Steps for using flash-fill in daylight.

posted by justsexy, Jun 1, 2006 5:16 AM — 6 comments



















Flash fill in daylight.

This effective lighting technique can be used at any time of day to create a controlled portrait concept.

In shooting Lucretia in the auto junkyard, I hand-held the flash using an off-camera cable extension at arm's length.

These steps are for the Canon camera and flash set-ups, however most digital SLR cameras and flash units will have almost identical options.

Step 1: Set the camera on Program, Aperture or Time value settings. (Do not use the fully-automatic “green box” setting which can disable some of the “creative” camera functions.) Aperture gives the photographer the most compositional option by allowing control over Depth of Field. Manual also works, but a bit more metering along with calculated guesswork is involved.

Step 2: Dial down the exposure compensation on the camera to minus one stop (-1). This tells the camera that there’s too much ambient light and to underexpose the image.

Step 3: Dial up the exposure compensation on the flash to plus one stop (+1). This tells the flash that more light is needed to properly expose the subject.

The Effect: The overall background will appear one stop darker yielding richer skies or ominous clouds. The model posed a few feet in front of the camera, will be properly exposed by the increased flash.