Outdoor shooting - fill flah, reflector, or both? UPDATED

[trahanw]

Originally Posted by rott

I agree with this. However, the flash will "know" what your subject is if you use flash exposure lock (FEL). I don't know if it's true for all cameras, but on mine, pressing the "*" FEL button will use spot metering and fire the flash to take a reading. So, if my flash is set to +/- 0, and I meter off the average caucasian's face (close enough to middle grey) by using the FEL button, the flash will fill in the face to proper exposure. Make sense?

You'll have to play with it and see. For this photo, I'm on manual, set to underexpose the background by 2 stops (either by shutter speed or aperture, doesn't matter), flash on 0ev fired into a big white cardboard reflector. FEL Metering was done off baby's face. You can see from the shadows that he is completely shaded by the cardboard, but the flash "fills" it in.

Great Job with this shot..simple but effective.

[bondarnes]

Originally Posted by ndsimm

Thanks for the feedback, but, Don, I have to disagree....
I think you need BOTH light and location to make a great image. Great light in a crappy location is not better than the converse and what if the client chooses the location and you have no control over the lighting?

My reason for asking was so that I can improve and adjust in ANY situation, not just the ones that are ideal for me....so I guess I'll continue to be an amateur until I get it right....

I agree, but I would never pick a location just for the lighting. As an example there is a park near me that has some A+ locations with B- lighting and then over here there is a B- location with A+ lighting. I will almost always pick the latter location.

And when a client suggests a location that I know has bad lighting at the time they want to do the session, I give them the choice of changing the location or changing the session time. If they insist then I do the best I can with reflectors, gobos, and fill flash, but I don't promise them decent images.

Remember, the more you are fiddling with strobes and reflectors and such the less you are concentrating on your subjects. And keep in mind that you are the artist and you have studied your craft for many years. They should take your suggestions seriously.

[adirty1]

don sometimes your just stuck shooting with bad light at a great location that would have been even better with the morning light as first planned but the model, AD, MUA, and client were stuck in traffic because of a rollover on I35

Time is ticking. Models and MAU's have been paid. You just can't tell the client. OH sorry about spending all that money but the light is now bad so we are going to do it again. On a multi day shoot, yes you can pull that , but not a one day shoot with paid people. I don't know anyone that will do a do over for free once they are on set and made up. You have to dig down in your bag of tricks and make it work. Making crap shine is what a pro does along with fiddling with the lights and reflectors.

[bondarnes]

Originally Posted by adirty1

don sometimes your just stuck shooting with bad light at a great location that would have been even better with the morning light as first planned but the model, AD, MUA, and client were stuck in traffic because of a rollover on I35

Time is ticking. Models and MAU's have been paid. You just can't tell the client. OH sorry about spending all that money but the light is now bad so we are going to do it again. On a multi day shoot, yes you can pull that , but not a one day shoot with paid people. I don't know anyone that will do a do over for free once they are on set and made up. You have to dig down in your bag of tricks and make it work. Making crap shine is what a pro does along with fiddling with the lights and reflectors.

So now we are talking about a commercial shoot with two or three assistants and reflectors, gobos, scrims, and Hensel Portys. I thought you were talking about the images in this post. No problemo with lighting there.

In the images you posted, let's take # 1 for example. So she just loved the bench and had to have one there. If you had just turned her around on the bench and put the sun to her back you would have immediately eliminated the dappled lighting on her and created a nice hair light. Then a reflector or a little fill flash to balance it all out.

[JMM]

I always look for the even lighting but sometimes let the background be blown out. Maybe I should try metering for the sky and adding fill. Critiques always welcome.
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