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Tangents

manual flash / TTL flash

December 26, 2007

Manual flash vs TTL flash

This posting is going to seem a little dry, and overly techy … but it pertains to questions that I am often asked.  So hang in there and let’s go over some of the basics and see how it all fits together.

There are two distinct ways in which flash is handled.  Manual flash or Auto / TTL flash:

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my choice of flash modifiers

December 13, 2007

my choice of light modifiers

Latest update: there is now a video clip where I demonstrate how I use the black foamie thing to flag the light from my on-camera flash.

There is a fundamental principle in lighting :
the larger your light source, the softer your light.

Using any of the myriad of flash modifiers that are on offer, helps in achieving that – spreading the light from the on-camera Speedlight much wider, thereby creating softer light that direct flash would’ve given.  However, (and this is a big however), these flash modifiers also throw light forward.  Ultimately all flash modifiers do the same thing – they disperse a lot of light around the room, while throwing some measure of light directly forward to lift shadows under the eyes and bring a sparkle to the eyes.

That is a huge step up from using direct flash – (or poorly bounced flash.. ie, flash at 45′ or 60′ forward) – but won’t be as good as directional light.  Directional light falls onto your subject from a specific angle.  This direction can very often be carefully chosen even when you use an on-camera flash indoors.

The image at the top is from a wedding I photographed a few weeks ago.
I touched up the WB in RAW, and that’s that. Simple, and it looks just great.
The light is soft, and the baby wasn’t bothered by any direct flash … since there was NO direct flash at all.

my choice of light modifier for an on-camera flash

The way I achieve directional light from my flash is by adding what is in effect, a half-snoot on my on-camera flash.  The half-snoot (or flag) will partially block the light, and also direct it.

This piece of black foam around my Speedlight has two advantages:

1. Directional light.  I can now much more precisely direct where I want my light to come from.
2. Less annoying to others. In turning my flash to the side or to point behind me, I would risk blasting other people directly in the face with flash. This piece of black foam keeps that from happening.  I now direct my flash over people’s heads, and I don’t blitz people in their faces with direct flash when they stand next to me or behind me.

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Just enough flash …

December 1, 2007

Several photographers have asked me how in much of my photography has flash been used.  And I would say that about 80% of my work when I photograph weddings and environmental portraits, has flash of some kind.

Whether nearly all flash :

(a single on-camera speedlight, gelled to tungsten, and bounced over my left shoulder,
1/25th @ f4 @ 1600 iso)

.

(Once again, a single on-camera speedlight, gelled to tungsten, and bounced over my left shoulder,
1/100th @ f2.8 @ 2000 iso)

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… or a healthy mixture of flash and available light …
(both these next images also had the flash gelled for tungsten, but I
dialed down appropriately to match ambient light the way I wanted to.
I also took care in controlling the direction of my flash.)

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…. or just a touch of fill-flash.
(juuuuust enough to lift the shadows from her eyes, or lift the contrast levels … so that I have to spend very little time in post-production, editing these images.)

(flash directly forward, but dialed down to -3EV to enable just a touch of fill-flash.
1/250th @ f4.5 @ 160 ISO)

.

(flash once again directly forward, but dialed down to -2EV to enable just a touch of fill-flash.
1/200th @ f5.0 @ 200 ISO)

.
Or sometimes only the available light when the existing light is just perfect.

(1/250th @ f4 @ 640 ISO)

.

(1/320th @ f2 @ 640 ISO)

.
Whatever needs to be done to create a flattering image.

It isn’t just a about sense of aesthetics:
1. Reducing my post-production time is a strong consideration whether I should use flash or not. At best, I only want to touch up WB and exposure and still have images that look great.
2. I want to give the bride the best photos on the day that I can get, without clinging to any particular rigid ideology.

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Oh, and can we just dispel one silly notion here … that being able to shoot at a high ISO enables you not to use flash. The decision to use alternate lighting (whether flash or video lights or reflectors) has more to do with the quality of light, than the light levels. Those are two distinctly different aspects .. quality and quantity of light.

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Back to the topic … In portraiture and wedding photography, my intention though is always to create flattering images, combined with a story-telling approach, and one that is not intrusive.  And within certain constraints, I am always considering the direction and intensity of the flash that I use.  And I am always aware of the ambient light levels, and the quality of the ambient light … and this shapes my decision as to how I use flash, and how much.  And thereby using juuuust enough flash.

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