flash photography techniques
intro page ~ natural looking flash ~ flash & ambient light
Making flash not look like flash:
I use flash very often in my professional work and personal work. But I try and make the use of flash not appear intrusive in the photograph. I nearly always have an on-camera flash, but I try to diffuse it or bounce it wherever possible. I use as little direct flash as I can, except outdoors where I try and use available light, and use flash only to lift the shadows and reduce the contrast. However, sometimes it is just best to overpower the ambient light with flash – but still try to make it look natural, ie, not like flash.
Let’s start off with these few photos. They were all done using flash on camera.
You’ll note that there is no discernable flash shadow. I absolutely loathe a distinct flash shadow. So that’s the ideal that I always strive for – that it shouldn’t be obvious that I didn’t just use existing light. It isn’t always possible, but that is what I try for in every photograph.
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This was shot at f2, with flash bounced directly behind me into the open room to just help lift the shadows. Note, there is NO flash shadow.I purposely didn’t use a diffuser dome / Stofen omnibounce here, since it would’ve thrown too much flash directly forward. I needed all the flash to be indirect.
specific settings: My choice of settings here were dictated by the available light, and I just used a hint of flash by bouncing it into the huge room behind me. At f2, and as fill, I didn’t need to blast a ton of light from my strobe. |
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| Flash bounced over my left shoulder. Note that there is NO direct flash, and hence no flash shadow.specific settings: Nikon D2H Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 1/250th @ f4 @ 400 iso manual; matrix metering TTL flash: +1 exp comp The high shutter speed was a specific choice so that the stained-glass window wouldn’t be blown out, but instead retain the colours. The bride was entirely lit by bounced flash, so by controlling my shutter speed (for my chosen aperture and iso), I could match the exposure for the window. I bounced flash off that sand-coloured brickwork, and this did affect my colour balance – but since I shoot in raw, correcting the WB was no effort. |
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With those two photos different flash exposure compensation was set.
In the first image, the flash was used as subtle fill-flash, and therefore the flash compensation was dialed down.
In the 2nd image, the bride’s face is lit entirely by flash. Hence my flash is my main source of light. So I would have to start somewhere around 0 EV compensation. But from experience I knew that the lighter toned face, and white dress and the backlighting would influence my flash exposure. So I dialled in more flash exposure.
In this next image, I bounced my on-camera strobe off the wall directly behind me.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give regarding using bounce flash, is not to get stuck on the idea that you need a ceiling above you to bounce flash. Look around for other surfaces that can be used.
By making my light source larger than just the area of the small flash tube, I am immediately making my light softer. And this is exactly the reason why we bounce flash.
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Before setting this up, I made a few test shots to see that the city lights are correctly exposed. Then I positioned the couple.Because I wanted to move around, I decided to use TTL and not manual flash – but this meant I had to bracket my exposures and ride my flash compensation.
specific settings: The slow shutter speed is to allow the city lights to record. Because the flash and the city lights are vastly different in colour temperature, I fixed it in post-production. With raw, it was little effort to create two images with different WB settings, and then combining them with layers in Photoshop. |
next: More examples of how to match available light and flash …
photography books written by Neil vN
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Amazing site, but something you said above caught my eye. “I bounced flash off that sand-coloured brickwork, and this did affect my colour balance…”
How do you adjust your white balance when you’re bouncing light off all kinds of crazy surfaces throughout a shoot but don’t have a grey card in the shot? Do you use the white wedding dress? Or do you do it by eye?
Comment by RFS — August 12, 2009 @ 8:36 am
As usual, great tutorial Neil!
RFS, like Neil said in this post, he shoots in RAW so he doesn’t have to worry about the WB at time of shoot and correcting the it later is easy.
Comment by larimarco — August 12, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
Hi Neil,
Just a quick question…..
When you are using direct flash, or indirect I suppose, for fill flash during the evening when the sun’s light is more golden, do you ever gel the flash to bring the cooler light inline with the sun’s color?
I’m guessing that you would do that but I’d like to know for sure.
Thanks
Steve
Comment by Steve Crouch — August 18, 2009 @ 8:05 am
Comment by Neil — August 18, 2009 @ 4:15 pm
Neil,
Funnily enough that’s the photo that prompted me to ask the question! I saw it in your book and wondered.
Great book by the way, so much info to get the brain working – it’s interesting to see how you think about certain situations and lighting conditions. Once you see the infomation in front of you it seems so obvious, I could have been messing about with all this for years without your help and guidance. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Steve
Comment by Steve — August 18, 2009 @ 6:21 pm
I am just delving into flash photography. Your site is a great resource and your book should be en route to me now. As I read on I may find my answer but here is one burning question I have. Why are you shooting at high ISO. Why not do everything at 100. I have been doing microstock for the past 6 months and it has turned me into a pixel peeper and with My Canon 50D I see noise at 100% above ISO 200.
Comment by Bob Keenan — August 23, 2009 @ 7:17 pm
Comment by Neil — August 27, 2009 @ 5:23 am
I can’t thank you enough for the knowledge shared. I loved your site, thanks.
Comment by DINESH — September 8, 2009 @ 12:59 pm
Neil,
So impressed with the results of your bounced flash. I would like to use bounced flash in a way that lights the subject directionally and softly (large point source, of course) BUT – that also falls off fairly rapidly so the background is fairly dark with only hints of detail. Obviously, that could be achieved primarily by moving subjects away from background. But if mobility is not an option, can you suggest some tips to achieve this?
Thanks, Bob
Comment by Bob — September 10, 2009 @ 6:15 am
Comment by Neil — September 19, 2009 @ 2:24 am
Niel,
I’m reading your book and this helpful site. Maybe I’ve missed it, but what determines the amount of flash compensation should be used? No doubt experience will be the most help, eventually. But where do we start?
Comment by Dwayne Zimmerman — September 22, 2009 @ 9:04 am
Comment by Neil — September 23, 2009 @ 2:13 am
Neil, for image one, you mention that your camera settings were chosen based on the ambient light. For image two, what were they based on? The fact that you knew you needed a slower shutter speed to retain the colors of the window (i.e. – let the colors “burn in”? What if you didn’t care about the colors in the background? What would dictate your settings then? Also, when flash is used to override ambient light, what dictates your settings? Do you make a decision on one of the variables and then adjust the others based on the histogram, etc. I just bought your book – sorry if this is all covered there! Thanks
Comment by Kristin Ahern — October 19, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
Comment by Neil — October 23, 2009 @ 3:42 am
[...] Este artículo es una traducción del post original en ingles de Neil van Niekerk, con el permiso del propietario del copyright. 01 – natural looking flash [...]
Pingback by ARGI-ITZALAK » 01.- Flash con un aspecto natural — November 30, 2009 @ 3:04 pm
I don’t understand bouncing flash (yet). In the first photo, you say you bounced the flash into a huge room behind you. Huh? You shot the flash into a big open space? What exactly is it bouncing off? In the second photo, you say you bounced the flash off the wall behind the bride. How then is her face lit?
Comment by Kris Hunt — December 18, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
Comment by Neil — December 19, 2009 @ 3:41 am
Hi Mr Neil !
How are you ? i have a question i have used the speedlight 580 EX 2 – but i would like to use more flash for example 2 – 3 so i can use another flashes not canon ?
Last time i tried a opteka TTL flash with my canon flash, when my master canon works the my opteka slave was stil flash the same time – but when i saw on the picture it got too dark !!!
please ,explain to me
thanks
hope you be well ,alway
Hapy newyear
your reader
Duc Le
Comment by Duc Le — December 30, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
Comment by Neil — December 31, 2009 @ 1:20 am
I just finished reading your articles on flash photography, and I must first say thanks for all the information you shared and the depth in which you covered it.
My question is this, you mention a few times that you bounce the flash behind you. How did you accomplish this feat? I am using the Canon 580EX, and while it can rotate 180 degrees, it cannot face backwards. Do you use a reflector of some kind?
Much Thanks,
Phil
Comment by Phillip — January 18, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
Comment by Neil — January 18, 2010 @ 9:36 pm
Well I meant 180 TOTAL but I felt you wouldn’t have replied like that without reason so I went back to my flash and tried to rotate it again, past +-90 degrees. Turns out it was a little stubborn to get past there the first time, but now it does in fact rotate 180 degrees in either direction. Great discovery for me, it’s like I have a new flash!
Thanks,
Phil
Comment by Phillip — January 20, 2010 @ 8:14 am
Comment by Neil — January 20, 2010 @ 12:43 pm
Hi neil
In reply to BOB Q9
I would suggest to bob that you just use diffused (you can buy large flash soft boxes) direct flash on automatic as this will light the subject and not the background – to me an unflattering result but is what you are looking for. You could also bounce into a smaller area or lower the flash output until desired fall off is achieved.
I’m aiming to use bounce flash more after looking at this site, the wide area that the bounced light reflects from creating diffused and scattered light with a far more pleasing result.
If you run into problems with reflective areas to bounce light into you could get an assistant to stand behind you with a metre wide white reflector and bounce light into that or simply suggest the subject moves to a more suitable area.
By the way – Its a great site and one i will be dipping into. There’s so much to learn.
Thanks neil
Comment by phil — February 24, 2010 @ 8:32 am
Hi Neil,
I’ve been going over and over your flash photography blogs for the last few months gaining a huge amount of information and knowledge, so firstly, thankyou.
Last saturday I shot my first wedding as a solo photographer (not following anyone else around) and I have to say what I’ve learned from you in regards to bounce flash and flash ratios in different lighting situations has been invaluable, so thankyou once again! The location and shoot it’s self threw lots of difficult lighting situations (mostly weather related and moving inside into a poorly-lit and crowded venue) at me.
I just really wanted to ask one question. My 2600mAh rechargeables didn’t seem to get more than 60 full flash shots or 100 fill flash shots per set. I ran through 4x sets between my Canon 580 EX II and Sigma EF 530DG Super speedlights on the day and was almost having to resort to pop flash (ewwww!!!). I was wondering if you could recommend something that would hold up to 200-300 shots without having to resort to external battery packs? I hear the sanyo enloop batteries are excellent.
Thanks once again, and keep up the great work.
Comment by Sean Farrow — March 8, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
To Sean Farrow:
I would suggest using the Energizer Lithium batteries (they’re blue and silver). I have been able to get 500 shots from one 580 speedlite (I then went to the battery pack and can now shoot 1500 images, or a whole wedding) without ever changing batteries. They do cost quite a bit, normally around $10 for a 4-pack or $16 for an 8-pack, but they’re worth it!
Comment by photomatte — March 9, 2010 @ 4:48 pm
Comment by Neil vN — March 22, 2010 @ 5:39 am
Thanks :)
I’m doing a wedding as a 2nd shooter this weekend, and have purchased a few sets of sanyo eneloops just to see if all these independent tests I read online are true. So we’ll see how I go. I may look into a battery pack or 2 in the near future as my side business picks up (I work in IT during the week).
But batteries, gear, and everything else is all useless to me without the knowledge I’ve been able to get from this site. Thanks again.
Comment by Sean Farrow — March 22, 2010 @ 4:40 pm
First of all I wanted to say big thank you!!!
So much info, so much to learn and take into the filed to practice, practice and practice!
About batteries for flash I also wanted to mention the Eneloop line made by Sanyo. Of course- battery pack is much better, but if we are talking about the AA type- I have really been fond of them, they are rechargeable and high capacity. They work very well.
I know photomatte mentioned lithium batteries- and I have to add here, in case of Nikon speedlights the instruction states, that they do not recommend lithium type, as they can easily get hot and lock your flash.
With SB-900 at least there is a temperature gauge on the screen so you can sort of watch for overheating, but SB-800 or SB-600 won’t tell you, they will just stop working. And that’s probably least wanted situation to be in while shooting event.
Comment by Joanna — April 7, 2010 @ 11:48 am
I use rechargeable Eneloop AA batteries in my battery pack and are more durable of all I’ve tried.
Comment by Alfredo Medina — April 7, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
The photo of the bride in front of the window is awful! Sorry, but it is. The window (which is crooked in a very accidental sort of way) is the worst possible busy background which over powers the bride.
If you wanted a hint of the window, why not move the bride well away from it, so there would be a little perspective separation, if nothing else. That would allow the window to be a little blurred as well, and perhaps de-saturated, since you’ve got these STRONG window colors against sand against skin tone.
Not good.
If the above options were exercised, it might be best to offset the window as well, so that it is not directly behind the bride.
Sheesh. This is terrible.
Comment by JEGH — October 23, 2010 @ 2:01 am
Comment by Neil vN — October 23, 2010 @ 2:43 am
Thanks for all the work you put into instruction and helping out us amateurs.
Comment by Nightfury — October 25, 2010 @ 7:57 pm
neil,
as you said one negative comment after all the work you have done and posted is quite remarkable, i guess you could have done this or done that to make that photo as good as JEGH desires but you arent going to please all the people all the time. Accepting the fact that the photo isn’t your best shot its nice to see how you have evolved and improved as i hope we have with your help. Yours is the only site I read on a daily basis, that from someone who has been paid to shoot. I look forward to seeing JEGH’s link to his or her website so we can critique it….Keep up the stellar work, Mike
Comment by mike — October 26, 2010 @ 4:50 am
Hi Neil,
I’m determined to figure out how to take beautiful flash photos consistently. I bought your book, studied it all day yesterday and then tried to use your techniques last night at a low key event I was hired to shoot. I had mixed success,but two main issues to ask you about: 1. I made a black foamy thing out of the neoprene case that holds my portable external hard drive. It’s double layer thick. Within 30-40 minutes at the event BOTH of my 580 ex units had stopped working. PANIC. I changed batteries on both ( energizer lithium) and discovered batteries were super hot, almost burnt my hands. I took off black foamy thing and in time flash units came back, though a bit slower than usual. So , do you think overheating was from too thick foam, or flash using more power bouncing off high walls and ceilings, or my type of batteries? Has this ever happened to you? And 2. I shoot mostly vertical shots. I’m a portrait photographer and I much prefer the aesthetic of vertical. I had difficulty sending flash in right direction. do I need to use a bracket? Or maybe I’m not doing it correctly?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hilary
Comment by Hilary Hood — November 19, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
Comment by Neil vN — November 19, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
Thanks, but how do you mean “too wide”? that it covered too much of the sides of the flash? (which it did). This may also explain why many of my shots were underexposed….And do you have a recommendation for the least cumbersome bracket out there these days. Thank you so much for your help.
Comment by Hilary Hood — November 19, 2010 @ 6:49 pm
Comment by Neil vN — November 19, 2010 @ 7:36 pm
Thanks and one last question…i shot most of the night with my 70-200 at f2.8. at 800 and 1600 iso, is that too wide an aperture for black foam? could that have overheated batteries? and next time i will adjust flash zoom. Hope you’ll do a workshop in San Francisco one of these days!
Hilary
Comment by Hilary Hood — November 19, 2010 @ 9:31 pm
Comment by Neil vN — November 20, 2010 @ 7:34 am
Neil, I left you a message (can’t find what page I left it on, but this is good spot for an update). I too, after reading all your blog, ordered your book and I’m a few pages from finishing the book (a real pager tuner ;-) and I just stopped at the craft store and picked up some 2 mil foam, I thought the 3 mil was too think, cut it down and started playing. You have truly “turned a page” in the minds of many in using a on camera flash the way you have deminstrated in your book and here on your blog. My biggest issue is that I have my first wedding after Thanks Giving and luckily for me that I’m comfortable using Manual exposure with Spot and the ceremony is outside. going to re-read the outside section and make sure I have the fill flash portion down. So just to be sure, I’m usine a 5Dmk II with a 580ex II and it will be full sun around 2:30pm should I be using the fill flash setting on the 580 or just dialing down regular flash (all in TTL of course). I also have a Fong that I have used before for the receiption, but after your lessons, I SO DON’T WANT TO USE IT and take what I’ve learned and let er rip!
The one thing I have going over most others is I’m a project manager by day and very organized ahead of time and can see the flow, etc. I worry most about the timing issues and not taking too long to setup a shot, etc. I have spent some time at locatons getting some basic metering shots to help me get going.
Any feedback is good
thanks
Mike
Comment by Michael Donovan — November 21, 2010 @ 5:11 pm
Great article and images. your very talented! Enjoyed reading
Comment by ashley — January 24, 2011 @ 12:35 am
Brilliant article! I have now made myself a foam snoot and have the gels ready to go. Looking forward to giving this a shot at my next wedding project.
Comment by Arran Moffat Edinburgh Photography — April 4, 2011 @ 6:38 pm
Great website. I have only been prowling the web for a few months specifically about Photography. I just found your site via a link before midnight tonight and now it is closer to 2 and unlike most places I have been I want to compliment you. I take photojournalist style pics for day and night events and I do portraits mostly onsite during events. Unlike JEGH, I like your choice of pictures and do not want you to “improve them”. He talks like a college professor who teaches from a rule book on Art Photography. He is is entitled to his opinion but you should not be overly influenced by one person’s voluntary expression of opinion. By the way the prof took very few interesting pics but could criticize anyone’s work(A Critic.)
I use built-in flash and brackets w/off-camera TTL flash and most of my customers always remember the “lucky” on the fly shots that turn out “cool” over any of the posed portraiture. Most of these happy comments are from people who do not realize what “fill flash” is or “bounce flash” either. They all, however, remember shots that makes them look good and have something else to remind them of the day such as a stained glass church window as opposed to a paper roll backdrop and a stiff pose.
I know this is a little off the flash subject but it is MY opinion. I am still learning but I think I can learn from you also. Again, Thank You for the site and I will be back to learn more.
Comment by EJWw — May 9, 2011 @ 2:59 am
As Joe Don Baker said in Eischeid, “You done good.” I have learned a great regarding flash by reading your articles. I am primarily bug and landscape fella- but your advice has encouraged me so much I finally stopped using my old Vivitar flash and bought a Mecablitz 58.
Here is something I hope will help you: One can correct, or adjust to taste, white balance of a JPG in Photoshop Camera Raw. One can also individually adjust the black, grey, and white in Photoshop. There is a technique for determining what is black, white, and grey, if it is not obvious,before making such adjustments.
Again – thanks
Comment by Ed Long — August 30, 2011 @ 2:49 pm
I must say this is one of the most concise and well thought out tutorials and such that I have encountered thus far. Because of you I can now learn flash photography without running into it blind. I do have one question though, what is the purpose of labeling your exposure with every picture? Is it a good habit to get into? And is there a proper way to write it?
Comment by Jorge — November 15, 2011 @ 12:55 am
Comment by Neil vN — November 15, 2011 @ 1:34 am
Neil,
Great article. I recently purchased a Canon speedlite and find your site very helpful for flash photography. I never thought to shoot the light behind me into a room for fill light as you said you did with the first shot. That is simply awesome! That is good stuff to know.
Thanks!
Comment by Michelle — December 2, 2011 @ 1:51 pm
Brilliant article the second photo looks really natural the flash blends in so well.
Comment by Tony Sale — January 20, 2012 @ 6:08 pm
both are fantastic shots. I always wonder why a slightly tilted photo (like your second) is considered acceptable, as opposed to purely vertical. While I love it myself, some people might think it was crooked! Personal taste or is there more to it, thoughts?
Comment by Michael — March 16, 2012 @ 1:26 am
Comment by Neil vN — March 16, 2012 @ 1:37 am
Neil,
Hi, I’m very like your flash guide. But my english is no good, so I want to try to translate your flash techniques into Chinese for myself watch, and improve my english.May I?
Comment by sworder12 — March 29, 2012 @ 10:41 am
Comment by Neil vN — March 29, 2012 @ 6:08 pm
I loved your article.Really thank you! Awesome.
Comment by Efren Flaherty — April 22, 2012 @ 8:37 am
I am glad to have found your web site. i just bought a sb910 for my d80 I want to start photographing events. I want to transfer photography to a full time job in the future. all the advice is a priceless commodity, especially in this economy. I will be purchasing the 360 with an external battery pack. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Comment by paul — November 24, 2012 @ 9:19 pm
Neil – just a quick one. Any idea why I still get flash shadow in portrait mode (that awful sideways shadow) even though I am bouncing flagged and behind me?
Comment by Stacey — April 5, 2013 @ 2:41 am
Comment by Neil vN — April 5, 2013 @ 2:42 am
I will do…
Comment by Stacey — April 5, 2013 @ 9:07 am