What percentage of the time are you using flash?

[Lodovico]

Hello,

I was recently having a discussion with the owner of my local camera shop and he told me that he uses flash for 90% of his photography. Indoor, outdoor, he said it doesn't matter. If you want to take really great pictures, you need to get used to using a good flash.

The discussion started because I was talking about getting a new camera, and he said that my camera and lenses are fine, but I might want to consider buying a decent flash, like the Nikon D700.

So I'm wondering, what percentage of the time do you guys use a flash?

 

[amolitor]

10% of the time, maybe? I do a couple of different things, one of which uses flash every time and the other of which basically never uses flash.

It is utter nonsense to assert that you need a good flash to take really great pictures. There are entire genres for which flash is useless (landscape), others where artificial light is necessary (product) and others where artificial light in the form of a flash is necessary (fashion) and a bunch of stuff in between.

A good flash certainly gives you flexibility. It gives you the ability to make those shots that benefit from flash, and of course it doesn't stop you from taking the pictures that don't need it.

 

[runnah]

100% of the time if I am shooting people.
0% of the time if I am doing landscapes or nature shots.
75% of the time if I am shooting interiors
0% if I am shooting wildlife
100% if I am shooting still life


But you should always use a flash 100% of the time that it's needed.

 

[tirediron]

My percentages run similar to runnah's; People? 99.5% (Indoor 100%, outdoor, 99%), still life/product? 100%. No, you don't need to use flash for every picture, but, with the exception of the nature/landscape/wildlife shots, having one will allow you to improve probably 90% of your shots.

 

[Tailgunner]

First off a Nikon D700 is a discontinued Full Frame (FX) DSLR camera, a really good camera though.

Anyhow, I rarely ever use flash, maybe .001% of the time and I shoot almost exclusively late evening and night time. As for this person shooting outdoors using flash or any other time for that fact depends really on what their shooting. If you're shooting people outdoors or indoors for example then you would need a flash, even if just for fill lighting during the day but I don't use flash because I shoot cityscapes.

 

[pixmedic]

i use flash 100% of the time its needed.
which is most of the time for people shots, and almost never for my outdoor dog park shots.

 

[limr]

I think the last time I used the flash was about 15 years ago. If I were to do more planned shots like portraits or manipulated still life photos, I probably would invest in a good flash and learn how to use it. I don't do those things, though. I take a lot of my pictures outside where a flash isn't useful. If I take a still life, it's usually because I've noticed some really cool light coming from a window and I want to capture it exactly as is, without changing the light with a flash. And I could be wrong, but I think I've taken some really good photos even though I'm not using a flash, so I'd be willing to wager that 'advice' from your camera shop owner was given in the hope of making a sale, not for the sake of the quality of your photography.

 

[pixmedic]

the ability to control (or manage) lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography.
no matter what type of photography you do, knowing how/when/where to use a flash is never a bad skill for a photographer to have.
I highly recommend picking up a flash (i recommend the yongnuo 568EX) and learning how to use it. you will be amazed at the photographic possibilities it opens up for you.

 

[astroNikon]

The discussion started because I was talking about getting a new camera, and he said that my camera and lenses are fine, but I might want to consider buying a decent flash, like the Nikon D700.

SB-700 is the flash I think you mean, not the D700 camera
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Flashes/4808/sb-700-af-Speedlight.html

As everyone else has mentioned, it all depends.
outside sports - 0%
inside "product" type - 100%
nature - 10% depends what it is / experimentation
etc

 

[Braineack]

I'm using mine more and more. I just bought a second, but I still consider myself very beginner when it comes to flash photography. Learning when/how to use them is half the fun, but it's unlocked a whole new world of possibility and I'm enjoying the journey.

 

[Designer]

a decent flash, like the Nikon D700.

That is the Nikon SB-700.

So I'm wondering, what percentage of the time do you guys use a flash?

As you see from the first answers, there is no set percentage for any of us.

Before I got my speedlight I used the built-in flash almost never.

Since then, I have used my speedlight (SB-910) whenever I think the shot will benefit.

Could be that the shop owner shoots primarily portraits, in which case he might actually use flash 90% of the time.

 

[kathyt]

5% of the time I am using my camera.

 

[sashbar]

I do not have a flash. Well, I have one in my camera, but it is switched off.

 

[Derrel]

Some really good answers here on this. Flash has never been easier to use than it is today, in the digital camera era.

 

[cgipson1]

90% of the time if I am shooting people.
0% of the time if I am doing landscapes
50% of the time if I am shooting interiors
50% if I am shooting wildlife
90% if I am shooting still life
0% if shooting moon shoots
90% if am shooting macro