I feel like I am constantly learning information that is new to me when it comes to photography. That is to be expected because, for one thing, I have never taken a photography course, so all of my photography knowledge has come from trial and error and reading. But I am also learning new things because modern cameras are able to do things today that they were not able to do years ago. Sure, the basics are all still there: shutter speeds, f-stops, exposure; but today's cameras are essentially very sophisticated dedicated computers. What they can capture, how they can capture it, and how you can pull and craft the image after capture is just amazing. So I am constantly learning how to best make all of that happen with my camera, and with my flash.
As I mentioned in Session 05, flash photography is probably one of the most frustrating aspects for photographers, and that includes me. Inconsistent and unsatisfactory results are my two biggest problems. Much of the reason for these problems is that locations and conditions change. What worked in one area of the room may not work in another area that is just 15 feet away. Or what I am shooting in one area may be different than what I am shooting 15 feet away. So it is difficult to give tips for shooting flash that will work in all circumstances. Below I will offer some techniques that I use when shooting flash. I would encourage you to try these out, shooting multiple times with different settings and flash position, all in an effort to see what works and what doesn't.
If you have not read Session 05 yet, or it has been awhile, I would encourage you to read it now and then come back to this. For now, I would recommend staying in TTL mode with your flash. If you only have a pop up or built in flash, you will be limited in what you can shoot with that flash, and might consider getting a good external flash. Some pop up flash units do have some flexibility in them. You can't move them, but you might be able to adjust how much flash power is coming out of the flash. Check your camera manual for more info on that. If you are limited to a pop up or built in flash, you will need to be no further than maybe 12-15 feet from your subject for that flash to have any affect. And because the flash is so close to the camera, you have a greater chance for redeye. Bottom line, don't expect super results from a pop up flash. I find them helpful for outdoor photography though when you need a bit of fill in flash (more on that in a later post). The tips below are geared for external flash units.
Probably the least flattering light you can use comes from placing the external flash on the camera and pointing the flash head straight toward your subject, so you want to find ways to provide additional light to the subject without pointing the flash directly toward the subject from the camera. One way to do that is to use a flash bracket. A bracket will elevate your flash a short distance above the camera. This separation gives a better result than having the flash directly on the camera, simply by putting the light on a different plane than the camera. But there are two problems with using a bracket: 1) they are cumbersome to carry around, and 2) they can still produce a shadow, depending on how far your subject is to a wall or other object behind them. I used to use a bracket all the time when shooting film. I just don't see the need for most cases anymore.
Probably the best way to modify your flash is to bounce it. There are basically two ways to bounce a flash that is attached to the flash shoe on your camera: 1) using some kind of flash modifier, or 2) aiming the flash toward a wall, ceiling, or some other kind of object. A flash modifier is a piece of equipment that attaches to your flash head. It could be as simple as a piece of paper, or a translucent molded plastic, or some kind of fabric. If you are not using a plastic "dome" of some kind, you usually want to use something that is white. Some people will use a white card, attached to the flash with a rubber band. The flash is pointed up toward the ceiling, with the card on one side of the flash (away from your subject). When the flash goes off, the light bounces off the ceiling and then back down toward your subject. Some of that light is also bounced off the white card and toward the subject. That is basically the whole concept of bounced flash: the light from the flash is bounced off a larger area and then back toward the subject, wrapping the subject with a softer light.
If I am in a room with a low white ceiling, I will usually bounce the flash toward the ceiling. If I am close to a white wall I might choose to bounce the flash off of that wall. Sometimes I might be in a room with pillars in the room, so I will stand near that pillar and try to bounce the flash off of it. If I am in a room with high ceilings or a dark ceiling, I will rely on some kind of modifier on the flash, usually a small plastic modifier.
Keep this in mind, anytime you use a modifier or bounce your flash you are diffusing the light; or in other words, you are throwing less light onto your subject. With TTL your camera and flash will try to throw out more light in order to illuminate your subject. This will potentially drain your flash batteries quicker or take longer for the batteries to bounce back between images. Or you might need to play around with your shutter speed and f-stop in order to pull in more ambient light so the flash is not carrying the full load. Or you can adjust the flash exposure compensation (see flash manual).
The whole point of this tutorial is not to give a full blown instruction manual on flash photography. My main objective to get you thinking about how to use your camera and your flash in ways that you maybe have not tried before. Most people throw a flash on their camera, point it straight ahead, and go at it. Others point their flash in all kinds of directions because they see other people doing it, but they have no idea where or why they are pointing the flash in that direction. To me it is amazing how much light gets transmitted toward the subject when you bounce the flash correctly. The best thing you can do is think it through, visualizing how the light will behave if you point it in one direction versus another direction.
I would recommend googling "flash modifiers" and looking through some of the other articles and products that are out there. One word of caution: I have a bag full of modifiers that I have bought over the years, thinking each one was THE one. In the end I end up not using any of them all that often, usually going back to the plastic dome that came with my flash (Nikon sb900). Generally speaking though, I like the Lumiquest products.
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