Using Flash in Bright Situations

[Pichead]

Originally Posted by PreethiT

Hi, this is a great shot for sure. The background gives it a very lazy and relaxed feeling....I'm simply loving that
I'm still working on my off camera flash techniques, so this may sound a little too basic. I use Speedlight SB800 and there are different modes. Which one is best you would recommend and how exactly do you control the power.

Thanks for the comments.

I use an SB-600 and am not really sure how the 800 differs, but I'll tell you what I do in most situations.

If I'm working in a situation where things are changing quickly (including the light) I often set the flash to TTL or Through The Lens Mode, whereby the light coming through the lens signals the flash to output a certain power. Basically, it's a sophisticated auto mode that you can use if you'd rather not manually tweak the settings. And, within TTL, you can raise and lower the flash's compensation, which will provide a little more or less power should the TTL system not provide the results you require.

If I have more time, I'm usually in Manual Mode on the flash, which allows me to control the power in fractions of the total available output. This is simply a matter of playing with the output, along with you camera's settings, to get the right results. I usually get my Aperture set first in order to control my depth of field. I then work through my shutter speed and flash simultaneously to get the desired results.

It's hard for me to go into too much detail. All I would recommend is playing with all the variables involved knowing that you're shooting digital and will only have to concern yourself with flash batteries. An hour of taking photos of the same subject, while continually changing the aperture/shutter speed/flash mode/flash power/etc. will give you a good indication of what's going on...

Good luck! And, if you have any specific questions, let me know. I may or may not know the answer, but I'm sure someone on here will...

[JustinB]

This is what I see in my mind everytime I try fill-flash. The balance of light, the colors, the clarity. Very very nice. Thanks for the explaination of the flash set-up. Very nice picture and very nice subject.