Flash Technique

I have seen some amazing portrait shots on this site that involve some kind of fill-in flash technique, such as this example here by Sam Borquez

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=134756

How is this technique achieved. I've tried something similar, but I just end up with burnt out whites or dark blotchy skin like these

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

What sort of flash equipment are you trying to use? What settings have you been trying to use?

For fill flash you want to meter about half a stop dark and lower the Flash Exposure Compensation so it's not blasting too hard - not exact for all situations but a starting point.

I only have "pop-up" flash

I these examples I set the camera to manual. Metered for the background and then hit FEL with the viewfinder centered on the face before taking the picture.

totalbeginner wrote:
I only have "pop-up" flash

I these examples I set the camera to manual. Metered for the background and then hit FEL with the viewfinder centered on the face before taking the picture.

Don't hit FEL. You can mess with your FEC in the menu. You should invest in an external flash for the most versatility though.

The popup flash is a lousy lighting source, often causing "red-eye" when photographing people with it. However, you might experiment with the "P" mode and see if it does any better at overall exposure control.