Primary Light Shooting?

[Fire]

I know the title is kind of awkward, I didn't really know how to phrase it but I was just wondering how all of you tend to shoot using the lighting around you, for example I usually tend to use natural lighting because I feel it suits me best. What do type of lighting do you usually use? Natural? External Flash? Also, I was considering getting an external flash but not really sure if I should, what do you think?

 

[bratkinson]

As you grow in photography, your photographic results will show you whether you need additional lighting. If everything comes out too dark, then you need to increase the total exposure by adjusting shutter speed/aperture/ISO speed as needed. If subject blurring is an issue, you may need to increase your shutter speed, but then end up with underexposure. In short, your results will determine if you need more light.

Shooting in available light usually works well outdoors during the day. But if the subjects are in a shadow, more light will be needed to get the proper exposure for the subjects without 'blowing out' the surroundings (eg, sky) by simply increasing one or more parameters of the exposure triangle. Flash and reflectors can be used outdoors just as easily as indoors to get more light on the subjects.

I typically use available light for perhaps 95% my photography, indoors and out. I photograph several church events every year (no weddings) and quickly discovered that a now 7-or-8 year old DSLR and kit lens(es) could not produce adequately exposed, subject movement stopped photographs unless I used a flash. It took several upgrade cycles of camera and lenses to get the shots I wanted without using a flash.

Using available light only typically produces somewhat 'moody' pictures. Quite often, there are shadows on one side or the other of subjects faces, 'shiny areas' on their foreheads from nearby lights, backgrounds very dark to get properly exposed faces, etc. White balance often changes from one shot to the next as the subject moves even a foot or two from the previous shot and the lighting is different. No flash photography is also the best way to photograph events/shows/concerts where there are multiple colored lights as using a flash would tend to wash them out and make them hardly discernible.

In short, let your needs dictate what you may or may not need for gear. Spend your money only if you need to. Like many other photographers, I had a GAS attack (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) early on that has since been cured, and excess gear sold off.

 

[ABJayce]

The way it was taught to me was to learn lighting. Period. It is the most critical part of photography. I mean with out it and we are just clicking a button and looking at black lcd screens. Anyways.....Learn how to use light. Natural light, available light, artificial etc etc. And then you can settle into your niche or what you like most. But when you get into those inevitable situations where the light that is available to you just isn't cutting it you have the necessary tools and know-how to break that speedlite out and get the image. I always have at least 2 speedlites with me. I personally love flash photography. But on a bright sunny day I can just use a light modifier/reflector and now I have two light sources (sun and light reflecting off my reflector) to be able to create a better image or at least have the flexibility to do so. If I put the sun behind the subject I can either bounce light back into the subjects face or just light it up with a speedlite.

Overall message I guess is to just learn how to light. Learn to identify it and know what shot you want to get and if you need any more, or less, light to get it done and then you can go any way you want but you'll always have that know-how in the back of your mind to get you out of a pinch.

 

[tirediron]

Pretty much what others have said. I use or create the light I need to acheive the desired result, whether that's straight ambient light, one speedlight for a bit of fill, or a full-on studio lighting kit. This book is probably the best money you could possibly spend on photographic lighting!

 

[kundalini]

I believe and suggest to beginners who wish to "improve" their photos to get a hotshoe flash rather than upgrading their kit lens. Most kit lenses will produce pretty decent IQ, IF they have enough light. Learning how to see and manipulate light is the best way to get a step ahead for the "ooohs" and "ahhhs".

 

[cynicaster]

I believe and suggest to beginners who wish to "improve" their photos to get a hotshoe flash rather than upgrading their kit lens. Most kit lenses will produce pretty decent IQ, IF they have enough light. Learning how to see and manipulate light is the best way to get a step ahead for the "ooohs" and "ahhhs".

From personal experience, my first notable gear acquisition after the basic entry level DSLR kit was a 580EX-II flash, and ever since then I've been telling anybody who will listen that it's the best few hundred bucks I could have spent on my hobby (got it used on eBay for a good price).

 

[Derrel]

A flash is nice, yes. So is a reflector or two; one smaller and round and "pop-open", and also something larger, and rectangular for more surface area, and easier-to-prop-up positioning.

One thing kundalini said above is so,so true: learning to SEE and manipulate light truly is the best way to get a step ahead. Light is all around us, but not all of it is created equally, nor is it all utilized equally well.

 

[Fire]

hotshoe flash .

Is a yongnuo speedlight a hotshoe flash? And...

What's the first step to beginning to manipulate light?

Also, thank you all!

 

[JoeW]

hotshoe flash .

Is a yongnuo speedlight a hotshoe flash? And...

What's the first step to beginning to manipulate light?

Also, thank you all!

The posts about learning light are so accurate in this case. Even if you are only going to use just ambient (i.e.: available) light (whether it's from the sun or a table lamp in the room you're in), you need to understand how to use and manipulate light. That includes things like:

1. Using reflectors (so you're using ambient light but filling in dark spots, softening some of the darkness.
2. Using scrims and light modifiers (so a hard light becomes softer).
3. Manipulating white balance (so you get more color on a sunny day, and a more natural look when shooting indoors with fluorescent or incandescent lighting).
4. Adjusting other elements you can easily control (like shutter speed and aperture) to manipulate the natural light you may not be able to directly dialup or dial down.
5. Learning about the nature of light, about the difference that shooting during the golden hour makes for a photo.

The "first" step...that's a tough one. I'm not sure what the first step is. But there are a bunch of initial steps (just not sure which one I'd say is "first"). They involve learning about your camera (and how to use shutter speed or aperture to alter what the light looks like). They involve altering white balance. And then you get in to how to manipulate ambient light (via scrims and reflectors).

And all of the YNs I'm familiar with can be used on your hotshoe (though I've never used them that way......I always put them off-camera and fire them via a slave setup or a trigger of some sort).