Flash in the sun
SET UP A FLASH IN TRICKY MIDDAY CONDITIONS FOR BOLD, VIBRANT PORTRAITS UNDER THE BEATING SUN
Flashes with sunlight 1
Some might think of flash as a tool to use for extra light in dim conditions, but bright sunlight is actually one of the best times to bring out your flash. The flash gives us lots of creative options, as we can either use it to create dynamic cross-lighting like this, or gently fill in the shadows for a more natural look.
Cross lighting 2
The key to shooting portraits in sunlight is to reduce the contrast over the subject. The flash lets us do this by filling in the shadows. Our subject has her back to the sun, so it creates bold highlights along the edge of her figure. Positioned opposite, the flash lifts the shadows on the face and body.
Expose for sunlight 3
The ‘Sunny f/16’ rule can help us work out a manual exposure. This says that, in bright sunlight, if aperture is f/16 and ISO is X our shutter speed will be 1/X sec. So at ISO100 we’d need 1/100 sec. An equivalent 1/200 sec lets us open up aperture to f/11. At these exposures, our flash will need to be at or near full power.
Prevent squinting 4
Whether shooting with a flash or using a reflector, a problem you’ll often face with portraits in bright sunlight is squinting subjects. Try asking your subject to keep their eyes closed or look down, then give them a ‘3… 2… 1…’ countdown to briefly open their eyes for the shot. Sunglasses can be a useful accessory!
Overhead sun 5
It’s often said that at midday the sun is directly overhead, but because of the tilt of the Earth it’s actually never directly overhead. As such, there’s always a slight angle to work with, even at noon, so you can position your subject with their back to the sun so it acts as a ‘kicker’ light like this, or facing into it.
Modifiers 6
A bare flash head produces hard-edged light that isn’t usually suited to portraits. With fill-flash it can result in double-shadows that criss-cross the face. Any light from a small source is hard-edged, so we need to enlarge the light source with a modifier, like our umbrella fitted to a Godox AD 300 Pro.