straight ahead …

May 11, 2008 @ 8:05 pm · Filed under flash, flash photography, technique

Here’s a question that comes up often in emails I receive:  Do I use a diffuser of some kind outdoors or do I just use direct flash, with the flash in the straight ahead position.

The simple answer is that yes, outdoors I most often shoot with my speedlight straight-on with no diffuser or light modifier, especially if I only use my speedlight for fill-flash. 

But then again, the answer is not quite that simple - so let’s take this back a few steps:


Shooting with your on-camera flash in a straight-ahead position while indoors is possibly the worst way to use flash.  We are far better off creating softer directional light by bouncing off a wall or other surfaces.

In this example from a wedding I photographed recently, the flash is both diffuse and directional.  And it should be noted that even though the flash used here was an on-camera speedlight, there is no light coming directly from the camera’s viewpoint. 

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This would be ideal the ideal way to use flash outdoors as well, and where I am able to, I do use off-camera lighting that is diffuse.

For example:

Here I  used a Quantum T5D-R in wireless TTL mode and with the Q-flash in a Westcott Apollo softbox, creating a very pleasant fill-flash.  The Q-flash (with Quantum 2×2 battery) and the softbox was held up high by my assistant.

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In this example, I bounced my on-camera speedlight into a reflector that my assistant was holding up - and this once again, gave me soft but directional light.

So where I can, I do try to use soft directional flash outdoors, but quite often there are compromises of some kind to deal with.  There might not be a handy surface to bounce flash off, or perhaps the available light may be too bright to allow me to bounce light effectively off outside surfaces.  Or I might be without an assistant. 

When I am working outside and I only have my on-camera speedlight to help me with less-than-ideal available light … and I have these above-mentioned limitations … then I accept the compromise of direct on-camera flash. 

Since I can’t bounce flash off the clouds - although I have seen photographers apparently try that, strangely enough - I accept that straight-on flash is all that I have at my disposal at the time.  BUT, when working with subjects outside, I will try and position them such that the ambient light is fairly even (or pleasant looking) light on them … and then I use fill-flash to lift the shadow areas. 

So in that case, I am using just a touch of fill-flash, and the flash is barely noticeable.   Therefore the fact that it is direct flash barely detracts from the overall image.

I very rarely use a diffuser of any kind when I shoot outside with direct flash (as fill-flash).  The reason is that we only get softer light by creating a (much) larger light source.  And plonking on a Stofen on the front of the flash does NOT create a larger light source.  Similarly, pretty much every light modifier that is attached to the speedlight and used directly, will not create a much larger light source than direct flash.  It is therefore just a simpler way to use the flash direct - straight-on and without a diffuser - and dial my flash compensation way down to around -2EV or -3EV.

Here are some examples from recent engagement photo sessions:

My settings:
1/250th @ f5 @ 500 iso - manual exposure mode.
On-camera TTL flash, dialled down to -2EV.

As you can see, I carefully placed my subjects in open shade and I used undiffused direct on-camera flash to lift any shadow areas just a touch.  It does not look like direct flash, because the flash was dialled way down … and the flash exposure rides on top of correct exposure for the available light.  ie .. the flash just sweetens the scene a bit.

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My settings:
1/320th @ f4 @ 500 iso - manual exposure mode.
On-camera TTL flash, dialled down to -3EV.

Once again, I made sure I had even light on my couple by having them turn away from the sunlight, ie  I  placed my subjects in open shade.  And similarly to the previous example, I used undiffused direct on-camera flash to lift any shadow areas just a touch.

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Why -3EV here and -2EV in the previous example?  Purely whim. No real reason aside from that.

You see, since the flash is just a soft ‘touch’ of fill-flash, the exact value isn’t of that great an importance.  The fill-flash just rides on top of correct ambient exposure.  And THAT is key here - that my available light exposure is correct.  In both these examples (and in every other example on this website), I shot in manual exposure mode.  It really is the only  way to achieve consistency in exposure, and achieve consistently correct exposure.  Trust me on this one.

Here’s one more example to show that using direct flash like this as fill-flash, and that getting these results aren’t merely flukes:

My settings:
1/250th @ f4 @ 800 iso - manual exposure mode.
On-camera TTL flash, dialled down to -3EV.

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Now, what about those times when flash isn’t merely delicate fill light ?

My settings:
1/250th @ f7.1 @ 200 iso - manual exposure mode.
On-camera TTL flash, dialled up a touch to +0.3EV.

As I mentioned earlier - using the speedlight for a touch of fill-flash means that the direct flash is barely noticeable.  However, if I have to use flash as a main source of light, then the flash is noticable - but not necessarily objectionable.  And I’m of the opinion that using a flash modifier on a speedlight would barely have made a difference … except cut down on my speedlight’s power.  And few flash modifiers offer a substantially larger light source over that of the speedlight’s flash head - and therefore to my mind, using a flash modifier outdoors isn’t often of much use.

In the image above you can see that flash was used, in that there is a distinct flash shadow - but this was a slight compromise on this photo shoot, since I knew I would be moving around a lot.  And therefore when I had to lift the shadow areas to that of the brighter sunlit areas of the scene, I knew I would have to use more than just a hint of fill-flash.

So yes, I do use direct on-camera flash when shooting outdoors.   But even then I take care in how I use flash, and specifically how I use flash in relation to my available light.

 

54 Comments »

  1. Linda Wang Said,

    May 11, 2008 @ 9:17 pm

    I took Neil’s flash workshop last year, and he covered this topic and much much more. I highly recommend his workshop for everyone shooting weddings. It dramatically improved my photography, and continues to do so. Neil is the master of light! And an all-around nice guy.

    Linda

  2. Andrew Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 3:43 am

    This is a really useful round-up, thank you. I’ve developed such an aversion to direct flash that I’ve ignored the fill-in possibilities. Shall definitely give it a try now.

  3. Sarah Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 6:29 am

    Great post, thanks. But why shoot at ISO 500 and 800?

  4. Matej Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 8:26 am

    Extremely informative, as always.

    I’m just wondering why your ISO is set so high (500 and 800) in the first three direct-flash examples.

    Thanks,

    Matej

  5. Neil Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 8:34 am

    Hi there everyone …

    About my choice of ISO - there are a few things working together here which often make me bump my ISO higher.

    Looking at my choice of shutter speeds and apertures:

    I am always at (or near to) max sync speed. This is a sweet spot where my flash works less hard because it allows the widest aperture while still remaining outside of High-Speed Sync mode. (The one image was in HSS mode though).

    My shutter speed is then high enough to give me sharp images because camera shake is less likely (especially since the lenses are stabilised), and also reduces the risk of motion blur by my subjects.

    My aperture is around f4
    The one lens I use during engagement portrait sessions is the Canon 24-105mm f4 IS lens .. so my widest aperture is f4. The other lens is the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens. An aperture of f4 on the longer lens will give me sharper images than f2.8 and also allow slightly more leeway for movement inside the field of focus.

    Therefore if I want to shoot in the range of 1/250th and f4 while working in shaded areas, I need to change my ISO to suit.

    Since I shoot with the Canon 1Dmk3 primarily, high-ISO noise is not an issue at 800 ISO or less. I can even go higher if need be.

    And the reason why I would favour a higher ISO over a slower shutter speed in order to get correct exposure - I can always correct high-ISO noise in post-production (even though I very very rarely do or need to) … but I can’t fix photos that are unsharp due to camera shake or subject movement.

    So therefore I will always favour the choice of a higher ISO.

    Neil vN

  6. aaron Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 9:29 am

    Hi. Wonderful article.
    Just wondering about the high ISO’s used outdoors, 500 and 800 ISO….

    also do you have a formula for how much fill flash you use? more flash in the sun than in the shade etc, overcast days…just wondering if you can approximate what FEC you dial down for different scenarios.
    Thanks! This was helpful.

  7. Neil Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 10:30 am

    Aaron …

    About the amount of fill flash, this is a very rough guide.
    But I do adjust it to taste by looking at my camera’s LCD.
    I try not to get stuck on the specifics.

    fill-flash in same direction as sun (or available light)
    (flash exposure compensation around -3 to -1 stops)

    fill-flash 90’ to sun (or direction of available light)
    (flash exposure compensation around -2 to 0 stops)

    fill-flash against sun (or direction of available light)
    (flash exposure compensation around -1 to +1 stops)
    However, ambient exposure here will depend on what the background looks like, and how it is lit. In the example of the couple with the very warm background, I let the background blow out a bit, and therefore just used a touch of fill-flash at -3EV.

    As I said, don’t get locked into specific recipes here - adjust your settings to taste, (incl flash) by thinking about what you’re trying to achieve. And compare that to what you’re seeing on your LCD preview.

    Neil vN

  8. Declan Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 10:45 am

    Neil,

    I greatly appreciate all the effort that’s gone into this blog .. I must have read the whole thing and will probably do so again in the run up to my best friend’s wedding in the summer. Thank you.

    When you use the term “open shade” - do you mean the subject is say standing in a field and is shaded by a nearby wall but is open in all other directions?

    That is how I would read it but above in the lovely shot of the couple with the orange light diffusing through the trees you say you “asked them to turn away from the Sun - i.e. they are in open shade”. Do you mean what I said above or do you literally mean that they were lit by direct Sun but with their backs to it? The lighting seems way too soft for them to be lit by direct Sun so am I right in thinking they were also stood in shade .. just that we can’t see the shaded area as it’s (usefully) out of frame?

    Thanks,

    Declan

  9. Neil Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 11:09 am

    Hi there Declan …

    You’re right about the choice of words, and ‘open shade’ might not be the correct way to describe the light in that image.

    What I wanted to illustrate though is that their backs are turned to the light (which is the sun filtering through the cloud cover and some trees), and their faces are therefore in ’shade’ compared to the direction of the most available light.

    It was just simpler to say ‘open shade’ in the description.

    Neil vN.

  10. Declan Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 11:17 am

    Wow thanks for your prompt reply! Hope you weren’t thinking I was poking holes! It was an overcast day then - that would explain the lighting. Did you warm it up then?

  11. Neil Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 11:49 am

    hi there Declan …

    Nope, it wasn’t an overcast day either.
    It just was as it was … soft warm light - some sun, some slight cloud cover. Neither a bright sunshiney day, nor an overcast day. Who knows … I didn’t take notes of the weather. You might be over-thinking the specific light here, and trying to fit it into a specific category which in the end doesn’t help in understanding what is illustrated here. :)

    As for warming it up … I might have. I usually adjust my WB as part of my raw workflow. The WB is something I adjust to taste, going for a pleasant WB as opposed to a ‘correct’ WB.

    Neil vN

  12. Declan Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 11:54 am

    Aye they’re stunning shots .. nuff said! :)

    Thank you Neil!

  13. Thai Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 2:38 pm

    Can’t believe you posted this up today, since I had the same problem on Saturday. I had the flash on my camera but had no idea what to do with it since I’ve always heard direct flash is bad. I’ll def give your pointers a try the next time I shoot.

    Thanks so much for the information you provide here Neil. I greatly appreciate it. Looking forward to hopefully take a workshop with you one of these days. Any chance you’ll have one locally (NJ) before October?

    -Thai

  14. Neil Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 5:04 pm

    Hi there Thai …

    My schedule only frees up enough around Oct for the Fall series of flash photography workshops, so the Oct 22 date is the earliest that I’ll be able to present a workshop in the NY/NJ area.

    Neil vN

  15. Rene Skrodzki Said,

    May 12, 2008 @ 6:03 pm

    Excellent page this week, I learned so much from this and other ones here.

    I also wanted to thank you for responding to my email last week.

    Your use of on camera flash rocks for sure, this is the direction I want to go in and I will be practicing for sure.

    Since most of what I used to shoot was available light, (car racing) learning flash has certainly improved my photographs.

  16. Amir Said,

    May 13, 2008 @ 12:19 am

    Hey Neil,

    Thank you for the great information.
    i just wanted to ask you something, isn’t using a smaller Aperature like F/4 or F/7.1 is the way not have all the surrounding over exposed from the flash.
    i tried fill flash before but i had the problem is that i expose the couple correclty then i take the shot, the couple are great and the fill flash did eliminate the shadows, but the ambient and surrounding is over exposed, so isn’t this the reason fro smaller Aperature.
    for what i know is that the Aperature size is the main factor in controlling flash light entering the camera, secondary is the ISO.
    So from the setting of your pictures i would say you lowered the exposure of the surrounding by giong to SS 1/250th???

    thanks again

  17. Neil Said,

    May 13, 2008 @ 6:18 am

    Hi there Amir

    I think the problem you’re experiencing here, is that you may have a situation for example where your subjects are in shade and the background is over-exposed ?

    If so, your choice of aperture and shutter speed in itself doesn’t affect that balance between how bright the shaded subject and the bright background is.

    In that case you will need to expose for the brighter background, and use then use flash (or some kind of supplemental lighting), to bring your subject’s exposure up.

    (If I misunderstood your question, just ask again.)

    RE: the next part of your question:
    >> for what i know is that the Aperture size is the main factor in controlling flash light entering the camera, secondary is the ISO.

    Yes and no.
    Both the ISO and Aperture choice have a direct influence on your flash exposure, (and conversely on how much light your flash has to emit for correct exposure.)

    However, within a reasonable range, your choice of aperture and ISO essentially becomes transparent when you use TTL flash.
    More on that here, and what it implies: “Dragging the Shutter” revisited.

    Neil vN.

  18. Ray Price Said,

    May 13, 2008 @ 8:04 am

    I have started using High Speed sync and really love it. I’m concerned about the drain on the flash batteries with this setting, specifically when shooting a lot of images.
    You mentioned you try to stay out of High Speed Sync whenever possible. Is it because of battery drain? If not, then why ?

    Great article. Wonderful images and poses.

  19. Neil Said,

    May 13, 2008 @ 10:47 am

    Ray …

    You’re right, in brighter light, I try to stay at max sync speed because I get the most range from my speedlight.

    This conversely means that my flash recycles faster, or works less hard for the same exposure.

    Neil vN

  20. Stephen Said,

    May 13, 2008 @ 3:03 pm

    Hi Neil:
    About the 24-105mm f4 IS lens and Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens…Can’t you dial the 70-200mm to f4? For example, suppose you wanted to shoot at 80mm. Both lenses support that zoom length, so both lenses can be set at f4. I presume your choice to use the 24-105mm goes beyond the aperture setting.

  21. Neil Said,

    May 13, 2008 @ 10:15 pm

    Stephen … I use the 24-105 and 70-200 zooms in tandem, since they cover a very wide range in focal length, and there is a very handy overlap in their range.

    Neil.

  22. Peter W. Pecci Said,

    May 14, 2008 @ 12:08 pm

    Hey Neil,
    I have followed your thoughts and teaching. It truly has made a difference. I noticed some photographers are using Video lights instead of flash, outdoors. What are your thoughts on using a video light instead of a on-camera flash. Of course an assistant would have to be used.

    Thanks,
    Pecci

  23. Neil Said,

    May 14, 2008 @ 1:20 pm

    Pecci

    I’ve started to experiment using video lights, and used with careful consideration as to what you want to add to the scene, and what light you want on your subject … it can look dramatically different than is capable with flash in a quick set-up.

    I find that video light might be easier to use for certain ways of lighting a subject in an on-the-go kind of shoot. So it is definitely a way of using light that I want to explore more.

    Neil vN

  24. Peter Said,

    May 14, 2008 @ 2:09 pm

    Neil,

    1st of all thanks for the information you provide, I’ve learned so much since I started reading your blog.

    I shoot Nikon and I was wondering if you set your Flash to TTL-BL for the above shots and if so would you also dial down the EV.

  25. Neil Said,

    May 14, 2008 @ 6:50 pm

    Hi Peter

    Those images were all shot with the Canon 1D mk3. However, if I photographed those using Nikon, I would most certainly have used the TTL BL mode for the fill-flash, because TTL BL is designed specifically to give you fill-flash that takes into account the ambient light metering of your camera.

    Neil vN

  26. YaRp Said,

    May 15, 2008 @ 6:09 am

    Hye Neil…nice tutorial there..juz curious though..when u set ur shutter speed at 1/250th..you used the max sync speed rite of ur flash..so,like my camera max sync speed is 1/200th..can i set my shutter speed to 1/250th or should i decrease my shutter speed so that the cam n the flash can sync accordingly at 1/200th..

  27. Neil Said,

    May 15, 2008 @ 6:48 pm

    YaRp …

    That’s correct how you have it there.
    You always need to adapt the techniques a bit for whatever equipment you’re using.

    Neil vN

  28. Phil Said,

    May 16, 2008 @ 2:40 pm

    Neil,

    Your guides are pretty much my textbook references for those specific tricky situations. However, I’ve read all of your flash tutorials but I still beg to wonder: when IS it best to use your flash bounced at 45 degrees? I seem to find a lot of places on here that say it’s not the proper way to use the bounce flash, but what kinds of situations would it be the way to go, generally?

    Thanks,
    Phil

  29. Neil Said,

    May 17, 2008 @ 9:56 am

    Hi there Phil

    The only time I ever bounce at 45′ is when I want to force light fall-off in the foreground. Let’s say I am photographing someone walking towards me and I don’t want the ground (or sidewalk) overly lit by the flash, then I bounce in a more upright position.

    Since the ground is closer to me, it would get more light from the flash and be over-bright in comparison to my subject. So by forcing light fall-off I get more even light across the foreground and my subjects this way.

    Neil vN

  30. Jakob Swartz Said,

    May 18, 2008 @ 2:40 pm

    Hi Neil,

    Thank you very much for this article. I had the impression that you would loathe to use direct flash, based on previous articles, so this was very informative. I find your blog very helpful, so thank you for that.
    Someone above mentioned videolights. I would be grateful if you would post a write up on your experience with it, as your experiments progress.

    Thanks again,

    Jakob

  31. Neil Said,

    May 18, 2008 @ 2:57 pm

    Hi there Jakob ..

    I do indeed loathe the look of direct flash.
    But as these examples showed, when the flash is a subtle fill-flash, you can barely distinguish that direct flash was used … and then it becomes an acceptable short-cut for me.

    I’ll definitely add some future posts about my results with video lights.

    Neil vN.

  32. aaron Said,

    May 22, 2008 @ 9:55 am

    Neil, I have tried this bare flash vs diffuser outside and when the FEC is dialed down, you’re right you dont see much of the “flash look” cuz its just fill in….and its definitely easier to not have to use a diffuser.

    Question, you had given a couple of approximate guidelines for how much you should dial down in various scenarios, and mentioned that in the case of backlight, you shouldnt dial down so much and keep it approx -1 to +1…but wouldnt that “flash look” appear then, being that you are not dialing down and not using a diffuser?

    Thanks
    Aaron

  33. Neil Said,

    May 22, 2008 @ 10:35 am

    Aaron,

    You’re correct - the more you dial your flash exposure compensation up, while using direct flash - it will appear more ‘flashy’.

    Neil vN.

  34. Martyn Baker Said,

    May 25, 2008 @ 4:34 pm

    Hi Neil,
    I just love your use of flash in all situations and i guess that it takes a lot of practice to “master the light” this website is a real insperation to me as a new’ish’ wedding photographer….
    Just a few questions if you dont mind..

    1st question,
    As all of the images above were exposed manually, did you expose for the backgrounds or the subjects faces in the bright background images or take a mean average then dial your FEC back accordinally ??

    2nd question,
    If you set a manual exposure for a bright background and it shows -1 stop to retain a bit of detail would you then dial the FEC back -2 or -3 stops or let the flash TTL work it out ??

    Thanks for the site
    Martyn…

  35. Neil Said,

    May 28, 2008 @ 6:30 am

    Hi there Martyn …

    I expose for my subjects. If the backgrounds blow out, so be it.
    I’m a portrait photographer, not a landscape photographer. ;)

    The reason why the direct flash isn’t noticable as the deer-in-the-headlights type of harsh flash that we get at night-time, is because the flash here is just a touch of fill-flash.

    And for that, my basic ambient light exposure needs to be correct. And I figure out my exposure specifically for my subjects.

    About your 2nd question:
    If I wanted to retain detail in the background, I would expose for that, and then use flash to lift the subject (that is now in comparative shade), to the correct exposure. Then I would be hesitant in using direct flash like this, since the light from the speedlight will look flat.

    About the specific values you’re asking about there re FEC, I must say I don’t quite follow exactly what you’re asking. Try rephrasing it?

    Neil vN

  36. renee Said,

    May 31, 2008 @ 10:46 pm

    Hi Neil
    This whole conversation is regarding dialing down FEC OUTDOORS.

    What about when shooting indoors? Do you leave it at FEC 0, or do you dial down sometimes too?

  37. Neil Said,

    June 3, 2008 @ 6:32 am

    Renee …

    Indoors I mostly leave my FEC around the zero mark, but it depends on the reflectivity of my subject, and other things such as strong back-lighting. That affects the way the camera exposes for TTL flash.

    There’s more here about flash exposure compensation.

    Neil vN

  38. Marleny Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 2:18 pm

    I shoot Nikon and have just begun experimenting with flash. I have a single speedlight, the SB600. Your BLOG is so instructional and insightful. Thank you for taking the time to teach us all about flash photography. I need to go out and practice taking pics, but believe me I’ve read your blog at least twice and probably will need to read it many more in order for things to sink in…

    You mention in one of your previous replies that had you shot these images with the NIKON equipment you would have just set the speedlight to TTL BL–do you find that TTL BL works as well as the TTL on Canon dialing up and down the FEC? I’m wondering!! Just seems to simple that with Nikon you can go outdoors and take great flash shots exposing for your subject (of course, in even light–or open shade), setting the flashgun to TTL BL and shooting with flash straight on….is this basically what you would do?? should the metering be matrix, or center weighted? One thing that I’ve picked up which has been eye opening is the fact that as a rule of thumb, to shoot outdoors shutter speed should be at or near camera’s flash synch speed, and that you want to shoot in a pretty wide aperture, therefore ISO is the setting that needs to be played with in order to get good exposures. I tend to shoot in Manual mode all the time, so I appreciate that you are an advocate of manual shooting.

  39. Neil Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 3:34 pm

    Hi there Marleny …

    re the way I would use Nikon’s flash and the way I would use Canon’s flash when shooting outdoors and only wanting a touch of fill-flash … I would dial down the flash exposure compensation for both the Nikon and the Canon cameras.

    By how much .. that I would check via the image on the LCD preview.
    The specific controls for each system (and even for individual camera models) would vary. But once you become familiar with any specific camera system, you can make it work for you.

    In other words .. there is no Nikon-vs-Canon discussion here. ;)

    Regarding the metering mode I use. I mostly just keep it to matrix / evaluative.
    But in the end, it doesn’t matter all that much, as long as your exposure is accurate.

    >> One thing that I’ve picked up which has been eye opening is the fact that as a rule of thumb, to shoot outdoors shutter speed should be at or near camera’s flash synch speed, and that you want to shoot in a pretty wide aperture, therefore ISO is the setting that needs to be played with in order to get good exposures.

    You are correct about maximum sync speed giving you the widest aperture (and hence the most range from your flash) when shooting outdoors in bright conditions. (Or when shooting in a shaded area against a bright background.) But the ISO doesn’t affect your exposure like you believe it does.

    Since your ambient and the range of your flash will change in tandem as you change your ISO, you don’t affect the balance of your ambient light / TTL flash when you change your ISO.

    In other words, your speedlight works just as hard at f8 @ 8oo ISO, as it would at f5.6 @ 400 ISO. It emits the same amount of light.

    Neil vN

  40. Andrej Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 5:26 pm

    Hi Neil!

    First of all thank you for great page that you share with others.

    I would like to ask something…Logic of Nikon and Canon FEC is different as far as I know. Nikon have a different logic. If the flash shows when you take a picture for example -1EV then you have to move (correct) with buttons flash exposure to -1EV to get zero EV in the end. Am I right?

    So how can I know how much of EV should I put when taking pictures outside - using fill flash? Because max sync is 1/250 that means that is a must to use EV correction outside because you have to use direct flash to a subject and if you do not correct EV you get flash effect on your subject. Am I right? I’m talking when a subject standing on a sun.

    Kind regards,
    Andrej

  41. Neil Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 5:28 pm

    Hi there Andrej … thank you for the kind words.

    About your question about Nikon’s flash metering / available light metering … I’m not following your explanation or question there. Rephrase it perhaps?

    Re your question about the amount of fill-flash … it was already answered earlier on in this posting.

    >> Because max sync is 1/250 that means that is a must to use EV correction outside because you have to use direct flash to a subject and if you do not correct EV you get flash effect on your subject. Am I right?

    The max sync speed doesn’t relate to the amount of flash exposure compensation you need.

    The decision to use direct flash isn’t really dependent on my decision to get enough flash on my subject. Using direct flash like I explained here, is a decision on my part that I can cut corners without it being really noticable. (Instead of using a complex setups such as softboxes.)

    It is a specific decision on my part to do it this way, knowing that the flash will only be a touch of fill light. It is not the best way to do it, but it is the easiest and fastest way to do it, and still get excellent results.

    Neil vN

  42. Andrej Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 5:30 pm

    One more question.

    You wrote that you can control ambient exposure with ISO and aperture to get correct exposure on subject and background. But how important is to set right shutter speed? Is there a difference if I set it to 1/60 or 1/250 when I am inside since flash can work in TTL with ma shutter speed?

    So how do I know which ISO and aperture must I set to get right ambient exposure when I set 1/60 or 1/250 for example in a room with lights …

    Kind regards

  43. Neil Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 5:35 pm

    Andrej,

    Of course the shutter speed is important in controlling the available light. And there will be a big difference between 1/50th and 1/250th .. but which setting will be more appropriate, will depend entirely on the specific scenario, and on your intended result. In other words .. it all depends.

    So how do you know what ISO / shutter speed / aperture to set your camera to ?
    Once again, it all depends. There are too many variables to give you specific settings.
    But the general rule is that you want as low an ISO as possible (for best image quality), at a shutter speed high enough to stop camera shake and subject motion (if you want to), and an aperture that will give you enough depth of field.

    So there is a lot of headroom here.

    However, in many situations where I am photographing indoors, I will purposely set my camera so that the available light is lower than my camera’s light meter indicates. ie, if I don’t use flash, my images will be under-exposed by 2 or 3 stops.

    Then I use TTL flash (with some nudging via flash exposure compensation), to get my subject correctly exposed.

    Because TTL flash technology works such that it follows your aperture and ISO, and gives you correct exposure (with certain limitations obviously) … it means you can set your camera to a fairly wide range of settings (as long as your ambient exposure is lower than your settings will allow) … and you would still get correct exposure.

    Neil vN

  44. Andrej Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 5:41 pm

    Here you “dragging the shutter”:
    http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/3-dragging-the-shutter/

    and here you explained that “dragging the shutter” is not the best way to do it - that we should user aperture dragging:
    http://planetneil.com/tangents/2008/02/29/dragging-the-shutter-revisited/

    I am a little confused or I missed something here…

    Kind regards,
    Andrej

  45. Neil Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 6:03 pm

    Andrej …

    There is no “should” instruction there.
    What I wrote there is intended as some “you could do it this way too” advice.

    With the ‘Dragging the Shutter Revisted’ posting, I wanted to explain further that we should not be locked into thinking only in terms of our shutter speed to control available light, but that with TTL flash technology, the ways to control our ambient light and flash combinations, have opened up considerably from the way it used to be done.

    Neil vN.

  46. Andrej Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 6:33 pm

    :) It is me again. Sorry for so many post but I’m reading all this stuff and I have numbers of question in my head. I have to give them on board. ;)

    So when you say words dragging shutter speed does that means that you put shutter speed in fixed value (using a S mode on camera)? Or do you use A mode and only change aperture and iso to get good ambient exposure + subject?

  47. Neil Said,

    June 6, 2008 @ 7:44 pm

    Andrej,

    Nope. I primarily shoot in manual exposure mode.

    But quite often the way to think about manual exposure mode, is to “fix” the aperture and then change the shutter speed and ISO accordingly. Or “fix” the shutter speed. Or the ISO.

    Whatever is needed to get the photograph.

    Neil vN

  48. Rachel Said,

    June 9, 2008 @ 11:50 pm

    Hi, Neil never stop learning here - a quick question about Better Bounce cards (Peter Gregg) , I started to use them lately and last night used them on an outdoor family shoot when there was nothing to bounce from , no assistant and my light was fading fast. We had set the time for later in the afternoon but the day turned out overcast which meant there was even less light. I shot manual mode at low shutter speed 1/30- f5.6 800ISO. I dialled down the flash and adjusted it via viewfinder depending on the distance from subject/s. Is it still better to use nothing with straight on flash? IS there a better way to use the bounce card

    The shots are ok just - a little noisy and a litte flat from a lighting point of view
    If I had set up the flash to shoot off camera wirelessly to fill how would that affect my settings?would that have been a better solution?

  49. Neil Said,

    June 19, 2008 @ 10:41 pm

    Hi there Rachel …

    About your first question, whether it is better to just use flash straight on or to have used the better bounce card in that situation - you will get various opinions on this. Obviously it will be the best to use off-camera and diffuse light. But between just straight-on fill-flash and using the better bounce card … Peter Gregg is going to hate me for saying this, but personally I’d still use straight-on flash.

    About your comment on using off-camera wireless TTL flash .. I think this would be an improvement. So if you have someone with you to hold the flash (and ideally with a diffuser or softbox of some kind), then the results may very well look better. The difference might be slight, or the difference might be noticable … because in the end, shooting with the flash straight-on really is a compromise.

    Neil vN

  50. Dom Brady Said,

    June 27, 2008 @ 6:29 am

    Hi Neil,

    I’ll add my comments to all those who complement you on this page! Great stuff.

    Quick question tho- how do you balance the colour temperature of the flash to the ambient; do you use gels/filters or just so little flash that it doesn’t really make much odds?

    Best regards,

    Dom

  51. Neil Said,

    June 27, 2008 @ 1:29 pm

    Dom …

    When I am working in the shade, then I use my flashguns without a filter, since the available light will be blue-ish in colour anyway.

    But as soon as I work in the sun or especially in the late afternoon when the colours are very warm, then I use a 1/2 CTS filter on my flash to warm it up.

    Neil vN

  52. Mariusz Said,

    June 27, 2008 @ 3:02 pm

    Hi Neil,
    Big Thanks for superb work - you’re making a lot of people happier and happier with their photos day after day .Thank you much.

    I’ve just got one question about exposure:
    How did you get 1/320th @ f4 @ 500 iso or 1/250th @ f4 @ 800 iso - outside with a day light? [I assume when you measure exposure - flash is of, subject is on place, you take the metering and then you turn flash on and TTL does it's magic, right?]

    My problem is - even when I’m in the shade (with moderate bright background - a couple under a tree for example) - I get 1/250 @f 8 - f11, so to get background out of focus I’m lowering iso to 100 [nikon D300], and I have to raise shutter speed to level the exposure. I’m entering FP flash mode which I don’t like because of poor range and efficiency .
    So what’s the trick with fill flash photos and shallow DOF? Do I use TTL or TTL-BL since background is brighter?
    Does ND filter help it?
    Best Regards,
    Mariusz

  53. Neil Said,

    July 4, 2008 @ 11:36 am

    Mariusz

    In the problem scenario you describe, do you want your background well-exposed ?

    Because at the settings you mention, 1/250 @ F11 …
    you’re talking about hard direct sun.
    So I am assuming you’re trying to use flash to lift the exposure on the couple to the same as the brightly-lit background.

    If so then you will have to up the amount of flash you use.
    And then direct flash rarely looks good.

    In the first example I showed, here, I had my ambient exposure for the couple. They are my subjects, not the sky. I let the sky blow out, and didn’t let it affect my exposure.

    I often tell other photographers that I am not a nature photographer, I take portraits. So I don’t often have an interest in keeping detail in the sky.

    Now, about getting a narrower depth-of-field in those situations, you can either use high-speed-sync mode, or a ND filter.
    Personally, I’d opt for high-speed sync flash and just make sure my flash is within range.

    Neil vN

  54. Mariusz Said,

    July 7, 2008 @ 2:42 pm

    Hi Neil,
    thanks for your time and reply.I’ve read some more about FP mode of my flash and I think I’m getting there. I just have to figure out max. flash-to-subject distance in this mode.
    The problem I had was middle of the day, and shallow DOF with just a touch of fill flash, but still with correctly lit (but out of focus) background. Sometimes I even would like to underexpose background a little.
    I usually use Nikon’s CLS so I can put my flashes closer, but with shoot-trough umbrellas I sometimes wish I had a little more light.
    As for ND filter I already figured out that it gives you less ambient, but requires more flash at the same time, so high-speed sync flash really is a better choice.
    Thank you for everything.Thanks for your website - the knowledge you’re passing is priceless.
    With Respect,
    Mariusz

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