“Flash or Sun?” - Second Edition
The first edition was so popular on Instagram that I decided to bring it back. With added complexity.
This time, there were three possible answers: FLASH, SUN, or BOTH! And the images were harder to guess in general, so the results were a bit more mixed.
I’m also going to allow comments in this post as a trial run. If things go well, I might make this a permanent feature of the blog — let me know if you like the idea!
Let’s get into it then:
Image 1: Healsi - Transparent Bottle
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 12%
SUN | 50%
BOTH | 38%
Actual Answer:
BOTH
Half the people voted for SUN and I can’t blame them.
This image could have been done with just the sun, for sure. But it was very cloudy that day and the light didn’t look summery enough, so I decided to add a flash outside to create these long shadows. Just a flash with a standard reflector, nothing fancy.
At this point this look is kind of my signature and I feel it was justified.
Image 2: House of Ble Detail
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 48%
SUN | 39%
BOTH | 13%
Actual Answer:
SUN
Again, the correct answer was the second most voted. It’s very uncommon for me to use only natural light in an image (and my followers know that, which is why most voted for FLASH!), but when the light works, it just works.
This was from a set of decorative images for House of Ble Hotel in Vienna and the sunlight was hitting just perfectly here, so no need to mess with it in any way.
Image 3: Ismael for CINDOR
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 44%
SUN | 12%
BOTH | 44%
Actual Answer:
BOTH
Oh, wow, a tie!
This image was actually done during class (so the students who were present knew the correct answer!) at around 11:00 AM.
The sun was almost overhead, creating some terrible shadows on the face, so I knew I had to overpower it with flash. I used a beauty dish about 1 meter away from the model and that was it.
Image 4: CONCA Bowl
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 74%
SUN | 09%
BOTH | 17%
Actual Answer:
FLASH
Alright then, now we’re getting serious! :)
74% of you got it right, well done!
In this top-view image for CONCA, I used a single flash with a 3D-printed optical snoot and a Helios 44-2 lens attached to it. Very DIY, but hey, it worked!
Would I recommend that you print your own optical snoot? Probably not, as the plastic on this one melted after 2 uses, but at least I got some images form it, right?
Image 5: Burger for Moscada
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 26%
SUN | 26%
BOTH | 48%
Actual Answer:
BOTH
Another tie, but this time for second place - you got it right again!
This one was actually pretty straightforward: we were shooting on one of the outside tables of the restaurant, but we were in the shade. So very diffused light here. Me being me, I decided to add a flash with a standard reflector to create that highlight you see on the burger and to give it a little bit more depth.
Image 6: LOVIS Lifestyle
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 14%
SUN | 36%
BOTH | 50%
Actual Answer:
SUN
Again, people are aware I use flash on most of my work and it shows (SUN was never the most voted option!).
In this case, shooting for LOVIS Boutique Hotel, we wanted a softer approach to lighting and the light from the big window in the room was just right.
As a fun fact, SUN was the correct option for only 2 images, both of them shot in the city of Vienna.
Image 7: Ramirez - Pink
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 95%
SUN | 05%
BOTH | 00%
Actual Answer:
FLASH
WHAT A LANDSLIDE!
95% correct, this was the best one by far!
I have to say, I’m very proud of this result because this is what I would consider my bread-and-butter: single flash, no modifier, colorful background and angled shadows.
People are paying attention and it shows, well done!
Image 8: Ramirez - Padel (trick question!)
Results from the Instagram Poll:
FLASH | 09%
SUN | 00%
BOTH | 91%
Actual Answer:
FLASH
And finally, the trick question! If you’re read my Campaign Story #02 - Ramirez, you already know what happened (and if you haven’t read it, you should! Go give it a look and let me know your thoughts).
This is a classic case of “but it looks better this way”.
Let me explain: The whole idea for this shoot was to create images in a Padel court that looked like they were shot under the beautiful Portuguese sun. But the Padel court was indoors.
We can fake it with flash, no problem! Right?
Except when you shoot from a low angle like this one. The whole team agreed it looked great, but now we could see the walls and ceiling and that kinda ruined the whole vibe.
So I had to fix it in post and create a fake background… which is why 91% of you thought this was shot outside. I’m sorry to mislead you all, but it was actually done indoors and lit with two flashes: one with a standard reflector coming from the left and then an octabox working as fill from the right side.
Hope you liked this edition of “Flash or Sun?”
Any questions or ideas? Leave them in the comments.
See you soon!
Lighting diagrams created using the Lighting Diagram Creator (https://www.lightingdiagrams.com/)