Using Fill Flash

Fill flash is a handy technique that allows you to use your speedlight as a secondary light source to fill in the shadows, rather than as the main light source. Fill flash can be used outdoors to fill in harsh and contrasting light from the sun, or it can be used inside to fill in shadows cast by the key light. In short, using fill flash allows you to reduce the contrast of the image by filling in the dark shadows, thus allowing you to see more detail in the image.

You may also want to use fill flash when your subject is backlit (lit from behind). When the subject is backlit, the camera meter reads the bright part of the image, which is behind your subject, and tries to keep the bright areas from being overexposed. This results in a properly exposed background while your subject is underexposed and dark. On the other hand, using the Center Weighted metering mode () to obtain the proper exposure on your subject overexposes and blows out the background. The ideal solution is to use fill flash to provide an amount of light on your subject that is equal to the ambient light of the background. This brings sufficient detail to both the subject and the background, resulting in a properly and evenly exposed image.