5. SHOOT WITH FLASH OUTSIDE
Using flash outdoors can help control shadows and balance with natural light
Using flash is vital when shooting indoors to create light, add drama and correct unwanted hues from other light sources. Using flash outside is often considered less useful, after all there is plenty of natural light available provided by the sun. But the sun can be direct, bright and it’s stuck to one place, meaning its use can be limited. And sometimes of course there is no sun at all!
Using flash outside can therefore be vital, as it helps to correct strong natural light, infill shadows, balance natural light or create drama. Well-placed flash can enhance outdoor portraiture and using speedlights is an effective and easy way to take flash outside without the bulk and size of a full studio lighting setup. It is possible to shoot at any time of day, although in the bright midday sun it may be preferable to find shade or diffuse the hard sunlight before you infill with flash.
How your flash appears in your image outdoors depends on how you expose for the natural light and how this is combined with the flash. It can be used to overpower the sun and create a balanced image, or as an infill flash, exposed a few stops lower than the natural light.
It is easiest to begin by placing your subject and using your ISO, shutter speed and aperture to determine how the ambient light looks. Bear in mind that only if your flash has HSS can it be used above the flash sync speed of your camera (typically around 1/250 second). Next add the flash either on or off-camera, softened or direct, controlling the power manually to ensure you end up with the image you desire. Remember the flash will light the subject but won’t be powerful enough to illuminate the entire image, so the shutter and ISO control how dim or light the background is.
In these examples I use a background outdoors instead of the sky, and then exposing for that I add the flash to lift the light on the face and infill the shadows. I used an A1 offcamera, positioned to the left of the camera, and bounced into the soft bounce diffuser to soften the harder unmodified flash.