How can I make a flash-lit subject very bright while keeping the background dark?
Asked 3/26/2015
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I’m trying to create an image where the subject is hit with strong flash so they look very bright or slightly blown out, while the background stays dark. I’m new to flash photography and would like practical tips on exposure, flash placement, and how to prevent the background from being lit.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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This is basically the exact opposite of the traditional white-background portrait, as described at How can I get a pure white background in studio photography?, or a modification of What do I need to get photos with a unifom black background? Once you understand those, this is relatively easy.
Raphael explains one possible model, but I think it's actually simpler than that. The ambient, natural light is such that at some reasonably fast shutter speed (¹⁄₁₀₀th or maybe a little faster) and a moderate-wide aperture, there's a dark blue sky and a largely black ground. So, there's no need for a trailing-sync exposure or for the subjects to move quickly.
There's a flash basically aligned with the camera and a little up; maybe even on-camera. It puts a huge amount of light on the relatively close subjects, and spills over to light the ground. You can see the shadow on the ground behind the anti-silhouettes, where they block that spill.
Then, there's probably some post-processing to adjust the curves to bring up the sky a bit (the "lumpy" look is indicative of trying to pull sky detail out of the shadows), and maybe also at the high end to make sure the whites are mostly clipped.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
11y ago
0
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Expose for the background first, then add flash for the subject.
Use the ambient light to make the background dark: choose a relatively fast shutter speed and an aperture/ISO combination that keeps the sky or surroundings underexposed. Then use flash as the main light on the subject.
To get the subject very bright, place the flash close to them and increase flash power so the subject is overexposed by a stop or two if that’s the look you want. Keeping the flash near the camera axis can give that direct, blasted-flash effect.
The key to preserving a dark background is controlling spill. Aim the flash carefully and, if possible, use a snoot, flag, or similar modifier so the light falls mostly on the subject and not the background. Also keep the subject well separated from the background, since distance reduces how much flash reaches it.
A tripod can help if ambient light is low, but you generally don’t need long exposures if the background is already dark at your chosen settings.
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