Using fill flash to eliminate shadows

martintx

I'd like to use the flash to eliminate shadows. I could do it with my Nikon, but I'm having difficulty with my 60D. Any tips would be appreciated!

Moose

Howdy @martintx - Flash is a tricky son of a gun. The Canon 60D has a maximum flash sync speed of 1/250. This basically means that the fastest shutter speed you can use with the built-in flash is 1/250.

If you're outdoors under bright sun, you won't be able to use flash to fill in subject shadows. If you force the flash, you'll end up with an over-exposed (bright) image.

The only way to use flash as fill light is to find some shade (like under a tree) which will bring your shutter speed down or use a neutral density filter.

A neutral density filter acts like "shades" for your lens. It essentially reduces the amount of light passing through the lens. This allows you to obtain a shutter speed closer to 1/250 in bright daylight. If you let me know which lens you're using, I can recommend an ND filter that would work.

Once you're able to get the shutter speed down, you'll be able to use flash as fill light effectively without overexposing your subject.

Hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)