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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> using flash as fill outdoors
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Showing posts 1 - 22 of 22, (reverse)
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06/20/2012 02:25:14 PM · #1
i started using a CTO gelled flash for fill on my outdoor portraits and, wow. much better exposure not to mention the image sharpness has gone through the roof.

just thought i'd share that tidbit. :)
06/20/2012 02:56:59 PM · #2
I am stuck with the built-in flash on my 60D for now.

The 430EX is on my wish list along with a bunch of other things.

Is CTO a brand of gel or a standard or what?
06/20/2012 03:25:59 PM · #3
Color Temperature Orange. I shoot mainly in late evening. It keeps the flash from giving the white flash look that kills the warm sunlight color.
06/20/2012 03:28:44 PM · #4
Thanks for the tip Mike. I have yet to graduate to using flash with any proficiency, so this is a nice thing to keep in mind for the future.
06/20/2012 03:29:48 PM · #5
Awesome! I recently started taking my (don't laugh) Einsteins with me to outdoor photoshoots and have been really happy with the results. Can you post some examples of your "outdoor lighting" setup. I'd be curious to see how different setups vary. Here's one from our first outdoor Einstein shoot.
06/20/2012 04:01:21 PM · #6
thanks for sharing!
06/20/2012 04:25:22 PM · #7
Thanks for the tip, Mike. I need to learn more about flash. Can you post an example?
06/20/2012 04:52:47 PM · #8
If you see a bit extra red, try a cts- its quite good as well.
06/20/2012 05:30:19 PM · #9
some great videos on youtube from mark wallace at snap factory on this,
06/20/2012 06:52:56 PM · #10
Originally posted by Devinder:

If you see a bit extra red, try a cts- its quite good as well.

Agree... I know cto is popularised from the strobist world but I far prefer the straw as well.
06/20/2012 07:32:35 PM · #11
Do you guys usually use a bare flash for fill or do you fight the wind with an umbrella outdoors?
06/20/2012 07:35:41 PM · #12
Originally posted by bhuge:

Do you guys usually use a bare flash for fill or do you fight the wind with an umbrella outdoors?

I never got the hang of sailing :-)
06/20/2012 11:15:35 PM · #13
Originally posted by bhuge:

Do you guys usually use a bare flash for fill or do you fight the wind with an umbrella outdoors?


bare bulb, usually with good results, although tonight i shot a bald headed guy and got some nasty reflections, chalk that up to the lessen learned column.
06/21/2012 12:14:23 AM · #14
Originally posted by bhuge:

Do you guys usually use a bare flash for fill or do you fight the wind with an umbrella outdoors?


When I was using SB900's or 580EXII's and an umbrella it was a big PITA. However now I'm using my AB800's powered by a Mini Vegabond that I attach to the light stand, and even in decent >10MPH wind I don't even add sandbags.

Matt
06/21/2012 08:06:40 AM · #15
Originally posted by markwiley:

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I need to learn more about flash. Can you post an example?


as requested, some examples:





Message edited by author 2012-06-21 08:07:09.
06/21/2012 09:12:27 AM · #16
usually someone helping out with a 24 inch softbox on a monopod, sometimes bare when i got no help and i need to stick to a tripod.

edit: and by usually i mean all the 4 times i ve ever done outdoor portraits -.-

also, i like them pics mike. i wish the lady carried a comb for last second adjustments, but nice natural looking stuff

Message edited by author 2012-06-21 09:36:37.
06/21/2012 10:52:24 AM · #17
These look really nice, Mike. Was your flash on the camera?
06/21/2012 11:01:23 AM · #18
This may be ignorant, but considering the general use that I'm familiar with of fill reflectors, I would have expected an outdoor fill flash to work best if held low... no?

Maybe it all depends on the lighting and the look you're going for. What am I saying - of course it does.
06/21/2012 11:02:34 AM · #19
Originally posted by markwiley:

These look really nice, Mike. Was your flash on the camera?


yes.
06/21/2012 11:15:25 AM · #20
Originally posted by JamesDowning:

This may be ignorant, but considering the general use that I'm familiar with of fill reflectors, I would have expected an outdoor fill flash to work best if held low... no?

Maybe it all depends on the lighting and the look you're going for. What am I saying - of course it does.


With a softbox, not an issue, with an on camera, a bracket works alright for me esp when suns kinda down. I did once flag the frontof the flash and pointed it at a reflector i had someone hold from the bottom and bounce it. i really liked that result, don't know why i never repeated that. I ll attach a pic of that when i get home.

Edit: as promised.

Message edited by author 2012-06-21 20:22:46.
07/25/2012 12:59:17 PM · #21
When I use one of my fixed flash cameras I always use flash outdoors. I control the flash intensity by placing my finger over a portion of the flash or cover it with a piece of regular white paper or sometimes a small piece of white cloth. It is amazing how you can adjust to get the right amount of fill flash.
07/25/2012 03:20:14 PM · #22
Originally posted by cjthompson:

When I use one of my fixed flash cameras I always use flash outdoors. I control the flash intensity by placing my finger over a portion of the flash or cover it with a piece of regular white paper or sometimes a small piece of white cloth. It is amazing how you can adjust to get the right amount of fill flash.


If you have old Fuji 35mm film canisters, the semi clear ones, and cut a slit in them wide enough to slip it over the base of your pop-up, they work well as sto-fen style omni bounce diffusers. I keep one in the bag with a few pieces of various colored gels, two cool, two warm tucked inside them, so you can tone the light as you like. It is a very cheap way to make the pop up flash at least somewhat usable. Warning; it does trap a lot of the bulb's heat, and if you shoot a dozen flash shots in a row, that heat can be bad for your bulb and melt the gels. I ended up drilling a few holes in the back side of the canister as a vent, but it still traps too much heat.
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