Namlak wrote:
Here\'s a couple shots I\'ve taken that I think show fill-flash working well. Both were casual shots of my kids out and about, not engineered photographs, per se.
The flash in both images was with the built-in flash (I have a Nissin 866Di when I\'m \"doing photography\" or know I\'ll need more power).
Good, better, best are all a matter of comparison.
Do they look good with built-in flash? Yes. But in large part likely due to the natural skylight modeling the face and fill bounced up from below and in the second shot any specular reflection the flash is creating on the skin seem perfectly natural because he is wet.
As mentioned eariler, axis fill doesn\'t create shadow so the \"Hey that\'s fake\" reaction is mostly the result of seeing specular highlights in unnaturally low places on the face when subject and camera are on the same level. In the first shot in the tree the fact the highlights created by the flash are not noticed is probably a combination of is skin not being oily or sweating and the upward angle of the lens and flash relative to the flash.
Would they have looked better if the flash was raised on a bracket? Yes because a bracket creates directional lighting and 3D modeling on faces more similar to natural light. You will not appreciate the difference it makes until you shoot with and without in the same situation and compare the results. I started with flash on a bracket and shots without them to me don\'t look as good as I know they could be.
What could make them look even better? Being able to own a camera with a 12 stop DR or shooting with B&W film that can be processed to produce that range. Then you wouldn\'t have needed the flash to record the full tonal range of the scene.
Namlak wrote:
Here\'s a couple shots I\'ve taken that I think show fill-flash working well. Both were casual shots of my kids out and about, not engineered photographs, per se.
The flash in both images was with the built-in flash (I have a Nissin 866Di when I\'m \"doing photography\" or know I\'ll need more power).
Good, better, best are all a matter of comparison.
Do they look good with built-in flash? Yes. But in large part likely due to the natural skylight modeling the face and fill bounced up from below.
Would they have looked better if the flash was raised on a bracket? Yes because a bracket creates directional lighting and 3D modeling on faces more similar to natural light. You will not appreciate the difference it makes until you shoot with and without in the same situation and compare the results. I started with flash on a bracket and shots without them to me don\'t look as good as I know they could be.
What could make them look even better? Being able to own a camera with a 12 stop DR or shooting with B&W film that can be processed to produce that range. Then you wouldn\'t have needed the flash to record the full tonal range of the scene.
Mar 10, 2012 at 11:39 AM
Previous versions of cgardner's message #10425905 « Fill Flash for Outdoors. Why? It looks bad. »
