Tip Of The Day: Flash? What Flash?

Before                                           After
In this post on Strobist, David Hobby mentions a technique used by a reader called “footcandle”. The method involves placing small flashes in a large outdoor scene to fill in the darker areas of the exposure, or to balance foreground and background exposure. You then retouch the flashes out in post-production.

I use a similar technique with architecture photography, especially when photographing homes and landscaping. Often the best time to shoot houses is early morning when the sun is still low in the sky, which can lead to problems with exposure if the front of the home is facing away from the sun. Placing portable strobes in the scene and triggering them wirelessly can fill out the exposure, letting you balance the dark face with the bright sky. Then, after a couple minutes of retouching, all you see are the results of the flash without the flashes.
—Matthew Panzarino
Contributing Blogger