Balancing Ambient

Posted by ehor on Feb 2, 2012 in Photography | Comments Off

I think the biggest issue with people who start their “Off Camera Flash (OCF)” journey is balancing with ambient or deciding on which f/stop to use. Without a doubt the most common question I see asked at strobist meets and on forums is “How do you know what f/stop to pick?”.

The truth is there is no hard and fast rule to this. It really depends on your style, what you are going for and the ambient conditions at the time.

It helps if you have a light meter, as it will indicate how strong your speedlite or stobe is (in terms of f/stop) and also how many % of the reading is from the source. From there you can easily decide where to go. Some people aim for 70%, some 100%, others 50% some even lower. It’s all dependent on what your style is in my opinion.

Ok so you’re a starving uni student and you don’t have the cash for a lightmeter because you spend all your savings at the uni bar. Well then you’ll just need to memorise the sunny 16 rule; read it here. Knowing this alone and after a bit of experience you will have a general idea of which f/stop you want to match ambient, over-power ambient or just give the shadows a bit more detail. Unfortunately you’ll still have to “trial & test” flash settings until it looks right on your camera’s screen.

The important thing to remember though is to have the shot and style in your head so you know if you need to match or overpower ambient. Once you’ve decided what you need to do then it’s a simple matter of choosing the f/stop to suit. Don’t forget however that ISO and shutter speed will also play a part in your overall exposure (more on this in another post).