It seems strange, but did you know that using a flash when taking photos outdoors will give you bright and vibrant images? Good is true. In my days when I was starting out as a photographer, I learned that using flash for daylight photography really improved the image quality of my photos.
I practice this method in different sunlight conditions. I’ve always been a canon shooter so I have a canon flash head. Although I was using my flash outdoors, in daylight hours I noticed that only a few of my photos were good shots. However, the shots were very creative, just not what I was looking for.
I realized that as a way to take good photos in the sunny hours during the day, you have to prepare the shot. What exactly setting up means is using equipment and that old real estate dilemma, location, location, location.
The best equipment is a portable flash head. This is the flash that is on top of the camera. I have a Canon Speed light and also a Quantum Trio. I prefer my Trio much more than my Speed Light outdoors. The main reason I use my Trio more often than my speedometer is not that the speedometer doesn’t work for outdoors. It has to do with preference. I like my outdoor photos to have a lot of crisp colors and brightness. To accomplish this, I need a portable studio-style transportable flash head.
What I do to get great outdoor photos is measure past my subject and get the ambient light readings. I then set my flash to be 2 stops higher which means you will be brighter than the sun. Using a powerful outdoor flash head like the Quantum Trio product, it is possible to achieve beautiful light. This is just one step towards great outdoor portraits.
The second part is that age old real estate dilemma of location, location, location. Here it is plain and simple, DON’T MAKE IT HARD ON YOURSELF. Scout your location before your subjects arrive. Select places that have shade. That is. The shadow is the key. Your flash head will provide the sun’s rays, but you control how much sun you want.
So to round off my expert advice! This is what you should get from this article.
1. Use shadow where possible and reflect light onto your subject
2. For creative shots you will need a very powerful flash
3. Face your subject out of the sun
4. Use large light diffusers
While practicing my own advice, I was able to manipulate light to my heart’s content and produce great images. My job is to look into the eyes of my models to locate them and find the best light.
