A flash on a sunny day… not what you’d usually think of doing. But in some circumstances it might dramatically improve your photo.

This is a very simple example of how using a flash can help you out of a tricky photo situation. I’d normally move the subject, open up the aperture of my lens and/or use a reflector if faced with difficult lighting. I’m not a big fan of the flash normally. However not everyone’s camera can manually control aperture settings plus with some events we just can’t move people around… imagine trying to move a group of kids to the best lighting position at a sports carnival or birthday party. It ain’t going to happen :) Here is when fill flash can solve some of your lighting problems and lift the picture quality.

This works in particular when you are dealing with back lighting or if there are strong shadows thrown onto your subject’s face. But before you go wild using your flash I’d suggest you go into your camera’s settings and dial down its strength. Most cameras these days let you set your flash output and this will ensure you aren’t throwing out too much light.

The two images below were photographed using the auto settings, just like a regular point and shoot. As you can see the second image with the flash there are less dark shadows on the face and it is a clearer record of the moment. Good luck with experimenting!