Fill-in flashes - how it works

Capturing a subject perfectly against the sun or in strong shade is not easy. Fill flashes help them do this.

Fill flashes against the sun

Especially if you take photos against the sun, you need a flash that illuminates the subject sufficiently from the front. That's the whole trick and the so-called "fill-in flash".

• You can activate the internal flash of your camera either via the settings menu or with a small button on the camera.
• Attach an external flash to the top of your camera. Aim it at the subject and switch it on.
• You should make sure that the flash is not set too strong or too weak. However, many flashes have an automatic mode (eTTL).
• The stronger the flash, the further you can move away from your subject.

Flashes in different environments

There is no general solution for fill-in flashing because there are different light sources and shadows for every image.

• With a little practice, however, you can illuminate your motifs perfectly after a short time. Try out as many settings as possible and check your pictures again and again on the camera and computer.
• Tip: Shoot your pictures in RAW format in order to be able to optimally adjust the white balance and other retouching afterwards.
• You can spice up your picture with these methods.

Advanced: Manual settings instead of fill-in flash

If you set the exposure time, aperture and ISO value correctly, you can already brighten the foreground subject significantly. However, make sure that the background is not overexposed.

• You can read about how to adjust your camera optimally here, among other things.

The big workshop in the CHIP Academy: Unleashed lightning

Get more out of your pictures and learn how to use the system flash correctly. Because in the CHIP Academy you will find a 2.5 hour long, extensive workshop on the subject of Unleashed lightning.

• Find out exactly how a system flash works, which equipment you need and how you can achieve the best results in photo practice.
• We issue the CHIP Academy certificate to successful participants
• You can find the course in the CHIP Academy as a video stream for 29.90 euros.