Flash on a Bright, Sunny Day

So, why use flash on a bright, sunny day? While it's unlikely you'll be totally overpowering the sun, using external flash does give you some more control and options over what you can do with your photography.

While the below examples aren't fine art, hopefully they can help convey the ideas I have about flash on sunny days.

To Balance


In many cases, the key is to balance. You want to have both the background and the foreground/subject properly exposed. If you expose for one, you will likely over or underexpose the other.

Camera Info

ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/250s

Aperture: F6.3

Camera Info
ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/250s

Aperture: F11
Underexpose the Background for a Bit More Drama

If we underexpose the background a bit, sometimes we get a bit more drama - the subject pops out a bit more from the background.

Camera Info
ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/250s

Aperture: F10

Camera Info
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/250s
Aperture: F16

Make the Sun Go Away

If we really fire up the flash and underexpose the background, we can just about make the sun go away. If we were using more lights, we could turn a bright, sunny day into nighttime.

Camera Info
ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/250s

Aperture: F25