Light Techniques
Using Flash and Fill for Balanced Images
Why would anyone use their flash equipment on a brightly lit day? Generally to achieve balance in a bright scene which can come from using a technique referred to as “flash fill”. This delivers appropriate lighting that “fills in” any gaps or spots of darkness that may arise from the power of bright background or area light.
For example, the brilliant light of a summer day may make for a perfect time to enjoy a picnic or a day at the beach. At such events many photographers like to snap formal and informal shots. What may happen in such locations however is that the lighting of a photograph can be out of balance due to the location of the sun and the placement of the subject. A child seated on the sand at the beach will have the brilliant water and sand surrounding them, and this can cause the foreground of a photograph to be under-lit while the background could be seen as a brilliant blur.
This is the underlying cause of professional photographer’s relying on the “sweet light” of sunrise and sunset for many of their outdoor photographs. The overall lighting during such times is dramatic, but not out of control, and makes for lovely photographs. During brighter times of day however there are the challenges of rapidly changing light, shadows and the loss of balance due to extremes.
How does a photographer create balance? In two ways – using the flash to fill in the light of the foreground or subject, and making any additional compensation by opening the f-stop to allow more light into an exposure. While this may seem to present the opportunity for a washed out image, realistically a more open f-stop setting in a scene presenting uneven light allows for more balance to an image.
For example, the child on the beach can be photographed using the flash to fill the area in front while the larger f-stop will balance the overall lighting of the scene. Of course this may mean that the background image has less clarity, or is out of focus all together, but the whole point of the adjustment to the settings was to introduce balanced lighting on the subject as well as the entire scene.
Many photographers find excellent results through experimentation with flash fill and exposure compensation tactics, and use the techniques to establish balance in any environment where lighting can present a challenge.
Article by...
Amy Renfrey
Digital Photographer, Digital Photography Teacher & Author
