Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

I've recently read a comment of not getting good photos in daylight.
It occured to me that the person may be encountering one of these problems and perhaps some more that i have not listed:
1. Racoon eyes
2. Too much dynamic range
3. Silhouetting
4. Shadows messing up the subject
5. Wrong exposure
6. Flat no contrast image

1-4 basically is a problem of too much dynamic range. When we have direct sunlight and shadows together, the shadows will tend to be way too dark or the lighted areas all blown out.
#5 inevitably happens because any single exposure we choose can not cover both extremes.
#6 usually is a problem on an overcast day when there is no prominent direction of light and thus we lose the texture and shadows that bring contrast & volume(3d effect).

In a very simplistic approach, we can say that 1-5 is the same problem and can often be solved by using an HDR setting, bracketing or editing a RAW file.

A counter intuitive solution is to use a flash to balance the light. This works because a camera flash has a limited range and a sharp fall off. Properly adjusted power & distance will illuminate the subject, balanced with the background. It is all about controlling the light to your favor. Some flattening may happen and the image may look unatural if overdone from the direct lighting but it is a good compromise. Experiment and play with the situation to fully understand its quirks and find the solution that fit your need.

The overcast (#6) is actually favored by some for their unique look, but if you want some texture on such days, a fill flash from the side can help. Just remember to adjust you exposure setting appropriately.

The shot below is an example of using the flash to balance the light. The sun was behind the subject and she would be a silhouette like the trees, if i did not use the flash.
Too close and she will be over exposed and it will look unatural, while too far would have her under exposed. This is still slightly over, but a little processing can take care of it.

pendennis

For years, I did outdoor portraiture, and nearly always used electronic flash. Sunlight, even from the side, is extremely harsh. If possible I'd run extension cords to my Speedotron lights; if not I had plenty of Quantum Turbos and good lights. I also used scrims and reflectors which helped enormously.

Your example is well-done, and should need minimal editing.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

True, if we can contol the light, we can control the result.
Thanks

delder Loc: Maryland

In my experience, the small flash on my pocket cameras & Smartphone are more effective @ a short range.
I feel the flash can reduce the background exposure when shooting @ a distance.

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

Flash fill usage in harsh sunlight is not at all complicated. It was originally called the Synchro-Sunligh method. There was a limitation with the focal-plane shutters but if you have HHS you can employ the full range of the system in that the fash will synchronize at high shutter p speeds.

The basic rule of thumb is EXPOSE FORT HE FLASH AND SET SHUTTER FOR HTE DAYLIGHT. Here is a typical example usg the OLD f/16 Sunny Day formula: ISO 100 - flash GN (ft.) 160 - 10' = F/16 Shutter 1/00 1/125 sec. Lighting ratio 1:2

You have to know your flash exposure by GN or meter in order to arrive at proper flash exposure.

Of course, if you are concerned about diffraction, you might NOT want o use f/16. if you prefer a wider aperture you can adjust the flash output and/or the IOS settgs accordingly. Once you master the concept it is an easy seting to arrive at.

I learned this method many years ago as a weddg photographer. There were and still are many occasions where I had to work just after the ceremony outside the church or at an outdoor reception in noon-time direct sunlight. I had to shoot lots of fast candid shots so I
simply set the aperture for the typical sunlight setting and fire away. As long as I knew the flash flash was no go to overpower the sunlight I always get a good ratio with transparent shadows.

If you are working in open shade or low light, or want to use a very wide aperture for limited DOP, you can still employ this method all long as you can power down the flash. Current speedlights have 1/8 or lower power settings.

As for issues such as "raccoon" eyes, fill lighting and ratio control is the only practical approach other than avoiding direct overhead light. Trying to address this post-processing is tedious and usually not successful.

There are othere fill methods that utilize reflectors but for fast hand-heal shootg with on-camera flash, this basc formula as explained above has been a stand operating procedure for press and wedding shooters over the years- it's kinda old school but it works.

In my own equipment situation, for fast hand-held shooting, I don't use a conventional "Speedlight". I hace several portable strobes that have separate power packs (shoulder packs) and a lamp head wot interchangeable reflectors. I can reduce the power to a "wink light" with a reduced out to 5 watt-seconds, remove the reflector (bare bulb) which cute 2 f/stops, or run up the powere to 200 watts. seconds and fill a gorp at 15 or 20 feet away. Or, I can employ my "famous" "Shapiro Flash Valve"- I put my hand in front of the reflector and just let a sliver of light escape through my fingers.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

The average smartphone light is pretty weak, but the phone camera usually makes up for it that it is still okay up to past a meter (around 4 feet). I've seen a phone with a great flash but sadly not remember what it was.

A camera on any auto setting, will try to adjust, which with a flash, can give unpredictable result as what you see would not the same as when the light is on.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

who says old school is old?

delder Loc: Maryland

Agree! My Pocket Cameras
[Lumix especially] and Smartphone tend to do a better job of exposure W/O flash.

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

Well, it's old, only that it has been around for a long time but lots of traditional techniques still work. I just mention it because some folks are gonna think I am a Rip Van Winkle kinda guy and have been asleep during the entire digital/automatic/computer-driven era of photography.

Most of the time, when these kinds of questions arise there is a lot of well-meant advice about endless fiddling with complex camera settings, trigger/command devices, and of course, "go out and buy a new camer and flash" that does whatever it is about, automatically.

The nasty old inverse square law that explains why flash illumination falls off with distance becomes an advantage. The fash can properly expose the subject and the shutter can not only control the ratio with shutter speed but also darken or preserve the density of the background. You get a twofer!

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

So true. Learning the old ways/traditional techniques that that have proven their worth is a positive venture. They increase keepers and also push ones capability up a notch.
Knowing how and the technicality of what makes that how happen is like an extra bunch of free gears to play with.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

An energetic, whimsically lovely shot with an attractive model to whom you did justice 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

gwilliams6

A Wedding couple, after their wedding ceremony and before their reception at a country club in Pennsylvania. The bride changed out of her fancy high heels and into colored sneakers, and I photographed them up in the air on the golf course in bright light.

I used two off-camera strobes in HSS mode (High Speed Sync). Most modern strobes from small on-camera types to large mono-lights can now do HSS. Canon EOS 5D MkII, 35mm lens, ISO 200, f2, 1/8000 second shutter speed. Shutter speed, f-stop were balanced to the bright available sunlight to enable me to both stop the action and give a shallow depth of field to blur the background and help separate the couple from that background .

Cheers and best to you all.

(Download)

Copyrat

Cool!!!

gwilliams6

Thanks

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

Great shot!