Flash Technique


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cykic

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Feb 15, 2007
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Northeastern paradise
Hi,

Hope I'm in the right forum section.

I'm quite bad at flash photography. Want to get advice from bros on how to do fill-in for portraiture shots (outdoors). :think:

Is it best to stick to A Mode with the flash on? What is the setting for ISO if Flash is on?
Or is P Mode or M Mode better? If so, what is the right setting?

Thanks in advance :)
 

The mode is up to your comfort. But I would suggest that you keep to one constant to learn better.

Try shooting in A mode, f4.

Change the ISO to suit the conditions, 100 in good light, 200 during cloudy, 400 indoors, etc..

Check the shutter speed, it may be about 1/60 or if you can lower it further, try 1/30...

Then the most important part for fill-in flash, drop the flash ev to -1.0 try a lower value if you still get bright spots.
 

Hi,

Hope I'm in the right forum section.

I'm quite bad at flash photography. Want to get advice from bros on how to do fill-in for portraiture shots (outdoors). :think:

Is it best to stick to A Mode with the flash on? What is the setting for ISO if Flash is on?
Or is P Mode or M Mode better? If so, what is the right setting?

Thanks in advance :)

there is no right setting...use M mode be better...use TTL mode on the flash to fill in...everything you take a photo...see whether is there enough light a not...if not...retake..
 

for outdoor portraits, depends for what you want.

for fill flash effect, which mean daylight is your main light, camera expose according to the scene, use any mode is fine, your flash exposure is 1 1/2 to 2 stops down from the camera setting.

for flash use as main light, you expose your subject according to the flash exposure, to make the background darker, exposure for the background is 1 1/2 to 2 stops down from the camera meter reading.
 

What everyone said is correct. Essentially, many ways to aschieve the same result. It all depends on what you find easier to contro, and use in a real-life situation.

Generally, if I have the lux of time, I go all Manual on cam and on flash as that would give me total control. The advantage of going fully manual is also that you tend to be more mindful of apeture settings, especially important in portraiture work.

Depending on what you want to achieve in the photo:

1) Overall balance - correctly exposed BG and correctly exposed face : Meter for BG (with shutter speed set at or below max sync speed), and set the flash on M according to what distance you lens tells you and what apeture you're using. Adjust M flash output accordingly after previewing results.

2) Dark BG, correctly exposed face : Meter for BG, then either increase shutter speed (up to max sync speed) or decrease the apeture or both to get the BG underexposed. Set flash to the correct M setting according to the flash to subject distance, and apeture opening to expose the face correctly. Adjust accordingly after previewing.

This is just a guide to get you started. Don't be afraid to break the rules once you've learnt them, but not before. LOL! Also, as with any guides, explore variations of the basic settings to see what gives you the most desirable results. Often, you will find yourself deviating from the 'norm' for best results, and that's perfrectly ok.

For stress-free practise, try using a doll or inanimate object. That way, you won't be so kan-chiong ... esp in fron ot a chio bu. :cool:
 

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