Fill flash: Working with on camera flash, trying to get the right amount of fill. Canon 7D 18/135mm lens Canon 580EX speedlite Flash exposure compensation -1...

wayne-03 Loc: Minnesota

Working with on camera flash, trying to get the right amount of fill.
Canon 7D
18/135mm lens
Canon 580EX speedlite
Flash exposure compensation -1

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rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

wayne-03 wrote:

Working with on camera flash, trying to get the right amount of fill.
Canon 7D
18/135mm lens
Canon 580EX speedlite
Flash exposure compensation -1

Quite nicely done, especially in the second image. Avoiding any reflection in the glasses was masterfully done.
--Bob

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

This is not "fill flash", as it is the primary illumination. You need another, primary light source on your subject in order to have speedlight as fill.

A fill light "fills" the dark shadows cast by the primary light source, such as the sun.

KG

You might want to try using gel on your flash to bring color temperature of the flash closer to the temperature of the ambient light. Something like 1/4 CTO or CTS. CTS would look more natural in that example. (Maybe even 1/2, if you drop flash output by more than one stop.)

Without gel, it looks like the person was photoshopped onto the background image, because the color temps don't match.

Take the top image, and cover the bottom of the image with your hand, up to her chest level. And look at just her head and shoulders. You'll see what I mean.

And, as was mentioned above, you might want to reduce flash output.

The flash is too bright. And since the position of the flash doesn't match the direction of main light according to the shadows (which, of course, is the whole point of the fill) it can't be the main source of illumination of the subject. It needs to be weaker by a stop or so. Or at least 2/3rd of a stop.

photosbytw Loc: Blue Ridge Mountains

Anybody that quotes WeeGee is a brave photographer

rmalarz wrote:

Quite nicely done, especially in the second image. Avoiding any reflection in the glasses was masterfully done.
--Bob

Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

wayne-03 wrote:

Working with on camera flash, trying to get the right amount of fill.
Canon 7D
18/135mm lens
Canon 580EX speedlite
Flash exposure compensation -1

Fill Flash can sometimes be hard to "Add" to a shot.

If you want to use "Fill Flash" for a particular shot, and you are using your "Pop Up Flash", and you find that at even at the "Lowest Possible Flash Compensation Setting", that the flash is STILL TO BIGHT", go into your shooting menu and select: "EXTERNAL FLASH ON"! This will cut your flash duration output of the "Pop Up" flash down to even a lower level. ( the level of duration that activates "Off Camera Slaves)

If you want to adjust the "Fill Flash" even further, just adjust your aperture one way or the other.

Works for me! (Fuji Camera BTW) Thanks, Boone.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

wayne-03 wrote:

Working with on camera flash, trying to get the right amount of fill.
Canon 7D
18/135mm lens
Canon 580EX speedlite
Flash exposure compensation -1

It would appear you filled it very nicely... I do that all the time.

wayne-03 Loc: Minnesota

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

fantom Loc: Colorado

KG wrote:

You might want to try using gel on your flash to b... (show quote)

I rarely use a flash so your explanation and tips are appreciated.
Tks

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

nicely done, no raccoon eyes. The sun is your primary light source, so yes, you are using flash as fill to fill in the shadows that the sun makes. You don't want to completely fill in all shadows, as it doesn't show any depth. I think these look good. One thing to look for is sharp shadows from your flash on her face from her glasses. You avoided that, so you are in the right ballpark with the fill.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

bkyser wrote:

The sun is your primary light source, so yes, you are using flash as fill to fill in the shadows that the sun makes. You don't want to completely fill in all shadows, as it doesn't show any depth.

Wrong! The woman and the table are completely in the shade of a large tree. She is NOT sitting in sunlight. There are NO shadows cast by sunshine on the grass. The speedlight is the PRIMARY light source, not the secondary (aka fill) light source. A faint shadow from speedlight is directly under bench. The sky is providing indirect "fill" light, and the sun is shining directly on grass in background, not on foreground subject.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Nikonian72 wrote:

Wrong! The woman and the table are completely in the shade of a large tree. She is NOT sitting in sunlight. There are NO shadows cast by sunshine on the grass. The speedlight is the PRIMARY light source, not the secondary (aka fill) light source. A faint shadow from speedlight is directly under bench. The sky is providing indirect "fill" light, and the sun is shining directly on grass in background, not on foreground subject.

Well "!" aside, the way I learned it is that even in open shade, the sun is still a light source, or it would indeed be night, instead of day.

My point was that the flash didn't introduce any new shadows. Once again, as I learned when I apprenticed (and anyone can be wrong, whether it is with a "!" or not) the purpose of fill is to fill in any shadows without producing more shadows. Call it what you want, but either way, the question was about flash power as fill. It filled in the shadows, which made a flat image, so the power was fine.

Go ahead and quote a textbook now, it's the way I learned about fill light. I'm fine with that. Just not sure why you felt the need to get so Excited! "!"

wayne-03 Loc: Minnesota

Thanks to all for your comments.

mper812 Loc: Atlanta GA area

The lighting on shot one looks fine but on the shot two your WB is way off. A bit too green on the skin tone. Also it is coming up a bit dark

wayne-03 wrote:

Working with on camera flash, trying to get the right amount of fill.
Canon 7D
18/135mm lens
Canon 580EX speedlite
Flash exposure compensation -1

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I would do Manual mode, ISO 400, f4, and 1/200 sec. With a TTL flash this even works well off camera if the flash isn't too far away.