An Introduction to Flash, Speedlights and Lighting Photography - Lesson 10 скачать в хорошем качестве

An Introduction to Flash, Speedlights and Lighting Photography - Lesson 10

Lighting Is Everything in Photography. None Available? Add Your Own! - Lesson 10 I would always recommend that you have at least one flashgun or speedlight in your kit bag. There has been, in the past, a kind of “snob” value to NOT using flash and only using available light. Those same people are quite happy to use studio lights though, so I say to them, a speedlight is simply a more portable version of the studio light. It’s just light that you can add anywhere, from any angle and at any time. Don’t be a photo snob, be practical, adventurous and creative with your speedlight! Do you even need a flashgun? Don’t professionals only use natural light? I can almost guarantee that the vast majority of professional photographers will have a speedlight or two in their kit. Even the ones that prefer to shoot in natural light may need one at some point. When to use flash Whenever there isn’t enough light and you don’t have studio gear. In a nutshell, if you need to use flash, use it but learn how to use it well. Direct flash is generally a no-no unless you are going for a specific “look”. Using one of the techniques below, you can use flash effectively at weddings, for portraits, for macro work and even creative landscapes. Having one to hand can really come in handy. e-TTL/TTL “Electronic Though The Lens” and Manual I have been a photographer since 1980 and have always had a flashgun since. The majority of the time, I trust the e-TTL feature in my speedlights to get the job done. 1. You simply set the speedlight to e-TTL or TTL depending on the make 2. Take the photo as normal 3. The sensors in the speedlight will almost instantaneously work out the distance to the subject with a pre-flash 4. As the light hits the subject and reflects back to the speedlight and through the lens, a sensor will tell the flash to stop and you should end up with a perfect exposure Manual flash means you are in full control. You are able to change a whole host of settings including power output which is probably the biggest reason for using manual flash. Sometimes you need to override and fool the speedlight to give you more or less light. You can actually do this in e-TTL (auto) mode via the FEC (flash exposure compensation) button either on your speedlight or in your camera’s menu. I use the latter a LOT. It is worth practicing with both e-TTL and manual flash once you get one. Bounced Flash Remember I said to try and avoid using direct flash? Well, bounced flash is what most professionals tend to use as it produces a more diffused and natural looking light. As the light comes down, it spreads out more creating that lovely diffused look. CAVEAT: As you are extending the distance that the light has to travel by bouncing it upwards, you will more than likely need to increase the output. You do this by either using manual flash and increasing the power output, or use e-TTL and increase the output using FEC (flash exposure compensation). You can do this in incremental steps up to +3 in most cases. After a while, it will become second nature as to the power you need. Off Camera Flash The final way to use a flash effectively and ultra-creatively, is to take it off the camera altogether. This allows you to place the speedlight anywhere up to around 100ft or more from the camera giving “carte blanche” to your creativity.