Beginner’s Guide to Flash Photography: When to use Flash, TTL vs Manual Flash and Quality of Lights
Being a budding photographer, you may want to use only natural light while doing the shot with DSLR camera. But as you progress you will be able to refine your ways and also master over flash photography. I would say, whether to use natural light or to go ahead with flash, this is a subjective decision. In fact, there is nothing right or wrong in this. With the aspects and the subjects that you are covering for the shot, you will realize that what is right for you. This will come with sheer experience and working!
In my photography career I would never stick to one single principle. My experimentation would be based on whether the day is bright and airy, how I want to take the scene, what would be the extent of my creativity etc. So, for me to take control would mean that I should have knowledge about every aspect of the shot. I should be able to visualize something extra and go an extra mile ahead than the normal beings!
For budding photographers, these tips would serve the purpose and hence here I have compiled the basic 3 tips for flash photography. I hope this blog will help you take creative charge of your flash! Knowing about flash photography would provide you apt guidance in building your career and perhaps you will soon walk away with more creative images and experiments which would be mind boggling!
Best 3 Tips for Flash Photography: Tricks for Budding Photographers
Since, there is no compulsion as such that the photographers should use flash or not use flash during the scene. But what matters the most is, how you have gained control over flash photography? You should be able to realize when you need flash and when you don’t. You should also know the tweaks with which you can play with your flash. You should be able to use flash modifiers pretty well and at the same time there should be apt white balance while you are shooting.
1. Realize when to use the flash
I would use camera flash when I would feel that the natural light is not enough. In fact, it is not just the low light conditions when I would need the flash, but a few more conditions where a photographer has to play with the on camera flash. With on camera flash a photographer will be able to modify the light the way he wants, control the quality of light, control the direction of light, control the amount of light and also control the color of light.
I came across a beautiful video of Karl Taylor in regard to on camera flash tips. Karl Taylor is a professional photographer since two decades and he has a renowned name in fashion industry. Here I am sharing the same with you. Just check this out.
2. Know the basic difference between TTL and manual flash
When you are into creative photography you would not want anyone else to guess things for you or take charge of the controls. Since you want precision, you would want to use manual flash. Hence it is important that I explain you what is the basic difference between TTL and manually controlled flash. In case of TTL, there is a pre flash which actually takes the apt reading of the light measurement. After that the main flash is fired and the image is exposed. In this, your control as a photographer is zero. Hence, the experts would want to use manual controls over the automatized ones.
What I just said now is also well explained by YouTuber, Spyros Heniadis who is an established photographer in this particular video, TTL Vs Manual Flash,
3. Choose what quality of light you want
Again, in choosing the quality of light that you want, you can take creative liberties for sure. I would like to explain you the four different qualities of light here. If you are into creative photography then you can always check out what quality of light would work well in which situation.
Hard light: When the light transits from light to shadow when the subject is exposed it is said to be hard light.
Soft light: In this case, the transition from light to shadow will happen gently.
Diffused light quality: When the reflective qualities of the light are weakened you can say it is diffused light. You will see that when you use diffused light the reflective light would not bounce back.
Specular light: In this case, the light is supposed to retain the reflective qualities. The contrasts and highlights will be bold and strong over here.
So, I would suggest that you should choose the quality of light depending upon what effect you want to come up with for any particular shot and subject. I think, you can just experiment a bit first and then find out what suits the situation the most. Take many images with different light effect and find out what looks the best and most creative of all.
This is a Beginner Guide
These are just the tips for the beginners who have stepped into the world of photography. I have just introduced them to the basics. In coming times, the beginners would surely move a step ahead and hence I would also introduce the other important terms in my coming blogs. I am sure that now, since you know what flash photography is and use the flash control when needed for subject exposure; you have become a wiser photographer who knows that there is no right and no wrong. All we should respect is creative liberty and experimentation.
So, guys let me know how this blog was useful for you. In our coming blogs, we would go more technical so that you can move a step ahead towards your dream. A combination of technical knowledge and creativity would give you better opportunities to grow.
