Many amateur photographers have real problem when it comes down to utilizing flash outside to make a sophisticated 'fill-in ' flash effect. The commonest mistake is by using too much power in the flash which will smother the natural light and produce an exceedingly synthetic look for the image. If you leave your camera on automatic the tendency of the on-camera exposure meter is to see the scene as 'dark ' and set the flash to high power with a fast shutter speed and middle-sized aperture. The result might be satisfactory as a party image but isn't acceptable for a serious portrait.
There are many things of importance here and it's possible put together a straightforward step by step guide which will allow anyone to form stunning portraits.
The first thing to recognise is that there are 2 elements in the image which are receiving light from 2 different light sources. The 1st is the background which is lit from background light. This may be sunlight outside or possible artificial light from within a room. The second part is your subject which, being nearer to you, will receive some illumination from the background light but most light will come from the flashgun. Both these elements have to be considered independently for a good picture to be created.
We will make the assumption that the flash gun is positioned 'off-camera ', though this is not a prerequisite for this technique to work.
Important things first we have to set the exposure for the background. Check that the flash gun is turned off and use your manual exposure reading to make an exposure to produce a nice background effect. This can involve modifying the ISO setting, lowering the shutter speed and selecting a wider aperture to allow more light into the camera.
Now turn the flash on and set it to manual. Try experimenting with different settings until subject is suitably exposed.
In this way you are using two different light sources and systems of control. The camera exposure is being set for the background and the flash for the subject.
With a little experimentation you'll be making excellent exposures that any experienced wedding photographer would be happy with.
There are many things of importance here and it's possible put together a straightforward step by step guide which will allow anyone to form stunning portraits.
The first thing to recognise is that there are 2 elements in the image which are receiving light from 2 different light sources. The 1st is the background which is lit from background light. This may be sunlight outside or possible artificial light from within a room. The second part is your subject which, being nearer to you, will receive some illumination from the background light but most light will come from the flashgun. Both these elements have to be considered independently for a good picture to be created.
We will make the assumption that the flash gun is positioned 'off-camera ', though this is not a prerequisite for this technique to work.
Important things first we have to set the exposure for the background. Check that the flash gun is turned off and use your manual exposure reading to make an exposure to produce a nice background effect. This can involve modifying the ISO setting, lowering the shutter speed and selecting a wider aperture to allow more light into the camera.
Now turn the flash on and set it to manual. Try experimenting with different settings until subject is suitably exposed.
In this way you are using two different light sources and systems of control. The camera exposure is being set for the background and the flash for the subject.
With a little experimentation you'll be making excellent exposures that any experienced wedding photographer would be happy with.
About the Author:
Pixcellence Wedding Photography are a grouping of professional photographers who concentrate on Asian Wedding Photography in the UK. They run coaching courses to help photographers improve their photographic talents.
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