Project365 - Portrait Lighting, Revisited

Introduction
In the last couple of posts, I have been working on lighting. In one, I was trying to zero out the background to black. In another, I was learning to use the flash on completely manual settings. Tonight, I am mixing it up, and using different techniques at the same time.
The Setup
Camera - Canon 60D, Lens - 40mm f/2.8, Flash - Canon Speedlite 430 EX II, Triggers - Cactus v5, 40W bulb in table lamp
The model was seated, with a table lamp on her left, at about a 20 degree angle. Then the flash was situated in front & above at about a 45 degree angle. The use of the triggers meant I was free to shoot from anywhere. The flash was set to manual & at 1/32 power - I didn't want to blow the model away ! The photos were exposed at f/2.8, 1/250th of a second, at ISO200.
The Photos

This first photo was taken without the flash. It is exposed correctly, yet has an amber tinge to it. I could have cleaned it up by correcting the white balance in post-processing, but that actually defeats the purpose. Worse, the photo appears flat, as it lacks contrast.

Here, with the flash on, we get more accurate colour. We still have the effects of the amber lighting in he model's hair, and it has more depth. By manipulating the ISO & shutter speed, the background is very dark, and the model's hair stands out.





In this photo, I have dialled down the strength of the flash to 1/32 power. This stops the flash from overpowering the table lamp's amber glow. We still have depth, but now we have more natural looking colour. Unfortunately, this photo would have to go to post-processing to remove the reflection in the model's glasses !

In this photo, the flash had been at 1/16 power, with an 85mm beam. The effect is a dark background, and slightly harsher shadows. But I like the "mysterious" look it has !
It is, without a doubt, my favorite photo of the shoot. =D
















Lessons Learned
I'm still experimenting with flash photography. I like the freedom the triggers give me, and I'm learning to trust my instincts about the power the flash should be at, as well has how to cross-light my model. Maybe next time, I'll build & use a snoot !