Contrary to popular belief, flash photography is not the evil stepsister of natural light photography. When used well, in fact, the flash can be completely undetectable. So my first piece of advice here is, Don't be afraid of flash!
These days, DSLRs are so good in low light, that many people decide they will never use flash. The truth is, though, there are times when a flash will help. When it's too dark inside or when shooting outdoors in bright, harsh sunlight where there is no open shade, for example.
Ideally, you need an external flash to get great quality flash results, because the pop-up flash on DSLRs can be too harsh. The source of light on the pop-up flash is too small and direct.
An external flash, though, spreads more light and can be bounced. It is a shoe-mount flash that slips right into your DSLR's hotshoe, and it can be used on or off-camera.
I usually use mine on-camera, and I bounce the light. It immediately made my photography look much more pleasing and professional. It is one of the best camera equipment purchases I have ever made.
In Nikon lingo, these flashes are called Speedlights, and in Canon, they are Speedlites.
*This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products or services I can recommend highly!
I have Nikon DSLRs and use the Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash. The newer version of this is the Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight Flash. (But, as you know from this post, I am all about buying photo equipment used, and the SB-600 can be picked up for a fraction of the price of the 700.) It swivels and tilts in different directions, so that I can bounce it to get the best light available. A popular flash for Canon DSLRs is the Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT Flash.
How to use Bounce Flash
To bounce the flash, I usually point it at the ceiling behind me or at a side wall, and the flash spreads nice light onto my subject. (It's best if the wall is white, as colored walls will give odd color casts. That's why ceilings work well. I've also bounced off a piece of white foam board, poster board, or someone's white shirt! )
By adjusting the angle of the flash, I can control where the light will fall. It's really a simple process. I use the auto (TTL) setting on the flash. If you buy the same brand of flash as your camera, the camera and flash will coordinate to determine how much light is needed. See, it's that simple!
The photo, above, of my daughter and Sunny was taken a few years ago, in our kitchen. I had not taken a flash photography class yet. I simply bounced the external flash up to the ceiling. Had I used the pop-up flash on the camera, there would have been a much more harsh shadow behind them. The shadows from direct flash are worse with vertical photos than horizontal ones.
Now here's an example of direct flash, without bouncing... See what I mean? Ugh, shadow.
One solution that I've seen online (but haven't tried), is to place a business card at an angle in front of the pop up flash, so that the light bounces up.
Another option is to tape some tissue paper over the flash! Try to keep the actual tape from covering the flash if you try that.
Want to Learn More?
I've taken several photography classes at Bluprint online. They are wonderful and not expensive. I learned a lot from their Portraits with an On-Camera Speedlight class. I continue to watch the videos over and over. I also highly recommend ClickinMoms. I have learned so much there--composition, lighting, equipment tips, Lightroom--it's all there. ClickinMoms has your choice of monthly, yearly, or lifetime membership fees.
There are many times when I need my flash, so I'm glad to know how to use it well! I'll always be learning new things about flash and new ways to use it.
Do you have tips for bouncing the flash?
Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting the link-up!
DeleteI love Gary Fong products! I did a wedding a few weeks ago with a camera that has ISO up to nearly 25,000! And yet, once the sun set, the external flash unit was much more pleasing than just using high ISO. I prefer natural light, but I'm certainly not against flash!
ReplyDeleteI love Gary Fong products too. The Lightsphere works great (and gets some funny looks!)
DeleteThanks for sharing your tips at Lisa's link up!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Elizabeth.
DeleteI remember bouncing the flash before digital photography. My dad taught me the trick. Thanks for the tips with pop-up flashes! In the future, I'll try the business card and the tissue and see which one works best. Thanks for visiting 1camera1mom! My Picture Perfect Party Linky is at http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/2015/09/fun-at-karoo-botanical-garden.html
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you like the business card and tissue, Christina. And thank you for hosting the link-up.
DeleteReally great advice on flash photography. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa, and thanks for visiting.
DeleteWhat great advice! I was just talking with a friend about this who is going on the trip of a lifetime - trying to explain what he wanted to do. I should have showed him this post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining us for Photo Friday this past week!
Thank you! Hopefully your friend will get some great photos. Thanks so much for hosting the link-up.
DeleteThanks for the tips. I am a Food Blogger with a dark kitchen and lighting gives me fits. I will have to try this out.
ReplyDeleteI hope the tips help you, Audrey. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWhat a great post Pam... I do not use a flash too often, and when I do it is mostly with my macro shots. But, I hope to have a studio someday and this will be a great read to tuck away for later. Thanks for linking with Life Thru the Lens... I think others will really enjoy this read as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words, Lisa. It is amazing how a simple thing like bouncing the flash can result in images that look much more professional.
DeleteExcellent suggestions, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa!
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