Fill Flash Made Simple

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This article is meant for photographers who want to expand their skills and comfort levels with controlled light. While it will work for snapshot makers, it does require a tiny bit of work.

Many photographers misunderstand TTL flash. Just like your meter can expose for ambient light, TTL flash can expose properly for flash. If your ambient light meter is capable of producing a quality exposure, so too is your light meter (it’s the same one BTW) produce a quality exposure when flash is used.

The Steps To Simple Fill Flash

  1. Turn on your camera

  2. Set it to the shooting mode that you like and that suits the subject

  3. Set the camera to AUTO ISO. You probably do this now anyway.

  4. Put your hotshoe flash on the camera

  5. Turn on the flash

  6. Make sure that the flash is set to TTL mode

  7. Go make some photographs

Seriously, that’s all that there is to simple fill flash.

That Cannot Be Right!

A common refrain, usually coming from folks who have not tried it. It works. It works outdoors. It works indoors. There are numerous excuses not to try this, but they fit less than 10% of shooting situations so instead of being whiny, just go do it.

Scenario #1

You have the family over and because you have a “good camera” you get elected to take a group photo or several. Let’s say it is overcast. If your ISO is 100, and you have the camera in aperture preferred mode and choose f/8 for enough depth of field for a group shot, your shutter speed would be 1/200th of a second for the ambient light. Put your flash on, turn it on and set it for TTL and shoot. You will get really nice fill flash that does not look flashy so long as you remember to follow the very basic compositional guide to Fill The Frame. Simple. Finished. Done.

Scenario #2

The kids or grandkids or pets are in the house playing quietly or having a nap. You see a great shot, but the light is not great, so you raise the ISO a bit and set your aperture to f/5.6 on your 50mm lens. The camera says that the shutter speed will be 1/60th of a second if you are in aperture preferred mode. That’s ok but you want to bring attention to the subject so you fill the frame and turn the flash on in TTL mode. You make the image. You notice that your subjects are lit perfectly and any minor movement is frozen pretty well and the distracting stuff in the background is now a bit darker, which is good because it was distracting. Simple. Finished. Done.

That’s It

Yes this is a short tutorial article. By design and intent because fill flash is really incredibly simple. No light shapers, no exposure compensation, just do what you would do to make an image without flash, and then use those settings to make the image with a TTL flash on the camera.

Thanks as always for reading. Please leave a comment or send in a question. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page. It pays a small commission to me, and costs you nothing. Until next time, peace.