Shooting in harsh sunlight and no shade: Flash vs No Flash (Part A)?
The purpose of this video is to show you one solution of dealing with in harsh light condition (mid afternoon, no shade): using a strong flash and underexposing the ambient.
This footage of the first part of the photoshoot. The second part will be available in a few days.
Main Points:
Introduction (00-00:43):
-Common solutions for dealing with harsh sunlight: using a diffuser to “cut off” the hard light on the subject (not in this video) and using a flash.
-Having a flash in my camera bag gives me peace of mind
2. The model was facing the sun: One flash scenario (00:44)
-Posing the model to get “Loop Lighting
-Overpowering the sun with a flash (in full power)
-Using wide angle lens and shooting at a low angle allows you to lengthen the subject’s legs
*You can see different light patterns as the model moves: Loop, Rembrandt, Split and etc. This time I was going for the Loop Lighting.
3. The model was turning away from the sun: Natural light only scenario (3:22)
-The challenge for shooting in natural light only: as there’s just one exposure (the ambient), the subject will be underexposed if I expose for the background. If I expose for the subject then the background will be overexposed. I have to compromise between those two exposures.
-In backlit conditions, your lens might find it hard to focus and the photos can also look hazy.
-Solution: use a small diffuser if the lens hood is not big enough to block the flares. You can cover the flare with your hands as well.
4. The model was turning away from the sun: One flash scenario (4:43)
-Adding a flash to overpower the sun.
-Expose for the ambient before turning on the flash
-I wanted to keep the same ambient exposure so I didn’t change my camera settings.
-Then I decided to underexpose the ambient by increasing the shutter speed. The flash power was raised to compensate for the change.
-The flash exposure is normally not affected by the shutter speed, unless the flash is on high speed sync.
5. Sitting down pose: Natural light only scenario (6:53)
-Find something for your model/ client to sit on (say a log or something), so that you can naturally shoot for a higher angle to flatter the shape of the face.
-As I exposed for the subject, the background was bright but still acceptable. This is because the photoshoot happened in the mid afternoon; if it happened earlier then the background will be washed out.
6. Sitting down pose: One flash scenario (7:51)
-Learning how to color grade the image makes a huge difference!
7. The main benefit of using a flash (8:37)
-Allowing you to shoot anywhere, including full sun
-Balancing the subject and background exposures
-There's also nothing wrong if one prefers to use just the natural light, it is a matter of the photography style.
8. What we will be doing in Part B of this photoshoot (8:52)
My equipment
-Camera: Canon 5D Mark iv
-Lenses: Canon 85mm F1.4 and Canon 16-35mm F4
-Flash: Godox AD600
-Softbox: Glow Ez Octabox (36”)
*Photosprouts Photography Workshops* | Instructor-led Workshops in San Francisco
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