How to take a good portrait with a flash at night

Lead: The night scene is beautiful, but the biggest problem in shooting at night is the lack of light, let alone taking portraits. The lights will be turned off at this time. How to use this flash to make photos look natural without red eye? Let's have a look.

First, the combination of flash and night light.

Photographers often use flash when shooting at night. If you have more than one flash, you can get a lot of shooting effects. Changing the angle combination between these flashlights, or different outputs, and the focal length setting of the flashlights can obtain a variety of portrait effects and experience the endless fun of night photography.

Expert tips

Prevent red-eye effect. When people are in poor light, their pupils will be enlarged, and the flash will be refracted from the vitreous body of the eyeball to form red spots. Anti-red-eye flicker function uses multiflash to narrow people's pupil line before taking pictures, and will not reproduce red eyes.

White balance setting. The complex light source environment at night also makes it difficult to achieve the ideal effect of automatic white balance of the camera. Generally speaking, automatic white balance should be avoided as much as possible, which will make the color of light deviate from the original color, which is not conducive to expressing the original artistic atmosphere of the shooting scene.

It is recommended to use a tripod to ensure the stability of the camera as much as possible, and use the cable to release the remote control camera or the camera self-timer function to shoot.

1. Close to the light source, there is more light.

It is difficult to shoot indoors or in the dark at night. The farther away from the light source, the darker the light, and the more likely it is to affect the stability of hand-held shooting. At this time, you can help us stabilize the camera through a tripod.

In fact, it is also an effective method to be close to these light sources and try to avoid the messy places in the environment. When shooting people indoors during the day, you can make them as close as possible to the window, so that the portraits taken by the window light will make the image of the characters naturally expressed.

Shop window lights, roadside street lamps and neon lights are all places with high shooting frequency, and the light in these places can be selectively used as the main light or auxiliary light to obtain a suitable exposure picture. Illustration is taken in front of the shop window, which uses the light of the window to outline the outline of the characters, and then uses the light of the flash to illuminate the faces of the characters.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.2, and the shutter speed after metering is1125 seconds.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

2. With gorgeous window decorations as the background, shoot night portraits in big scenes.

At night, even the shop window can be used as a sharp weapon for shooting. Gorgeous windows not only have formal elements in them, making the picture look more rhythmic, but also have warm lighting at night, so you can take artistic photos even without the help of color films.

Shooting night portraits of big scenes with gorgeous window decorations as the background.

Illustration uses the light of the window to form a large soft frame, which produces wonderful side backlight and makes the characters full of three-dimensional sense. Make full use of the large aperture, use the light of street lamps to ensure people's exposure, choose a lighted background, and use the blur of the large aperture to form a beautiful spot.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.8, display the shutter speed as 1/80 seconds after metering, and turn on the lens anti-shake function.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

3. Creative shooting in nightclubs

The environment of nightclubs is generally lively and crowded, but the indoor light is not strong enough and the light source is complex. Therefore, in order to show the main body of the character, it is necessary to use flash photography. The traditional method can ensure the clarity of the main body of the picture, but it can't reflect the complex light and shadow effect in the bar, so we need to use Hou Lian synchronization and front screen synchronization to express the dynamic of the picture.

Creative shooting in nightclubs

The figure uses the flashing mode of Hou Lian synchronization. Hou Lian synchronous flash, that is, in the case of long exposure time, realizes the flowing light and shadow effect, and at the same time makes the main body of the characters clear.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.8, and display the shutter speed as110 second after metering. Use a tripod.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

4. The use of strobe function

Strobe, also known as continuous flashing, records the continuous motion process of moving objects on the screen with the help of continuous flashing of electronic flash. This function is not available in all flashlights. Before shooting, set the camera to manual exposure mode, and you need to switch between strobe and single flash through the button on the back of the flash. Use stroboscopic to represent a moving scene. With the stroboscopic function, the subject can flash at a fixed frequency and be exposed at different positions and times.

Use of stroboscopic function

Illustrations are shot with stroboscopic function. Try to choose a scene with dark background and not too bright ambient light when shooting. It should be noted that the camera shutter speed should be matched, and the number and duration of strobes should be conceived as much as possible before shooting, and the appropriate shutter speed should be set. In addition, the unique stroboscopic effect of light and shadow can also be achieved by off-board flash.

Shooting process

① Select shooting mode as M. ..

② Set the aperture F2.8, and display the shutter speed as110 second after metering. Use a tripod.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

The flash creates a mysterious effect at night.

Flash has many functions. It can not only be used as main light, supplementary light and contour light, but also play a great role in dark indoor, night scene shooting or supplementary light under strong light. Making good use of flash can not only make the picture bright, vivid and hierarchical, but also create a dreamy and mysterious effect.

The flash creates a mysterious effect at night.

Illustration is shot with only one flash, which not only plays the role of decorative lamp, but also slightly illuminates the face of the subject. The photos taken in this way give people a mysterious feeling and give viewers enough imagination.

Shooting process

① Select shooting mode as M. ..

② Set the aperture F5.6, the shutter speed 1/30 seconds, and use a tripod.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

Second, the combination of indoor warm artificial light source and window light

The light passing through the window is one of the most artistic lighting devices that can be used. Reasonable use of window light can achieve the natural effect of the picture. Indoor shooting, using the light projected by the window, can enhance the three-dimensional sense of the subject and have distinct layers. With the indoor warm artificial light source, the picture has color changes on the basis of three-dimensional prominence, and the warm tone gives people a warm and harmonious feeling.

Combination of indoor warm artificial light source and window light

Expert tips

The direct light quality of the window is very hard and the modeling ability is strong. You can use blinds or hard curtains to simulate the direct light effect of hard tones, you can also use thin curtains to simulate the soft light effect of scattered light, and you can also make them have certain colors to render the atmosphere.

Window light combined with indoor artificial light shooting makes indoor light easier to control. But at this time, it should be noted that if the light is at the top, it is easy to produce the effect of top light, and many small shadows will appear on the face. At this point, the character leans his head upward to make his face receive light evenly as far as possible.

It's also convenient to shoot in your own home or a friend's home. Turn on the lights at home, choose the position where the light is soft and the window shines in, and take the sofa or other places with atmosphere at home as the background, so that the main body of the character can express himself more casually in such a comfortable and familiar environment.

1. Exposure according to the brightness of the main light.

Whether it's portrait photography or still life photography, if you shoot in a variety of light, then the light will be divided into primary and secondary. After distinguishing the primary and secondary lights, it is necessary to expose the picture according to the intensity of the light. Set appropriate shooting parameters according to the brightness of the main light, so that the exposure of the picture will be accurate.

According to the brightness of the main light.

Illustrations are portraits taken in indoor low light environment. There are many kinds of lights at night. Illustration shows that the picture is exposed according to the brightness of the main light on the left side of the character, and the obtained picture effect is true and natural.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.2, and display the shutter speed as1100 second after metering.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

2. The picture effect is more perfect

Using indoor warm artificial light and window light to shoot is to shoot with two different properties and mixed lights. Different light has different color temperatures, and different colors will appear on the screen due to different light. Taking advantage of this feature, a more perfect picture effect can be obtained by mixing the above two kinds of light. In portrait photography and still life photography, we usually use artificial light and window light to shoot, which helps to show the true color and characteristics of the subject.

The picture effect is more perfect.

This illustration was taken with artificial light and window light of yellow film. Under the irradiation of natural light, the characters stand out in three dimensions, and the color of the picture is layered. The flash fills the light, which makes the expression and expression of the character's face get a good performance and highlights the delicate skin of the character.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.2, the shutter speed is 1/250 seconds after measuring people, and the shutter is safe.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

The warm artificial light and window light create the hot girl in the bar.

The combination of warm artificial light and window light can also be shot at home, and the existing lighting tools such as incandescent lamp and tungsten lamp can meet the shooting requirements. However, it should be noted that when the light from the window is the main light source, indoor artificial light application should try to avoid color cast of shadows. In the warm light of the bar, warm artificial light is the main light source, and the light projected from the window can make up for the dark level, so that the hot girl in the bar can be photographed.

Warm artificial light and window light create the hot girl in the bar.

The illustrator measures light according to the ambient light in the bar to get a picture with appropriate exposure. The light projected from the window plays the role of side backlight, which effectively outlines the outline of the characters, and the ambient light also interprets the facial details of the characters, making the picture look atmospheric and informal.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.8, display the shutter speed 1/60s after measuring the face, and turn on the lens anti-shake function.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

4. Try to use the window light.

When shooting indoors, try to get close to the window and use the window light to create a natural effect of the picture. In addition, it is necessary to make the character's face face outward as far as possible to ensure the illumination of light, which is also the trick to shoot this scene. Doing so can make the light shine on the face of the character smoothly, make the skin of the character delicate, and also make the light enter the eyes of the character to form a beautiful eye.

Make full use of the light from the window.

The illustration is close to the window, with the window as the big light source, and the artificial light in the indoor environment is used to supplement the light, so that the picture is coordinated as a whole and the main body is prominent. Tips when shooting: Let the face of the character rise slightly, the range of fill light will become larger, and there will be no strong shadow on the neck of the character, which will affect the beauty of the picture.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F5.6, and display the shutter speed1100 second after measuring the human face.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

Three, different colors of artificial light and flash mixed.

Color is the most important part of photographic composition. No matter what content or form of photos are taken, the first thing that catches our eye is the color of the photos. Using artificial light sources of different colors with flash to shoot, whether in color or tone, can break the tension of the whole picture and show artistic atmosphere everywhere.

Artificial light mixed with flashlights of different colors

Expert tips

Artificial light of different colors undoubtedly brings many problems to white balance and exposure. Artificial light can be divided into two types. One is a stable light source, such as illumination light, which will not change much. In this case, we can Shoot to see if automatic white balance can effectively correct the low color temperature. If not, we'd better set it ourselves with a custom white balance. The other is unstable light source, such as effect light and spotlight. In this case, the color temperature and intensity of the light source will change with time, which is difficult to control. It is best to shoot with automatic white balance.

1. Sets the white balance according to the color temperature of the main light.

Different lights have different color temperatures. Color temperature is the standard of light color and plays an important role in the field of photography. For example, sunlight, the light produced by various lamps has its own color temperature, so the colors produced are different. In the actual shooting process, the white balance should be set according to the color temperature of the main light to avoid the color cast of the picture caused by the color temperature difference. When shooting in dark light, it is necessary to accurately judge the color temperature of the main light and adjust the white balance of the camera in combination with the color temperature of the main light, so as to ensure the accurate restoration of the color of the subject.

Set the white balance according to the color temperature of the main light.

Illustration is an actor who is shot by an external flash. In order to avoid the color cast of the picture, the automatic white balance mode is selected according to the characteristics of the main light source to restore the color of the picture more truly.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F5.6, and the shutter speed after metering is1100 second.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

2. Cold-adjusted artificial light combined with flash to shoot foreign beauties at auto shows.

In recent years, more and more people watch auto shows. The combination of beautiful women and cars at the auto show will produce many good themes for photographers to explore. If you are lucky enough to photograph a foreign beauty, you might as well try to shoot in a cool tone, which will have unexpected effects when used with a flash. Cold tone is a pure color, which gives people a feeling of hesitation, calmness and mystery, and can enhance the expressive force and visual impact of the picture.

Cold-adjusted artificial light combined with flash to shoot auto show foreign beauty

The illustration captures the moment very well, and the model has both form and spirit. The cool color of the background is in sharp contrast with the skin color of the clothes on the model, the lines of the famous car and the beautiful curves of the model form a visual impact, and the light projected by the flash makes the model's face bright, which deeply attracts the attention of the viewer.

Eyeball.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F 1.8, and the shutter speed after metering is1125 seconds.

③ Focus on the eyes of the model and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

3. Take a portrait with a flash under the street lamp at night.

The street lamps on both sides of the street at night and the bright moonlight in the night sky can be used as the light source to set off the eye-catching subject. Flash is an indispensable accessory for portraits at night, but many people are puzzled when shooting, that is, after the flash fills the light for the characters, the effect is often that the brightness of the characters is normal, but the background is very dark and there is no aesthetic feeling at all. If you want to get a picture with the right brightness of people and background, you need to shoot with a flash and a low-speed shutter.

Take a portrait with a flash under a street lamp at night.

The illustration shows that the model is instantly illuminated by the flash after posing. At the same time, in order to make the background have a certain brightness, the shutter speed is lowered to1120 seconds, so that the brightness gap between the subject and the background in the picture is narrowed and it feels more natural.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F2.8, and the shutter speed after metering is1120s.

(3) Focus on people's eyes and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition, and timely press the shutter.

4. At night, use the combination of street lamps and ambient light to shoot street view buildings.

With the arrival of the night, the outdoor light becomes very weak, so you can shoot boldly with the help of the surrounding light. Brightly lit shopping malls, pedestrian streets and other places have sufficient light sources. This method of shooting with the help of ambient light can also ensure that the final effect is natural and full of life, without traces of artificial carving.

At night, street lighting and ambient light are used to photograph street view buildings.

Illustration was shot abroad, and the light on both sides of the road is very transparent, forming background light and having a unique visual impact. This kind of light also has a little warm color, which adds to the atmosphere at night to some extent.

Shooting process

① Use aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture F 1 1, ISO sensitivity 800, shutter speed1100 second after metering.

③ Pay attention to architecture.

(4) Composition and shooting.

Fourth, the combination of outdoor natural light and artificial light

Light is the soul of photography. The light source in photography is not only natural light such as sunlight. Looking around, all kinds of artificial light sources emerge in an endless stream and are colorful. The city where we live has entered the city that never sleeps. Artificial light eliminates the difference between day and night. Using comfortable and soft outdoor natural light and artificial light to highlight the atmosphere of the picture, the picture has a fantastic aesthetic feeling.

Combination of outdoor natural light and artificial light

Expert tips

The relationship between subject and background must be clear, so that the background can serve the subject and play its due role.

Foil function. When using outdoor natural light and artificial light to shoot portraits, we should choose the appropriate angle according to the contour of the face. A round face is not a big problem for children, but for adults, it is appropriate to take a side shot of seven or eight sides. Protect the lens from direct light. After the shutter is opened, strong light shines directly on the lens, which is easy to produce halo and lead to the failure of the negative. Please observe carefully whether there is a direct lens with strong light.

1. Use flash to assist dusk portrait shooting.

At dusk, the light is dark, the contrast is large, or the light is very dark. These shortcomings determine that artificial light is often needed to shape or fill the subject, which will enhance the three-dimensional sense of the subject and greatly improve the imaging quality of the photo. Because the light in the evening sky is dark, it will generally lead to a gloomy picture, lacking sharpness and saturation, and it is difficult to take a good look. Lighting the subject with a flash will solve the problem of gloomy and colorless photos, and also increase the eye light to make the eyes of the characters shine.

Using flash to assist dusk portrait shooting

When shooting illustrations, the model's face is facing the sky, and the light is very dark. Fill the light with a flash and set it to a high-speed flash. Because the flash is far away from the model, the intensity of supplementary light is weak, so it only brightens the dark part of the model's face slightly, leaving eye light.

Shooting process

① Set the shooting mode to M. ..

② Set the aperture to F2.0. Shutter speed is determined by photometry.

③ Due to sufficient light, set the ISO sensitivity to 200 and the shutter speed to11000s.

④ Increase the exposure by 0.3.

⑤ Focus on the model's eyes, and keep the shutter half pressed, composition and shooting.

2. Use the flash reflected by the reflector to shoot the dusk portrait.

The evening light has a soft warm color. Because there is more dust and smoke in the atmosphere at this time, the tone of distant scenery often becomes gloomy, which is in sharp contrast with the light-colored people nearby, showing a sense of space depth. However, due to the dim light at dusk, facial details are missing. At this time, using the reflector to reflect the flash light to fill the face will enhance the light sense of the picture.

Use the flash reflected by the mirror to shoot the dusk portrait.

The example was taken in the evening light, and it can be seen that there is a warm tone in the picture. The reflector is used to supplement people's light, which is directed to the shadow part of the face, thus improving the brightness of this part and adjusting the light ratio of the face, in contrast to the dim background.

Shooting process

① Set the shooting mode to M. ..

② Set the aperture to F2.0. Shutter speed is determined by photometry.

③ Set the shutter speed to 1/200 seconds, focus on the model's eyes, and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition and shooting.

3. Combine natural light and artificial light to shoot street lamps at night.

At night, the sky is full of colors formed by the sunset, and then the street lamps are on. If you like photography, you can find gorgeous street lamps and take photos to capture the corner in the sky and the artificial light emitted by the street lamps, so as to get a picture full of drama and mixed light.

At night, street lamps are photographed by combining natural light with artificial light.

The illustration was taken in the evening light, and the rosy clouds combined with the blue sky made the picture very beautiful. Considering the background when shooting, it needs a large depth of field. In this weak light environment, tripod shooting is needed, and the aperture is F 16. Tips for street shooting: If the light and background are in the same brightness range, then there is no need to use a filter. Check LCD playback. If the street lamp is overexposed, adjust it to -0.5 or-1EV for exposure compensation and shoot again.

Shooting process

① Select aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture to F 16, display the shutter speed to 1/30 seconds through photometry, and shoot with a tripod.

Photos.

③ Focus on the street lamp and keep the shutter half pressed.

(4) Composition and shooting.

4. The world of bug worshippers? Photographing insects by combining natural light with artificial light

Will there be such a photographer around you? They don't shoot people, they don't shoot people, they run to the mountains all day, but they don't shoot scenery. They focus on one kind of photography? Insect photography. How can a small insect have such great magic? When we see such patient pictures, we will gradually fall in love with the insect world. Shallow depth of field is one of the most important features of macro photography. In order to keep the picture stable, the tripod is the first consideration. Flash is also essential, and it can be used as a lighting creation tool in many cases, which will be very useful whether shooting during the day or at night.

Photographing insects by combining natural light with artificial light

Illustration uses flash as the main light source and natural light as the auxiliary light source, but the light emitted by flash is artificially softened, so the picture doesn't look so good. Dazzled? Of course, you need to use a tripod to assist in the shooting process. Here I would like to remind beginners of photography: If your lens or camera is equipped with optical anti-shake function, please turn them on.

Shooting process

① Select aperture priority mode A(AV).

② Set the aperture to F5.6, and the shutter speed through photometry to 1/30 seconds. You need to shoot with a tripod.

(3) Understand the focus and keep the shutter pressed half.

(4) Composition and shooting.