If you are serious about photography then you probably understand that the first tip to next level photos is to get your light source off the camera. A straight shot of nasty light from the camera is just a terrible thing to do to your subject. But is there is a time and place for that darn pop up flash? What happens when you find yourself out at a beautiful location and you either don’t own or don’t have a speedlight with you. Behold the pop up. The secret is to first use the natural light to give the image some depth then use the pop up to add a nice fill light by reducing the power of the light as much as possible. With a dslr there is an option to use the flash exposure compensation button. In this image I knocked it down to -3.0. If that isn’t enough you can always use your feet and back up while zooming back in to your model.

In the image you can see that I first shot without the flash and used a nice rim light on Jackie’s face created by the beautiful natural light at sunset. This adds depth. I also made sure to set the exposure to show off that beautiful background. Then I added the flash just enough to light Jackie without blacking out the background or flattening out the natural light on her face.

 

Camera Settings:    f1.8      1/100th sec     ISO 640

Pop up flashes are not meant to be used all the time, but in a pinch, they can sometimes save the day.