Vernon Chalmers Photography: Controlling Midday Sun without using Canon HSS Flash

31 March 2025

Controlling Midday Sun without using Canon HSS Flash

Canon Speedlite Flash / Photographing in Midday Sun

Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT with Diffuser

Overpowering Midday Sun with Canon Speedlite Flash

All three sample images were captured between 12:00 – 13:00 on a bright sunny day earlier in the week. We generally shoot flowers and insects in softer morning light, but this is not always possible for all photographers.

Butterfly and small flowers were captured with my Canon EOS 6D / EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens with a Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT flash (with its proprietary white plastic Stofen-like diffuser covering the flash head).

For overpowering the strong sunlight I selected the fastest sync speed of the Canon EOS 6D (1/180s) and small(er) apertures (f/11 - f/16) for providing a relativity dark ambient exposure.

Using the High-Speed Sync (HSS) flash option will provide even more exposure / light control. Most Canon DSLRs (and Canon E-TTL / E-TTL II Speedlite flashes) will have HSS for the built-in flash and / or external Speedlite flash.

Speedlite flash head was tilted slightly upwards (for minimising direct flash light on the subjects). Speedlite was used in E-TTL mode.

Camera Exposure Settings

Av Mode: f/11 - f/16 / ISO 400 / 1/180s - the highest shutter flash sync speed not using HSS (on the EOS 6D, some cameras like the EOS 70D / 7D Mark II, HSS is 1/250s).

Images post-processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 8.2

Canon Speedlite Flash Resources

© Vernon Chalmers Photography

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