Get Your Flash Exposure Right Using TTL!

[@LoveLiz07]

The way I spat coffee when the model arrived haha. Loved this demonstration, Mik! Thank you!

[@fr3heart]

This explanation needs more love than it has received. Thank you for a clear example and thank you to Brixton, who I hope is still well, for modelling.

[@MikMilman]

He's a pro. He's been modeling for me his whole life.

[@MichaelCTruth]

​@@MikMilman when shooting an event what are your standard settings? Iso, f stop and shutter? Often I shoot event images that look great in camera but then look dark in monitor at home when using flash. I have to raise it up at least a stop. Not sure what is going on.

[@kinhho8402]

@@MikMilmanthis is only true when you use matrix metering but not with spot metering.

[@lucian5194]

I might have my first outdoor event tomorrow and I just bought a flash last night and been watching your clips for hours. Thank YOU!!

[@ryan__dcosta]

damn how did it go,

[@lucian5194]

@@ryan__dcosta everything turned out to be fine, i didn't even need to use the flash😅

[@LegatusPraetorianus]

Thank you, excellent practical demonstration!

[@GerryGonzalezNunez]

This is a good explanation of why I shoot in manual flash mode, having to adjust settings using TTL beats the whole purpose of a supposedly superior automatic mode. Thanks for the video and thanks to Brixton for his patience.

[@eliaspap8708]

Wouldn’t manual be even more hit and miss? With TTL i set my exposure comp on my camera body dial and i usually get it right first shot. Im talking run and gun moments, that would be very difficult in manual as you have to consider several things including iso/aperture and distance to subject. You would need to take atleast one or two test shots first and for my work that would be too late moment gone.

[@gillesmatheronpro]

It really is the first time ever I see a dog on strike, only to regret her behaviour then... what a revelation this was ! Great work Mik, you are a Master of souls.

[@albert_oglri]

Another really helpful explanation! Thanks @MikMilman . No fancy frills; clear, straight to the point. :D This video deserves more!

[@MikMilman]

Thank you, Albert.

[@shiontheartist]

I luv your tutorials ,u explain everything well and in detail

[@rhondamitchell9542]

Awwww....Brixton is so handsome

[@luispnrf]

Lovely model. Nice video.

[@PsychedelicChameleon]

One of the most beautiful models I've ever seen!

[@JulioMacarena]

Really like what you do, bruz. Easy to understand, efficiently presented, and a lean towards being passionate about creativity and artistic.

[@MikMilman]

Thank you Juan. I appreciate the comment.

[@sbhopper8511]

Just watched again. Haven't touched my cameras in ages and thought I'd get a little refresher.

[@tomkolour3947]

Very useful tut' I'm always worried when using flash but this has helped a great deal, I'll put it to the test Thursday at a wedding , thank you

[@gluodena1]

Literally this video is a game-changer for me!!!!❤ I'm so grateful🙏

[@MikMilman]

I'm so glad it helped!

[@boyantrifonov]

Hey Mik! Thanks for this amazing, short and to the point video! The model is a really good boy! Next week I will photograph a big event (I am invited as a guest but it is a friend’s 50th birthday and there will be many guests and live music so it is a great opportunity for me to practice) I have watched many flash videos but haven’t seen this type of explanation. I was just reading how to change the exposure compensation in TTL mode on my Godox V1 O for my Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX I would have not guessed that I need to UNDER expose for black walls and OVER expose for white walls. It would seem it is the other way around. But this is where you came and showed us! Thank you! From Bulgaria 🇧🇬

[@MikMilman]

Glad I was able to help!

[@MrPixelgrower]

You had me from the opening of the door! Great !!!🤣

[@ChristinaPorianda-f4l]

You videos are great! Thank you so much! Brixton did not look happy. Hope you gave him treats haha.

[@traceypaddisonphoto]

Brixton is adorable 🤗

[@hsquare-lifeinthesouthernu228]

Great video. You have got a great model.

[@thenexthobby]

Hi Mik, at about 2:30 you mentioned "flash" as being set to average so as to account for the flash's overall output and not the ambient light ... did you mean AE metering here? Should we use old-school average (or, center-weighted) camera metering with flash? I'm also trying to remember if shutter still determines background exposure (not the close examples here, but further away backgrounds) in TTL mode. Easy to forget this stuff.

[@CandidCamPhotos]

Just... lmao. The perfect amount of awkward to keep my attention. Also the advice was very helpful!

[@Nakans]

Nice model, and thank for video ❤

[@robertgiguere875]

Very helpful video, the model was very professional 😁

[@raimclaren1663]

A really good example of how the camera and flash works. Thanks for taking the time and spending on a model 😅

[@m2rer1k]

Was it so simple 😊 I have been struggle with using blitz correctly in manuell modes but TTL look more easy to use.

[@VillyP]

This is my 3rd video I'm seeing from you in a row. Subscribed. Sold. Brixton kills me. Such a good boy, best model. 😂😂

[@loganz]

Ive been using flash for the last 20 years and never knew how to use Flash exposure comp correctly. I'll give this a try at my next event.

[@MikMilman]

Please let me know how it goes.

[@BoReynolds]

This was very informative, thank you buddy!

[@michelledorion3077]

the dog LOL, i was pleasantly surprised

[@MikMilman]

Brixton was the best model.

[@ThisIsWideAngle]

What a pro! And the photographer isn´t bad either!

[@MikMilman]

Heh

[@knocka007]

amazing thankyou. did my first event this weekend gone and some images was what you spoke in the video. thanks again

[@MikMilman]

I hope this video will help you on the next one!

[@PapaBruno]

Thank you for the information - very easy to follow and understand. Subbed.

[@MandM_IMO]

Great video.

[@timatlakecityfoto]

Thanks for the quick and easy explanation. Does it matter what mode you are using for metering? Center weighted average, spot, etc. ?

[@sacr3dstudios]

This is great ❤

[@salvatorelicausi]

Oh man, that dog ...what a sweet beauty!

[@FindingMinwoo]

Very easy and helpful! Been using M instead of TTL as I find it easier to control but I will try this method next time! :) As always a great video- Hope you are well Mik!

[@GoogleUser-yv7fe]

I see you working that bokeh. Love it

[@eraykim]

You literally know all of my questions.

[@veloz7860]

This is the same thought process as exposure without a flash - left to its own devices the camera will overexpose a dark scene and underexpose a white scene. It's just that with a flash we need to use the compensation on the flash instead of on the camera.

[@Jerry-kg9pr]

This is very helpful 😊

[@alejandroalbelo3998]

good work, taught me something, liked and subbed

[@britishrose9417]

Really interesting and informative video - cute too!

[@danielberger5502]

extremely helpful!

[@MikMilman]

Very pleased to hear that!

[@japendo1]

😂😂😂😂😂 got me with the model!

[@bslaughter9625]

To the point, and helpful.

[@kirpidon]

great model so lovely ))

[@jimwlouavl]

Brixton did great as did these examples.

[@DA-lp4rh]

Great tutorial...

[@r.c8756]

Thanks for the explanation. There’s one thing I don’t understand though (maybe it’s a stupid newbie question) is why flash compensation has to be set separately from exposure compensation. It seems to me that the both could be set via a single setting, right ?

[@MikMilman]

So, flash exposure and camera exposure compensation are two different things, yes. But because there is no real compelling reason that I can think of to shoot in a priority mode while shooting flash, you will only have to worry about your flash exposure compensation while shooting in TTL. Does that help? Please let me know if you need further clarification or have a follow up question :)

[@chriscorbin9565]

every time you use flash you are controlling 2 exposures at the same time. Sometimes you are including ambient light to some degree or just knocking it out like in this video. If you were in a semi auto exposure mode you can use negative exposure comp to darken the background a touch while using positive flash exposure comp on your subject to make them pop ( or expose them properly if they are wearing white )

[@FrankysVlog25]

Model looks so cute ❤

[@angeledoucette]

Thank you!!!

[@xodius80]

how underrated the good boy model, can i get in touch with your model acency?

[@rhp4real]

The moment you realize it's a dog at the door 😂 great video!

[@aceentertainmnt9249]

had to subscribe after that intro.

[@lim2001burger]

😂 I was hoping it would have been the pupper 😅

[@Bowiehair]

ya got me. pretty puppy there!

[@michaelschmitt5413]

Braxton needs a bigger platform; especially one that isn't slippery. I enjoy you straightforward practical videos. I understand the issue, but find it difficult to execute in a run and gun scenario. What about using spot metering to get the exposure right for the subject? I've tried it a little, but don't shoot enough events with flash to get a good feel for what works best. Thanks for the videos !!!

[@MikMilman]

I think that having a good understanding of the following three will maximize the consistency of your results: Camera settings (aperture, shutter, ISO) Flash exposure compensation Flash settings: settings in the menu of your camera for flash. (this might be the next flash video I make. Its a lot more confusing than you'd think it would be with modern cameras)

[@MikMilman]

I will also add that with a lot of experience, dialing your exposure compensation up and down according to what you're photographing will become more and more intuitive.

[@rmgibbs1861]

TY!

[@MasterPpv]

Okay, just finished the video! I've had a question based on some recent gigs that I've been wondering about. I've been photographing events at a lot of places recently that have very dark walls. Sometimes they're quite dark, other times they're full on black. In addition, most of these places also have either relatively high or equally dark / black ceilings (or both). In short, I'm running into a lot of situations where I can't bounce my flash in order to balance it with the ambient light in the way that I would prefer to. For the time being, I've been mainly shooting with the flash just pointing straight up and putting a diffuser cap on it. It works, but it's extremely obvious most of the time that the images are taken with flash. Do you think this is an inevitability given the conditions I've stated, or do you think there's more I could be doing? Whenever I'm in a location where the walls aren't super dark like this, I tend to be able to bounce and balance just fine, but maybe there's something I'm still missing.

[@MikMilman]

Although I've discussed this situation in a some videos and live streams, I think it would be helpful for me to make a video dedicated to this topic, with visual examples. But in the meanwhile, other than changing your set up completely, you could try under powering your flash by a stop or so and then really lengthening your shutter to allow more ambient light to spill onto your subject, giving them more depth and less of an artificial and flat flash look. Does that help?

[@MasterPpv]

@@MikMilman Hey Mik! Visual examples would certainly be great here. If I'm in a situation where I can drag my shutter, I do indeed use that, and that does tend to work decently. However, a lot of the events I shoot tend to be ones where people are partying and dancing, so for capturing those movements (outside of doing purposeful motion blur for a few shots here and there), I do need to keep my shutter speed relatively quick. At one gig last weekend, for example, I went to ISO 6400, f/4 (I have a 2.8 lens but was looking to have multiple layers of people in focus), and 1/80th, and even with that I was barely getting any ambient light in, with my flash doing the majority of the work.

[@MikMilman]

That sounds like an extremely dark venue. Am I correct?

[@MasterPpv]

@@MikMilman Yes, I've been shooting in a lot of spaces that are basically live music venues, but during events where people will be dancing on the floor space rather than on the stage. Sometimes the stage lights will spill over a bit (if they're even on and being used) and I can use the extra light to my advantage, but a lot of the time there's little to no ambient light hitting the crowd unless they're up near the front toward the stage.

[@hendersonribeirobrandina2120]

@@MasterPpv If there's no ambient light hitting your subject, so there is no ambient light hitting your subject... hahaha. That may sound weird but you can only work with ambient light if there is enough ambient light. If there is no enough ambient light you have to compensate by using flash. No other way. You can't creat ambient light that doesn't exist. You're gonna get that flash look and I think there is nothing you can do (you can try to power your flash down a little bit just to improve the look or try to use a modifier on it). Try to take your pictures with the stage in the background (cause the stage has lights and it makes the picture more interesting). If the stage is in the background, its gonna be less noticible you've used direct flash. But if your background is black, then its gonna be very obvious you used flash. Maybe changing angles and the power of flash can help.

[@WatchHobbyist]

I gave you a like just for the dog, let alone the great advice 😅

[@Nonixification]

Well I never use TTL in studio but I have a few questions. All this tests made with Multi metering? What happens when you set the camera to central or spot? The whole point of using TTL is that you dont need to set anything manually later on. So this exp. compensation works but if the environment is changing it defeats the purpose of using TTL.

[@shoeabejr]

Grateful

[@texasflyboy525]

More Brixton!!

[@cindymc716]

If I set my camera so that I am taking a meter reading from my focus point (a person's face, for instance) and adjusting the exposure triangle accordingly, how do I measure the ambient light in a scene? I'm just not sure how all this works together so that I use my flash correctly and avoid blowing out my subject. I hope this question makes sense.

[@enfieldlover8145]

How did you compensate the model? At least some yum treats I hope :))

[@hsbphotography9148]

Best model 🐾❤️

[@MikMilman]

I know!

[@kristih911]

Hi! So so helpful. Could you make a video on flash with film cameras? For example, I have a canon 1V film camera, and the corresponding canon flash. All my photos on TTL are wildly inconsistent.... I'm wondering and let me know if you have any advice... so since the sync speed is 1/250, and my ISO is 400 portra, I can only control the aperture and the flash power. Do you have any clue if instead of TTL, I'd be better off with trying like f11 and 1/2 power and so on? I guess I might need to do some test rolls at every setting and get down a system. But I feel like everyones got it figured out but me lol

[@thorsrensen3162]

I wish I had a model like Brixton.

[@abelb8612]

Exposure compensation on the flash is -2 for dark background & +2 for white background when using TTL on your flash. What about compensation for the model? Looks so sad!

[@SteveChick02]

Do you have a got to "base" set-up for Aperture/Shutter/ISO that you use at events? I have shot mainly outdoor events with good available light but I am about to shoot my first indoor event where I will need to use flash.

[@MikMilman]

It depends on a variety of factors, but short answer: start with an iso of 1250, aperture of 2.8 if it's available, and a shutter of 125th

[@SteveChick02]

@@MikMilman Perfect Thanks. My daughter works for a charity and they are holding an event in London which will be attended by a member of the British Royal Family. Her employers have asked me to get some shots as they have a limited budget and they know I am trying to build my event portfolio so it's kind of a win/win.

[@lianvandenheever6387]

If you shoot with TTL , the EV Comp ifor the flash can be set from the camera

[@iuliaofahmedushka5657]

model is the best !

[@MikMilman]

I agree.

[@damluar]

Hi Mik, thanks for the video! In what cases do you want to use flash compensation vs camera EV compensation?

[@chriscorbin9565]

camera comp for the background, flash comp for the subject if balancing daylight

[@zzasboa]

I was going to ask the same... thanks chriscorbin9565 for the answer.

[@lornamilman8996]

Brixton!

[@richschmitt100]

Mik, how is this any different than using manual settings and just adjusting your flash power output.

[@MikMilman]

It would be a similar difference between shooting in manual or in a priority mode with your camera. Now imagine doing so without a light meter.

[@richschmitt100]

@@MikMilman Mik, your answer is a little ambiguous. Let me re-ask my question: If I'm using manual settings on camera and flash, take a picture, view it on my monitor, and adjust my flash power (1/2, 1/4, etc) accordingly to correct the exposure (if needed); how is this any different than using TTL and compensation. It isn't any different, correct? So I don't really see the benefit in using TTL and EC.

[@MikMilman]

In a less dynamic situation, like a studio environment in which your variables will be consistent (subject distance from the flash mostly) and you have the time to dial in your flash power to suit your settings or vice versa, then using TTL would have somewhat less value.

[@robertryan6635]

Can’t see how you photographed the dog. Did you have flash pointed up to the ceiling?

[@MikMilman]

I believe it was pointed over my shoulder.

[@JoeCosentino]

Brimstone is amazing as a model

[@diahsuter]

😂😂Gorgeous model💋💕

[@MrShaheens]

I am using a GODOX T600 flash with my Canon 250D camera. The flash is not firing when it is mounted on the camera. What should I do to make it fire?

[@MikMilman]

I'm not familiar enough with those piece of equipment to say. It could be that flash firing isnt turned on in the menus, the flash is not compatible, the hotshoe is loose, etc.

[@rifandyyoga2402]

What camera mode do u use for ttl? Can i using manual lens for TTL mode?

[@MikMilman]

I use manual mode, but you can shoot in priority mode too. Yes you can use a manual lens.

[@77.88.]

If you are shooting portraits , have you ever tried OLD SCHOOL LIGHT METERS ?

[@MikMilman]

Yes.

[@justforfunphotography01]

And thats exposure compensation on flash and not on camera right???

[@MikMilman]

That's correct. Since your flash, when in TTL, will be auto exposing, its best to shoot in manual (with your camera settings). You can change exposure compensation on your flash a variety of ways, bw, depending on your gear (directly on the flash, in a camera menu, with a programmed dial...)

[@Bowiehair]

wait the auto iso ??? I didnt see that yet

[@Notmy00000]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@smaganas]

👍🏼 👍🏼 👍🏼

[@SuccessmarketingWEB]

Very confused. Can't you change the exposure compensation in the camera? Why do you have to do it on the flash

[@MikMilman]

You can do both and they achieve different things.

[@thothheartmaat2833]

yesterday i photographed high school syncronized swim.. ive never done that before. admittedly i sexistly assumed they would be girls. i walk into the pool and its a bunch of guys playing water polo. i thought maybe theyre at the other pool. if it would have been the guys that would have been awesome.. got an awesome pool team picture but was thinking a pro lighting expert would tear me apart for just pointing the bare flash at them. in my defense this was all last second and i had no clue this was even going to happen. still, id like to be taking highest quality pictures.

[@cdmelek5228]

can I get the number of your model???

[@MasterPpv]

I absolutely KNEW it was going to be Brixton 😂 P.S. I have a specific question that I've been wondering about but I'm only a minute into the video atm and just wanted to give Brixton some love, so I'll wait and ask the question after 😆

[@hortod1]

Can you do a tutorial on how to keep a dog to sit still for as long as you did. Please and thank you

[@MikMilman]

Lol I got lucky with Brixton. Every trick i taught him took a couple of minutes tops.

[@introlens]

Why your model is quite?

[@WatkinsPhotog]

Lmao!!! The “model” is here! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MikMilman]

;)

[@kasparsvanags8372]

giving like just for model arriving

[@silviadediosceron]

Me legit waiting for a model 🤣🤣🤣

[@MikMilman]

And you got one.

[@sharvo6]

Hair and Make up did a great job though Bixby is clearly a natural.

[@danieldemayo6209]

We must use the same modeling agency. All I get are cats.

[@TheresaWoods-n6v]

Davis Karen Smith Jennifer Garcia Cynthia

[@kelvinsomo1758]

your model is cute