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60 Part II ✦ Creating Great Photos with the Creative Lighting System
Using Speedlights
outdoors
One of the most important tools you can
have for taking outdoor portraits is a
Speedlight. The best light to use is what
nature provides, but when taking photos of
people or pets outdoors, I almost always use
a Speedlight as a fill flash. Fill flash is using
the flash, not as your main source of lighting,
but as a secondary source to fill in the shad-
ows, resulting in an image with less contrast
between the shadows and the highlights.
Light diffusers or reflectors are important
tools to use for outdoor portraits, or macro
shots, but using a Speedlight outdoors for
those shooting situations is just as, if not,
more important. Advantages of using
Speedlights when taking shots outdoors
include:
✦ Creating a fill light. Using a
Speedlight when taking portraits
outdoors enables you to create a
properly lighted portrait where the
subject is lighted and exposed cor-
rectly, giving a more professional
looking effect as seen by comparing
the images in figure 3.11 and figure
3-12. Using a fill light can be the
difference between having your
image appear as a snapshot instead
of a professional looking portrait.
3.9 Direct flash can result in harsh results,
especially for portraits. Note the shadow
behind the model.
3.10 Diffused flash can result in a softer,
much smoother lighting for portraits.
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