Taking Photos Using Electronic Flash
Monday, July 27th, 2009
R. Dodge Woodson asked:
Taking Photos Using Electronic Flash
R. Dodge Woodson
World Photographers Organization
Artificial lighting solutions for modern photographers have never been so good before. If you have the time and the money, you can create almost any lighting effect you would ever want to. Many new cameras have built-in flashes, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to electronic flashes and studio lighting. Most photographs live and die by their lighting and composition, so lighting is a critical concern for serious photographers.
Electronic Flash
Many photographers, even some professional ones, don’t understand how to use lighting to their best advantage. Average people who buy cameras with built-in flashes assume, incorrectly, that the on-board flash is all they need. You can get viewable pictures with a built-in flash, but you will get few shots that show professional quality. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend your entire paycheck for a new flash. A simple, pocket-size flash that is used off the camera is all it takes to make a big difference.
You can buy a portable, electronic flash for less than $75. Better models cost a bit more. Big, long-range, pro-quality units are much more expensive, but you probably don’t need anything so fancy. If you are willing to spend around $100 for a new flash, you can certainly start to see better pictures in the making.
Avoiding Red Eye
When using an electronic flash, you must pay attention to avoid red eye in your images. To avoid this consistently, you need a flash that is mounted far to the side of or way above your camera. Many 35mm cameras have a mounting bracket to hold an independent flash. Unfortunately, these brackets are too close to the lens to assure that red eye will not be a problem. Many after-market manufacturers make and sell brackets that can be used with almost any 35mm camera to get independent flash units into more desirable locations.
Types of Flashes
There are different types of flashes available to you. The least expensive models require manual selection of exposure settings. This can be a hit-or-miss proposition unless you own a light meter that reads for flash photography. Many cameras can be equipped with auto-exposure flashes. This type of arrangement is usually best for people who are just learning the ropes in flash photography. You will have to pay more for an automatic or dedicated flash unit, but the expense should prove to be worthwhile. Check the articles and reviews at World Photographers Organization to see if there is any breaking news on electronic flash units.
When you shop for a flash, there are a few other features that you may be interested in looking for. Will the flash accept color filters? People who enjoy special-effects photography often color their lighting with filters, and you might like this too. Does the flash head tilt and or swivel? Experienced photographers know that bouncing light from walls, ceilings, and reflector cards will produce soft lighting that is pleasing to the eye. Some inexpensive flash models offer both a tilt and swivel feature. As a minimum, I suggest a model that will allow you to tilt the head for bouncing flash.
Knowing what the coverage area of a flash is can be quite important. If you are using a wide-angle lens with a flash that doesn’t offer wide-angle coverage, your photos are not going to be satisfactory.
The same holds true if you are using a standard flash with a telephoto lens. Ask your camera dealer to explain the various ranges of any flash you are considering buying. If you look on the back of the flash unit, you may find markings that indicate its range. There should certainly be some documentation pertaining to range in the manufacturer-supplied paperwork that is provided with a new flash unit.
If you are buying a high-quality flash, it should be capable of handling standard, wide-angle, and telephoto photography. Adapters are normally placed over the standard flash head to either concentrate the beam of light for telephoto shots or to disburse it for wide-angle work.
Recycling Time
What is the recycling time for the flash? This is something you can test easily. Put batteries in the flash you are looking at and press the test button when the unit is ready to fire. Time how long it takes for the ready light to come back on. If you are into high-speed photography with the use of a motor drive, you will need a fast flash to keep up with you. Another less-important, but still viable consideration is the number of flashes you will get from one set of batteries or from one battery pack.
Many dedicated photographers use two independent flashes, one on each side of the lens, to produce even, shadow-less lighting. This type of lighting is very popular with close-up work, and it is effective with portraits and other photography. If you decide to buy two flashes to work together, make sure that they are compatible with one another. A little peanut slave (a remote firing device) can be installed on one of the flashes so that both flashes fire simultaneously. Slaves like this can be bought at very reasonable costs. Some flash brackets are made to accept two flashes at one time, and this type of arrangement provides high-quality lighting, even when low-powered flashes are used.
Sync Connection
One other consideration to keep in mind is whether the flash units you buy work with a hot-shoe attachment or a sync cord. Your camera may not have a hot shoe. If it does have one, it will be on top of the camera. Some cameras have flash holders that are not hot shoes. Don’t let this fool you. Take your camera with you when you shop for a flash. Mount the flash and see if it fires when you press the shutter button. If it doesn’t, either your camera isn’t hot-shoe equipped or the flash unit isn’t.
Flashes that don’t link automatically with a camera through a hot shoe require the use of a sync cord. This is simply a cord that runs from a port on the flash to a port on the camera. Sync cords usually work fine, but they do get in the way sometimes. Also, sync connections are sometimes loose, resulting in a flash that will not fire. And, many modern amateur-grade camera bodies are no longer equipped with a sync connection port.
You may not use your flash often, but you want it to work well when you do. Buy a good flash and use it enough to get to know it and its settings. When the time comes for taking flash photos, you will be ready. You can always find valuable photography tips and suggestions in the online magazine, World Images Today.
Taking Photos Using Electronic Flash
R. Dodge Woodson
World Photographers Organization
Artificial lighting solutions for modern photographers have never been so good before. If you have the time and the money, you can create almost any lighting effect you would ever want to. Many new cameras have built-in flashes, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to electronic flashes and studio lighting. Most photographs live and die by their lighting and composition, so lighting is a critical concern for serious photographers.
Electronic Flash
Many photographers, even some professional ones, don’t understand how to use lighting to their best advantage. Average people who buy cameras with built-in flashes assume, incorrectly, that the on-board flash is all they need. You can get viewable pictures with a built-in flash, but you will get few shots that show professional quality. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend your entire paycheck for a new flash. A simple, pocket-size flash that is used off the camera is all it takes to make a big difference.
You can buy a portable, electronic flash for less than $75. Better models cost a bit more. Big, long-range, pro-quality units are much more expensive, but you probably don’t need anything so fancy. If you are willing to spend around $100 for a new flash, you can certainly start to see better pictures in the making.
Avoiding Red Eye
When using an electronic flash, you must pay attention to avoid red eye in your images. To avoid this consistently, you need a flash that is mounted far to the side of or way above your camera. Many 35mm cameras have a mounting bracket to hold an independent flash. Unfortunately, these brackets are too close to the lens to assure that red eye will not be a problem. Many after-market manufacturers make and sell brackets that can be used with almost any 35mm camera to get independent flash units into more desirable locations.
Types of Flashes
There are different types of flashes available to you. The least expensive models require manual selection of exposure settings. This can be a hit-or-miss proposition unless you own a light meter that reads for flash photography. Many cameras can be equipped with auto-exposure flashes. This type of arrangement is usually best for people who are just learning the ropes in flash photography. You will have to pay more for an automatic or dedicated flash unit, but the expense should prove to be worthwhile. Check the articles and reviews at World Photographers Organization to see if there is any breaking news on electronic flash units.
When you shop for a flash, there are a few other features that you may be interested in looking for. Will the flash accept color filters? People who enjoy special-effects photography often color their lighting with filters, and you might like this too. Does the flash head tilt and or swivel? Experienced photographers know that bouncing light from walls, ceilings, and reflector cards will produce soft lighting that is pleasing to the eye. Some inexpensive flash models offer both a tilt and swivel feature. As a minimum, I suggest a model that will allow you to tilt the head for bouncing flash.
Knowing what the coverage area of a flash is can be quite important. If you are using a wide-angle lens with a flash that doesn’t offer wide-angle coverage, your photos are not going to be satisfactory.
The same holds true if you are using a standard flash with a telephoto lens. Ask your camera dealer to explain the various ranges of any flash you are considering buying. If you look on the back of the flash unit, you may find markings that indicate its range. There should certainly be some documentation pertaining to range in the manufacturer-supplied paperwork that is provided with a new flash unit.
If you are buying a high-quality flash, it should be capable of handling standard, wide-angle, and telephoto photography. Adapters are normally placed over the standard flash head to either concentrate the beam of light for telephoto shots or to disburse it for wide-angle work.
Recycling Time
What is the recycling time for the flash? This is something you can test easily. Put batteries in the flash you are looking at and press the test button when the unit is ready to fire. Time how long it takes for the ready light to come back on. If you are into high-speed photography with the use of a motor drive, you will need a fast flash to keep up with you. Another less-important, but still viable consideration is the number of flashes you will get from one set of batteries or from one battery pack.
Many dedicated photographers use two independent flashes, one on each side of the lens, to produce even, shadow-less lighting. This type of lighting is very popular with close-up work, and it is effective with portraits and other photography. If you decide to buy two flashes to work together, make sure that they are compatible with one another. A little peanut slave (a remote firing device) can be installed on one of the flashes so that both flashes fire simultaneously. Slaves like this can be bought at very reasonable costs. Some flash brackets are made to accept two flashes at one time, and this type of arrangement provides high-quality lighting, even when low-powered flashes are used.
Sync Connection
One other consideration to keep in mind is whether the flash units you buy work with a hot-shoe attachment or a sync cord. Your camera may not have a hot shoe. If it does have one, it will be on top of the camera. Some cameras have flash holders that are not hot shoes. Don’t let this fool you. Take your camera with you when you shop for a flash. Mount the flash and see if it fires when you press the shutter button. If it doesn’t, either your camera isn’t hot-shoe equipped or the flash unit isn’t.
Flashes that don’t link automatically with a camera through a hot shoe require the use of a sync cord. This is simply a cord that runs from a port on the flash to a port on the camera. Sync cords usually work fine, but they do get in the way sometimes. Also, sync connections are sometimes loose, resulting in a flash that will not fire. And, many modern amateur-grade camera bodies are no longer equipped with a sync connection port.
You may not use your flash often, but you want it to work well when you do. Buy a good flash and use it enough to get to know it and its settings. When the time comes for taking flash photos, you will be ready. You can always find valuable photography tips and suggestions in the online magazine, World Images Today.