How to disable the flash in Portrait Mode

CazCaz
edited July 2014 Posted in » Canon T3i Forum
Hi,
I want to disable my Canon Rebel T3i built in flash when shooting in portrait mode, however, 'Flash' does not appear in my menu options.
Is it possible to disable the flash in this shooting mode or is it only possible in the manual modes, etc.?
Thank you.

Comments

  • PBkedPBked
    edited July 2014
    Hi,
    Portrait mode is one of the basic zone modes in which you are handing control over to the camera, so if the camera decides you need flash it will pop up. There is no way to override this. All you can do is make sure you shoot in bright enough conditions to stop the flash coming into play. It is much better to use a creative zone mode (usually Av-aperture priority for portraits) where you can have control over some aspects of your exposure including whether to use flash or not.
    Regards,
    PBked
  • CazCaz
    edited July 2014
    Thank you for that information PBked. I purchased the Cheat Cards for the T3i and have been using the Av mode the last couple of days to take indoor portraits. The shots are coming out much sharper than when I used the Portrait mode but are a little dark. I own a Speedlite 430EX II but need to work out how to use it!
  • PBkedPBked
    edited July 2014
    Hi Caz,
    I don't know which lens you are using for your portraits. If it is the nifty fifty you should be able to get reasonable pictures indoors. If they are too dark, try to dial in a little exposure compensation or you could experiment with 'creative auto'.
    The 430EX is a great little flash gun. In the first instance I would leave it set to TTL so it works with your camera. Using flash is a bit of an art in itself. For portraits you don't want the flash pointing straight at your subject and with the 430 you can use tilt to bounce light off a white ceiling or swivel to bounce it off a light wall. However, both these methods can create shadows. Another inexpensive solution is to purchase a diffuser. This is essentially a plastic box which clips over your flash head to produce an even but softer spread of light when using the flash direct at the subject. Some people make their own from a plastic milk carton, but the bought ones are so cheap I don't think it's worth the effort. Check out Amazon and specify that it is for the 430EX II.
    Get back to the forum and let us know how you got on.
    Regards,
    PBked
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