Canon for photo booth issue

[Ginacresse]

I just purchased a Mojo photo booth and am very new to photography, so please forgive me if I ask dumb questions. I am having a problem with some photos coming out too dark.

Using a green screen backdrop in the booth (5' x 5' booth) sometimes the subject turns into a ghost and darker areas disappear into the backdrop image. The problem is worse if the subject is wearing light/white or holding a large white prop (i.e. Santa beard, text bubble, etc.)  I was told the problem was not enough light and that I should not use the Auto mode. I set the camera to Manual and used the suggested settings (F8, ISO 200, 1/160 ss). I don't have any external flash, just the flash that comes with the camera. If the subject is not wearing white, the photos come out fine--the green backdrop is well lit and the digital backdrop image looks good--no ghost issue. Using the same settings but changing to a white shirt causes the green screen background to appear darker and the subject to look like a ghost. I changed the E-TTL II meter setting to Average and it solved the white shirt problem... until I added even more white to the frame, then the ghost issue came back.

I have this problem even when not using the green screen. If the there is a lot of white in the booth, or large reflective prop glasses, the photo comes out very dark (even in Auto mode).

I went to a camera shop today and talked to the owner. He said that if the camera is in Manual mode, then the meter setting should not affect the photo. He said it should only tell me if/how much my exposure will be out of whack. That is not the case though--looking at photos side by side it is clear that the white-shirt photos have a much darker green screen behind the subject. So, should Manual mode override the meter functionality as the camera store owner said? And if so, does that mean there is something wrong with my camera? Or is there a setting I'm missing?

Thanks for any help.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Ginacresse wrote:

I just purchased a Mojo photo booth and am very new to photography, so please forgive me if I ask dumb questions. I am having a problem with some photos coming out too dark.

Using a green screen backdrop in the booth (5' x 5' booth) sometimes the subject turns into a ghost and darker areas disappear into the backdrop image. The problem is worse if the subject is wearing light/white or holding a large white prop (i.e. Santa beard, text bubble, etc.)  I was told the problem was not enough light and that I should not use the Auto mode. I set the camera to Manual and used the suggested settings (F8, ISO 200, 1/160 ss). I don't have any external flash, just the flash that comes with the camera. If the subject is not wearing white, the photos come out fine--the green backdrop is well lit and the digital backdrop image looks good--no ghost issue. Using the same settings but changing to a white shirt causes the green screen background to appear darker and the subject to look like a ghost. I changed the E-TTL II meter setting to Average and it solved the white shirt problem... until I added even more white to the frame, then the ghost issue came back.

I have this problem even when not using the green screen. If the there is a lot of white in the booth, or large reflective prop glasses, the photo comes out very dark (even in Auto mode).

I went to a camera shop today and talked to the owner. He said that if the camera is in Manual mode, then the meter setting should not affect the photo. He said it should only tell me if/how much my exposure will be out of whack. That is not the case though--looking at photos side by side it is clear that the white-shirt photos have a much darker green screen behind the subject. So, should Manual mode override the meter functionality as the camera store owner said? And if so, does that mean there is something wrong with my camera? Or is there a setting I'm missing?

Thanks for any help.

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ETTL is extremely averse to blown highlights and meters for the brightest element of the scene. To put it another way, it effectively treats all flash as fill. That's why a white shirt makes your background darker (in the absence of other illumination) and why the shop owner told you to use manual mode. But the flash must be in manual (non-ETTL) mode, not just the camera. Depending on the camera you're using, it's conceivable that that may not be an  option, in which case you may have to get an external flash unit that can be set to manual.

I've had a fair amount of experience with ETTL flash, but little with manual. However, there are some in this forum (Skirball, for example) who are experts in the use of manual flash and who can probably point you in the right direction. One thing you didn't say, but which is critical to getting sound advice, is what model of camera you are using in the booth.

[Ginacresse]

Thanks Bob, and sorry about leaving out that vital bit of info. I have a Canon EOS Rebel t3i.

If I could figure out a way to set the flash to a manual, consistant mode, I would. I could not find a way to do it, though I know that doesn't mean it can't be done.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Ginacresse wrote:

Thanks Bob, and sorry about leaving out that vital bit of info. I have a Canon EOS Rebel t3i.

If I could figure out a way to set the flash to a manual, consistant mode, I would. I could not find a way to do it, though I know that doesn't mean it can't be done.

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See pages 182 and 199 of the 2012 edition of the T3i instruction manual. (If there's a newer edition, it may have moved a little, but it should be there somewhere. It's been a while since I downloaded my copy.)

[Ginacresse]

Thanks Bob. I did find that setting on the camera but it's grayed out and I can't seem to access it. It appears that I have to be using a wireless flash in order to enable this setting, but I don't have any external flash devices other than the built-in. I do plan to get some sort of external flash over the weekend to see if I can resolve my ghost issue. Do you have any recommendations for the kind I should get? From what I've read, I need something that can be set to Manual and that I can control the power of the flash, i.e. full power, 1/2 power, 1/4 power, etc. I wish I knew more about this.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@Ginacresse wrote:

Thanks Bob. I did find that setting on the camera but it's grayed out and I can't seem to access it. It appears that I have to be using a wireless flash in order to enable this setting, but I don't have any external flash devices other than the built-in. I do plan to get some sort of external flash over the weekend to see if I can resolve my ghost issue. Do you have any recommendations for the kind I should get? From what I've read, I need something that can be set to Manual and that I can control the power of the flash, i.e. full power, 1/2 power, 1/4 power, etc. I wish I knew more about this.

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The Canon speedlites are very good, and of course they'd communicate reliably with your camera. But they tend to be expensive; the top-of-the-line model costs more than $600. There are one or two Chinese companies that make flashes that are much cheaper, and some in this forum swear by them. But I have no experience with them and wouldn't dare try to recommend one for your application.

Skirball is our resident flash expert, but I haven't seen anything from her for a few days and suspect that she may be away for the holidays. If you can wait until she gets back on-line, I'm sure she could give you some good advice. There are others who are knowledgeable as well.

Flash is a complicated subject, and a newbie is likely to find it rough going. But you have to start somewhere: the only way to get on top of it is to start aquiring experience.

[Ginacresse]

Thank you Bob. I will get a Speedlite today 🙂 I have read many good reviews and I think it will be well worth the cost.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Ginacresse wrote:

Thank you Bob. I will get a Speedlite today 🙂 I have read many good reviews and I think it will be well worth the cost.

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You're welcome, Gina. Glad I could help.

My wife and I have four Canon speedlites between us, and all have given good service. I don't think you'll be disappointed.