Outdoor Flash - When To Use It (Or Not)

[Curtis N]

This is sort of a tutorial for the novice outdoor flasher and hopefully a catalyst for some discussion of the subject.

I'm talking about "run & gun" type shooting with a hotshoe flash when you're not planning on a lot of subject cooperation. The points here will apply whether you're a hired event shooter, grabbing candids at a public event or everyday family snapshots. This is not about formal portraits or off-camera flash.

And before you ask... no, you don't use a "diffuser" on your flash outdoors. They won't do you any good and they waste power. Direct flash is the only viable option.

One of the first decisions you need to make is whether or not to use High Speed Sync (FP Flash). This mode allows fast shutter speeds and therefore large apertures. It's a nifty tool for when you want to blur the background in bright conditions. But it is less efficient, cuts your range in half and leads to longer recycle times and shorter battery life. The decisions is yours, but be mindful of the limitations and keep an eye on your flash unit's distance scale.

I highly recommend using Manual exposure mode on your camera. It's important to take control of the camera and make deliberate decisions regarding exposure. If you don't use high speed sync then you'll want to set your shutter at X-sync speed and stop down the aperture to get the ambient exposure you want.

Now a word about Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC): The best FEC setting depends on the camera, your subject, and the reason you're using flash to begin with. I have used FEC settings from -2 to +2 outdoors. Don't let someone tell you where to set your FEC. It's just something that only experience can teach you.

So, let's go through some examples of situations where flash can be used to improve an outdoor shot.

#1 - Harsh shadows on a sunny day. Flash will reduce the contrast from sunlit to shaded part of an image. This improves faces dramatically. Properly implemented, you will get a natural looking image that still has hard-edged shadows from the sun but has decent exposure of shaded areas.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/211507434_Qqmik-XL.jpg


#2 - Backlit subject. Putting the sun behind your subject (if you're lucky enough to have the luxury) can make some real nice portraits with fill flash. The sun makes a nice hair light. This girl would be terribly underexposed without flash.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/193137216_YY4oU-XL.jpg


#3 - Shaded subject, sunny background. Without flash, you have the option of underexposing your subject or blowing out the background completely. Flash allows you to meter for the background and properly expose your subject.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/642702752_e8Sgk-XL.jpg


#4 - Light up the face under the hat. Just be sure to rotate the camera to vertical orientation or you'll make a nasty shadow under the hat brim. 'Nuff said.

http://performancephoto.us/images/1900%20Ladies/IMG_0368.jpg


#5 - "Just because." Even on an overcast day, a bit of flash will make your subject "pop" by exposing her just a bit brighter and providing catchlights.

http://performancephoto.us/images/1900%20Ladies/IMG_0379.jpg

[Curtis N]

Now the next step in the learning process is learning to recognize good light when you have it, and leave well enough alone. When you're blessed with open shade or a huge doorway that becomes "God's softbox," for heaven's sake, turn off the flash so you don't ruin the shot. Here are a few taken without flash.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/625782062_S5NCM-XL-1.jpg

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/644187651_MNWmo-L.jpg

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/642703712_MSont-XL.jpg

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/642702393_STGja-XL.jpg


Now I want to point out the most significant downside to using flash outdoors. It will create shadows on your subject or behind your subject if the background is close, and sometimes it's worse when you use the camera in vertical orientation. Because of this, flash can do more harm than good if you're not careful. Here's a shot where I wish I had turned the flash off.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/188435865_rb9kX-XL.jpg


For this shot, I rotated the camera backwards (shutter button down) to put the flash on the right side of the camera. Rotating it the other way would have made a nasty shadow by her hat brim. If you look carefully, you can see the shadow on the left side of her mug.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/363211174_Xd9Mo-XL.jpg


Deciding whether or not to use flash isn't always easy. Here's a shot where I had nice natural light so I turned it off (partly to avoid catching her attention). But I'm left with no catchlights so her eyes don't have that sparkle that would really add life to the image. Just a tiny bit of flash would have done the trick.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/642702513_gXoYN-XL.jpg


So there you have it. The outdoor "run & gun" hotshoe flash basics. Remember, you have two exposures to manage - an ambient light exposure and a flash exposure. Getting them both right is the hardest part.

[mikeassk]

Nice write up! Great tips.
I love the reaction I get from on lookers when I use the "upsidedown Flash" technique... Like " is that guy for real" haha.

[c2thew]

agreed. nice write up and great use of pictures to supplement your article. thanks

[Undispu7ed]

Nice write up

[watt100]

thx for tutorial

[dongnat]

Very practical and usefull pointers.
Thank you

[egordon99]

Great tutorial....I find the biggest improvement my photography has seen has been by me learning to "read the light" over the last year or so.

I wish I had concentrated on this more when I started out instead of going nuts buying lenses ;)

[sdipirro]

Curtis, this was an excellent description of the benefits and drawbacks of using flash outdoors, especially with the pictures to illustrate it. What would help me even more would be to understand your decision-making process for at least some of these photos as far as how you metered them and how you adjusted FEC for the different cases.

[Subfightersandman]

Curtis, this was an excellent description of the benefits and drawbacks of using flash outdoors, especially with the pictures to illustrate it. What would help me even more would be to understand your decision-making process for at least some of these photos as far as how you metered them and how you adjusted FEC for the different cases.

Agreed, i am good a deciding when to use flash, i just suck at getting the metering right I usually wind taking 4 or 5 shots trying to get my flash power and exposure balanced.

[Jon Foster]

It's funny that you posted this now. I've been playing around with my fill flash a lot lately. I'm finding that leaving my flash at about -1 FEC gives me shots I'm pretty happy with. Most of the time. Some times I need to play around + or - a bit but shots are generally acceptable. I do a lot of running & gunning at renaissance festivals. I've also noticed that if I don't dial in any FEC a stofen on the flash works pretty well. It kills the catch light in the subjects eyes. That alone is worth using it to me. Most people never even realize I used a flash.

I'm also starting to play around with gels on my fill flash. The results are starting to look promising.

Jon.

[bobbyz]

Nice stuff. Thanks.

Now I need to go visit the renaissance fair

[dtfuzzy]

Thanks nice write up and a good study

[Curtis N]

What would help me even more would be to understand your decision-making process...I've thought about this for most of the day and realized that if I invited you into my brain, you'd just get lost in the mess.

Nevertheless, here's my attempt to walk you through my approach. Follow at your own risk. ;)

Before you think about exposure, read the light and position yourself to take advantage of it. Sometimes you need to decide between the best background and the best lighting. The pumpkin field in #1 is no accident, but I knew the light would be harsh from that position. In the parade shot, I positioned myself on the east side of the street to get the sun behind the subjects, but the background would have been better from the other side. That was a deliberate decision I made before the parade even started. It takes some luck to get a great shot, but you'll be luckier if you think ahead.

1) I'm usually using a 70-200 lens for this stuff and nothing torques me off more than to have a great shot ruined by motion blur. But I stay away from HSS because that reduces range and I never know how far away the action will be. So I set my shutter at 1/250 and leave it there (If you have a 5D or Rebel series camera then it'll be 1/200). If you check the EXIF on the photos above, you'll find a variety of aperture and ISO settings but I'll bet almost all of them are at 1/250 shutter speed.

2) I always think about, then determine, my background (ambient) exposure first. If I'm in the sun, I'll start at "sunny 16" (which is basically f/10 at 1/250 shutter, or f/11 at 1/200). If you aren't using flash, you can get away with f/9 or f/8 in the sun at those shutter speeds. But the flash will add exposure to the highlights as well as the shadows so if you push the ambient exposure too far, you'll blow some highlights with flash.

3) If the whole composition is shaded, or if it's cloudy, then I open the aperture as far as I'm comfortable and then crank up the ISO as needed. In changing conditions I adjust ISO more than I adjust shutter speed or aperture. Shutter speed controls motion blur, aperture controls DOF, ISO controls exposure.

4) My 20D and my 1D Mk III behave differently in terms of FEC, so you have to take FEC recommendations with caution. But for fill flash I usually start with FEC at about 1 stop less than I would use with flash as the main light. So for example if you typically use +2/3 FEC for indoor bounced flash, start at -1/3 FEC for fill. But that's just a starting point.

5) For backlit subjects, the flash will need to provide most of the light so crank it up. If your subject is already well lit and you just want to add catchlights and a bit of pop, then crank it down. Remember, the E-TTL system has only your subject to meter on. That means differences in subject luminance will affect it more than when you're shooting indoors. White blouse? You'll need to crank up the FEC. Black shirt? crank it down.

There are no rules, there are only your goals and vision and balancing ambient and flash exposures to achieve them.

[verymagicalguy]

Nice write up! Great tips.
I love the reaction I get from on lookers when I use the "upsidedown Flash" technique... Like " is that guy for real" haha.

Never thought about doing this, good tip. I'm sure it does look insane though haha.

[Roy G. Biv]

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/625782062_S5NCM-XL-1.jpg



Is that "Miss Boone's Farm"? I didn't think women of that calibur drank that stuff :lol:

[iAMB]

Great write up! I am now knowing that flash and metering needs to be my next concern with my photography skills. I have been looking to get a flash for the camera. Would a 430ex fit the bill?

[greazyjungle]

i"m sorry - what's this thread about? I got sidetracked by the 'busty' pictures... ;-)

[kronuz0422]

thanks for sharing this information, now i know how to maximize and properly use my flash indoors or outdoors.....cheers!

[Curtis N]

Is that "Miss Boone's Farm"? I didn't think women of that calibur drank that stuff :lol:Roy,
She's Miss Boone County Fair, as in Boone County, Illinois. And she hasn't yet reached legal drinking age.
I have been looking to get a flash for the camera. Would a 430ex fit the bill?The 430EX could have been used for any of the shots in this thread. The 580EX II will give you about 35% more distance. There are lots of other differences, though. Plenty of threads here about those differences. Buy the best flash you can afford.

[BCRose]

It kills the catch light in the subjects eyes. That alone is worth using it to me. Most people never even realize I used a flash.
Jon.

Are catch lights not desired?

[DerekW]

i"m sorry - what's this thread about? I got sidetracked by the 'busty' pictures... ;-)


Wow, way to drag an educational thread down to the gutter. Nice work!

[Jon Foster]

Are catch lights not desired?

When I shoot outdoor events I like the shots to look as natural as possible. I try to get shots that don't look like they've been lit by a flash. Nothing wrong with it, just a personal preference thing I guess.

Jon.

[Shooting]

Curtis, as always you are very helpful and have rightly earned the title "flash guru".

[Fremen]

I've found that often a shutter speed of 1/200 on my rebel simply isn't fast enough in outdoor shots to prevent blowing out the picture unless it goes down to an aperture of f22 which is terrible since most lenses lose sharpness when you stop them down too much. It seems that avoiding using HSS means your apertures willy usually be very small and you'll never get nice bokeh....just a thought..

[Curtis N]

Fremen,

Make sure your ISO is at 100. Then you shouldn't need f/22 unless you're trying to underexpose the ambient. 1/200 shutter, f/11 at ISO 100 should be about right in bright sunshine.

and... welcome to POTN! :D

[LJR_Photoart]

Hi guys i have just bought myself a 580exII and was wondering, if anyone could shed a couple of tipps on using it for outside light fill,

lets say i stand the flash mounted on a tripod with a 40x40 softbox about 6feet away 45 degree angle on it, and have a reflector to the right of it but this being 4 feet for reflecting light back for harsh shadowing, presuming the sun is coming from behind the subject....

any help would be great as i am still learning,

Cheers

Lee

[Curtis N]

Lee,

Any method if diffusing the light from a flash unit, including a large softbox, will severely reduce the effective range of the flash unit. A 580EX II in a 40x40 softbox, 6 feet away, will not effectively compete with the sun. It may have some utility on an overcast day, or near sunset.

I have successfully used a silver umbrella 3 feet away on a shaded subject. But you won't get more than a head & shoulders shot that way.

As you gain experience using direct, hotshoe flash, you'll learn more about the limitations of your flash unit.

[LJR_Photoart]

Ok would any difference be made if the sun was behind me and i had this set just to gain some fill light.... i have to take photos of kids at a play school for christmas photos, outside in october, now here its still quite warm then not sure what the sun will be like..... but any tipps on the kit i have would make the pics look ok

Cheers

lee

[Curtis N]

Lee,

Fill flash does not need to be diffused. You're filling shadows, not creating them. All the flash shots in the first two posts in this thread were taken with direct, undiffused hotshoe flash.

Just put it on your hotshoe, point it forward and fire away.

[LJR_Photoart]

Cheers for all help Curtis,

Will experment a few things b4 the event takes place. Will call again if i need help..

Many thanks again

[bohdank]

When I shoot outdoor events I like the shots to look as natural as possible. I try to get shots that don't look like they've been lit by a flash. Nothing wrong with it, just a personal preference thing I guess.

Jon.

Great writeup Curtis.

Jon... they can look perfectly natural, imo. Here are some taken at night events that would not have been possible without a flash because there was only backlighting and faces would have been buried in the shadows, for these angles. All shot at ISO 1600, most at 200mm.

Some of these I have posted before

http://www.bwkphotography.com/photos/622205898_MM3E5-M.jpg

http://www.bwkphotography.com/photos/621713391_9Nv8x-M.jpg

http://www.bwkphotography.com/photos/624916042_gvYjm-M.jpg

[DerekW]

Ok would any difference be made if the sun was behind me and i had this set just to gain some fill light.... i have to take photos of kids at a play school for christmas photos, outside in october, now here its still quite warm then not sure what the sun will be like..... but any tipps on the kit i have would make the pics look ok

Cheers

lee

If the sun is behind you, you really won't need fill, plus the subjects will be squinting if they are looking at you

[jimmy-j]

this is great advice. i'm just starting to play with fill lighting and haven't been pleased with the results so far. i don't know why but i've been using a bounce card while outside (a waste of light and battery - i know). i'll try direct and see how that goes. i'm looking to get a 580ex2 soon also.

thanks!!

[Tigerkn]

Another Thanks to Curtis!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thatkatmat]

Thanks Curtis, been avoiding really learning how to get the best out of my 580 II for way too long, I've been bouncing in AV and P...... With your tips and the links provided I'm starting to get comfortable with it..trial, error, trial error....Bang! got it!
Again....Thanks for the time you put into this.
-Matt

[zaathrus]

Another "thank you" here :)

Always more to learn! ;)

[yummy_waffles]

I needed this!

Thank you.

[Korean Fiat]

Guys,

Can someone explain their take on how they meter for the ambient light (background), using the Sunny 16 rule. By this I mean, where is the metering needle in the camera pointing after using this rule.(under or over exposed). I understand that if it is centered, then its an average tone of 18% grey scale. So if you selected the photo of the chick with tatts on her arm, and had ISO 100, sync 1/250s, f4, where would it be ??. Is it a decision based on what you want the background to look like ??

[orena]

great tips thanks!

[CameraMan]

Great tutorial! Learned a few things I can add to my toolbox for the future.

[boerewors]

Wish i found this long time ago!! I seem to be very persistant at wanting to use light modifiers like soft boxes. I think thats one reason my my pictures are being underexposed because my poor 430ExII cant push out enough power for modifiers in the bright sunny conditions.

[CameraMan]

Wish i found this long time ago!! I seem to be very persistant at wanting to use light modifiers like soft boxes. I think thats one reason my my pictures are being underexposed because my poor 430ExII cant push out enough power for modifiers in the bright sunny conditions.

I had a problem using gel diffusers and that was cutting down on my light a bit as well. I'm planning to try some naked flash at a wedding this weekend.

[Osa713]

Great tutorial! Learned a few things I can add to my toolbox for the future.

Same here, excellent write up

[rneclps]

[QUOTE=Curtis N;8616245]For this shot, I rotated the camera backwards (shutter button down) to put the flash on the right side of the camera. Rotating it the other way would have made a nasty shadow by her hat brim. If you look carefully, you can see the shadow on the left side of her mug.

Never thought of this, very excellent tutorial.

[Curtis N]

Here's another example from a shoot I did today. The unflashed shot was just an accident - I failed to wait until my flash unit recycled. For these I used a Lumiquest Softbox (http://www.lumiquest.com/store/products/LumiQuest-SoftBox.html) on my flash unit. I like the softbox because it softens shadows and makes catchlights bigger (at the expense of considerable range and recycle time).

It was an overcast day, I was shooting at 1/200 f/5.6 ISO 100 with -1 FEC. The results should require no further explanation.

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/i-RcG956b/0/L/i-RcG956b-L.jpg

http://performancephoto.smugmug.com/photos/i-smHFL6r/0/X3/i-smHFL6r-X3.jpg

[S.n.a.f.u.]

Great info thanks for adding the recent photo illustration.

[Shooting]

[quote=Curtis N;14346109]Here's another example from a shoot I did today. The unflashed shot was just an accident - I failed to wait until my flash unit recycled. For these I used a Lumiquest Softbox (http://www.lumiquest.com/store/products/LumiQuest-SoftBox.html) on my flash unit. I like the softbox because it softens shadows and makes catchlights bigger (at the expense of considerable range and recycle time).

It was an overcast day, I was shooting at 1/200 f/5.6 ISO 100 with -1 FEC. The results should require no further explanation.

very good images. Did you meter for the background and do manual or did you use P with ettl.

[Curtis N]

Manual mode.

[MDJAK]

Curtis, thank you. You are the man.

[in2fx]

Great Info