From the course: Flash Photography: Nikon Speedlites

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 22,400 courses taught by industry experts or purchase this course individually.

Controlling ambient light

Controlling ambient light - Speedlite Flash Tutorial

From the course: Flash Photography: Nikon Speedlites

Start my 1-month free trial

Controlling ambient light

- Your speed light is really good at controlling the amount of light shining on whatever you point it at. And we can control that like we've already discussed using the flash exposure compensation and the controls in the camera. However, we've also got the light in the room to deal with. And we can make that brighter or darker. There's light in the reception hall when I'm photographing a wedding. And there's the lights that are turned on in the room when I'm photographing a birthday party. Or there's the sunlight when I'm trying to make a portrait outside. All of these lights are called ambient light. And they are the light that's already on that the flash doesn't affect. I can brighten and darken that light using the camera. And shutter speed is the key to doing that. If I turn up the shutter speed, it makes the ambient light darker. If I turn down the shutter speed, it makes the ambient light brighter. And so using shutter speed, I can brighten and darken the ambient light to mix it…

Contents