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ALFlash doesn't have to be scary (or harsh! 📸)
If you’ve ever avoided using flash because you’re afraid of that direct "deer in the headlights" look, bounce flash is about to be your new best friend. It’s the easiest way to get soft, professional lighting in dark indoor spaces like wedding receptions!
Here’s the breakdown:
1️⃣ Set flash to Manual: Start at 1/16 power. For a dark rooms with no windows or at night, set ISO to 1600. I usually use a shutter speed of 1/125 with aperture of f3.2 for most wedding receptions (15~20ft ceilings). For rooms with lower ceilings (less than 12ft) start with lower ISO like 800.
2️⃣ Aim the flash head: Aim at a white ceiling or wall and NEVER directly at your subject.
3️⃣ Take a test photo and dial in your exposure:
• Too dark? Don't touch the flash. Bumping the power could effect the flash's recycle time. Instead, increase ISO gradually until you have your desired exposure level keeping in mind that our goal is to keep ISO as low was possible.
• Still dark? Lower your aperture!
• Too bright? Drop your flash power and/or ISO.
• What about shutter speed? Flash lasts thousands of a second. By changing SS from 1/200 to 1/100, youre not affecting the flash's strength per se but you are introducing more ambient light to your image by lowering shutter speed so your flash is competing more with the ambient light. I normally keep my shutter to 1/125 when shooting indoors because background lightbulbs can look weird or half lit if the SS is too high so I'll leave it alone and adjust my other exposure settings around this.
4️⃣ Let physics do the work! 💡 By bouncing the light, you’re turning a tiny bulb into a massive, soft light source by using the wall or ceiling as a reflective diffuser! The more distance, the larger the light, and with a bigger light, means softer lighting.
However, if the ceiling is too high, isnt a whitish color, or the subject is too far, bounce flash might not be as ideal. Bouncing light doesnt really offer much control in terms of shaping the light but works fantastic as a quick and easy soft fill light!
#photographytips #flashphotography #weddingphotographer #learnphotography #photographyhacks
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