Sunny days are perfect for taking photos of the family and kids
outside. When the sun is high or behind your subject, how do you
reduce some of those unwanted shadows you’re getting?
Most cameras and
phones have fill flash. A useful tool in throwing some light on your
scene to help lift the shadows. Using it is as simple as turning it
on, and letting your camera do the firing.
Here are some simple
tips to help you use it more effectively for nicer pictures.
Don’t have your
shutter speed set too fast.
You want a soft
effect and keeping the background lit, so having your shutter open a
but longer will allow you to have the best of both worlds. If you can
set your cameras shutter speed manually, have it set to 1/200 of a
second or slower. Anything above 1/60th of a second should be fine
hand held without a tripod. Lower your ISO if it’s a really sunny
day to help get a nice exposure.
Choose the right
aperture
While a large
aperture will help to blur the background, it can overexpose the
shot. This is because the camera will set the flash sync speed, and
can result in a much lomger exposure than needed. However, a slightly
overexposed picture if the sun is behind your subject can result in a
nice soft photo, and very flattering to your model.
Try reducing the
light
To do this you can
lower your ISO, or choose a small aperture. Or if you have a nuetral
desity filter, you can use that on your lens. If you’re using an
external flash, try setting it to high-speed sync mode so you can
speed up your shutter a bit.
Enjoy experimenting
with this great little feature, and feel free to share your results
with us over on our Facebook page or Instagram, by tagging us
@cartersphotographics. We’d love to hear from you!