Working with Flash-1

Although the sun is my favorite light source, it isoften less than cooperative. It is either in thewrong part of the sky or hiding behind thick clouds.As a result, the laws of nature mean we must learn touse flash effectively. Used correctly and creatively, thiseconomical light source will render great results. 

The Pop-Up Flash 

In desperate situations I will use the pop-up flash. Isay desperate, because this is the least controlled lightand typically yields only adequate results. With a littlefinesse, the pop-up flash is sometimes better than noflash, however

For Fill. Both prosumer and professional camerasallow you to dial up or down the pop-up flash output.You can, of course, also increase or decrease the cameraexposure. By increasing/decreasing your flashoutput and increasing/decreasing your camera’s exposuresettings, you can find a combination at whichthe flash balances appealingly with the ambient light.

For our first sequence of imagesin this section (facing page), popupflash was used outdoors for filllight. In the first shot (facing page,left), we see the result of shootingwith no flash—just sunlight. Unfortunately,the bright areas of thebacklit subject distract the viewerfrom her face. In the second image(facing page, center), the flash wasset one stop brighter than the cameraexposure, resulting in an artificiallook. In the final image of theseries (facing page, right), the flashwas set one stop under the cameraexposure for a more natural andbalanced look.

Diffusing the Pop-Up.Diffusing your pop-upflash will result in a more flattering quality of light.

For example, consider the pair of images above.The first image (left) was photographed with my camerain the program mode and my pop-up flash poweredto +1 (one stop over the camera exposure). Forthe second image, I placed the plastic dome from anearly version of the Gary Fong Lumisphere over mypop-up flash. The frosted plastic dispersed the flash,softening the light on my subject. Although the effectis subtle, the second image is more flattering and lesswashed out.

To achieve the same softening effect, you can alsogo to an art-supply or craft store and buy some frostedvellum and Velcro. Cut the frosted vellum to cover thepop-up flash and use the Velcro to attach the vellum toyour camera. (Note: For another cool effect, you caneven place colored gels or vellum in front of your popupflash.)

Auxiliary Flash

Pop-up flash definitely has its limitations. To create arrestingimages with artificial light you need to havemore control over your light source than is possiblewith pop-up flash. You not only need to control the output of the light, but also to decide on the direction

and the quality of the light you want to achieve. Thefirst step—and the least expensive option—is to purchasean auxiliary flash for your camera.

Teaching lighting workshops has taught me thatstudents are often totally mystified, even intimidated,by the use of auxiliary flash. As a result, the flash eitherstays in the closet or is pulled out as a last resort. However,with the advanced technology in today’s portableflashes, combined with the immediacy of digital photography,there is absolutely no reason to be intimidatedby auxiliary flash. When photographing weddingsand events, knowing how to creatively use yourflash is absolutely essential, but I have even used mydedicated flash on commercial shoots as an auxiliarylight. In fact, for under $1,500 you can set up a completestudio with portable, lightweight, off-/oncameraflashes.

Before I unravel the mysteries of the auxiliary flash,though, I would like to discuss why one would wantto use a flash in the first place. The obvious reason isto illuminate an area that would otherwise be too darkfor your camera’s film or digital sensor to record.However, you should also consider using a flash whenyou want to lighten the shadows in an image (reducingthe contrast), freeze motion, control the qualityof the light, or create special effects.

Dedicated or Non-Dedicated? When using yourflash, the first step is to determine whether your flashis dedicated to your camera—meaning that the flashand the camera talk to each other, calculating how bestto achieve a good exposure.

A non-dedicated (or universal) camera flash, such asthe Vivitar 285 or the Qflash T5D and X5D can, withthe right adapter, work with many makes and modelsof cameras. However, these units need to be set upbefore they will communicate with the camera. Theadvantage of this type of flash is that it can be usedwith any camera model, unlike a dedicated flash thatonly works with cameras from the same manufacturer(for example, Canon flashes only work with Canoncameras).

The Universal Flash. The first step in using a universalflash is to set the ISO. If you were using 100ISO film or an ISO setting of 100 on your digital camera,you would set the ISO on your flash to 100. Bymatching the camera and flash ISO, you are telling theflash how much power it will need to output in orderto achieve a correct exposure.

The next step is to determine what aperture you’llshoot at and how much distance you want the flash tocover. In the days before electronic flash, this waswhere guide numbers (the power of the flash dividedby the distance from the camera to the subject) becameimportant. Fortunately, with the advancementof the electronic flash, guide numbers have gone theway of the slide ruler. (Note: Guide numbers do, however,indicate the strength of the flash. So when shoppingfor your ideal flash, note the guide number; abigger value means a more powerful flash.)

Today, most universal flashes have some type ofautomatic system that calculates the correct exposure.For instance, the Vivitar 285 uses a color-coded systemto automate the correct exposure. Let’s look at ahypothetical situation.

1. Set the ISO on your flash to match thefilm/digital speed. Let’s say it’s 400.

2. Determine the distance from the flash to the subject. Let’s say it’s 40 feet.

3. On the Vivitar 285, Look for the color that will cover 40 feet and set the dial to that color.

4. This dial will indicate what your aperture should be (for example, f/4).

5. The dial will also indicate the maximum distance the flash will cover.

The distance you need to cover your depth of field willdetermine the color you set your flash on—a little easierthan figuring out the guide number!

Sync Speed. The shutter speed needed to synchronizeyour flash depends on whether your camerahas a focal-plane/curtain shutter (found in the camerabody), or a leaf shutter (found in the lens itself). Leafshutters allow you to sync at the fastest available shutterspeed—up to 1/500 second. Most curtain shutters,the kind found in 35mm cameras, allow you to syncyour flash at speeds up to 1/125 second. (Note: Nikonand Canon, however, manufacture some models thatsync at up to 1/250 second.)

This is important to know, because if you set yourshutter speed faster than the recommended syncspeed, the flash will only illuminate part of your frame.This occurs because the distance between the shuttercurtains as they move across the film plane is so narrowand the duration of the flash is so short, that the lightfrom the flash doesn’t have time to illuminate the entireframe.

Dragging the Shutter. Although you are limitedto how fast you can set your shutter to sync with theflash, you are not limited to how slow you can set yourshutter speed. Using a shutter speed that is slower thanthe recommended sync speed is called dragging theshutter. This is a useful technique in situations whereyou want to combine ambient light with flash.

For example, imagine that you are photographinga 20x60-foot room that is illuminated by some windowlight. The ambient light in the room is f/11 at1/15 second. Now, in walks the basketball team youhave been hired to photograph. You know your flashcan only illuminate up to 20 feet with an aperture atf/11. This will be fine for properly exposing the team,but if you set your shutter at 1/60 second at f/11, it willlook like the team is standing in a cave; the flash willilluminate the first 20 feet of the room, but the other40 feet will be two stops underexposed. The solution?Drag the shutter. By slowing down the shutter to 1/60second, you’ll enable the ambient light to record sufficientlythat it matches the flash output. The resultwill be a more natural-looking environment. Just rememberto use a tripod when shooting at 1/15 secondor slower.

Using the Flash Outside. Earlier, I mentionedhow the flash can be used to lighten shadows and reducecontrast in a portrait. The key to achieving good exposure outside with a flash is firstdetermining the level of the ambientlight. Let’s say you’ve beenhired to photograph a portrait betweennoon and one o’clock—theworst hour for an outdoor portrait.It is a very sunny day, and whenyou look through your viewfinderyou see hard shadows on your subject’sface. According to your spotmeter, at 1/125 second the shadowsmeasure f/4, while the highlightsmeasure f/11. Simply by settingyour flash to illuminate your subjectat f/8 at 1/125 second, you canreduce the contrast by two stopsand create a more flattering, natural-looking portrait.

Freezing Action. In 1931,Harold Edgerton took the oncameraflash one step further withhis invention of the stroboscope.His intention was to take highspeedphotographs of familiar subjects,such as a splattering dropletof milk—things that move atspeeds beyond the ability of thehuman eye to perceive. That same technology is whatallows you to freeze action with today’s flash units.

Direct or Bounce Flash. On-camera flashes cancreate two types of light: direct or bounced.

Direct light is produced when the flash is aimed atyour subject. This is the harshest type of lighting—andif the light is too close to the lens, red-eye will appearin your portrait. Direct flash does, however, take fulladvantage of the power of the flash, maximizing thelight that falls on your subject.

Bounce (or indirect) flash is produced when theflash is angled in such a way that the light bounces offa surface before hitting the subject. This is an easy andeffective way to produce a softer quality of light withyour flash. Because you are redirecting the light and itmust travel farther to illuminate your subject, however,there will be at least some loss of light intensitywhen bouncing the flash.

Indoors, you can angle your flash up and bouncethe light off the ceiling. Just make sure the ceiling is eitherwhite or gray; otherwise a color cast will reflectonto your subject. I find fifteen-foot ceilings to be ofan adequate height for proper exposure.

When working outdoors, more advanced flashmodels have a built-in bounce card that you can pullout when needed. Additionally, manufacturers like Lumiquest sell all types of bounce-flash accessories. Youcan even place a white index card on top of your flashto create a surface that will redirect the flash.

Special Effects with Flash. Edgerton’s experimentswith flash were not only to freeze action butalso to capture a series of images of a single motion, apractice called stroboscopic photography. To do this,you must work in a totally dark room with your cameraset on bulb. Then, with the shutter open, you canpop your flash multiple times and record the stages ofa single motion. Advanced flashes have a multiflashfunction that makes this easier to accomplish.

As noted earlier in this section, you can also placecolored gels over your flash to create surreal lightingeffects. Just remember that some gels absorb light; tocompensate, you may have to increase your exposure.If you have a light meter, you can take measurementswith the filter on the flash and off the flash to see justhow much light is being lost.

It is also possible to use light-painting techniqueswith flash—meaning you can use one flash to illuminateyour subject and the entire environment. To dothis, place your camera on a tripod and set the shutteron bulb using either a locking cablerelease or a remote shutter release.Then, set the flash to illuminateyour subject and the walls at a specificdistance and a specific f-stop.Trigger the shutter to begin the exposureand start popping the flashto illuminate the subject and thenthe walls. Ask your subject to stayvery still and avoid directing theflash back toward the camera (it isalso a good idea to wear black tomake sure you yourself don’t showup in the photo). When you havecovered the entire area with flashpops, release the shutter to end theexposure.

Taking the Flash Off the Camera. One easy wayto control the quality of the light from your flash is totake your flash off the hot shoe. This can be doneusing either a flash cord or a remote.

If you decide to use a flash cord, one end of thecord attaches to the flash and the other attaches toyour camera’s hot shoe or PC socket. This allows youto move the flash away from the lens axis, either holdingit in your hand or attaching it to your camera viaa bracket (an arm-like device that supports the flash ata distance above or to the side of the camera).

If you have a larger budget (around $200) and areworking with Canon flashes, you may want to lookinto a ST-E2 remote system. These transmitters havea range of 30 to 40 feet indoors and 20 to 30 feet outdoors.They can also trigger an unlimited number ofCanon flashes, offering many creative possibilities.

One advantage of taking your flash off the camerais the elimination of red eye. Red eye is caused whenlight from a flash enters your subject’s eyes at an angleof less than 2.5 degrees. When this happens, the flashreflects off the retina and back into the camera lens.Moving the flash off axis with the lens solves this problem (Note: There are also digital fixes for red-eye, butif you are editing a job from a wedding or event youmay spend hours fixing all those red eyes!)

What’s Right for You?Although many flashes are available your choices arefew: either you decide to buy into your system and getthe flash that was “made for your camera,” or you buya system that may be more versatile, with options ofadapting it to your system. The decision should bebased on your usage. If you are a wedding/event photographer,you need the best flash you can afford.

Look for a flash with a good guide number (130feet or more).Manufacturers often combine the rangeof the flash with the focal lengths of a lens. For instancethe guide number may be listed as “Guide No.125ft./38m at 35mm”—as with the Nikon SB-800.

Look for a flash that is dedicated to your cameraand has TTL (through the lens) capability. This allowsthe flash and camera to talk to each other to determinethe right exposure. It’s also nice to have a versatileflash head that rotates and angles easily to createbounce-flash lighting. Also, you’ll probably enjoy aunit with a remote-flash function. This allows you tosynchronize two or more flashes.

At this writing, flashes with all those functions cost$350–$450. In addition, you may want to consider aflash bracket ($50–$150) and a rechargeable battery(such as the Quantum at $200–$500) to power yourflash. If you are purchasing the flash for personal ratherthan professional use, however, you can consider a lessexpensive flash with fewer functions. The CanonSpeedlight 220 EX is a very compact flash for Canoncameras that has the TTL function but not a bouncehead. The Sunpak Auto355 also has TTL and abounce head and can be used on different makes ofcameras. Both models cost less than $50.

The key to mastering flash is practice, practice, andmore practice. It may seem like a burden to carry anadditional piece of equipment—but it’s nothing comparedto the heartache of not getting the shot becausethere wasn’t enough light or the scene had too muchcontrast. If you are shooting digital, there’s really noexcuse: you can get instant visual feedback on yourLCD screen and use it to hone your skills. So dust offyour flash and start creating