PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE - OUTDOOR LIGHTING
Although some outdoor photographers prefer to shoot everything by available light, an electronic flash unit is a valuable accessory. In many situations, the extra illumination creates more pleasing pictures of people, nature, or still-life subjects. The need for flash is obvious in dark conditions, such as on heavily overcast days or in a forest where foliage blocks the sun. However, I use fill flash - a gentle burst of light that fills in shadows without overpowering the ambient light - just as often on bright days.
Daylight-balanced fill flash, which reduces flash output, is especially useful in bright conditions. An internal computer evaluates the scene and produces a gentle burst of light: fill flash. Because the sun remains the primary illumination, the effect should be natural, without an obvious or artificial look. This technology works with a dedicated accessory flash or with the camera’s built-in flash.
This article offers many uncomplicated tips for making excellent outdoor images with fill flash and other lighting techniques.
Learn the advantages of fill flash
The technology in current single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras and flash units is complex, especially with high-tech models. But the basic concepts are simple, and fill flash will usually produce very good to excellent results, solving technical problems in three types of situations:
* When a hat, tree branch, or other object casts a shadow, fill flash can be useful for brightening important details. It can also brighten dark eye sockets caused by light from above, during the hours around noon on a sunny day.
* When you’re shooting toward the sun or a bright background, flash helps to ensure an accurate exposure. Your subject should be brightly rendered and not underexposed. In fact, with daylight-balanced fill flash, the system will balance the lighting for a pleasing exposure in both areas.
* On windy days, flowers and grasses are moving and may be rendered as blurred unless you use flash. The short burst of light can freeze the subject for a more accurate rendition.
Tip A small built-in flash unit is useful only for subjects that are fairly close to the camera: perhaps 15 feet on a sunny day. If you own an SLR camera and a high-powered accessory flash unit, it may have greater range, up to 25 feet.
Not all high-tech SLR cameras automatically provide daylight-balanced fill flash in all modes. Some do so only in Program modes. Read your camera’s manual for specifics, or check the manufacturer’s Web site.
Use the right accessory
Reflectors (discussed in more detail later in this article) are great for nature close-up photography, but I prefer daylight-balanced fill flash for people and travel subjects. A flash unit is more practical and more portable, and it’s also far quicker to operate. With today’s high-tech cameras, outdoor flash techniques are also simple. Even the most affordable autofocus SLR models produce pleasing results with a built-in smart flash or an accessory flash.
Diffuse the light If you own an accessory flash unit, consider buying a diffuser that will spread and soften the light. Check the LumiQuest Web site for a sampling of the types of products that are available. Some major photo retailers carry other brands; check their Web sites for specifics. Any diffuser bounces, spreads, or otherwise softens the light from flash for a pleasing effect.
Tip Flash diffuser accessories are most effective when the subject is nearby: not more than six feet from the camera. Hence they’re most useful for close-ups of people, still lifes, and nature subjects.
Note that LumiQuest offers a gold-tone accessory with some of their light-modifiers. These are useful in early morning and late afternoon, helping to balance the color of the light from flash with the “warm” (reddish) light from the sun.
If you simply want to add a pale amber filter over the flash tube to warm the light, ask a professional photo dealer for a sheet of gelatin filter material in 81A color. Difficult to find, these pale amber filters are often used by pro travel photographers. Try a Web search using keywords like the names of filter manufacturers, such as Rosco and Lee filters.
Extend the range of the flash As mentioned earlier, even a high-powered flash has limited range. If you want to photograph birds or mammals using a 300 mm or longer lens, you’ll need an accessory to extend flash range. The simplest, most affordable (about $40) product of this type is the Flash X-tender, made by Visual Echoes. The Flash X-tender is available from several Web sites, including Birds as Art, Kirk Enterprises, L.L. Rue, and Nature Photographers.
Employing a Fresnel lens that concentrates the light from flash into a narrow beam, this accessory makes flash useful for distant subjects. Sold under various names (including Better Beamer), the Visual Echoes product is very compact, and folds to fit into the side pocket of you camera bag. I have used it to photograph grizzly bears in British Columbia and wading birds in Florida, with great success.
Tip Use flash extenders only with high-tech TTL flash units to avoid complex calculations, and only use them with focal lengths of 300 mm and longer. For more information about the use of a flash extender accessory, visit bird photographer Arthur Morris’ Web page.
For the best results with a flash extender, move the flash unit off camera, well above the lens. This helps to minimize the red eye that’s prevalent with mammals. Off-camera flash requires a TTL connecting cable (discussed later), plus a bracket to hold the flash unit. I found three companies that make a suitable bracket for nature photography: Wimberley, Kirk Enterprises, and Really Right Stuff.
Fine tune flash exposures
Some photographers find that automatic daylight-balanced fill flash is still excessive: it is apparent that flash was used for the picture. This can be solved with one of the following tactics.
Adjust the exposure compensation Some high-end SLR cameras, digital cameras, and accessory flash units offer a control that will reduce flash intensity. Called flash exposure compensation or flash output control, this allows you to make fill flash even more subtle. Dial in a -0.5 to -1EV of flash exposure compensation, and the flash effect will be very gentle. Most viewers will not even notice that flash was used for the photos.
Tip In extreme backlighting, or with white subjects, do not set any minus (negative) flash exposure compensation. Try the opposite to avoid underexposure: set a +1 factor.
Try off-camera fill flash Most SLR camera manufacturers offer a TTL connecting cable accessory that allows you to remove the flash unit from the camera, while maintaining full automation. One end of this cable plugs into the camera’s hot shoe, and the other end (with its own hot shoe) accommodates a flash unit. You can hold an off-camera flash exactly where you want it.
Because the flash unit remains connected to the camera, all of the high-tech capabilities are maintained, including daylight-balanced fill flash. Some SLR camera and flash systems also allow for wireless off-camera flash without a connecting cord. However, not all such systems will maintain all flash capabilities.
Check your camera’s manual or the manufacturer’s Web site for more specifics about wireless off-camera TTL flash for the brand and model that you own.
Tip When using fill flash, the sun provides most of the illumination; flash merely adds a bit of extra light. Hence, even on-camera flash produces good results with people and still lifes that are at least five feet away. Outdoors, off-camera flash is most useful in low-light conditions. It’s also necessary in macro nature photography, with subjects that are extremely close to the camera. Hold the remote flash above the lens and slightly to the side of the subject for the most natural lighting effect. Consider buying an adjustable flash bracket that allows you to position the flash unit in just the right location for small, nearby subjects.
Shop around for the right flash option
If you have not tried flash outdoors in recent years, you may believe that it produces effects that seem artificial. Granted, that was the case with older SLR cameras and flash units. The lighting appeared harsh, while backgrounds were often unnaturally dark. You could get better results by reducing flash output, but that technique was complicated, and the results were unpredictable.
Most newer cameras, however, offer very natural looking flash effects.
Most compact cameras, digital or traditional, offer a Flash Always On mode. Set this feature, and flash will fire even in bright conditions. Try this option, especially in backlighting, such as when taking a picture of a person or nature subject against bright sky, water, or sun. The high-end models produce surprisingly good results, without excessive flash output. Even the less expensive models often provide good exposures.
If you’re considering a new SLR or digital camera, check out the high-tech models. Look especially for one that includes flash output control or flash exposure compensation for maximum control over flash intensity. If the camera does not include this feature, look for an accessory flash unit that does.
And be sure to review photo retailers’ Web sites and get their advice on buying the right model, considering your own needs and budget.
Consider alternatives to flash
Although flash is the most convenient source of fill-in lighting, some photographers prefer to use a reflector instead. On bright days, any shiny surface can be used to bounce extra light into important subject areas - the pistil and stamen of a flower, for example. You can use a white board, or a sheet of cardboard covered with wrinkled aluminum foil. The latter is more useful when the sun is not very bright
Any reflector has a significant advantage over flash: You can see the exact lighting effect as you move the panel around until you achieve the desired results.
Homemade devices work well, but I prefer one of the rugged circular reflector panels that collapse to one-third of their size for greater portability. Made by companies such as Photoflex and Visual Departures (Flexfill), these are available in various colors and numerous sizes from photo retailers. You can find more information at the manufacturers’ Web sites. My 32″ silver/gold model is useful for both people pictures and nature close-up photography.
Tip It’s awkward trying to take pictures while holding a reflector, especially a large model. Ask a friend or a friendly passerby to hold your reflector for people pictures. With small nature subjects in close-up photography, you can usually get by with a smaller 18″ reflector. Hold it with one hand while operating your tripod-mounted camera with the other hand.
Days with soft cloud cover are perfect for nature close-up photography but make using a reflector difficult: there’s not enough light. In such situations, flash is certainly more useful. If you prefer to work with only the ambient light, try using a portable shaving mirror as a reflector. The extremely reflective surface will always pick up some light
If dark clouds cover the sun, try this: Use a small flashlight to direct some light into important subject areas - the heart of a blossom, for example. This works best with a flashlight with an adjustable beam that you can narrow and widen, depending on the desired effect.
Even you don’t get quite the right lighting on your outdoor shots, you still have a few options. With digital images, use image-editing software, such as Microsoft Picture It!, to tone down the obvious flash effect. If you use negative film, ask your photofinisher to make new prints, reducing the overall exposure.
Begin using fill flash or a reflector regularly, and you’ll soon wonder how you ever managed without it.
