
CAPTURE EXISTINGLIGHT PORTRAITS
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Capture Existing-Light Portraits
By now, you’ve probably realized one of the great ironies in good portrait photography:
the flash is your friend when working outdoors. So, guess what the great secret is for
indoor portraiture? at’s right; sometimes it’s better to turn off the flash. Some of the
most artistic portraits use nothing more than an open window and a simple reflector.
e problem with using your on-camera flash indoors is that the light is harsh and cre-
ates an image filled with contrast. Harsh and high contrast are two terms that models
don’t like to hear when it comes to picture descriptions.
is existing-light portrait was captured indoors with an 85mm lens at f/1.8. e custom
white balance was set with the aid of an ExpoDisc to get accurate skin tones.
Fill flash works outdoors because everything is bright. e flash “fills” right in. But ambi-
ent light is much dimmer indoors, and the burst of light from the flash is much like a car
approaching on a dark street.