Using Electronic Flash
Most consumer digital cameras come with a pop-up flash. These are useful, but very limited. A great photograph is made by several factors especially lighting.
Electronic Flash
Light is probably one of the least understood factors in digital photography. Many people spend a lot of money on the camera and because it has a built in flash assume that it is all they need. Yes, you can get acceptable pictures with a pop-up flash, but they will not come close to professional quality. No, I am not emplying that you need to invest in a high end flash unit. What I am stating is that if you rely solely on your pop-up flash you will never have the the kind of photographs that you would like. A simple hand-held flash can make a huge difference in your results.
A simple electronic flash costing less than $100 can be of considerable help. Better models can cost a lot more, anywhere from $300 to $1,200.An investment of less than $200 can make a huge difference in your photography,
Types of Electronic Flash Units
All flash units work basically the same. They draw power from an energy source, battery or AC, and store the energy in a capcitor. A capcitor is a power storage device. My favorite analogy is thinking of a glass or water being filled at the faucet. A few minutes of patience gives you a lot more water in the glass. When you take a picture the energy stored in the capictor is sent to the flash tube and boom, you have a lot of light.
What makes the flash units more or less expensive is in power output and the features.
Types
- Manual - Manual units do not measure the light or interface with the camera. Manual units can range in price between $50 and $900. Studio lights are typically manual units. Using manual lights means you need to determine the proper exposure yourself. A light meter is usually required for manual lights.
- Auto-exposure - Flashes which are auto-exposure read the light reflecting back at them and determine the exposure themselves. Many event photographers prefer automatic flashes over the next type.
- TTL - Through the Lens Metering flashes communicate with the camera. Most new photographers rely on this type of flash unit. Some professionals do not feel that these units are accurate enough while other trust them.
Electronic Flash Features
The features offered by flash manufacturers is constantly changing. Here is a brief list of the more common features.
Features
- The ability for the head to swivel. - This makes it easy for you to use bounce light off ceilings or bounce cards.
- Batteries and/or AC operation - This gives you the ability to be more mobile or shoot longer.
- Filters - For speclial lighting.
- Hot shoe/cable connection
- Angles of Coverage - Does the flash have a zoom head. A zoom head widens or narrows the flash so that you can handle wide angle lens or use a telephoto and not waste flash output.
- Red Eye Avoidance - Red eye is caused by the light reflecting off the back of the eye ball. It is more pronounced when the flash units is located close to the lens axis. To help avoid this use a flash which can be placed on a mounting bracket away from the lens axis. Many manufacturers sell flash brackets that can be used to more the flash to a better position.
Electronic Flash Terms
- Recycling Time - The recycling time of the flash is the time it takes the flash to come back to full power and to be ready for the next photograph. This time is very dependant upon factors such as how fresh the batteries are and how much of the flash power was used when the flash fired. If you are shooting sports with a flash this will be especially important to you.
Something else that goes along with this is the expected number of flashes per set of batteries or a charge. Once again, this varies based upon the subject.
- Optical Slave - Many photographers use two independent flashes. When one fires the other flash sees the light and also fires. This type of lighting is pretty common for all types of photography.
- Sync Connection - Some flash units only connect to the top of the camera and others also have a wire called a sync cord which connects to the camera. A lot of you consumer grade cameras do not have a sync cord connection.
- Radio Slave - These are radio or infrared flash units that fire wirelessly.
