As a photographer, you’re constantly trying to strike a balance. You want to create scenes with certain flair and place light exactly where you want it. But like all your favorite photographers, no amount of natural light seems to give you that flair. So you end up stuck in the same rut struggling to add a wow factor to your photography. And even then nothing comes close to satisfying your appetite. Well, I’ve got some good news for you, you can try flash photography.
Whether you’re fumbling your way up photography or have been a photographer for years, there are plenty of situations where you’ll need to incorporate flash photography. It is an inevitable part of being a photographer. And although it may seem daunting at first, it is actually one of the easiest aspects of photography. But you and I both know that you just can’t pick up a flash and automatically know what to do. Just like learning how to use your camera for the first time, it requires a bit of practice. Luckily, there are plenty of amazing guides, videos and materials to help you catch on. One of my personal favorites, “An Essential Guide to Learning Flash Portrait Photography”.
But to get you started, I am going to share a few flash photography tips that you can use to add a little bit more magic to your photos.
Bounce the Light
Whether you are a newbie or an established photographer, you already know that pointing the flash directly toward your subject is a no-no. After all, no one wants to see a harsh lighting when getting their photos done. This is why you need to master the art of bouncing the light against another surface. It helps soften the light that will hit the subject and also creates a bigger and more even light source.
Diffuse Your Flash
The key here is to create a bigger light source and create more even light as is with bouncing the light against another surface. For this, you can use Tupperware looking diffusers or pop up flash diffusers. But if you’re looking for a studio lighting effect without the bulk you can also make use of the mini softboxes which you can pair up with a speed light.
Make Use of Flash Gels
Using flash gels is a fantastic way of adding a sense of color to the light that is emitted by the flash. However, more than just producing creative effects, you can also use them to match the color of the flash to the ambient light.
Thing is room lights tend to have a different color temperature to flashes. And if you don’t match the light temperatures, your image will look unnatural and people will clearly be able to tell that you used a flash.
Make Use of Ambient Light
It’s easy to keep trying to create the perfect scene and completely forget to make use of the natural background lighting. My advice is to allow the ambient light and your background to appear so that there’s a little more context to your subject. For example, you can shoot in manual exposure mode instead of auto and then adjust the settings to expose the background. This will help compensate for the light difference between the foreground and the background and underexpose your subject.
Use More than One Flash
For a more three dimensional effect, you can sync a couple of flashes together and illuminate them on the subject. This helps create shadows, rims, and highlights that separate the subject from the background.
Enable High-Speed Flash Sync
Flash photography is not just about shaping light. It is also about speed. So there are times when you want to use your flash but with a faster shutter speed. In this case, you’ll want to use a maximum flash sync speed to provide fill light and stop motion when shooting in broad daylight.
Summing It Up
It’s often challenging to shape natural light and place it exactly where you want it. However, you don’t have to go to the extremes of purchasing far-reaching accessories to hack this. The thing is, your flash unit is just an additional source of light at your disposal. You can learn to regulate the light it emits and mold it just like you want it. Plus, it comes with an added advantage of doing some of the thinking for you when you absolutely need it to. So if you want to add flair to your photos, you need to make use of flash photography.