How to Get Your Flash Portraits to Look Natural

If you have ever play around with flash photography before, then you know how hard it can be to create natural looking portraits using artificial lighting like with flashes. In today's video, I'm sharing step by step how I created a portrait indoors using flash.

Since the conditions of the day and shoot are important, I'll be sharing those details too. We don't always get ideal lighting scenarios so I figured this would be much more interesting to watch.

I also share about why I use a white shoot-through umbrella on my flash and how it changes the light on my subject.

Today's portrait settings were
ISO 640
F/2.8
1/125 sec
Photographed on the 24-70mm lens

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Questions? Leave me a comment below! :)

[jacque]

It amazes me that you can PACK so much information into less then 4 minutes!!! I'm not going to lie I wanted to to go on 4x as long :) Such great information flash has always been a struggle for me!!! Love that 24-70 it's so versatile!

[Zekeyalvarez]

With that being said... Good luck Charlie.

[lensbaad]

Wow! Joy, I was desperately searching for an understanding of shooting indoors and in low light. And you popped up. Thanks so much... From India🇮🇳

[brsaravia]

Thank Joy, great video . Short video packed with knowledge and valuable information.

[Mew_York_Kitty]

Yes I struggled before watching this video, not anymore afterwards! 🤩💝🥂 Thanks Prof. Joy!

[gabecox]

I'm not a professional photographer, but I love these tips, as they can help me in my everyday photos and help me create great pictures for my business. Thanks!

[arianadelmundo]

AHH thank you so much for this!!! I would love to see more flash tutorials! That is one of the areas we'd really like to be more confident in!

[محمدعصام-فكه]

I love watching your videos before shooting because I try to implement all the tips you talk about keep it up

[WalterStinnettPhotography]

Thanks, Joy, I am a photographer and this was very helpful. My genre is primarily landscape, but I certainly have thought about portraiture and wedding photography.

[JustineHaveland]

Probably a 3. Thank you so much for explaining this! I'm JUST getting started with my DSLR. I'm not a photographer, but I want to be able to take much better photos of my family than I can now. Subscribed!

[mrlouisleon]

This video was fine. The title attracted me, but I found the subject of your video not to match what I was expecting. I was expecting a video on how to emulate natural light. Instead, I watched a video on how to balance flash with ambient, or even how to make an image with flash that doesn’t look like flash. Keep up the good work.

[ericaoftheearth]

Beautiful! Thank you so much for this!

[CarlosRodriguez-vghp]

This information is clear...Thanks from Colombia.

[FindingMinwoo]

Thanks! So was the umbrella just standing there to disperse the already bounced lights from the ceiling..? I didn't get this part perfectly..

[feliciaVanderson]

Hi! Thank you so much for this! Could you please link the gear used? Heck could you do a video on setting up the gear maybe? I’m just so so so very lost on off camera flash

[laurenturner]

I’ve been in that building omg! It’s close to my house. So so beautiful💜

[tomgriffioen]

Hi Michelle, thanks for this video. One question though, did you use both flashes at the same time? (both the one with the ambrella and the one on your camera). Thanks

[simonuk]

Sometimes I get this dark orange tint and it's my fault because I have hoped the on camera flash can overpower the mixed lighting. I have Warm lighting ( led I think from ceiling )
and Yellow /orange side lamps on to boost overal light. Am I making a big mistake here and should I just leave the ceiling lights on, turn off the lamps and simply gel the flash
with a Yellow/Orange diffuser. MIxed lighting seems to be so awkward and the lamps I was told can reflect a nasty colour cast and make the skin orange.

[melaniefarida]

Great video!! What do you recommend if I just use my camera and a speed light in dark, high ceiling church’s? Thanks!! 😊

[danausec]

Thanks so much Joy..i bounce flash as much as I can, but still am a little bewildered on what to use on a run and gun situation with no ceilings or walls to bounce off of..i will still take the flash off camera, but any small diffusers that would help ? Thanks again for the video !