) going on, and the I know more than you. Its not helping the OP 1 bit, it would be more confusing than anything.

To the OP, take what you want from here, but at the end of the day, with what you have, you are not going to get Studio Quality images, so play and experiment, and you will soon know what works and doesn't.
Go and check out the photography forum linked above for more even argument ;)
 
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BTW... I do not like the Muslin white background. I'm going to be getting a 9'x20' White Vinyl Background instead. It takes way to much time to steam the muslin background smooth.

Many people wrinkle their muslin intentionally (and store it wrinkled up - not folded). Then place the model about 6 feet in front of the background muslin and shoot wide open. This gives a nice uniform appearance to the background.
 
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Just quit the messing around. Get a reasonable white background, could be a sheet or poster board. Then get some floods and light your subject. Set the camera up on a tripod and look at the object. Is it lit the way you want? To much light? move the light a bit. Get it so you do not have to use a flash!

This is basic photography.
 
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Many people wrinkle their muslin intentionally (and store it wrinkled up - not folded). Then place the model about 6 feet in front of the background muslin and shoot wide open. This gives a nice uniform appearance to the background.

Agreed, this seems to be the "norm" with most professional photographers. When they need it, they just hang it up, spread it out and give it a good shake or two then done..
 
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Wow. First off, thanks for replying this much to me. I do understand that there is way more information now that I needed.
My main problem was that I was using the automatic option... I thought that it could have done the job by itself without too much adjustment.

I lowered down the ISO to 200, I am in a basement without too much lightning and that did the job, my subject is definitely sharper and clearer. The white background, this is another issue and again, I do understand that without good lightning, I won't be able to do much.

Software will be there to help me. I will continue to play around with the settings, take the same pose but with different settings then compare them.

Thanks again everyone!
 
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Many people wrinkle their muslin intentionally (and store it wrinkled up - not folded). Then place the model about 6 feet in front of the background muslin and shoot wide open. This gives a nice uniform appearance to the background.

This is true for colored backgrounds but for a white background you want it to be as smooth as possible. The wrinkles will create shadows and you don't want that when the background is white.
 
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Wow. First off, thanks for replying this much to me. I do understand that there is way more information now that I needed.
My main problem was that I was using the automatic option... I thought that it could have done the job by itself without too much adjustment.

I lowered down the ISO to 200, I am in a basement without too much lightning and that did the job, my subject is definitely sharper and clearer. The white background, this is another issue and again, I do understand that without good lightning, I won't be able to do much.

Software will be there to help me. I will continue to play around with the settings, take the same pose but with different settings then compare them.

Thanks again everyone!

If you live near a College or University, they may offer one or more photography courses as part of their continuing education program. I highly recommend that you look into this.
 
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Subject is on the muslin...
Make sure you are not using auto exposure. The camera will see the white background and the exposure will be too short.
If you can zoom in on the subject, set the focus and exposure, zoom out for the shot, you will get better results.
 

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