How can I keep the background from going dark when using flash?
Asked 6/3/2012
7 views
2 answers
0
When I use flash, my subject is bright but the background goes very dark. Without flash and with a longer shutter speed, the background is brighter. How can I balance flash and ambient light so both the foreground subject and background are properly exposed?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
4
That is the most common side-effect of using flash and there are ways around it which depend on your camera:
- On the Automatic side, if your camera has a Fill flash mode, that is the one you want. Some cameras lack this mode but if you choose Slow-Sync you will get similar results (depending on the camera).
- On the semi-manual side, you need to slow down the shutter-speed. Flash is very fast, so changing shutter-speed as no effect on its illumination but will allows more exposure for everything. You will probably have to dial-down Flash-Compensation at this point because the foreground will also get more exposed by the longer shutter-speed.
- On the manual side, setting your flash to manual power usually does the trick. You still have to select an exposure which will expose properly the background and most likely the foreground, so expect to set the flash to a low power.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is a normal flash/ambient balance issue. Flash mainly lights the nearby subject, while the background depends more on ambient light. Because flash output falls off quickly with distance, a single on-camera flash often makes the foreground bright and the background dark.
Ways to improve it:
- Use fill flash or slow-sync flash mode if your camera offers it.
- Use a slower shutter speed to let in more ambient light for the background. Flash duration is very short, so shutter speed mainly affects the background exposure.
- Reduce flash power or use flash compensation so the subject doesn’t become too bright as you lengthen the exposure.
- Keep the same aperture if you’re mainly trying to lift the background with ambient light.
- Light the background separately, or move the flash off-camera and closer to the middle of the scene so the distance difference between subject and background is less extreme.
- If there is enough ambient light, consider using less flash or no flash at all.
In short: expose the background with ambient light, then add just enough flash for the subject.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI14y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How can I balance exposure and white balance when shooting from shade into bright sun?
Can HDR handle a subject against a very bright background without flash?
How do you expose for ambient light and flash in a backlit portrait?
How can I photograph people in front of a bright window without losing the background?
What is the term for using flash to darken or black out the background in daylight?