How to Use Fill Flash Nikon

Fill flash will solve the common problem of dark faces when photographing a person against a back-lit scene, such as a person sitting in front of a window. Fill flash is the technique of forcing the flash to fire, even when there is enough light for a picture.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Camera with either a built-in flash or a camera and hot-shoe flash

Point and Shoot Cameras

1. Look for the button with a lightning bolt symbol. This is the button that changes the flash mode.

2. Change the flash mode to "on" by pressing this button. On some cameras, pressing the button will bring up a menu to select flash mode. On others, it will cycle the flash mode between off, on, red eye removal and automatic. Flash On mode is indicated by a lightning bolt on the display's flash mode indicator.

3. Compose the photograph.

4. Press the shutter release. The flash will fire.

5. Check the exposure on the LCD monitor. The back-lit scene should be properly exposed, as should the faces.

Single Lens Reflex Cameras

6. Decide which type of flash to use. If your camera has a built-in flash, press the button to pop the flash up. If you are going to use an external flash, affix the flash to the camera's hot shoe.

7. Press the button with the lightning bolt symbol. While holding the button down, rotate the camera's rear control wheel until only a lightning bolt is shown on the top LCD display. If you are using the built-in flash, this is the balanced fill flash mode. If you are using an external flash with a mode button, press the mode button until either TTL or both TTL and BL are shown on the flash's LCD screen.

8. Compose the photograph.

9. Press the shutter release; the flash will fire.

10. Check the exposure on the LCD monitor. The back-lit scene should be properly exposed as should the faces.

Tips & Warnings

• Mode buttons are available on Nikon SB-600, SB-800, and SB-900 external flashes. Other Nikon flashes, including older models and lower power models, may not have a mode button. Those flashes, along with many non-Nikon flashes, will operate by default in balanced fill flash mode.