what sort of fill light in the sunshine

[unclened]

looking for some advice, maybe even some from the wedding togs, as this is probably right up their street.

if your taking pictures of people outside and you happen to be in the direct sunshine, what are your options for neutralising those harsh shadows? My instinct would be to use my 430ex (with diffuser) mounted on the hotshoe, and expose for the background (or surrounding light) and let the camera&flash figure out how much flash is required using ettl.

I would be interested in hearing views on this technique, and if there any improvements or alternatives available?

 

[SamuelHearn]

I don't really know much about this, but I would have thought a simple reflector board would work a treat at softening the shadows a bit. Also this would allow you to work at a higher speed and give you good flexibility over your DoF, instead of 1/200th flash sync and having to stop down.

I am assuming you are talking about harsh shadows on the subjects, if you mean the shadows cast across the floor, I have no clue

 

[LongLensPhotography]

I'd go for reflector first, or a mixed system with flashes. Canon ones can do high speed sync even wirelessly. Metering will be very important, and the flash intensity decreases at higher speeds. It is doable nonetheless

 

[ranarama]

If you're looking to use a hotshoe mounted flash as fill-in in harsh sunlight the first and best thing you can do is get rid of the difuser for a few reasons...
1 - You are trying to sync at max 1/250 sec (camera dependant) so will usually need a narrow aperture
2 - To do that you need as much flash power as you can muster
3 - Your diffuser will spread light in all directions, not where you want it to go, which is forward as a fill.

If possible don't take posed photos in direct sunshine as, for want of a better word, it is an arse. Find shade with a good amount of diffused light for a more flattering effect. Personally, for the more reportage style I prefer to expose for the face and overexpose the background - it can create a nice light and natural feel to a portrait. Some people are hung up about not blowing highlights but I think it's OK if it works with the setting.

 

[Lensflare]

I would remove the sunshine!

get the person to move into the shadows - OR, use a sheet over them to soften the harshness of the sunshine and diffuse it through the sheet of material (on a frame) - that is what cirrus clouds were invented for!

 

[CT]

I would remove the sunshine!

get the person to move into the shadows - OR, use a sheet over them to soften the harshness of the sunshine and diffuse it through the sheet of material (on a frame) - that is what cirrus clouds were invented for!

Absolutely! The last thing you want with direct sunshine on your subjects is fill flash, and they'll already be squinting in the sunlight anyway. Move into the shadows and use fill flash to just brighten your shots if you can.

Failing that, position your subjects with their backs to the sun and again use fill flash. It needs a bit more careful metering but you can get some very attractive rim backlighting aound the hair with fill flash just to brighten the faces.

The only other solution is a very large diffusing screen to soften the light.

 

[HoppyUK]

looking for some advice, maybe even some from the wedding togs, as this is probably right up their street.

if your taking pictures of people outside and you happen to be in the direct sunshine, what are your options for neutralising those harsh shadows? My instinct would be to use my 430ex (with diffuser) mounted on the hotshoe, and expose for the background (or surrounding light) and let the camera&flash figure out how much flash is required using ettl.

I would be interested in hearing views on this technique, and if there any improvements or alternatives available?

Do it exactly as you describe, but without the diffuser which will do nothing but waste power by spreading light wider than you need.

E-TTL will take care of it very well and you can moderate the power of the flash very easily with +/- compensation on the gun. Check the handbook for use of the FEL* button as you might need it.

If the ambient light level is high and the shutter rises above max x-sync speed, just switch the flash to high speed sync mode - that's what it was made for. As noted above, HSS uses a lot of power which reduces ultimate range, and increases recycling time, so don't waste it with diffusers!

Fill-flash is really dead easy with E-TTL and HSS, and it looks great

 

[Supermotech]

Sorry to hijack this thread people, but I'm trying to contact Simon (lenseflare), as he's an old friend.

If you are the Simon that I used to work with at a certain magazine (in Altrincham) and who I last saw on the Yamaha stand at the NEC 2008, please can you PM me, I have tried PMing you, but the forum won't allow it. Not even sure if I can receive PM's......So alternatively, you might want to give me a shout at PDQ!

Just wanted to talk olde boats....!

Thank you,

Emma