Flash Photography

The FLASH can be a blessing and also the worst item in your camera bag. I read all the time about available light photography, and when done properly available light is great. But most of the time the addition of flash improves the image. For landscapes a flash is normally of no benefit. The use of a flash on a cheap camera at a night time concert doesn't help, you might get your picture but the flash probably didn't help, the same goes for indoor concerts in large arenas. I have photographed groups at both locations and it is unreal how strong the flashes have to be when you are several feet from the stage. By cranking up the ISO on the camera you can get pictures without using flash and also probably not get thrown out by security.

One of the reasons I like Dslr's is that they have a hot shoe that allows one to slide a flash onto the camera. This kind of flash has lots of advantages over the built in flash. As I mentioned in an earlier blog redeye is caused when the flash is too close to the lens on the camera, the slide-in flash puts the flash head a little farther from the lens. Hopefully when buying a flash your budget allows you to look at a quality unit. These are larger, more powerful, and offer features that are very important. Metz makes a flash unit that has a small flash that points at the subject and a larger, more powerful flash that can be bounced of the ceiling or wall that works great. For those that photograph wedding it is important of have someone hold a second flash off to the side when working in dark receptions halls. This is a time when having the camera in hard manuel and spending time practicing to get the required results. I have seen several wedding photographs recently and this is missing in all of them. I learned about this when assisting a international known photographer in a beautiful wedding in Cincinnati at a place known as The Hall of Mirrors. On the job training is a hard way to learn but it proved to be a quick way and it really changed my wedding photography for as long as we photographed weddings. Hanson Fong makes a unit that fits a lot of flashes that improves the output of the single flash.

Most newer cameras allow working in darker locations without a flash, but knowing how and when to use a flash will make your images better that your friend that doesn't use a flash. The best use of a flash is when the photograph looks better and still doesn't look like a flash has been used. The last word of advise is to study and practice, when you wear out the spouse and kids start on the dog, they are loyal and when they crawl under the bed it may be time to take a break.

We are planning a few days in the Smokies and if the weather is good I hope to put my camera where my mouth is and to be able to show what I am talking about. The flash isn't going on this trip. Composition is the area that concerns me the most. I haven't done any landscape photography in a long time. We won't doing any hiking so we'll miss some of the most photographic locations. This will be our vacation and what are we planning to do? PHOTOGRAPY, why, because we love it.