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Camera: Canon 700D

Flash: Yongnuo 600 EX - RT 2

Mode: Av

Scene: Most of the scenes I had were with basic lights, not dark for the eye, but bad for low ISO shots. I am shooting in Av mode with the widest possible aperture (in this case with 55mm on CROP = 88mm lens and 4 aperture) and I get a image which is almost white although I flash via the ceiling.

I had to retry with an exposure correction of -2,67 steps to get a nicely lit picture. I set the flash to 200mm.

Can you please tell me if that is normal or what I can do against that. It is annoying to try out which exposure is right. For the last few pictures I was not using the flash exposure control.

The subject was quite near, which could also have led to the over exposure.

Thanks for helping me tracking down that problem. I am not 100% sure that it is not the flash's fault, but I guess its me.

Thanks for your assistance,

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Possible duplicate of Using flash with Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority gives me a white image - why? \$\endgroup\$
    – scottbb ♦
    Nov 11, 2017 at 20:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ You've told us what exposure mode you are using, but you have not told us what flash exposure mode (i.e. TTL, manual, etc.) you are using. How are you attempting to control the power of the flash? \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Nov 12, 2017 at 8:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ I have the flash in ETTL mode, thinking that the camera tells the flash how bright he should be. Am I misunderstanding something here? I would understand a slight under exposure as I am flashing via the ceiling :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Florian Reisinger
    Nov 12, 2017 at 8:53
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    \$\begingroup\$ A sample photo would greatly help. In all likelihood though, your camera simply did not expect the flash and so metered for a darker scene. \$\endgroup\$
    – Itai
    Nov 24, 2017 at 4:49

2 Answers 2

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I would guess it must be because of the mode and power level of the flash, which you did not mention. If the flash is using Manual full power level, you likely will have to back off on the exposure. So I suspect your flash setup is not what you expected it was. Isn't the YN-600 a totally Manual flash? Manual means you have to set its power level appropriately.

You said ceiling bounce flash, so this is a different subject, but TTL direct flash is quite often overexposed (near subject overexposed), because the camera metering sees the dark background behind the subject (Inverse Square Law), and thinks it needs illuminating. But bounce flash should more evenly illuminate the background in an average size room. But if it is an unusual background (large expanse of blackness), it can have effect on TTL metering.

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    \$\begingroup\$ The YN-600EX RT II is a clone of the flagship Canon 600EX-RT which is a full-featured TTL flash with HSS, Multi flash, 2nd curtain sync, etc and a built in RT radio. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Nov 12, 2017 at 8:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ The background was a white cupboard in the top and a little bit darker cupboard in the background. So the color was light AND I was indoor with a lamp. It was a basically lit room (ceiling light). Hope the description helps. \$\endgroup\$
    – Florian Reisinger
    Nov 12, 2017 at 8:58
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The human eye has a far greater dynamic range than any camera. The fact tbat a scene looks well lighted to you has no bearing whatsoever on whether your camera will create a properly exposed image. You must take into account the limitations of your camera and make exposure decisions with those limits in mind. Doing this is a matter of training and experience (which is why people can get paid to take photographs.) Buy a book about exposure and a book about shooting with artificial light. Experiment as much as you can. Seek out a photography club or meetup in your area and learn as much as you can from others (who know more than do you.)

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Looking at the question, the DR of the scene has nothing to do with what is happening. The problem has to do with why the flash is putting out too much light compared to the settings of the camera. They are getting proper exposure with the flash exposure compensation turned way down. \$\endgroup\$
    – AJ Henderson ♦
    Nov 24, 2017 at 21:57
  • \$\begingroup\$ The DR conversation was getting off topic, so I moved it to chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – AJ Henderson ♦
    Nov 24, 2017 at 23:43

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