V1.02
Thom Hogan’s Complete Guide to the Nikon D300
Page 614
to learn more about Nikon flash operation, may I humbly
suggest you get a copy of my book?
Controlled, Repeatable Flash Results
At my workshops the number one question I get concerns
how to get repeatable results using flash, especially when you
use flash for fill. Basically, this requires that you take control
of the decisions that are being made instead of letting the
camera make the decisions.
If you have the time, it always pays to turn off the automatic
flash control and take charge of it yourself. The way I usually
teach goes something like this:
1.
Put the camera in Manual (M) exposure mode. When
using flash, the aperture and shutter speed control the
background
(ambient light) exposure, flash tends to
control the foreground, or
subject
exposure. In Manual
exposure mode you are guaranteed to be completely in
control of the background exposure.
2.
If you want a full exposure on the background, adjust the
Front and Rear Command dials to adjust the aperture and
shutter speed until the Manual Exposure Metering bar
reads
0
. If you want the background slightly darker than
the foreground subject lit by flash, set an underexposure
of the background of -0.3 to -1 stop. (It’s also possible to
set the background brighter than the foreground, but that
is rarely something you’d want to do, and your subject
would have to be in a darker light, or it, too, will end up
overexposed.)
3.
Turn the flash ON
148
.
4.
Set the flash to Standard TTL mode (on the D300, this is
automatic if you’re in spot metering; otherwise you’ll have
148
You can power the flash before Step 1, but I intentionally have you turn it ON here
because, if you get in the habit of doing this, if you later switch from Manual to
Program or Aperture-priority modes, you’ll immediately notice if the camera changes
your exposure (at least you
should
).
