Flash Photography

Ever heard a photographer say, “I’m a natural light photographer”?

Yep, I was one of those.

Now, I don’t want to presume that everyone is like me because, frankly speaking, it’d be boring if we were all the same. But I also don’t want to pretend I know all of you.

But here’s a big but… BUT, could it be that when you say this, you’re hiding behind the fact that you haven’t touched flash yet? Or maybe you have, but you’re just not sure how to properly use it?

I got you, my friend. Been there. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing this blog.

Flash is scary. Very scary.

Well… until you actually learn how to use it. Then it turns out that it’s not that difficult after all.

Here’s what I recommend when you first step into flash: don’t rely on TTL (that’s the automatic mode for your flash). Just jump into the cold water (and maybe do a Google search or two beforehand) and try. it. out. Nothing bad will happen, I swear. I’m writing this blog to help you navigate through it a little.

So, let’s talk about the three musketeers of exposure shutter speed, aperture, and ISO and how they each play a role when you bring flash into the mix.

Here’s the thing a lot of beginners don’t realize: when you add flash, your camera suddenly has two exposures to balance. One for the ambient light (the background) and one for the flash (your subject). Once that clicks, everything starts to make sense.

Shutter speed controls how bright or dark your background looks.

Flash is a burst of light that happens super fast, way faster than your shutter. So changing your shutter speed won’t affect the brightness of your flash-lit subject much, but it will change how much ambient light from the environment gets in. A slower shutter = brighter background. Faster shutter = darker background.

Aperture controls how bright your subject appears under flash.

The wider your aperture (like f/2.8), the more flash light hits your sensor, making your subject brighter. Close it down (f/8, f/11), and your flash needs to work harder. Think of aperture as your flash’s best friend = they work very closely together.

ISO affects everything, both flash and ambient.

Higher ISO makes the entire image brighter , background *and* subject. But remember, with higher ISO comes more noise, so it’s about finding that sweet spot.

Now, if you’re shooting a model in harsh sunlight here’s your best move:

👉 Expose for the background first. That means set your camera so the sky or environment looks exactly how you want it (not blown out, not too dark). I do recommend stopping down your shutter speed a bit to properly expose the background though.

Then, use your flash to fill in the shadows on your subject. The flash becomes your controlled light source to balance what nature gives you.

If you want to play around with the look, here’s a simple breakdown:

Want the background darker and moodier? Increase shutter speed a bit (if your flash has HSS you can go above 1/200)

Want the subject brighter? Open your aperture or increase flash power.

Want everything a little softer overall? Raise ISO slightly (but not too much).

Once you understand how these three settings and your flash work together, believe me, shooting only during golden hour will become a thing of the past.