{"id":6963,"date":"2011-02-04T01:39:31","date_gmt":"2011-02-04T05:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=6963"},"modified":"2020-06-13T19:31:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T23:31:07","slug":"available-light-vs-fill-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/available-light-vs-fill-flash\/","title":{"rendered":"Available light vs Fill-flash"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Available light vs Fill-flash<\/h1>\n

A\u00a0question that popped up in my web stats was interestingly phrased:\u00a0Do natural light photographers always use fill flash?\u00a0The question curiously implies that you might not find natural light which is perfect. However, as photographers, that is something we’re constantly searching for: perfect light. It is<\/strong> out there, somewhere. So, resisting the temptation to just answer with a cheeky “no”, let’s consider an example of when you would not want or need fill-flash.<\/p>\n

The thing with natural light, is that you have to look<\/strong><\/em> at it. You have to look at the direction<\/strong> of light. And see whether it gives you the quality<\/strong> of light that you need …<\/p>\n

‘Quality’ here could mean a number of things, depending on what we need. Quality could mean how even the light is. As opposed to splotchy dappled light. Quality could mean the color balance. It really comes down to whether the natural light \/ ambient light is exactly what would make the photograph work.<\/p>\n

With this photograph above, I was working with this couple under a high awning outside a train station. No light from directly above. Just light coming in from an angle to the side. Great. I then purposely posed Jessica so that the light comes in over her shoulder and lights up her face. Clean open light on her.<\/p>\n

The approach here is a technique which can consistently be used. It is very much the same idea as described in the post on\u00a0direction of light and choice of background<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I want to emphasize here that I didn’t just have the couple stand in a random spot. If they were half turned away from the light coming in from the side, then the light on her face might have been uneven, and her eyes might’ve been too shaded. The pose here is quite specific in regards to the direction of the available light. With that, we just didn’t need to augment the available light with flash. The light was perfect. But we had to control it.<\/p>\n

Controlling the light here was much more easily done by directing how the couple was angled towards the light. Simpler than adding reflectors and softboxes and such. \u00a0Or alternately, moving the sun and clouds around. You have to work within your capabilities.<\/p>\n

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