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12-20-2019, 07:29 AM - 2 Likes   #1
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Simple flash/speedlight intro for beginners

Great article on using a flash and geared towards artificial light beginners. If you're new to a DSLR or just one of those folks who profess to be "natural light shooters" but in truth simply don't really understand where to begin with artificial this article is for you.
https://www.digitalphotomentor.com/how-use-flash-beginner-tips/

12-20-2019, 08:56 AM   #2
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With your flash and your camera in manual mode and with the right knowledge you can have absolute control over quantity and quality of light... And you can also set two different exposures, one for your ambient and one for your flash. There are four things affecting the quantity of light that gets to the sensor:

1) Power of the flash (from 1/1 -aka full power- 1/2, 1/4, 1/8... all the way down to 1/128 and in some flashes 1/256)
2) Your aperture (the lower your f number -1.4, 1.8, etc- the more amount of light that will get through the lens, and as you close down your aperture -f16, 18, 22, etc- the less light that will pass
3) The distance of light from the subject
4) Set your ISO (note that this also will affect the ambient exposure, not only the flash exposure

And for quality of light, the first thing you need to know is that the size of your source of light relative to your subject will give you harder or softer light. The bigger your source (relative to your subject) the softer the light (aka better quality).

But don't leave it in a post... go out there, check it by yourself and practice, practice, practice
12-20-2019, 09:11 AM - 1 Like   #3
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People often think that flash is only for low light shooting. While in reality it’s often more a question of quality than quantity, as said above. It’s really an essential tool and everyone should at least know and understand the basics. It’s not necessary to go to complex studio setup, but learning to use properly a single flash is easy enough that everyone should learn it.

A decent flash unit and knowing how to use it will more often than not trump higher end lenses and cameras stuck with available light only.
12-20-2019, 10:18 AM - 1 Like   #4
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Color modification is important if mixing with ambient light also.

12-20-2019, 10:47 AM - 1 Like   #5
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Nice article. I've been a bounce flash fan for over 30 years now, since I got my hands on a Pentax AF280T unit back during the Reagan administration. I've also come to appreciate the advantages of fill flash, even though people look at you with quizzical expressions when you start blasting away in broad daylight. Rather than something rendered obsolete by improving high-ISO performance, flash can be a valuable tool to help you realize your photographic vision.
12-20-2019, 11:06 AM   #6
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I need to do more of this. Do you guys use a bare speed light for bounce flash or do you use some kind of modifier?
12-20-2019, 11:51 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by hypermodern Quote
I need to do more of this. Do you guys use a bare speed light for bounce flash or do you use some kind of modifier?
Bare flash. The bouncing surface is in itself the light modifier. For example, a white wall will act somewhat like a very large softbox. Since a lot of light is lost when bouncing, you also don’t want to lose even more by adding any unnecessary modifier.

12-20-2019, 12:14 PM   #8
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This is a good start. I would like to know more about using multiple flashes.
12-20-2019, 12:24 PM - 2 Likes   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Wasp Quote
This is a good start. I would like to know more about using multiple flashes.
Strobist is a great place to start.
Strobist 102 or On Assignment is probably where most multiple lights are but 101 is a great start.
Strobist: Lighting 101: Introduction
12-20-2019, 12:25 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by CarlJF Quote
Bare flash.
Thank you!
12-20-2019, 12:58 PM   #11
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I am not yet well-versed in flash, and have been doing some reading on the topic lately. I ran across this guy's site who writes a lot about on-camera bounce flash.

? Flash Photography Techniques
12-20-2019, 01:16 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
Strobist is a great place to start.
Strobist 102 or On Assignment is probably where most multiple lights are but 101 is a great start.
Strobist: Lighting 101: Introduction
Thank you!
12-20-2019, 01:28 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by hypermodern Quote
I need to do more of this. Do you guys use a bare speed light for bounce flash or do you use some kind of modifier?
For bounce flash, I use stofen or simply go with bare flash depending on the bounce surface, subject, as well as time to setup between shots.
12-20-2019, 02:23 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by gatorguy Quote
Great article on using a flash and geared towards artificial light beginners.
Very good article.

Incidentally I would endorse their recommendation for a Godox TT350P as a good affordable starter unit for Pentax. It's very well featured, compact and lightweight and easy to use. (I find it easier to change the key settings on this than on my Metz 58-AF1, for example.) It can be wirelessly-controlled off-camera either by another Godox unit (e,g, another TT350P) or Godox XProP (or Flashpoint equivalent) - that is, you don't need line of sight (as you do for an optical trigger), you don't need a separate trigger, and it works in PTTL as well as manual mode and it works with HSS (that is, you can use a faster shutter speed than the camera's sync speed, which is 1/180th second on the APS-C models). The only real limitation is that Godox hasn't yet released Pentax versions of their larger standard on-camera TTL flash units (e.g. TT685). (They have a Pentax version of their round-head speedlite, the V1-P, but this is rather a specialty item.)
QuoteOriginally posted by CarlJF Quote
Bare flash. The bouncing surface is in itself the light modifier. For example, a white wall will act somewhat like a very large softbox. Since a lot of light is lost when bouncing, you also don’t want to lose even more by adding any unnecessary modifier.
This point is well illustrated by Neil van Niekerk in this video, in which he compares various flash modifiers with bounced flash.
He also shows how well bounced flash can work with a directional flag - in this case his home-made "Black Foamie Thing" - which prevents or controls the amount of direct light from the flash spilling onto the subject.
QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
Strobist is a great place to start.
This is a great recommendation.

Last edited by Des; 12-20-2019 at 09:10 PM.
12-20-2019, 06:51 PM - 1 Like   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Des Quote
This is a great recommendation.
Neil Van Niekerk... a lot of good information in his website

Flash Photography Techniques
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