Shooting Outdoors with Flash for Events

While bouncing light is great, it’s not always an option. For outdoor events or in huge function halls, the only choice a photographer will have is to use a front-facing flash directly at their subjects. This kind of light is inherently unflattering, however there are a couple of ways that it can be improved. The first way is through using modifiers, in particular those which both diffuse the light from the flash and increase the size of its lightsource. Remember that the rule with light is that the bigger the light source, the softer and more flattering the light will be. Although there are some practical limitations to how big an on-camera modifier can get, most modifiers will still increase the size of the flash to 2–4 times its original size. 

The other thing modifiers will do is diffuse the light. This makes the light less ‘specular’, meaning the reflections caused by the natural oils in a subject’s skin will be less intense. Two popular modifiers are the MagBounce and MagSphere. These can be paired with many speedlights, except for the Profoto A1X units which come with their own set of similar modifiers. The MagBounce is about the largest lightsource you can get on top of your camera, is great at diffusing the light, and also very power efficient by pushing most of the light from the flash forward. The MagSphere is less directional than the MagBounce, and is good for large groups, as well as adding some fill light when solely bouncing off a ceiling.

For outdoor events or in huge function halls, the choices are limited for a photographer. Using a front-facing flash maybe the best option, or using a diffusing modifier can help