I got the 430EXII Speedlite Canon flash. I've only used it a few times, and I already love it! I am wondering why several photographers I know don't have any....Although they do shoot primarily outside...
I'm a noob and it's amazing. I didn't think a flash would be so awesome...I always thought they were going to make it look yellower....don't know why....*hangs head in newbie shame*
The light from a speedlight is quite white in color. Did yours come with some colored filters to compensate for different lighting colors? Anyway, keep trying new things with the speedlight. Bounce it off walls and ceilings, diffuse it, get it off the camera hotshoe, get some modifiers and a light stand, and maybe some remote triggers.
all the other ones are "blinded by the light" of Off Camera Flash LOL I was mightily impressed when I got my first one, then 2nd one, then 3rd one. Now i'm trying to learn more general "studio" stuff with them.
A lot of photographers are intimidated by flash when they're still trying to figure out exposure in ambient lighting conditions, but once you figure out what you're doing, it's an invaluable tool to have. I was hiking this weekend, and I ran into a couple who wanted me to take their picture in front of a big ice formation. They were standing with their backs to the sun, and we were half in a cave to begin with, so I popped up the flash on their camera and snapped a photo. The girl thought I was nuts, so she asked me to take one more with the flash off, and I obliged. When I handed her camera back to her, she looked at both photos (the couple was nearly silhouetted in the second shot) and said, "Yeah, I guess the one with flash came out better." ;-)
I was intimidated, until I tried it. While I don't understand all of it yet, I'm getting great pictures on Auto I'm having loads of fun.
