Video tutorial: TTL fill-flash

Video tutorial: TTL fill-flash
This video tutorial on TTL fill-flash settings, is the visual counterpart to this article - Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC). Whether you use on-camera bounce flash, or off-camera TTL flash as in this off-camera flash tutorial, you will need to adjust your FEC to control the amount of TTL flash you get. Adjusting the FEC allows you varying degrees of fill-flash. This video and the linked article on flash exposure compensation explains a sequence where you get to compare how different levels of fill-flash affect your final photograph.
Check these two links for more info:
neilvn.com/tan...
neilvn.com/tan...
This video tutorial is one in a series that originally appeared on the Clickin’ Moms website in 2012, but licensing has now reverted back to me, and here we are - a tutorial that might be dated in terms of some of the gear used, but the principles remain the same. In conjunction with all the other articles about off-camera flash photography, these videos should make a good primer on the topic of off-camera flash.

[@danausec166]

so glad to see new vids from you Neil..I have your books and the BFT ..you are truly the master of flash..and your hour long presentation for B & H was simply amazing..thank you !

[@neilvn]

Thank you for the support.

[@TravelMap]

Amazing videos Neil.. learned a lot from you sitting here in India.. your session with bh was awesome.. you should do a lengthy session like that here in KZbin.. Amazing stuff and I love your humour sense.. You are a great human being

[@MrMikeCanon]

Excellent video very informative thanks for sharing

[@timcoughlin4107]

Great "Real world" video.

[@thehumanityoflife6460]

You should show when metering on the whites what you are adjusting in your camera. When you say, 'One and 2/3 stop over zero', do you adjust the light meter compensator, or you adjust your aperture from what to what? I am not as professional as most readers here are.

[@thehumanityoflife6460]

Plus, you are not even showing us a before and after you change the setting, on the histogram scale and what to look at in a histogram.

[@neilvn]

Hi there - this is an older video and in need of a proper update. There’s one in the works.

[@neilvn]

Whether you change ISO or aperture, doesn’t matter - as long as the exposure meter shows that the white is exposed appropriately brighter.

[@freddieslaughter1107]

I have a Nikon D810 and will the Nikon SB-910 work on it?

[@neilvn]

Oh yes, that combo will work very well.

[@freddieslaughter1107]

Thanks for the info@@neilvn

[@b991228]

The TTL has no problem metering the bounced light?

[@neilvn]

Generally, TTL would work with bounced light -- but there are real-world limits that can kick in. Correct TTL flash exposure is determined by the camera when it sees the pre-flash ... and according to the pre-flash level, it will adjust the actual flash output to give correct flash exposure. But it can happen that the pre-flash is attenuated (either by bouncing into a large area, or using a softbox or similar), and then the camera can't accurately read the pre-flash.

[@robertwood5942]

You really didn't make it clear that after you set the camera exposure for the white shirt, you were adjusting the flash output for the fill.

[@neilvn]

at 3:30 I mentioned that I am going to do a sequence of photos at various levels of fill-flash. Anyway, check out this more thorough tutorial on using on-camera flash. It is explained better there. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGbMdKxshLBjqMU

[@robertwood5942]

I just thought that I would mention it in a comment as it might help some people understand better.

[@thehumanityoflife6460]

At 2:26, you said that you put your meter reading at 1 2/3 over zero. You need to show the viewers how that is done in the camera's light meter. At 2:47, you said that the histogram exposure is perfect. But you did not show the viewers the histogram. Most of us don't even know how a perfect histogram should look like.

[@thehumanityoflife6460]

Oh, I forgot that I already made comments before. Sorry about that.

[@neilvn]

Could you figure it out? How to read your camera’s metering display?

[@amritstudiomandi1148]

Sir how to conect sb 5000 speedlight with godox x1 triger

[@neilvn]

You need to put your flash into the hotshoe of the related X1R receiver. If you don't have one, they are inexpensive. But that is what you need.

[@amritstudiomandi1148]

@@neilvn sir I have resiver but speedlight show backside only ttl mod I set my triger m mod but work manul

[@amritstudiomandi1148]

Sir your lesson for under stand speedlight power aprcher, distens very helpful for me

[@stephenspiteri_zunkus]

Nikon D3 needs 4 clicks up from on white exposure. Would that be the same for Nikon D810?

[@neilvn]

This is easy enough to check. Use a white shirt or a towel, and measure off that, and see how it appears on the histogram.

[@neilvn]

Also check this article: neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/flash-exposure-compensation/

[@stephenspiteri_zunkus]

Yes you’re right. I was being lazy asking you before I tried, which in fact I did and am very happy with finally understanding on how it works. What I did is that I put my camera on manual and exposure spot metering, took a reading from my daughter’s white top where it’s getting the same light as her face, and then clicked up the exposure until the histogram shows one click under from overexposed. On my camera it shows a little arrow when this happens. Doing this I would be setting my white level a bit under maximum exposure. The result is perfect metering as you mentioned.

[@stephenspiteri_zunkus]

Neil, a quick note on your ideas of fill flash or using flash as the main light for those of us using Godox strobes. The system can switch from ttl to manual, or to be exact, one can take a test shot to meter using ttl and then switch to manual and the flash saves the resultant power needed for the exposure. From there you can increase or decrease power to your liking. You can then shoot a whole shoot with manual for consistency, as long as the model stays the same distance from light of course. Quick and easy.

[@neilvn]

Good point. The Profoto A1 does this in a similar way.

[@lubomirkotik8870]

and the model is? Very beautiful :-)

[@neilvn]

Her name is Anelisa- one of the models I most often contact when I have an idea for a photo session. She’s on the cover of two of my books, and features in several blog posts on my website.

[@got2beable]

gosh she is soo beautiful wow

[@andrefelixstudio2833]

Dude you never photograph anybody and white outfit if you can help it , trust me on this!

[@neilvn]

Wedding photographers don't have that luxury to choose and opt out.

[@allanhongemail]

Neil is a famous and master photographer and you are a nobodystudio. I Recommend that you should buy his photography books, you might pick up a trick or 2 from Neil.

[@josdenis3684]

Dude, you will out of work when banning white clothing. 😊

[@anthonybrice3807]

Poor boring tutorial

[@neilvn]

Perhaps this more recent tutorial might suit you better? kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGbMdKxshLBjqMU