Studio Strobe

Flash Photography Techniques – Ambient Light Plus Flash

With careful use of flash, you can make your photo looks natural as though no flash had been used, instate it will enhance the photo further reducing contrast and yet looking very natural.

It has been a dream of all photographers to look for the balance in lighting whenever they photograph a subject and most of the time the quality of available light isn’t always perfect. I will share my experience in making use of flash wisely I am able to enhance my photo rather than by just using the available ambient light.

Before we get started let me clarify a few things with regards to my flash photography techniques that I will be sharing with you.

• Let me define the term flash in this article - it is what some people call “Speedlight†which is the add on flash mounted on the camera hot - shoe type and not either the studio strobe type of flash or the pop–up flash build in the camera..

 

• The flash photography techniques I’m writing in this article are mostly applicable for “on the field†or “on the move†photography and not studio photography.

 

• I’m a user of Nikon D-SLR and Speedlight, some example of my photography work shown here are not a standard recipe as each camera system may have a slide different reading hence require some slide adjustment.

 

Ambient Light plus Flash

I use flash most of the time but using flash does not mean you will spoil the ambient light thus making the photo looking unnatural. Why just use available light alone if your photograph turns out to be horrible. I will show you by understanding some essential techniques, mixing ambient light with flash you can make a better image.

By using the flash I will be able to highlight the shadow areas and avoid shadows under the subject’s eyebrows thus making it a better photo than it would have been without flash. But this does not mean that the image will turn up flat. Make sure you get your reading right.

Let’s try two examples:

1. A wedding couple on a beach and under a tent as the sun is going down:-

• Shoot in manual mode because you need to be in control of your exposure metering for accuracy and consistency.

 

• Meter for the ambient light, get your exposure right, turn off your flash and take a test shot. With the correct exposure you will get a perfect natural surroundings but the wedding couple will be little under exposed or with some shadows around their faces.
• Now turn on your flash and adjust your flash to TTL-BL mode which balance flash automatically with ambient light (as I’m using Nikon). Adjust your flash compensation. Start from 0 EV compensation and slowly go up until plus 1.7 EV. How much is enough? There is no one correct answer to that as it depends how much flash you need to use as a fill in flash. In this example you surely need a stronger fill-flash to match the sunlit background.

 

Flash was turn off. I took the reading of the ambient light and took a test shoot. Satisfied with the overall exposure and then on my flash light and took the photograph below with my flash light firring direct and dial up the my flash up to +1.7 EV. See the photographt below for comparison.

2. Portrait of a couple against a wall

• Again always shoot on manual mode.

 

• Meter correctly for the available light.

 

• Adjust your flash to TTL-BL mode. As for out door, I usually start from -1.3 EV because Nikon Speedlights on TTL-BL mode balance flash automatically with ambient light and I will always shoot with flash firing straight on. The real idea is to use the flash as a fill-light only and to lift the shadows.

 

- Notice with a fill flash I manage to eliminate shadows under the couple eyebrows without overexposing the wall and the couples’ clothing’s.

Photograph 2 - Shoot using flash

The above two examples clearly tells you by just adding flash with the correct exposure set by reading the ambient light together with the right amount of flash value to be fired you will have a perfect and balance natural looking image. Who says by using flash it will look unnatural and spoil the ambient light?

I will be following up with an article entitle Flash Photography Techniques – Bouncing the Flash next to share my photography experience with you. By bouncing the flash you are able to soften the light and reduce or eliminating flash shadow.

For more photography techniques and tips visit my photography blog: Langkawi Photographer Blog

To view my photography portfolio visit: AFFENDY.COM

About the Author

Affendy Ahmad is a professional photographer specialized in weddings, corpoarate or private events, special occasions and family holiday photography.
Borned 1963 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he has now based in this beautiful island of Langkawi located northwest of Malaysia.
Affendy has a photo studio located in down town kuah.

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