Force a Flash?

[Fotoman!]

Ok gang. Stupid question. I am shooting a Canon 7D in sunlight in full automatic mode. The camera determines I have enough light and no flash is needed. I have a Canon 430EX external flash mounted which I want to fire no matter what the camera says so that I can fill shadows. How can I force a flash?

My first post here... so thanks for your help.

[Nicole]

You could try setting your camera to P mode. I think that should allow you more control over your flash while still keeping the camera in what is essentially automatic. I'm not sure if there's another setting you'll need to set too though, so I'll let a Canon person fill you in on that.

[natek313]

Set your camera to either Av or Tv, and set your flash to E-TTL. It should fire a low-powered fill flash.

[Nicole]

See, I knew a Canon person would chime in with something useful

[amellor]

'A' mode will not fire the flash unless the meter tells it to. P mode is the same as A mode, but it lets you override the computer. If you have the flash engaged in P mode it will fire.

Not to be facecious, but the manual for your camera will explain all this. If you don't have the manual, you can download it in PDF. It's worth pulling the manual out and re-reading it every 6-9 months. Lot's of good stuff in there that you won't absorb the first few times you read it.

[Samanax]

I actually prefer to set the camera to "M" and the Speedlite to "M" when shooting with flash. You have more control over the situation that way but it also means doing some trial and error shots to get the exposure right. A flash/light meter will help take the guesswork out of the exposure settings.

Flash Photography Techniques

[Fotoman!]

Thanks for your comments! This forum is great.

[inkista]

Would just like to point out that the Av/Tv modes are good if you just want fill flash. If, however, you want the flash to be your main illumination source, then P mode, monkeying with your custom settings to force a faster shutter speed with Av mode, or M mode are your best bets.

Flash acts differently depending on what shooting mode you are in.

I agree with Samanax that Manual mode on the camera and manual on the flash will give you the most control, but it's never a bad thing to understand how all the modes work, so you can suss the strengths and weaknesses of any given mode. If you're going to run'n'gun, auto modes can be a blessing.

[Fotoman!]

Thanks very much for the information and link inkista. It was very helpful.

[Raoul Isidro]

You could also use the bracketing feature, taking 3 shots at high speed mode. Choose the best of the 3 exposures, or do it up in HDR which is freakin' fantastic.
(Av mode dial recommended)
Go to MENU button...
Highlight the AEB panel on the second Menu window...
Scroll the wheel to 1 or 1.5 value...
Press AF Drive near the shutter button...
Choose High Speed.
Press down long and take the picture.
The camera and flash will take 3 bracketed photos.
Note:
Don't forget to set everything back to normal after the brackets!