Why is my outdoor fill flash overexposed at 1/200s, f/2.8, ISO 125?
Asked 8/28/2016
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I’m learning off-camera flash outdoors using a Yongnuo YN560 IV with a YN560-TX. On a bright sunny day I’m shooting in manual mode and trying to use flash as fill to lighten shadows on one side of a subject’s face. My settings are 1/200s, f/2.8, ISO 125, and even at the lowest flash power the image is overexposed. I know 1/200s is around my flash sync speed, and I want to keep f/2.8 for background blur. What should I change?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
17
Maybe the picture is already overexposed because of the sunlight? Then you do to the flash settings what you want, and it won't help you. Verify this first.
1/200 with 2.8 ISO 125 seems to be very bright for a sunny day. If you want the aperture open, and cannot go with shorter times because of the flash, you need to find another way to get rid of the extra light. Choose the smallest ISO you have (50?), but that won't help much either, then you need a ND filter (basically a dark sun-glass for the lens front). Make sure your shot comes out well without the flash before adding it in.
Originally by user46784. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user46784
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Your ambient exposure is probably already too bright before the flash fires. In full sun, 1/200s at f/2.8 and ISO 125 is several stops overexposed on ambient alone, so lowering flash power won’t fix the overall exposure.
Start by getting a correct exposure without flash first. Then add flash as fill.
If you want to keep f/2.8 in bright sun, your options are limited by sync speed:
- lower ISO as far as your camera allows
- use an ND filter to cut ambient light
- use high-speed sync gear if available
- or skip flash and use a reflector for fill
For fill flash outdoors, many shooters also set ambient about 1–2 stops darker than normal, then add flash to lift the shadows and make the subject stand out.
So the main issue isn’t that the flash is too strong—it’s that your base exposure is too bright for sunny conditions at f/2.8 and 1/200s.
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