The art of photography is using light to create an image. Light is the life blood of everything we do and the ability to control list is one of the most important areas of photography that is also highly underestimated.
I spend a lot of time working with both small off-camera flash and on-location studio strobes and there is not a photo that goes by that I feel needs some sort of additional lighting.
To get everyone on the same playing field I want to explain some of the basics.
On-camera and off-camera flash.
On-camera is the type of flash that is built into the camera that can not be removed or its position can not be changed.
Off-camera flash is the type of flash that is manually connected to the camera.
There is a big difference between the two and once you understand the difference it will not only give you a better understanding of your capabilities but what you can do with the equipment that you have.
Sorry its late here so I will post a follow up tomorrow but if you want to be notified of my posting simply follow me and you will receive a notification of when I post a follow up.
Oh I am glad I am following you I definitely need to learn more about lighting - I'm not a fan of the regular flash from a camera, and would like to know more about artifical flash. I love taking photos of kids and family portraits but never want to shoot inside becuase I can never get the lighting right.
Awaiting more ;) I almost never use my on-camera flash - I just hate the effect. However, I rarely have my off-camera flash with me! I also have a very shaky hand, so my little gorilla pod proves very useful as I often use long exposures indoors. Useless for photos of animals or children...or anything candid for that matter...
A few days ago, I made a home-made light diffuser, by cutting a small panel out of the side of one of those plastic two-pint milk bottles you get in supermarkets - so far, it seems to be helping with the built-in flash...
@agima , Brendan i am just about to purchase my first off camera lighting and i noticed immediately that you are somewhat experienced shooting with light.
Can i ask you your opinion on this http://www.hkyongnuo.com/e-detail.php?ID=288
I havent a massive budget and this one sounds/reads like it could be a good starting point for me.
@life_in_rewind The crafting of light is the key. Feel free to ask questions against my photos as I am more than happy to explain how I do them. I am thinking of doing a week where I just use one type of flash.
@agima THANKS! I love the "feel" of all your photos. I can't really explain why...but the colours always seem so crisp and vibrant! I guess I've always tried to work with natural light...but that won't always be the case for me!
@gh0st If you want to use it as an on-camera AND off-camera flash, I would go with the one you linked to (YN-565) since it also has TTL technology.
If you only want an off-camera flash, then I would save some money and go with the all-manual YN-560 (which I have and love). Either way, make sure you also purchase a cheap radio trigger
@onarom Cheers Dale, i went for the YN-565, you say buy a cheap trigger too ?
Can you link me to one if you dont mind as i am clueless what to look for ;)
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Can i ask you your opinion on this http://www.hkyongnuo.com/e-detail.php?ID=288
I havent a massive budget and this one sounds/reads like it could be a good starting point for me.
Any tips and tricks would be wonderful...I'm a newb to the photography world as well, but I want to increase my skill with indoor photos.
If you only want an off-camera flash, then I would save some money and go with the all-manual YN-560 (which I have and love). Either way, make sure you also purchase a cheap radio trigger
Can you link me to one if you dont mind as i am clueless what to look for ;)