Light Modifiers for NON-Flashy Flash Photography in a Backlit Photo

Ever need to use fill flash in your portrait photography but it's just not giving that soft look you want? Watch how Vanessa shows you the difference your light modifiers can make for flash photography and getting the results you want in a backlit photo scenario.
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✘ PRODUCTS USED:
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Profoto OCF Beauty Dish White
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Profoto Large Umbrella:
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THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING!

[@SummersSnaps]

I shall summarise. To achieve the non flashy look with flash use as fill light more than key light. The aim is to assist with shadow recovery more than blasting them with light. Don't overly under expose the ambient either, shoot it slightly under exposed more than what you might normally do but don't go too far. It's basically the same principles as any outdoor shoot with flash, you're just going less extreme with both ambient levels under exposed less and limit the amount of flash being used.

[@VanessaJoy]

It’s finding the baby bear “just right” haha

[@SummersSnaps]

@@VanessaJoy Bahaha, yes!

[@m77ast]

That lens is crazy as in - the blur is insane

[@negocios4957]

Vanessa ..... I think it's more than inspiring, the video is great, clear and concise. Thanks for sharing these tips.

[@barkyvonschnauzer2188]

I love Vanessa approach to a photo shoot..Exacting, precise & deeelisshus!

[@VanessaJoy]

That’s the goal ☺️

[@triteksolutionllc5000]

You are so amazing and thank you for your time in this, showing us tips and tricks on this video.

[@VanessaJoy]

Anytime ☺️

[@jbello9398]

Woooow this was just fantastic

[@iamnastyguy]

Always worth watching adoroma

[@victoriajeanlua7845]

I've been using an umbrella wrong outside this entire time! 😬 Thank you - this technique will soften my light completely.

[@briano58]

Just a terrific photographer 🤟🤟🤟

[@royalramen9879]

Learned a lot from you Vanessa, thanks!!!

[@m77ast]

Well done - that was really good.

[@raulakis35]

great video!! lots of learning!

[@MaryWen331]

Great presentation skills, thank you!

[@JuanLopezmusica]

wow so beautiful pictures!

[@ElBoyoElectronico]

My flash is taking forever to arrive, so I kill the time by learning from your videos! :)

[@tbgtom]

This is great, thank you for the ideas!

[@VanessaJoy]

My pleasure ☺️

[@michaelmcclay357]

Man! You make it look so easy!

[@VanessaJoy]

Haha try it, it’s not so bad ☺️

[@MartinV.]

Great video!!

[@callamhoward6746]

Great Video! Thank you. What camera strap is Vanessa using?

[@krishnaprasadkhandige3747]

Hi 🙏🏽 great video, Would having the flashlight mounted from the back of a similar size octobox, but with double layer diffusion yield a similar soft light as the last set up? I'm guessing it would be lower in intensity though..

[@russ11]

This video was so helpful thank you! Question about your shots around 5:30 - did you shoot at low aperture to create more movement blur from the groom?

[@danisubianto1031]

Keren bgt hasil fotonya (from indonesia)

[@irfanpathan617]

Nice i liked it. Love from india

[@hendersonribeirobrandina2120]

Vanessa Joy bringing us the joy of great photography, as always. Thank you! Big hug from your braziliam follower!

[@VanessaJoy]

Brigada!!!

[@recfotoevideo3109]

I Love to see your videos

[@photo2000]

FYI for those who are wondering... umbrella is 51inch or 130cm in diameter

[@stevej-j6p]

I love the video! I'm always reluctant to shoot with my better lighting equipment outdoors because of the chance of things blowing over, even with some weights. Any suggestions for how to better lock down a light stand?

[@yerzhankurmanbay]

Assistant person

[@suzannestevenson7318]

Thank you Vanessa I really love your videos. I only have a Profoto A1.. is that going to be enough to shoot something similar? Thanks! Suzanne

[@shanec4441]

The non-flashy look is what I strive to achieve. Great photos but I would like to see the look with faster shutter speeds to reduce the background light. The background is washed out but if that is the look you are going for by all means do it. I prefer to reduce the background lighting a little. The model pops.

[@SummersSnaps]

It's a tradeoff tho. The more you underexpose the more a silhouette they become and then the flash has to act more as key light rather than fill and you're back to a 'flashy look'. Really, the non flashy look is the same thing as the flashy look but less extremes. So you underexpose the ambient, but not too much, and then the power from the flash is much less and acts more as fill. Then you get a more natural shot that looks like flash may have not been involved at all.

[@enriqueaq]

Nice pics Vanessa 😍

[@VanessaJoy]

Thx ☺️

[@aurorafilms_gt]

I'm your fan. What profile do you use in your canon camera? Could you tell me?

[@elvispresley2542]

Thx

[@jamesh888]

@Vanessa Joy great video. What camera strap are you using?

[@oishi1206]

I actually like the flashy photo better as it adds highlights and shadows to look more 3 dimensional. Also I would place the beauty dish higher and closer to the face and put a reflector below to fill the shadow.

[@VanessaJoy]

All personally preference. I do prefer some shadow myself, but for this video the flat light of the background needed to be created on their face or it wouldn’t look so natural

[@jamesgrove]

Does anyone know what the camera strap is that Venessa is using?

[@sharonhaasbroek7464]

Great tips. Thanks. Where did you get the leather camera strap?

[@VanessaJoy]

Kawaprogear

[@Francisfphoto_]

What camera strap does she uses?

[@AllNyteLova]

I have a question about the close crops. I’m seeing elbows cropped off. Is this by choice or due to lens length? You used an 85mm which I love, so just wondered. I Love This Video because I’m dedicated to natural light (as it’s free and always there) but I’m not oppose to adding flash for better exposure and just a cleaner look (as you mentioned in the video sometimes natural light can be unflattering even if it’s “nice”) so this is right up my alley and I thank you!

[@VanessaJoy]

I could care less about elbows, and my clients prob care less than me. I tend to like close up stuff in general too ☺️

Beautiful pictures 👍🏻 but why only the bride in focus?

[@markkempton4579]

Thank you, Vanessa. I really enjoy your shooting examples. I am very interested in your editing steps. I see the presets you offer, but do you have any courses or video on editing portraits? I am still new to having the time to edit (coming from sports journalism) and I like what I hear you say. I just need to slow it down a little and see what you're doing at each step. Thanks again!

[@jasonbodden8816]

Vanessa is awesome.

[@pictureeyecandy]

You need to get you an apple box or a ladder Nice work as always!

[@VanessaJoy]

I’m definitely not adding that weight to my on-location gear. The swivel screen works great :)

[@pictureeyecandy]

@@VanessaJoy But you still were tippy-toeing LOL😂 Dolly ladder, stack gear on Dolly secure with bungee cords to location. Now convert into a ladder. 👍 Roll your gear instead of carrying it.

[@studioevolution6507]

Grade work dear,,,can you tell me your shooting white balance Kelvin number

[@y_rb4080]

You should have incorporated the flashing intensity settings as well coz that is a huge variable that is missing

[@ardyansaputra3275]

❤️❤️❤️

[@VanessaJoy]

☺️

[@cakbayu1935]

Power flash?

[@victography8018]

When using TTL what is the best metering mode to use?

[@VanessaJoy]

I use spot :)

[@pyzorm01]

How's your shutter so low and ISO also high and aperture also wide opened, plus flash too, I feel it should be over exposed some how.. just wondering giving the bright day...

[@Seitenwerk]

Shutterspeed is at its max possible speed (without HSS). And for the rest I guess it is a more moody day than it might seem from the images.

[@walybox]

Se be bien en modo natural

[@tmhart43]

It would be helpful to know your camera settings, though i understand you are using ttl to lock in your flash settings. However not all have that capability. So what i got out of this was don't underexpose the ambient.

[@crollinsphoto]

I also wish my flashes would lock in the ettl settings.

[@jasonbodden8816]

@@crollinsphoto I know this is a year later lol but just practise using your flash in manual on your own time so you can get used to it - the distances between you and your subject/s, how much light you need at those distances, adjusting your power settings quicky on the fly, that kind of thing. All these things will come with practise. It isn't that hard once you put in the time. I know TTL is the easiest thing to do but all TTL isn't created equal. For instance, though I love Godox/Flashpoint strobes the TTL for the most part is kind of garbage. Not to mention that in certain situations TTL in general will not do a great job - no matter how you adjust Flash Exposure Compensation - as it depends on reflective metering just like your camera and the Auto settings on your camera use. I don't own any of their strobes but Profoto's TTL is wicked accurate for the most part. But it's way out of my budget so it's Godox/Flashpoint for me lol.

[@m77ast]

F1.2 with two people - how is that working? Maybe the flash is freezing them

[@anothercarchannel9635]

1/200 shutter speed at f1.2 in daylight? I assume you were using an ND filter ?

[@Stealt707]

It would be nice to see the images edited in Lightroom, I mean without using Vanessa Joy preset. And the files made available for us to follow along!

[@VanessaJoy]

Sorry I usually do an editing portion but didn’t for this video

[@Soul_Visuals_Photography]

I giggle every time I see that 85. Is it fatter than the 28-70?

[@Seitenwerk]

Of course. It’s f1.2. And then there is also the DS version of this lense, which massively boosts the „bokeh“.

[@SwoleBeastTribe]

Seventh AND First 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽 # 🔥🔥🔥 AND 🧨🧨🧨 - Swole Beast🤙🏽🙏🏽✌🏽 P E A C E ! 💙💙💙

[@VanessaJoy]

👏

[@davemil716]

My question is - Why are all the images looking over exposed? Meaning very light. Is this a style of photography? I enjoy your personality in your videos which gets me to watch them, even when I don't totally agree... thanks for another great video.

[@VanessaJoy]

Just my style 🤷‍♂️ nothing is overexposed tho. All of the details are there, nothing blown out

[@davemil716]

@@VanessaJoy I wasn't sure how else to describe the overly bright or lit images... thanks for responding...

[@Francisfphoto_]

@@davemil716 “light and airy”

[@surajgangoni8437]

its a look where the flash doesn't look evident and more pronounced. its like using flash to fill shadows rather than key light

[@sijilo]

👍🏼

[@VanessaJoy]

🙏

[@acchemotret9124]

sebutkan Tipe dan merek Lighting dan Lighting kamu sangat bagus

[@stefanotealdi]

Why having a battery grip without using it in portrait mode?

[@JuanSanchez-zz3me]

Maybe she just wants more battery life? And you don't always have to shoot vertical just because you have the grip for it

[@prs26]

ITS 1.2 LENS ....DA

[@gireeshgv]

But shots are very ordinary

[@Paradigm816]

Where can I critique your work?

[@johnclay7644]

Flash based photography

[@papopin0]

There is a main problem with the light placement, That light should be placed on the left side of the Camera to expose the black tuxedo first and balance the image. that is wedding 101 then the dress will become a reflector to the Groom and the bride will on short lighting sliming the face of the bride. I rate this video 4/10 poor plus

[@jasonbodden8816]

No. Wedding 101 is that the bride is apparently more important and the one to make sure you properly expose over the groom (not that the groom isn't important but we all know more importance is placed on the bride in couples shots. It's just how it is.

[@Franciehatescoffeeicecream]

I don't love the natural flash look compared to something more staged but exposed for the backdrop

[@jineeshraj]

Hi, it is a banana tree.

[@stevebarr8487]

A little bit of a cheat trick. She used a small modifier and put it pretty close to them but when she went to the large modifier she had that like double the distance away. So she sort of exaggerating the results. If you took the small modifier moved it further away you would get the results looking not as much of a difference but a difference.

[@vegaryfoss179]

I am afraid you have this wrong. The further away the light source it, the smaller it gets relative to the subjects. And smaller means harder light. So by moving that small light modifier even FURTHER away the difference would have been even BIGGER

[@Seitenwerk]

As Vegar said, I am afraid but you are wrong. That’s definitely not how flash or any light source work. Actually should would need to get closer with the smaller modifier and further away with the big one to achieve a similar effect. But of course you can only get so close with a small one until parts of your subject are maybe not in the light anymore. On the other hand a bigger softbox might be to big for the location and you may end up having difficulties positioning it. So depending on your subject some middle ground might be a good choice. Of course if you want more harsh light, a bigger modifier might pose problems in how far away you would need to position it

[@jasonbodden8816]

You could still make this look more natural by moving it a bit further back - even though, as you said, it will make the light harder - and lower the flash power on the couple a little. I've seen it done with smaller modifiers like these and have done it myself. Of course, larger modifiers would be softer light but you don't always need something as large as her umbrella here to make flash look natural. Sometimes it's more about the spread and ratio of light to ambient than having super soft light. @@vegaryfoss179

[@aldrianalfonso5638]

I always get frustrated with these tutorials because they never tell you their white balance setting. Is this on auto or did you set it to something?

[@alaskanemperor2785]

It's very unlikely that white balance is on auto, because that delivers you a different WB for every shot. With a fixed WB (and it doesn't matter which one, if you're shooting in RAW) you can simply add a preset in post and get the same look on every image, which would be a lot of work to achieve if every photo has a different WB

[@fuji3164]

It doesn't matter if you're shooting RAW

[@VanessaJoy]

It was auto :)

[@alaskanemperor2785]

@@VanessaJoy I wouldn't have expected that. Interesting, thanks!

[@natestain7103]

You basically need a B10

[@VanessaJoy]

No. You can do this with a couple of speedlites

[@10pm63]

You missed the point. When I started taking pictures I did a private shoot with cheap worklights and a bed sheet as diffuser. I still use cheap Speedlights without TTL. They are very easy to bring along in you camera bag.

[@dominikpinand9179]

Technic realy ist easy. Take Equiptment for 10000 bucks. Please show us with a 50 bucks flash

[@VFRExplorer]

The takeaway is the "softness" of the light depends on the total surface area of the light source - the larger it is relative to the subject, the softer it will appear. The white ceiling, in that case, was the source that would meet your $50 requirement.

[@MrMolotov69]

It’s not the flash it’s the modifier or the size of the bounce (white wall in this case) and it’s relative closeness to the subject. In this scenario the power of that strobe was overkill it could have been done with a cheap speedlite as it was just being used as a fill light to fill the shadows. If she was in bright conditions then you need a more powerful strobe in order to compete with the sun.

[@eccod]

It feels like I’m in the minority, but I hate wedding photography. I appreciate the skill and talent involved (more than I have for sure), but I just find the photos so damn boring.

[@jasonbodden8816]

And you chose a wedding photographer's KZbin channel to needlessly say this.

[@9tbiker455]

^Question... why do you have a Batterygrip, when you dont use it? Cringe

[@DanielFazzari]

She addressed this in another video. Look at the strap connector - can't hold the grip with that there, but still gets advantage of extended battery life.

[@VanessaJoy]

@@DanielFazzari you’re awesome Daniel 😎

[@VanessaJoy]

You do know what else a battery grip is good for right? ::cringe::

[@jasonbodden8816]

How was she supposed to use it? Put it on her head and do a dance? The main function of a battery grip is so that your camera has 2 batteries to pull from instead of one so you don't have to swap batteries often. I hope you've stopped embarrassing yourself since this comment.

[@RyanH0809]

Great video!