How To Shoot With An External Flash

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How To Shoot With An External Flash
How To Shoot With An External Flash

Video: How To Shoot With An External Flash

Video: How To Shoot With An External Flash
Video: Flash photography for beginners part 1 2024, March
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The word "photography", as you know, translated from ancient Greek means "light painting". Light is the foundation of the art of photography, and the ability to use light correctly is the key to good photographs.

How to shoot with an external flash
How to shoot with an external flash

Instructions

Step 1

Indoor photography is almost never complete without a flash. However, shots with the built-in flash of the camera often look quite different from what we would like: red eyes, glare on faces, a dark background and overexposed foreground. The thing is that the built-in flash “beats” brightly and directly, and to get a natural picture you need evenly diffused light.

Step 2

How to be? There are two ways out of the situation: add light to the room (turn on more lamps) or shoot with an external flash, which makes it possible to manipulate the direction of the light. If you choose the second option, there are a few rules to keep in mind to help you get the picture you want.

Step 3

The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection - this law of physics is known to everyone from school. If you are shooting indoors with low, light ceilings, aim the flash upward. Remember that the flash should have a swivel head and should not "look" directly at the ceiling, but at a slight angle. Light will bounce off the ceiling and strike your subject at a natural angle. Light walls, pieces of furniture and appliances (refrigerator, for example) are also suitable as reflectors. It is worth remembering that if the object or wall being used is colored, the same shade will color your photo.

Step 4

The second pitfall that is fraught with shooting with an external flash is shadows in the eye area. In this case, the "white card" comes to the rescue - a small reflector, which is located on the flash and redirects part of the light flow from the flash. If your flash does not have a built-in “white card”, a white plastic card or a piece of cardboard secured with an elastic band will do just fine. Remember that the closer you are to your subject, the less the “white card” needs to “peek out” above the flash.

Step 5

And now an illustration of all of the above. Head-up flash photography is what you usually get. The result is a glare on the nose, a bluish tint, shadows around the eyes, and harsh shadows.

Step 6

Aim your flash at the ceiling. That's better. The light is more natural, the shadows are gone. But the area around the eyes is dark, and they themselves are somehow lifeless due to the lack of glare from the flash.

Step 7

But it is worth putting forward the "white card", and the eyes become completely different. Life appears in them. True, shadows on the wall also appear, so be careful, watch the shadows when using the "white card".

Step 8

Also, for a softer and more natural light, use special diffusers and softboxes.

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