How to take creative portrait photos with flash exposure?

There are many shooting techniques that can add dynamic or other visual effects to photos, some of which include multiple exposures (with or without flash). Long exposure with flash is such a technology, and it is quite easy to learn and use, thus stimulating your creativity.

In this paper, professional photographers will explain the essence of long exposure flash method to help you master it easily.

Long exposure flash is a simple and interesting technology, which can add interesting effects to portraits. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1 sec, f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

First, long exposure and flash

When using a flash, the shutter speed will only be slower than usual. When using a flash, the aperture determines the exposure because the flash speed of the flash is much faster than the synchronization speed of the camera.

On the left is an image taken with only a flash. On the right, the shutter speed is changed by 1 sec, which enables the camera to capture modeling light during the whole exposure. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1/60 s (right: 1 s), f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

By reducing the shutter speed, the camera can also capture ambient light. You can still freeze anything in the picture, but no matter how bright the environment is, the movement of any object will be caught. Since the shutter speed now allows ambient light to be captured in the photo, the working exposure will be brighter than just the flash.

Second, what do you need?

Prepare shooting equipment:

Camera with manual setting.

If shooting in a dark studio, please use the modeling light to flash.

If there is no styling light, please use another light source.

Third, how to set

For this shooting technique, the result may seem complicated, so setting up and getting started is very simple. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1.6 seconds, f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

Step 1: Illuminate and place objects as needed. Since this is the position that the flash will capture, please treat it like normal shooting, because this will be the main focus of the image.

Step 2: Select an aperture.

You can choose the aperture according to the desired effect and adjust the flash output accordingly, or you can measure the light and choose the aperture according to the light.

Step 3: Choose a shutter speed that is slow enough for the subject to move after flashing. It will be different, depending on the object's reaction to the technology and the desired result.

Left: shutter speed 1 sec. Right: The shutter speed of 2.5 seconds can capture the second posture of the subject more clearly. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1s (right: 2.5s), f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

Step 4: Make sure that when the flash flashes, the subject knows how to change his posture.

It's not just an action. Here, the object moves its head in all directions according to the sound signal. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 2.5 seconds, f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

Step 5: Take photos.

When the flash flashes, it will capture the first pose of the subject. After that, and after the object moves, everything including the movement and the second gesture is captured by the ambient light.

Step 6: Make adjustments.

Now that you have taken a sample photo, you can evaluate the appearance of the final image and adjust the shutter speed setting. Is the subject not moving fast enough or the surrounding light is insufficient? Reduce the shutter speed. Is there too much ambient light? Choose a faster shutter speed.

After taking a picture, please evaluate it on the back of the camera and make necessary adjustments to get the desired effect. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1 sec, f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

If the attitude of the object changes little, the model is required to change its position to a more vivid position than the original position.

Step 7: Take more photos.

This shutter release can be challenging and lasts until the desired effect is determined.

Long flash exposure may be a very successful technology. You can get the desired results by taking a lot of photos, and get magic in the first few frames, but at other times, it takes years of struggle to get interesting things. Because no two images are the same, don't be afraid to continue until the result is determined.

Step 8: Keep trying.

Conducting such experiments is a good way to discover new things. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1.6 seconds, f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

You can try to achieve many things. For example, ask the model to turn her head, then cover her face with her hands and keep her posture-after the flash is off. You can continue to move your head throughout the exposure without having to establish a difficult second posture. Or, instead of moving the subject, try moving the camera itself. The choices are infinite. Not all functions can work normally, but please remember that if there is not enough memory, you need to buy a high-quality high-speed memory card and try it.

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If you like its effect, you can offer many possibilities. EXIF: Canon 5D Mk III, EF 50mm f/2.5 macro, 50mm, 1 sec, f/9, ISO 100, manual, spot metering.

Flash shutter shooting is a very simple technology. No matter what you do when shooting, you won't find two identical images later, and it will be very diverse in the end.