Flash photography tips: external flash techniques anyone can understand

Flash photography tips: off-camera flash

The key to improving the quality and flexibility of flashgun lighting is to enlarge and soften the light source, and fire it at the subject from a more natural direction.

To accomplish the latter you need to completely separate the unit from your camera using a hotshoe adapter and sync cord. This will enable you to position your flashlight far more suitably and creatively. It will also give your subject a sense of depth and eliminate red-eye.

Nikon and Canon both make all-in-one off-camera flash cords that preserve full TTL balanced flash metering and power output. Nikon offers the one metre-long Nikon TTL Remote Cord SC-28/SC-29, while Canon has the 60cm Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2.

Some cameras require you to buy two adaptors – one for the hotshoe and one for the base of the flashgun – and a cable to connect them.

If you prefer to keep your hands free while you shoot and you don’t mind looking more conspicuous, you can buy a flash bracket that connects to your camera’s tripod socket and angles the flash unit permanently to one side.

Large hammerhead flash units, used for illuminating larger subjects like buildings, are commonly used in conjunction with a bracket.

PAGE 1: Overview of external flash units
PAGE 2: Off-camera flash
PAGE 3: Replicate studio lighting with two flashguns
PAGE 4: Bounce flash techniques
PAGE 5: White bounce cards
PAGE 6: Using flash diffusers
PAGE 7: Wireless flash
PAGE 8: External flash photography cheat sheet

READ MORE

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Posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 at 2:00 am under Photography Tips.

Tags: bounce flash, camera tips, flash, hot, photography cheat sheet