Do You Love Your Flash?

I have hated using a flash my whole life. Spent years developing my skills to use available light so I stay as far away from flash photography as I possibly could. Of course back a the dawn of creation our flashes were nothing like now. My first professional flash was an old Honeywell "potato masher" that put out a huge amount of light. It was great for bouncing but way too strong for direct flash.
For years I used flash to light up stuff I could not shoot any other way.



I began to use my flash with an off-camera cord about ten years ago, and that started my change of heart. I began to think more about using a flash more creatively instead of a necessary evil. My flash became another trusted tool. The new flashes usually do such a great job, just put them on auto and have at it.

My three foot cord became a limitation, so I started playing with off-camera flash.
This required shooting manually, and the creativity really picked up. The more you do manually, the more control you have. The more you control, the more you have to think.



These photos were done with one off-camera flash on a stand to the model's right just above head high. I used sunlight behind her to light the fabric and her hair. I only wanted the flash to hit her face, so I made a snoot from cardboard to concentrate the light. A pretty cool look considering it was done with what most folks carry in their camera bag all the lime. No expensive lighting. No heavy gear to tote and set up. Simple.

If you are interested in learning more about using off-camera flash, and seeing some cool stuff, check out The Strobist at http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/