Fill-flash: Step by step (please?)

[darrenholmes]

Hi there,

 

Okay, I'm green at fill-flash, calculating ratios etc.

 

In fact, I'm waiting for my AF-500 FTZ to come in for my 645n, my

first flash.

 

Can someone very condescendingly go over each step in taking a shot

with fill-flash?

 

I hear about people "setting a -1.7 compensation ratio" on their

flash. Is it as simple as that? There's a dial that you can set

more or less flash than is required for a shot?

 

Thanks for your reply,

Darren

[leica ron]

I asked the very same question to my 'mentors' this morning and this was their recipe ....

 

Using 400 ASA film, set your meter to 320 ASA. This will induce your negs to be overexposed by half a stop. Set up the camera's aperture and shutter-speed for the ambient light reading.

 

Set up the flash in non-TTL Auto mode, with an ASA of 640 (my RB has no TTL). Set the flash-output to the f-stop your meter just calculated (assuming that the flash f-stop provides the distance coverage you require). By setting the ASA to 640 you have just fooled the flash into firing with half a stop less output.

 

Alternatively, determine the flash f-stop by the required coverage (by using a flash-meter), then set the camera aperture to that calculated by the meter. You can then drag the shutter to pull in the ambient light.

 

I'm sure more enlightened shooters will add or correct this method ....

[darrenholmes]

Thanks Ron, I appreciate your reply.

 

Wow...I don't mean to complain but that sounds rather cumbersome! I know I'll be catching it from some of the old schoolers for that comment, but I wonder if I just wouldn't have time to switch between fill-flash and non-fill-flash shots.

 

Perhaps I should get a couple of softboxes of varying opacity and add them as appropriate. I could leave the camera set up normally, then.

 

Do you think this is viable?

[wayne_suns]

Quick answer:

 

If your flash can be used manually, set it at two stops lower than your ambient reading. So, if your ambient reading is f8, then your flash should be set at f4. Sure it's not -1.7 stops, but it's close enough, and real quick too.

[raymond_valois]

Hi, Darren ...

 

I have the 645N and the AF500FTZ. Here's one way to do fill flash - step-by-step:

 

1. Turn your flash off.

2. Turn your shutter speed to 1/60.

3. Take the reading of your subject. Since you are using fill-flash, you are most likely photographing a person. To get the skin tones, use your spot-meter mode - DEADLY accurate - on the person's skin. Note the meter reading, ie, aperture.

4. Turn your aperture ring to the meter reading taken.

5. NOW, turn ON your flash and leave it in TTL.

6. Turn your compensation dial on the camera to -1, -2 or somewhere in-between. Usually -1 or -2 is good compensation. Hey, take a shot with each!

7. Take the shot.

 

Don't forget to reset your compensation dial to ZERO if you are done with fill-flash!!!

 

The other way - yes, believe or not - is FULL AUTO with the flash and camera - ALWAYS in spot-meter mode. It works beautifully as well. The only person who will notice is someone who "knows".

 

Take some test shots both ways. Let us know your tests turned out.

 

There was a VERY long thread on this sometime ago - last October, I think - and 3 or 4 posters tried this technique. As far as I know, all turned out great.

 

Ray

[Spearhead]

All of these recommendations ignore the crucial question of how much fill do you need. If you just use a single setting because you read about it somewhere, you might as well buy a point-and-shoot. Fill flash can be used in ways that are very obvious, to very bad, to very subtle. You need to understand what and why you are using fill flash, and how it interacts with different levels of natural light. The best way to do this is to run a series of tests with the flash at a variety of settings in several different settings and figure out what ratio of fill you like for different situations.<p>

 

My method for setting fill is a bit different - I know how much fill I want, I use the flash in manual mode at 3/4 power, and I vary the aperture based on distance. I use the non-flash metered setting. It's easy if you shoot enough to get a feel for distance, have an aperture setting that works at one distance, and then adjust as you have the subject more or less distant in the frame.<p>

 

I saw a show a few years ago in which the use of fill was very obvious, and it was an interesting effect. The photographer, whose name I can't remember, used very strong daylight situations so he could put a lot of flash on the subject. It was wild looking, but after a while, it might become a gimmick.<p>

 

I prefer a small amount of fill, primarily to make the subject "pop" in certain settings. I also use a diffuser on the flash. It's barely obvious that I've used it, as you can see in the image below.<p>

 

<center>

<img src="http://www.spirer.com/images/x3.jpg">

<br>

<i>X3, Copyright 2001, Jeff Spirer</i>

</center>

[joe_w]

Hi Darren, I posed this question to Pentax 6-9 months ago, and posted their response here which Ray has summarized for you. Pentax said, with camera AE exposure and TTL flash, the flash output will be regulated to equal the ambient light. That's a bit strong for me, but it might suit your preferences. Just dialing in -1.7 compensation will reduce BOTH the AMBIENT exposure and the FLASH exposure. What you want is the same ambient exposure and a reduced flash exposure. [Fill flash is really 2 separate, simultaneous exposures]

 

To tone down the flash, you manually set the camera's exposure for the ambient light (1/60 & f/?) biasing the reading for the highlights (remember, the flash will bring up the shadows). Then, setting the AE comp to -1.7 will allow the camera to automatically tone down the flash exposure while maintaining the manually set ambient exposure. Now, determining f/? for the ambient exposure can be done with the camera's excellent meter, but you'll have to set AE to +/- 0 at the start of every shot for that, then dial in -1.7 (whatever) to take the shot. You may want to consider using a hand-held incident meter to determine the ambient exposure. That way, you can leave the camera's AE compensation at -whatever and not have to keep switching between AE Comp on and off as long as you're in a fill-flash situation. If this isn't clear, e-mail me directly and I'll explain. I don't know if you're set at this point or not. Joe