using flash

[swmocity]

how often do yall use it...do yall ever use it for outdoor shots?...today i finally took the time to lean the manual modes of my camera...im trying to stay away from the flash..i think i use it to much..even outside on sunny days i use it...i took some indoor shots of some random things in my room with the manual mode w/o the flash and some pictures look better without the flash vs with the flash

 

[usayit]

There is no wrong and right.... Don't equate flash as a bad thing... it is just another tool in the toolbox. Used correctly, it can be a wonderful instrument. I have never seen a professional fashion or portrait photographer "not" consider flash as an option.

www.strobist.com

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I use it all the time, usually off camera.

Yesterday I was using multiple speedlights off camera at a Strobist meet in Eugene Oregon. Mind you that when these two images were shot, it was high noon without a cloud in the sky.

5 Speedlights, one in a DIY Beauty dish above left, two bare speedlights on each side as kicker, and another two bare speedlights as fill.

Two speedlights as key for left model, another speedlight as key for right model, one speedlight raking outside of the van, another inside the van as the kicker for the right model.





This morning, I used flash on camera as fill light at the XDOG Mt. Hood Scramble. The Ambient light was just so bright and contrasty that you couldn't see people who were wearing hats, when they were in the snow, the contrast was even worse.

Flash is good to have when you know how to use it to your advantage.

 

[Crosby]

how often do yall use it...do yall ever use it for outdoor shots?...today i finally took the time to lean the manual modes of my camera...im trying to stay away from the flash..i think i use it to much..even outside on sunny days i use it...i took some indoor shots of some random things in my room with the manual mode w/o the flash and some pictures look better without the flash vs with the flash

I asked the same question a month or two ago. My lenses are not that great, but for what I am doing, (learning) they work fine... except in low light situations like this:

It seemed bright enough, but the lens just wouldn't let enough light in which caused my shutter speed to slow down, which led to blurry people.

The point is, while learning, I try not to use it, simply because I think it helps me see when I need to use it. As I get more creative, like the pictures from Sw1tch, I hope I will have the forethought to use them and use them correctly. I have plans to get a flash gun soon to get away from the onboard flash. Then, later, get better lenses. Maybe one day, I'll be good enough to know when to use it and more importantly, how to use it creatively.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Crosby, your situation was just lack of sheer power. What you can do though is use the 28mm, get in close and wide and drag the shutter, then the onboard is only freezing the subject while the ambient exposes over a little longer.

If you can't do that or are too timid, panning might be worth a shot. Also, there's nothing wrong with shooting at ISO 1600 or 3200, I sometimes shoot at high ISO's when using strobe so they don't have to work so hard.


EDIT: You were shooting at only ISO 400 at 1/60th of a second. bring that 2nd one up a stop, so you'd be at 1/60th ISO 800, and push the ISO to 1600, that's 1/125th, that's hand holdable and will also freeze action if you pan well, ISO 1600 on the 30D is pretty clean, and it's not like these are going to be printed at 12x18 anyway.

 

[Village Idiot]

I rarely shoot without it, but that's because most of the shoots I do require it for the look I want.

 

[swmocity]

I asked the same question a month or two ago. My lenses are not that great, but for what I am doing, (learning) they work fine... except in low light situations like this:

It seemed bright enough, but the lens just wouldn't let enough light in which caused my shutter speed to slow down, which led to blurry people.

The point is, while learning, I try not to use it, simply because I think it helps me see when I need to use it. As I get more creative, like the pictures from Sw1tch, I hope I will have the forethought to use them and use them correctly. I have plans to get a flash gun soon to get away from the onboard flash. Then, later, get better lenses. Maybe one day, I'll be good enough to know when to use it and more importantly, how to use it creatively.

kind of what i was thinking...i know some places dont allow flash photography and like i said i use flash in every single shot...so thats why im trying to not rely on the flash so much and become more comfortable with the shutter speed,iso, and aperture.

 

[swmocity]

I use it all the time, usually off camera.

Yesterday I was using multiple speedlights off camera at a Strobist meet in Eugene Oregon. Mind you that when these two images were shot, it was high noon without a cloud in the sky.

5 Speedlights, one in a DIY Beauty dish above left, two bare speedlights on each side as kicker, and another two bare speedlights as fill.

Two speedlights as key for left model, another speedlight as key for right model, one speedlight raking outside of the van, another inside the van as the kicker for the right model.





This morning, I used flash on camera as fill light at the XDOG Mt. Hood Scramble. The Ambient light was just so bright and contrasty that you couldn't see people who were wearing hats, when they were in the snow, the contrast was even worse.

Flash is good to have when you know how to use it to your advantage.

thats my problem i dont know when to use it...but damn at your pictures....perfect :thumbup:

 

[LaFoto]

The proper use of flash seems to be a whole new, vast (and unexplored by me!) side of photography and the art of lighting up one's photos, and I must admit that I know next to nothing about it.

All I know is that on-camera flash usually kills your photo, for it totally destroys the atmosphere, creates nasty shadows, has a way too limited range, will light up close things too brightly but make anything further away fall into shadow way too soon.

Of course there are ways around this, even with on-camera flash, and easier ways around NOT using flash at all by CORRECTLY using one (or -like in in Sw1tchFX's example photos- many!) external flashes.

But that's a little field of science that I myself, for example, still have to study. And I find it difficult... makes my head spin.

 

[swmocity]

The proper use of flash seems to be a whole new, vast (and unexplored by me!) side of photography and the art of lighting up one's photos, and I must admit that I know next to nothing about it.

All I know is that on-camera flash usually kills your photo, for it totally destroys the atmosphere, creates nasty shadows, has a way too limited range, will light up close things too brightly but make anything further away fall into shadow way too soon.

Of course there are ways around this, even with on-camera flash, and easier ways around NOT using flash at all by CORRECTLY using one (or -like in in Sw1tchFX's example photos- many!) external flashes.

But that's a little field of science that I myself, for example, still have to study. And I find it difficult... makes my head spin.

hmm..in the same boat as me huh

 

[Mary-Beth]

But that's a little field of science that I myself, for example, still have to study. And I find it difficult... makes my head spin.

So start simple: set fill-flash and shoot during the daytime, in the bright sun (subject(s) within 15 feet). All tabloid togs do it. Your on-board flash is excellent for that. And you always have your on-board flash with you if you have your camera!

 

[LaFoto]

hmm..in the same boat as me huh

Sort of, yes ... shake hands on that.

So start simple: set fill-flash and shoot during the daytime, in the bright sun (subject(s) within 15 feet). All tabloid togs do it. Your on-board flash is excellent for that. And you always have your on-board flash with you if you have your camera!

But thankfully I have long come past these steps - but am no where near where Sw1tchFX is with his lighting technique! Thanks all the same, Mary-Beth, and welcome to ThePhotoForum.

 

[Overread]

So start simple: set fill-flash and shoot during the daytime, in the bright sun (subject(s) within 15 feet). All tabloid togs do it. Your on-board flash is excellent for that. And you always have your on-board flash with you if you have your camera!

I have done this with my flash during the day and to avoid the harsh light try putting a few rolls of toilet paper (the soft suff) infront of the flash. That helps break the light up a bit and sofens it

 

[usayit]

Sw1tchFX demonstrates exactly what I was saying. A lot of TPF members have always said... faster lens... leave the flash at home. For the life of me, I have no idea where such sentiment comes from. I'm like LaFoto, I've used flashes for fill but never went into the detail that Sw1tchFX leveraged in his photos. It is just a matter of learning the tools in the toolbox.

Read the strobist website I linked... it is a good start.

 

[TamiyaGuy]

When used well, flash is a fantastic photographer's tool. I think most beginners get put off using the flash because the on-camera flashes are generally AWFUL. I should know, I was one of those people a month ago . They provide harsh, direct light and don't look in any way flattering on portraits or still life. An off-camera flash is generally much nicer as it allows you to try different styles of flash and different lighting angles. Add a softbox (to diffuse harsh light) or bounce the flash's light off a wall or ceiling, and you've got a really nice way of effectively lighting a scene. Of course, You don't have to use a sofbox or bouncing. Yet again, when used right, harsh light can be very effective. Just try experimenting a bit, see which flash styles work best with you, but for the love of God, don't use the on-board.