Fill Flash

Your flash isn't just for dark scenes...

A lot of people don't think to use their flash unless it's a dark room or a picture at night, but a flash can be used very effectively during the day to add to your portraits.

Reasons to use fill flash:

1) The sun is behind your subject, causing their face to be in shadow.
2) To fill in shadows (like raccoon eyes) when the sun is directly overhead.

How is fill flash different from "normal" flash?

If your camera has a fill flash setting, the camera reduces the intensity of the flash to a degree versus normal flash operation, which is at full power. If your camera does not have a fill flash option, you can experiment with taping tissue paper over your flash to reduce the amount of light. This will also soften some shadows caused by the flash.

How do I set my camera to fill flash?

All cameras vary, but usually you can press the button that looks like a lightning bolt repeatedly to see if it will cycle through your flash options such as always on, off, automatic, etc. When all else fails, crack open the user manual!

Example:

For lack of a better or more recent example, we will use these lovely pictures from last week. I75 was a parking lot in Ocala, FL so it was a perfect opportunity for my wife to play with the camera. The first picture is with no flash, and the second is with the flash turned on. And just for the record, I buckled up before traffic started moving again!