Tip Tuesday: Fill Light
Last week we talked about the importance of knowing where your light source is coming from. This week we're going to touch on what fill light is, and what it can do to improve your photos. Let's begin with a definition. Fill light is a supplementary light used in photography or filming that doesn't change the main light, but is used to lighten shadows. This could be a built-in flash on your camera, an external flash for your camera, studio lighting, or a reflector. For this discussion we will stick with talking about the built-in flash, external flash, and a reflector.
The most common one would be a built-in flash on your camera. Most cameras have them, and this would be a great option for lightening shadows that show up in your photo. In most point and shoot cameras there is an automatic feature that triggers the flash. When the camera's automatic flash setting is on, the camera sets itself up on it's own for using the flash. The flash can be turned on or off as you wish, or you can simply leave the flash settings on auto. The flash will work well for lighting your photos indoors and outdoors filling the shadows with the added light needed to make the image look nice. Keep in mind that most built-in flash units are good from anywhere between 3-12 feet between you and your subject. As you get farther away from your subject your ability to utilize your flash to its fullest diminishes. Beyond 12 feet it is very likely that your flash isn't going to be very effective in lighting up your shadows.
External flashes are a bit more advanced than built-in flash units that come in a point and shoot camera. External flash units provide more power than the built-in flash unit on point and shoot cameras as well as some DSLRs. Since they are stronger than a built-in flash they work well for longer distances between you and your subject. They are great for events where you are more likely to be further away from your subject than 12 feet. There are many other excellent reasons to use an external flash such as; reducing red-eye, bouncing your flash, it is better than internal flash units for outdoor fill light, and they have a diffuser that reduces the harshness of the light produced by the flash unit. There is a large variety of external flash units. Some of them have more features than others, and if you are not a professional then some of the more advanced features are not going to be of use to you. If you are not planning on using your camera for anything fancy such as art photography or professionally then I would recommend saving your money and buy something that is not the most expensive flash unit that you can find. Do your research before shelling out the money for an external flash unit. I would suggest looking at reviews for units you are considering on Amazon and other sources that provide reviews before making a purchase.
Last up is the reflector. A reflector can be purchased, or you can easily make your own. There is a ton of instructions online for how to make them relatively cheap. To explain what a reflector is exactly it is a specialized reflective surface that is either gold or silver (often times both) that redirects light toward a subject. These are great for both indoor and outdoor photos. The light from the sun, for example, is bounced off the reflective surface of the reflector and is directed toward the subject you are trying to photograph. Most reflectors that are available for purchase come with a silver, gold, black, and white surfaces as well as a diffuser. Many homemade reflectors are simply made from aluminum foil, white foam core board, and glue. Reflectors work wonders for adding additional light to your subject filling in harsh shadows. I have two reflectors that I purchased mainly because I wanted extra large ones, and I wanted them to be collapsible. This is something I would highly recommend if you would rather not use a flash.
One more thing... it is recommended to use a flash or reflector for taking photos outside during daylight hours. This is to prevent the shadows we have been talking about. There is definitely plenty of light with the sun, but as I mentioned in last Tuesday's post, it can create some pretty dark shadows. I don't always use my flash, so when I don't use it I will use one of my reflectors. You will not believe the difference you will see in your photos until you try this. If you want to experiment, have someone strike a pose for you. Take one photo of them without a flash/reflector, and then one with the flash/reflector. Have your "model" use the same pose in the same spot for both pictures. When you get them on your computer you will see how big of a difference your flash/reflector makes.