Am I the only one????

[kandrelynn0109]

I feel like I am the only person who absolutely cannot stand pictures using a flash! I feel like I'm the only person who absolutely refuses to use a flash unless Ive exhausted my other options and absolutely cannot get a photo without one. Just wondering...

 

[ewick]

Yeah thats how I used to feel before i knew how to use a speed light.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Welcome to the forum, fellow Clevelander!

I don't know how to prepare you for what may follow in this discussion...you are pokin the nerve of the FLASH vs. AMBIENT monster.
Good luck!

 

[pgriz]

Poorly done flash looks horrible. Well-done flash... liberates and enhances. Really - it's about the light. Small sources cast harsh shadows, contribute to glare, create strong contrast. Large sources create smooth shadows, even out texture, make nice transitions. Flash in the hands of an experienced photographer is like painting with light - a bit of highlight here, some softening of shadows there, some graduated backbround, some nice rim lighting...

 

[CA_]

Plug a studio flash into a 78" octagon diffuser and you will feel differently, I promise

 

[rexbobcat]

Flash is just another tool, and I believe that in today's world of commercial photography not learning it is kind of like shooting yourself in the foot.

"Oh, you're only free at 7 pm on Wednesday? Sorry but that's not going to work because the sun is too low."

If you've built your brand on natural light and you're really successful, more power to you, but if you're just starting out then having as much knowledge as possible is a great asset even if you end up not using it.

Don't be ignernt

 

[Hochzeitsfotograf]

It just means that YOU are an available light photographer. If you are not comfortable using flash, just leave it and make available light your style. It's quite "in" nowadays anyway. For me flash is a tool, which I don't want to miss in some situations, however it requires some skills. So I agree with pgriz and rexbobcat.

 

[SCraig]

Every good studio portrait you've ever admired was shot with either strobes or monolights or both. Perhaps you just haven't learned to use them properly? The difference between using strobes properly and using them wrong is that when it's done right you can't tell that they were used.

 

[texkam]

Get your flash off your camera.

 

[Overread19 7]

Light is light and flash is just another source of light.

Learning to use natural light will teach you some of the basics of working with light, such as the value of diffusion, exclusion and reflection of the light. Those same principles apply to the flash light as well and once you take control over the flash and learn to manipulate and control that light you'll find that is frees you up significantly - in fact you'll find that you've the ability to control scenes and situations with lighting far more than you can now and you'll discover a wealth of options to get closer to the photos you want to take and not be limited only by the available light present in the scene itself.


One of the most basic lessons for flash is diffusion and by that we don't mean putting a little slip of paper infront of it or one of those stofen omnibounces on the cap - those methods (the latter used incorrectly for direct flash) just lower the output rather than actually diffusing the light.
Diffusing it basically involves making the light source itself larger, be that using a softbox so that the light bounces around inside and is enlarged out so that the source relative to the subject, is the big flat front panel of the softbox; or bouncing the light off a reflector or umbrella, again making that second reflected surface into the large light source for the subject; even the omnibounce has its use indoors where the flash head is aimed upward at an angle - in that situation it spreads the light out so that it hits the walls of the building, making the walls themselves into the light source for the subject.


Many people simply fit a flash to the camera, or use the popup, and aim it right at the subject - this produces a very harsh light because the light source is so tiny. Furthermore it always keeps the light only coming one way, right at the subject, this changes the nature of shadows on the subject and often can be very unflattering (unless you are only using the flash with a weak power for fill flash - common in bright daytime - esp with the sun overhead and casting shadows over the subjects face). Get the flash off the camera, gain control over it and learn to diffuse and manipulate it and you'll find a whole new area of photography.

 

[Robin_Usagani]

I flashed this. Does it look bad?

 

[Designer]

It won't be long before the other one posts here.

 

[ratssass]

i kind of liken flash to HDR.If its obvious,I don't care for it.It should look natural,to me.If I have to ask if its HDR,I think the technique is great.Same thing with flash.Just my $.02.

 

[ratssass]

I flashed this. Does it look bad?

...exactly what i'm talking about!!....very nice

 

[runnah]

It's witchcraft, you need to summon a spirit to properly use a flash.

Chant "TTL, TLL" over and over.