Event lighting and flash question

If you are shooting a venue where the existing light isn't changing are you shooting manual or ETTL?

I get a lot of people blinking in my shots, and I'm using ETTL. Do you think the pre-flash increases people blinking? While on topic, I'm guessing most of you are using hot shoe mounted flashes at weddings vs studio lights/strobes?

Do you find with the aid of a Custom bracket with flash mounted you can get the lighting you desire or have you gone the route of hiring an assistant to hold the flash where you want it each time?

Combination of people with eyes closed and not 100% happy with my lighting, I'm reaching out for more opinions.

Thanks guys!

If its a larger wedding I'll have an assistant with me to hold my flash off camera. I always shoot with flash in TTL, very rarely will I go manual. Well I go manual in shots where I want to expose for the ambient light and yet have my subject exposed good.

Francis wrote: If you are shooting a venue where the existing light isn't changing are you shooting manual or ETTL?

Whether existing lighting is changing or not isn't usually a concern for me. I'm going to choose ETTL or manual based on whether my subject distance is changing rapidly or not. If I can control my subjects, and keep them consistently at the same distance, or have the time to adjust flash power as they move then I set power manually. When my subject distance is changing constantly because me and my subjects are moving I like ETTL

Francis wrote: I get a lot of people blinking in my shots, and I'm using ETTL. Do you think the pre-flash increases people blinking?

I think it probably does, but it hasn't been a significant problem for me.

Francis wrote: I'm guessing most of you are using hot shoe mounted flashes at weddings vs studio lights/strobes?

Yes. Whether on a bracket or on a lightstand, I'm using speedlights. Mainly because they are more portable and don't require plug-ins or large battery packs.

Francis wrote: Do you find with the aid of a Custom bracket with flash mounted you can get the lighting you desire or have you gone the route of hiring an assistant to hold the flash where you want it each time?

I use lightstands and remote triggered flash as long as I have the time. For instance with the posed portraits. Usually I will either use a medium sized softbox, or try to bounce if the location is suited for it.

For more photojournalism style shooting of the crowd and reception I use a flash on a Newton bracket. Almost always bounced. I do carry a variety of flash mods: DIY bounce cards, GF Dome, SF Omnibounce, mini softbox, etc...

My ideal situation would be to have an assistant to hold the light stand, move it where I want, adjust power, etc... But I've had a hard time finding a reliable assistant. It's hard to get people to commit their Saturdays a year in advance. They say they want to do it, but 2 days before the wedding I get a message saying they are worn out from their day job, or need to watch the kids, or something else. I got tired of retraining a new person for every other wedding, and decided to just go it alone.