I have a small studio in my downstairs area.Do mostly portraiture and wedding photography.I have shot many photos in my studio and usually do good amateur work.However, I recently purchased new lighting equipment and ever since you would think I had never picked up a camera!I am shooting with a Canon Elan7 SLR film.I have a 420 speedlight on my hot shoe which I bounce from the ceiling.I have a medium softbox as my main light 45 degrees on right of camera (ps-300) and a light w/umbrella as my fill light 45 degrees left of camera (ps-300).I have a background light to background behind subject and a medium softbox hair accent to left back of subject on side of fill light.I have checked lights and all are flashing with trigger from speedlight flash.I have moved them in closer to my subject.My batteries are good in my camera.Yet the last 3 rolls of film I have shot at different times has returned from the developer "unable to develop.Too dark" I am at my wits end. I have loved photography forever but this is making me consider taking up candle making as a hobby!!! Can you help me??

I shoot with all digital equipment- but I had a some shots coming out like yours. I had a SB-800 flash on my D70. I was triggering two monlights by the flash doing my product photography. Almost all the test shots I did came out waaay to dark. I turned off my speedlight, hooked a sync cable to my camera as well as one of the monolights. After that my shots were coming out the way I wanted them to. I found out the my on camera flash's pre trigger lights were setting off the strobes. If you can, try using a sync cable and taking a few shots without using your flash, and see how the pictures come out

Thanks for the advice.I will try that. I am just so puzzled as to the fact that I have made multiple photos with same set up, background, camera before with no problem.But now this.Thanks again.

Welcome to the forum, sharlet. Yeah, sounds like jm is on to something. On camera flashes (especially any kind that are automatic) usually cause nothing but trouble with a fuller studio flash setup.

I think you'll find that what little "ceiling bounce" is added by your on camera-flash is almost negligible in the grand scheme of using all those other lights. IMO, you don't need it...

Thanks for your reply...I am really only using my bounced flash unit to trigger my slaves. I don't presently have a shoe sync cord that will connect from my camera to my slaves and thus eliminating my need for the speedlite. I am not sure exactly what I should be looking for in way of a shoe sync cord for this.
However, I have been using same set up with great results until now.How could this problem only start now and not been a problem for the past 2 years.
I will definitely try your suggestion and see if it works. Thanks again.

However, I have been using same set up with great results until now.How could this problem only start now and not been a problem for the past 2 years...

I was under the impression this is a new setup. Here's what you said in your first post:

"I recently purchased new lighting equipment and ever since you would think I had never picked up a camera!I..."

Maybe you can clear this up a bit...

Does your flash by chance have a place for a PC sync cable to plug into? I've got a Nikon system so I don't know very much about Canon. On my SB-800, I can plug my sync cord into the flash, and I can trigger my studio flashes with it even though my flash is turned off.

Hey Steve,
Sorry about that.I can see the confusion.Let me explain.
I was using ps-300 strobe with umbrella on left as main and same on right with fill. Had no problems.Good high key photos on white background.I recently purchased 2 more of same lights to broaden my lighting set up only instead of umbrellas, they have softboxes as diffusers.So now I have a medium sb on right and umbrella on left.Medium sb as hair accent and a background light on rear right behind main.So now with more light they are turning out horrible.I would have thought more light would have been better or at worst would have been overexposed not too dark.
Thank you for your response and I hope it makes more sense.

sharlet

Does your flash by chance have a place for a PC sync cable to plug into? I've got a Nikon system so I don't know very much about Canon. On my SB-800, I can plug my sync cord into the flash, and I can trigger my studio flashes with it even though my flash is turned off.

I got excited, went and looked, and no...there is no place on my flash for a sync cable to plug into.Is it possible that the softboxes are somehow getting the lights out of sync? Thinking back, it seems my problem started when I began using the softboxes for the first time.

sharlet

If you can, I'd try to borrow somebody's DSLR and take some pictures using the flash to trigger your strobes, then try it using a sync cable. Then if the flash triggered ones don't come out, and the ones with the sync cable does, you've solved your mystery :D

Thank you for your response and I hope it makes more sense...

Yep, it does, but it doesn't help explain your problem. So, we need you to take us through your work flow when you shoot. How do you meter the flash output, or do you? And if not, how do you determine the settings of your lights and your camera. What shooting mode do you use? What ISO film?

Sounds to me (if it's not the pre-flash thing) like maybe you're setting your meter or camera on the wrong ISO. That could easily cause you to underexpose by two or more stops.

BTW, as someone who shot film for MANY years, I'll resist the temptation to try to sell you on digital (with which of course, you'd be able to figure out this problem very quickly, heh heh).

No, there's ceretainly no reason you shouldn't be getting good results with your camera and film. But I think I will mention that this is the very reason most all pro film studio shooters also shot Polaroids.

We DID NOT like "surprises" at the lab... :D

I had a similiar situation just last night!

I have been using the synch cord to my main since forever. I read somewhere that I could use the pop-up flash on the D200 to trigger the main and get rid of the cord since the rest of the lights are already slaves.

Tried it last night and shots were coming up way under exposed so I put the synch cord back on and everything is fine.

Wasn't till I read this post that it got me thinking the preflashes might be setting off the rest of the lights so I will try to turn that off.

It could be for your situation that your previous positioning of the lights was in such a way that the preflash did not trigger the flash?! Maybe.

Also, when I used the D100 I had to get a hot shoe mount to synch to my main. I think it was less than $20,.

thanks!
Wes

Also, when I used the D100 I had to get a hot shoe mount to synch to my main. I think it was less than $20...

Well, I find it hard to believe that the ELan7 doesn't have a pc sync cord plug, but yeah, then a hot shoe mount is a good idea. The one I'd recommend is the Wein Safe-Sync HSHS, which is also a voltage regulator...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,let me think about this one...
Sharlet,,,can you supply us with EXIF??

Jurgen
Australia

Sharlet,,,can you supply us with EXIF??

Well, never used the Elan7 myself, but it is a film camera. Don't think it records exposure data... :cool:

Great topic guys...

Asylum Steve... I love your website...all i can say is....WOW!

Great topic guys...

Asylum Steve... I love your website...all i can say is....WOW!

Thanks Marissa. Welcome to the site...:23: