How to Use Flash in Nature Photography

While there may be nothing more beautiful than being outside in nature during a beautiful summer or fall day, depending on the time of day it may be less than great for taking pictures to capture that beauty. Nature and landscape photographers often refer to the "golden hour," which is the hour just before and after both sunrise and sunset, as the best time for outdoor photography. At midday the sun is directly above us and does not provide a very appealing light source. However, you can use your flash to even out your exposure when shooting outdoors.

• 1

  With your camera and flash turned off, slide your flash onto your camera's hot shoe. Tighten the locking ring.

• 2

  Connect your camera to a tripod and turn both the camera and flash on.

• 3

  Set your camera's exposure mode dial to "Aperture Priority." Depending on the type of camera you are using, this step will vary from camera to camera; however, for most digital single-lens reflex cameras there is a dial on the top of the camera. Turn this to "A" for shutter priority.

• 4

  Set your aperture by rotating the dial located by the shutter release and set your aperture to f11 or f16. This aperture will give you a deep depth of field, ensuring crisp focus for the entire image.

• 5

  Compose your picture so the sky fills at least half of the scene. Tighten the adjustments on the tripod so the camera doesn't move.

• 6

  Set your Exposure Compensation to "-1." Most DSLRs have a button that has a "+\-" on it. This is the "Exposure Compensation" setting. Press this button and turn the dial until you see "-1" on your screen. Doing this will allow the sky to be exposed properly. The near ground in your picture will exposed by the flash.

• 7

  Look through the viewfinder of the camera, press the shutter release halfway down to activate the auto focus system. You should see a diagonal lightning bolt in your viewfinder indicating the flash is attached and ready to use.

• 8

  Press the shutter release the rest of the way to take the picture.