Photo Tips

Not that long ago, using TTL flash was a complicated matter. Along with flash came guide numbers, output calculations and time consuming techniques that made most of us not even want to take the flash out of our camera bags. How times change in the modern digital world! Now we have LCD screens to preview our images, and a great selection of TTL smart flashes that do about everything for us except tell the model where to stand! If you haven’t been using TTL flash, now is the time to start.

Why use flash?

Plain and simple, the more tools you have as a photographer to achieve your vision, the easier it is to create the image you want. Some photographers may choose not to use flash, and that is their creative choice. But at least knowing the principles and capabilities of TTL flash allows you the option to use it when you need it.

Flash can help images in many ways. On overcast days, adding flash will help bring out color and natural skin tones. Flash will improve separation of your subject from the background. Flash adds catchlights to you subject, from wildlife to people. Flash reduces contrast and fills in shadows on harsh sunny days. Flash can overpower mixed lighting situations, say photographing your friends in mixed fluorescent and tungsten lighting, making it much easier to get the correct white balance. Flash can add to the feeling of motion with moving subjects. The list goes on and on. You can’t afford not to have your flash handy on any shoot!

© Tom Bol

Ways to use TTL flash

There are two main techniques in using TTL flash; balanced fill-flash mode and TTL mode. With balanced fill flash mode, your camera will take into account the background exposure, and add a small burst of flash to “fill in” shadow areas. The big point here is that your background should be properly exposed as well as your subject. In TTL mode, the camera doesn’t weigh in the background exposure, but only makes sure the subject is properly illuminated by the flash. How many of us have used TTL mode and had pitch black backgrounds with smiling people in front illuminated by flash? Balanced fill-flash works well for fast moving flash photography with the flash unit attached to your camera. Maybe you are in a busy market and just want to open up shadows under the hat of your subject….try balanced fill-flash for this.

But this is just the beginning! What is really exciting about current TTL flash is using multiple flashes off camera, and using a wireless transmitter to control the output. Since I’m a Nikon shooter, here is how this system works. I start with 1 SB 800, 1 SU 800 transmitter, 1 small light stand and a Bogen Justin clamp. This handy clamp allows me to attach my flash to a light stand, post, roof, almost anywhere I can think of…I place my SB 800 high and to the side of my subject to get some nice angled light. With my camera in manual mode, I underexpose my ambient exposure by about 1-2 stops. Then, with my flashed set in TTL mode, I take the shot.