Portrait Photography using Fill Flash in 3 Steps

[Sparvar1]

Short and sweet just how a tutorial should be! Good effort.

[rpavich]

If we expose for the background, then we'd not need a flash...the reason i'm using flash indoors is that there isn't enough light for a proper exposure :)

[SnapHappyChappy]

Thanks for that. What material do you use for the reflector on the flash? Do you just the elastic band it on?

[ctckss]

Thanks for the quick concise info. One question: Did you say change flash compensation to EV -1.7 or so? I'm confused at what EV is. I know it stands for Exposure Value but I think it's a term from film days. Anyway, do you mean -1.7 flash exposure compensation? If so, I thought the settings are in 1/3 stops.

[vsolomito]

thank you very much.

[dcnutter]

Good tutorial video, but why don't you use TTLII to evaluate the light surroundings which would calculate the fill flash?

[photoblazr]

@dcnutter good question. The TTL takes into account that the flash has popped and adjusts flashpower/exposure accordingly to compensate. The problem with that is the flash will overpower the ambient light so you don't get that nice balanced look (you'll get the paparazzi look where the subject is brighter than the background). That's why you need to dial down the power of the flash.

[jessechilcott]

Clear, simple and helpful.  Thanks.

[adamziaja]

you should give all 3 photos on 1 screen :p, but really nice tutorial for newbies

[huynh1204]

hi, can you explain what 'expose for the background' actually means? thanks

[photoblazr]

That means setting your shutter speed and aperture value so that the scene (without any flash) is exposed correctly. So if you took a photo at those settings without any flash, the photo would come out well.

The next step is to then keep those same settings for shutter speed and aperture and turn on your flash so that it adds a bit extra light - this is why it's called 'fill' flash (ie. fills in shadows).

Hope that helps.

[nokuntrol]

Quick and to the point! Thanks

[devshire]

Thank you. Do you have any extra tips such as adjusting the White Balance while using external flash guns? I use Flash-WB with -1 setting for indoor shots in conditions similar to this video. However, how about doing the same in a dark place like a bar?

[photoblazr]

I usually set my WB on Automatic and shoot Raw in case I ever need to change it later. Auto though seems to do the trick very well, esp when shooting with flash. I'll try and answer this in more detail in a future tutorial. tx!

[hesjane]

very helpful - many thanks

[photoblazr]

your welcome!