Digital Camera World » fill in flash

Shoot Like A Pro: essential flash techniques for outdoor portraits

jmeyer — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 01:00:58 +0000

Good lighting can transform any average scene into something magical. In the final part of our outdoor portrait photography month of our Shoot Like A Pro series we look at some simple flash techniques and best practice for lighting your outdoor portraits.

Many amateur photographers dismiss flash because of the harsh, direct light it can produce, but neither of these need to be the case. Don’t be scared of flash, because with a few simple techniques and a bit of practice, it can totally transform your outdoor portraits.

There are two effective approaches. The first is to use something to soften the light, such as a softbox or umbrella. These make the light source much bigger, reducing the harsh shadows produced by direct flash.

The downside, however, is that they will reduce the amount of light reaching the subject. This can become an issue when shooting outside, because the flash may not be bright enough to light the subject effectively.

The second approach is to embrace the harsh light and use it to your advantage. This works best when  you take the flash off the top of the camera so that the light isn’t coming from the same position as the camera.

Using this technique you can even position the flash to mimic the effects of early morning or late evening sun, for dramatic results.

On the next page we’ll run through some of the best flash settings to use for outdoor portraits and how to balance exposure

PAGE 1: Overview
PAGE 2: Set up and use your flash outside
PAGE 3: 2 really easy flash techniques that work every time
PAGE 4: Ways to fire your flashgun

READ THE REST OF OUR OUTDOOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES

Outdoor portrait photography made easy
Master depth of field in outdoor portraits
The best lenses for outdoor portrait photography

Nikon Users: how to set up your DSLR for high-speed sync

jmeyer — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:00:44 +0000

Using flash in daylight is great for adding punch to your portraits – it fills in the shadows around the features and adds catchlights to the eyes. But fill flash can force you to compromise on your exposure settings.

Normally, you can’t use shutter speeds that are faster than the flash sync speed – typically 1/200 or 1/250 sec. That means you can’t use the widest aperture on your lens, so the background ends up being more in focus than you’d like.

But some Nikons have a feature called Auto FP that enables you to use any shutter speed.

Also known as high-speed sync flash, Auto FP makes your flashgun work differently. Instead of a single flash, it pulses at a very fast rate, switching on and off at up to 40,000 times a second.

How to set up your camera for high-speed sync

01 Defy the limitations
By default, your Nikon DSLR only lets you use shutter speeds up to the flash sync speed (1/200 sec or 1/250 sec). On advanced Nikon DSLRs, a menu option enables you to use Auto FP (Auto Focal Plane ), which means you can use flash at shutter speeds up to 1/4000 sec or 1/8000 sec.

02 Choose from the menu
On models such as the Nikon D90, you go to the ‘Bracketing/flash’ options in the Custom Settings menu and turn Auto FP on. On high-end models, such as the D800, you go to the ‘Flash sync speed’ option and pick ‘1/250 s (Auto FP)’. It’s not available on the D3100, D3200 or D5100.

03 Pick a suitable flashgun
Auto FP doesn’t work with pop-up flash or with basic add-on hotshoe guns, such as the Speedlight SB-400. But with the right camera and flash, the Auto FP option enables you to use flash with the widest apertures, even in bright daylight. Our shot was taken at f/1.8 at 1/500 sec.

QUICK TIP
Your flashgun’s power drops in Auto FP mode as the shutter speed gets faster, so you need to be close to the subject

Review: Flash Wave III RX wireless flash system

jmeyer — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 03:00:38 +0000

The Flash Wave III RX is a wireless system for triggering flashguns and studio lights, and firing the camera’s shutter. The system comprises a transmitter and receiver, and supports a total of 16 channels, selectable via four small switches on the side of both units.

These are painfully tiny though, and can only really be moved with the protrusion from the battery cover, as suggested by the manual.

Both units have LEDs to indicate power and status, although once a flashgun is mounted on the receiver it obscures the power LCD.

This model promises a greater range than earlier versions, and working on radio frequencies means it doesn’t require line of sight to communicate.

It works just as well through a series of walls and on different floors as it does when the units are placed right next to each other.

The receiver has a hotshoe on one side and a tripod thread on the other, so it can be mounted securely when used with a tripod, although it can easily support a flashgun without a tripod.

The Flash Wave III RX works well, but the one thing that may put some off is the lack of TTL metering support.

Still, if you’re on a budget and don’t require TTL compatibility, this is a perfectly capable system.

Price: £125
Buy: www.smdv.co.kr

SCORE: 4/5

Master fill flash in 4 easy steps

jmeyer — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:00:44 +0000

Flash can be essential in low light, particularly when you’re shooting living subjects. But it often ends up being a necessary evil, killing the atmosphere. Ironically, flash is often of more creative use in the hours of daylight.

Sometimes called ‘synchro sun’, and better known as ‘fill flash’, a burst of artificial light can be effective in practically any outdoor situation. What’s more, you don’t need any specialist kit – you can make do with the pop-up flash that comes built into most popular DSLRs.

The main restriction with the technique is that it only works if you’re the right distance away from the right subject. A range of 2-12ft is ideal, so the trick is great for portraits.

In bright sunshine, when you might think there’s enough light anyway, flash helps reduce the contrast on a subject, filling in the shadows that make eye sockets look dark and hide other facial details. On a dull, overcast day, a burst of flash has the opposite effect, adding contrast and making portraits more three-dimensional and colourful. And whatever the weather, the flash also gives a sparkle to people’s eyes by adding bright ‘catchlight’ reflections.

In its most basic form there’s little more to the technique than firing the pop-up flash and shooting. You need to be using the right exposure mode, though. Program (P) or Aperture Priority (A) work best if you have autofocus turned on and are using standard evaluative metering.

The beauty of fill flash is that you combine two exposures – one taken using daylight, and the other with flash. By varying the settings you can make the fill flash effect stronger or weaker, which is handy for increasing or decreasing the brightness of the background independently of the subject. Let’s see how it’s done…

Our portrait taken without fill flash

Get perfect portraits with fill flash

01 Push for pop-up
For fill flash, the easiest exposure mode to use is Program (P). This sets the aperture and shutter speed for you, for a balanced exposure with flash. Use matrix metering, and the AF points so that the camera knows where the subject is in the frame. Now pop up the flash.

02 Step down
Auto exposure is often perfect, but you can play with the settings to make the fill flash effect stronger or more subtle. To make the background look darker – to make a sky look more blue, say – you need exposure compensation. Try -1.0 (one stop underexposed).

03 Play with power
The exposure compensation will make the foreground and background darker. To ensure that the subject is properly lit, adjust the flash power. Press the flash pop-up button and turn the front dial. On cameras such as the D3100, press +/- Exposure Compensation, too.

04 Finalise settings
Set the Flash Exposure Compensation to +1.0 (one stop over). This is the maximum allowed, although you can turn the power down to -3.0). Take a picture and the subject will be properly exposed but the background will be darkened by the new setting.

Top tips for using fill flash

01 Take it slow
Leave your pop-up flash set to Slow for better fill flash shots at dusk. Just press the pop-up flash button and turn the dial.

02 Pump it up
To increase the range of the built-in flash, change the ISO. Going from 100 to 800 ups the range from 2.1m to 6m at f/5.6.

03 Watch the hood
Lens hoods can cause problems with fill flash, particularly when you’re close to a subject. To avoid shadows, take hoods off!

04 Beware of alerts
For more exposure control use Aperture Priority (A). If you see ‘Hi’ in the shutter speed readout, reduce the ISO or step down aperture.

05 Max control
For full pop-up creativity, set ‘Flash cntrl for built-in flash’ to Manual in the Custom Settings menu. Then expose manually.

Replicate a fill-flash effect in Photoshop

dcworld — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:25:06 +0000

Find out how Photoshop’s Lighting Effects filter can be used to add a fill-in flash effect to under-exposed portraits

When shooting a subject with the sun behind them, or stood against a bright, illuminated background, a little fill-in flash is essential to balance the exposure of your image. Without the powerful light produced by the flash you will risk plunging your subject into unflattering, gloomy shadow. This will not only result in under-exposure of the image’s main subject, but will also affect the reproduction of the colour, tone and detail in the whole portrait. By using the Lighting Effects feature you can pinpoint the centre of the added light to maximise the effect on the image, giving it the edge over a simple Levels adjustment. Watch the video to find out more…