Use of Flash in Shade

Sometimes I'll use off-camera flash in shade just to add a little depth to the image, but that's NOT what I'm asking about here.

I've had some instances where I was shooting in harsh full sun, found the shade of a tree and did portraits there. The problem was that the area in the background was so bright that it overpowers the subject in the photo. If it's not possible to move to an angle so as to avoid that bright background, how do you handle this? Do you maybe meter on the area in full sun and use flash on the subject to bring them up to the same brightness? Or do you just shoot the scene and it is what it is?

Depends if its a nice background and whether I want to have any part of it in my photo.
But assuming you want to have BG in Expose for a mid bright area and then underexpose by about 2 stops. Use OCF set to ETTL to fill in foreground

Very good question...I am also interested to see how others handle this situations.

Valjoy wrote in post #11026467
Very good question...I am also interested to see how others handle this situations.

Use PS to mask the front image from back then adjust the background only
or - delete the background and sub in another shot of it at normal exposure.

I've exposed for the background then let the flash fill in the subject with good results. Don't see how you can have the best of both worlds naturally. Perhaps catching some sun with a reflector would help in the shade other wise ps editing.

Either expose for the background and fill flash for the foreground, or use a tripod and take 2 separate exposures, one for the couple and one for the background, then combine in PhotoShop. Is also do one without flash- sometimes the blowout background makes a nice image.

I shoot with 1-2 580s OCF almost all the time, this exact situation. Set the flash at an angle with respect to shadowfall on any tree trunk or wall they are near. I oftentimes use OCF even out of the shade to better underexpose the sky and get better colors from it.

I wouldn't put people in the shade if the background is bright, i'd put them in shade which has a solid background, like a bush.

If there's nowhere like that i'd keep people in the sun, back to the sun, and use off camera flash to light them.

If it was really, really hot, i'd put them in the shade and use off camera flash to try to make them as bright as the background.

You can always blow out the background, of course, but that reduces contrast.

tim wrote in post #11028827
If there's nowhere like that i'd keep people in the sun, back to the sun, and use off camera flash to light them.

You can always blow out the background, of course, but that reduces contrast.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of blown out background for group shots for this reason. And simply bringing them into the sun and using fill flash is a good and obvious solution that just wasn't coming to me; thanks.

I use a reflector to accomplish this. It is nearly as bright as the sunlit background but it is much more diffuse as I use a large one and only the white side.

if you can't avoid it, bring them back out in the sun behind their back and fill in with flash. If you balance the faces with the backlit sun in the shade, it'll look obviously flash was used since the shaded area immediately behind them will still not lit enough to balance things out. Hard to explain, but the gis of it is you will get different & high contrast light ratios, and your subjects will look "flashed".

Bringing them back out to the sun, you only have to worry about their faces and not the surrounding area.

edit: I should read more before answering. Tim beat me to it.

OneFastt996 wrote in post #11030245
I use a reflector to accomplish this. It is nearly as bright as the sunlit background but it is much more diffuse as I use a large one and only the white side.

Reflectors make people squint. Flash, with a short duration, is nicer for people though less bright. And you can't easily light more than about 3 people with a reflector.

tim wrote in post #11036437
Reflectors make people squint. Flash, with a short duration, is nicer for people though less bright. And you can't easily light more than about 3 people with a reflector.

That is somewhat true. The white side off at an angle with a fill flash to fill the darker side eliminates squint and allows you to shoot for the bright background. I have found this very effective.

I'm with Tim. Even white reflectors make people squint. People have called it a "torture device" during shoots... which is one of the many reasons I stopped using reflectors. Otherwise, in a technical sense, they are quite effective. I now only use them as scrims.

Several different ways.
Shoot them without flash and let the background go, or light flash to get better color and let the background go.
I would shoot them in the sun, and expose for the face, save the background or let it go...either way works...depends on what you are going for.


That silly rule about not shooting people in the sun is more for beginners. Once you learn to shoot in the sun, just do it. I would rather shoot in the sun than in that green shady light, I call that light "green death" haha.....especially if you are not using a flash.