gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

This is a great tutorial on taking the mystery out of outdoor flash using a speedlight and eTTL.
https://youtu.be/vEnAhkL0i38

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

while I appreciate you effort gvarner this is an infomercial for Canon and Adorama..
Also is virtually a decade old... i.e. kind of no longer current...

Here is a current tutorial for Sony users (using an a7rii) ... he also embraces other platforms i.e. non-HSS...
"Balancing FLASH with AMBIENT A lighting TUTORIAL using The FLASHPOINT XPLOR"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50-1kK9bot4

Nice to see how elegantly Sony mirrorless handles this...
Thanks for bringing this to the fore gvarner

JD750 Loc: SoCal

For those who find outdoor flash to be a mystery, one thing you can do is set the flash for "Fill" mode, if you are using a DSLR set it for TTL metering and fill (Nikon speak it is "backlit"). That usually works pretty good. And there are plenty of videos and tutorials on using outdoor flash, use your favorite search engine to find them.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Yes, the technique is different for every brand but what I got out of it is the notion of two light sources outdoors and how to control ambient light. I’ve seen lots of posts here from newbies asking how to use flash, period. I was stymied until I learned about setting my DSLR in Manual mode along with using a TTL speedlight. With my D7200 and SB700, I follow the guidelines in the video.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

They used a Nikon D90 on the video I viewed.
They have to use some brand to explain the basic idea/process, unless they are going to show you how to use each brand and all models of flashes. The basic idea/theory/process is what they are trying to convey.
Decade old or not, don't the principles still apply?
They are a business that is providing info, let them huckster. It's a small payment.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

[quote=Longshadow]They used a Nikon D90 on the video I viewed.
They have to use some brand to explain the [i]basic idea/process[i], unless they are going to show you how to use each brand and all models of flashes. The basic idea/theory/process is what they are trying to convey.
Decade old or not, don't the principles still apply?
They are a business that is providing info, let them huckster. It's a small payment.[/quote]

Well said. There’s another good YouTube video by Lite-Genius that covers indoor use. No need for high speed sync but the basic technique is the same - TTL speedlight, camera in Manual mode, shutter varies to control ambient light, f-stop varies to control DoF, and ISO can vary to increase the reach of the flash a bit. At
least those are the guidelines that I use and it works for me and my gear.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Thanks.
Sorry I missed the one "/" in the one tag, which screwed up your quote.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Never mind

srt101fan

Come on, Bill, that comment falls short of your usually high standards!? 😕

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Here is my basic method for manual fill flash technique.

For half a century on all my press- wedding, and event assignments I used a simple method for fast-hand-held shooting with an on-camera flash out-of-doors. I base my aperture on the flash exposure. In manual mode, I know my apertures for all my estimated distances. I set my f/stop accordingly. Then- I simply set the shutter speed for the correct daylight exposure at THAT f/stop. I can use a meter but in fast shooting circumstances, the old f/16 rules work well. Bright sunlight is where flash fill makes a significant difference in shadow detail. So...typical case: ISO 100 -flash GN ( n feet) 160- flash exposure f/16- shutter speed 1/125 sec. for a perfect 1:2 or 1:3 ratio. Cloudy bright or hazy- f/11 at 1/250 sec.- still within synchronization range. For lower light levels you simply cut flash output to 1/2 power which reduces the output by 1 stop and a 1/4 power by 2 stops. In my own system, I have a special lamphead that can attenuate the flash output power to 6-watt.seconds for just a WINK of light to accommodate apertures as wide as f/2.8 where the flash exposure is f/1.2 for very low levels of window light, etc. This is a manual mode method. I use portable strobes with round interchangeable reflectors. A Speedlight should be used in the wide-angle zoom position. The major goal is to produce an image that seems as if it is made with natural light, with complete ratio and dynamic range control where the flash usage remains "invisible" As long as the flash illumination does not overpower the natural light, even a straight-on flash will not reveal any harshness or artificiality when the proper technique is applied- modifiers, can be used as per the photographer's taste and also can serve a light attenuator when output reduction is needed, beyond the flash units low range, when required

Even if you employ more sophisticated multiple flash systems, out of doors, the formula still works- you expos for the flash and the shutter determines how much ambient light enters the equation. You can also work out your own system to accommodate bare-bulb usage, various modifiers, umbrellas and/ or soft boxes. A good combination flash/ambient incident type exposure meter helps to establish more precise ratios and effects.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

This is brilliant! Thank you for that tip!



I am sorry but I am a big dummy. What do you mean by that ratio?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Rolling on the floor laughing!

It was an accidental post. I wish this thing had a delete button.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

"Oops I hit send before I was ready" I feel your pain. LOL.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

The lighting ratio pertains to the differential between highlight and shadow or the diffeencce in light readings when measured on the highlights and shadows on the face, tipically in a portrait. It can be the difference between the main and fill lights in a studio situation or the difference in effective light between, in this question, daylight and flash.

Here's a link that further explains ratio.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting_ratio