Do I need an external flash and why. What is an external flash for? Which flash is right for your device

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The flash is one of those photographic accessories that are usually used by amateur photographers categorically incorrectly, but at the same time very willingly. Meanwhile, with proper use, the flash can provide invaluable assistance to the photographer.

First of all, we should abandon the idea that a camera flash can be used as the only source of light. Unlike studio flashes, a flash on the camera is needed when the scene being shot is already lit, but the light is either insufficient or too contrasty. With the traditional amateur use of the flash, the picture shows a brightly lit object with burning red eyes and a background immersed in pitch darkness. Even more naive is an attempt to illuminate a football field or a palace and park ensemble with a tiny flash built into a compact camera or mobile phone. High ISOs or a stable tripod have a much better effect on night shots than a flash fired at the wrong time.

To compare the power of different flash models, use flash guide number, i.e. the maximum distance in meters or feet to the subject that the flash can illuminate at f/1 and ISO 100. The guide number of the camera's built-in flash reaches 10 m at best, with an optional battery-powered flash up to 30 m, and with powerful studio flashes flashes with mains power - up to a hundred. The guide number is not a very accurate parameter, since it strongly depends on the design of the diffuser and on the zoom parameters, and manufacturers do not hesitate to give somewhat inflated characteristics in the flash documentation.

Of course, the flash is not often used at full power, but it's nice when the brightness of the flash is enough with a margin.

Usually, the pulse power is adjusted automatically, in accordance with the lighting conditions, but you can turn on and manual mode. If the flash is controlled automatically, then just before the shutter is released, it gives a low-power pre-pulse or pre-flash, which is necessary to calculate the power of the main flash. The evaluation is made directly through the lens using the camera's light meter, and therefore this method is called TTL (Through The Lens).

If you don't have enough built-in flash capabilities, then preference should be given to on-camera flashes that are part of the system you use, be it Canon, Nikon or whatever. Flashes from third-party manufacturers, even if they are declared compatible with your system, may not work quite correctly in automatic modes, which, however, does not exclude the possibility of manual control.

Two exposures

When shooting with flash, you are dealing with two independent exposures - one of them is determined by ambient light, and the other is determined by pulsed light outbreaks. Together they make up the overall exposure of the frame.

What shooting parameters affect each of the exposures?

External exposure, dictated by the brightness of the surrounding light, is controlled by the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO sensitivity. In automatic modes, exposure is controlled using exposure compensation (exposure compensation).

Flash exposure depends on the power of the pulse, on the distance to the object, on the aperture value and on the ISO sensitivity. She is does not depend endurance is very important. The duration of the flash pulse is approximately 1/1000 s, and therefore, no matter how long the shutter is open, the contribution of the flash to the total exposure will not increase. control impulse power auto flash You can use flash compensation (compensation) by analogy with exposure compensation.

The most important role in working with flash is played by ratio between flash exposure and external exposure. It is the ability to correctly dose the contribution of external and pulsed light that distinguishes the professional use of a flash from an amateur one.

You can change the ratio of two exposures by varying the shutter speed, flash output, and distance to the subject. Everything. The ratio is independent of aperture or ISO because both aperture and ISO change both exposures at the same time. Meanwhile, the shutter speed allows you to independently control the external exposure, and the flash output and distance also independently change the flash exposure.

Flash compensation control logic is somewhat different in various systems. AT Canon cameras flash compensation and exposure compensation work completely independently, separately controlling flash exposure or external exposure. With Nikon, things are a bit more complicated: flash compensation also only applies to the flash, but exposure compensation controls general exposure, i.e. changes both external exposure and flash exposure at the same time. For example, if you set the flash compensation to -1 EV and the exposure compensation value to -0.3 EV, then the flash compensation will no longer be -1 EV, but -1.3 EV. However, you quickly get used to it.

Flash shooting indoors

A forward-facing on-camera flash is the worst light source imaginable. Firstly, the light source, located so close to the optical axis of the lens, deprives the photo of volume, and secondly, the small size of the flash makes it almost a point source, giving extremely hard light without transitions and halftones. The face of a person shot directly in the forehead with a flash appears flat and lifeless, his eyes are either red or screwed shut, and the background appears unnaturally dark, subject to the inverse square law.

You can remove the flash from the camera using either an extension cable or a remote sync system. However, the easiest and fastest way to modify the light of a camera flash is to bounce it off some bright surface. Of course, for this you need a flash with a rotary head. By aiming the flash, for example, at a white ceiling, you radically change the nature of the lighting. Now it is no longer a flash, but the ceiling is a source of light, and the light is soft, diffused and, moreover, falling in the most natural way from above.

The flash is aimed directly at the face.
Notice the shadow on the wall.

The flash is pointed at the ceiling.

Photos taken with bounce flash appear as if no flash was used. The scene gains volume and depth, and the action of the inverse square law is reduced due to a more even distribution of light.

The flash can be reflected not only from the ceiling, but also from the wall, if the design of the flash allows it. You can use the wall to your side to get a side light, or you can point the flash up and back, bouncing it off the ceiling and the wall behind you - this technique gives a particularly soft light.

Using walls to reflect flash light becomes especially important when the ceiling is too high and the flash output simply isn't strong enough. When shooting outdoors, the ceiling is also a rarity. In principle, you can use any sufficiently light object as a reflective surface. Even your comrade in a white T-shirt is able to reflect the light of the flash, if, of course, he agrees to it.

If the light from the flash is directed directly at the ceiling, then the model's eyes may be in the shadow. In this case, you should use a white card (the so-called "business card") attached to the flash, which reflects part of the light towards the model, highlighting the shadows and adding a glare to the eyes. Many flash models are initially equipped with such a card, however, it is not difficult to make it yourself.

The only negative of the reflected flash is the increased power consumption. Some of the light is absorbed by the ceiling or wall, and some is scattered, illuminating the interior. As a consequence, the flash must be at least four times brighter than when using the flash directly. However, the benefits of bounce flash are no doubt worth more frequent battery changes.

In order to make life easier for the flash and speed up its recycling time, I tend to use a wide aperture when shooting indoors, unless otherwise dictated by the need for a greater depth of field. ISO I usually set around 400 or 800, which on modern cameras gives a more or less tolerable noise level. Using fast lenses with a maximum aperture of f/1.8, or even f/1.4, is a great help when there is a lack of ambient light.

A fill flash is a flash used to illuminate shadows while the subject is already illuminated by an external light source.

In this photo, the exposure is set to the sky, and the face is backlit by the flash. Without flash, the landscape would have to be either overexposed or the portrait underexposed.

The most important application for fill flash is shooting in bright sunlight. Day with fire? Why use a flash when it's bright without it? The answer is simple: to soften the contrast.

Sunlight, especially in the middle of the day, is very harsh, and flash allows you to expose the highlights to brighten shadows that would be completely black without flash. When contrast is too high, highlighting shadows with a flash or reflector is vital. Otherwise, the faces of people in the photo will resemble masks. If you shoot against the light, then the backlight prevents the face from falling into darkness. The reflector is not always at hand, but the flash is built into almost every camera.

In addition, the flash adds a highlight to the eyes of the model, which makes the look more alive.

Fill flash can also be useful indoors, such as when a person is standing in front of a window. With a flash, you can capture a person, an interior, and a landscape outside a window.

Fill-flash is useful when shooting landscapes, as it allows you to bring out the details in the shadows of the foreground, while keeping the highlights intact.

In many cases, the flash built into the camera is sufficient, but the additional on-camera flash is more powerful, recharges more quickly and does not consume the camera battery.

The fill flash should not be obvious. The image should look natural, which requires the photographer to be moderate and even delicate in handling the flash. As a rule, you should not use the flash at full power, and even at the power offered by the camera's automatics. I almost always use negative flash compensation values. This is typically -1 EV for people and -1.7 EV for nature, although the compensation can vary significantly depending on shooting conditions.

The main problem with using a fill flash on a sunny day is that the flash output may not be strong enough. it has to compete with exceptionally bright sunlight. The contribution of the flash to the overall exposure is often too small compared to the external exposure.

If the flash is working at its limit, then the only way to change the ratio of the two exposures is to decrease the external exposure. How? Obviously, reducing the aperture will not help us, because in this way we will reduce the flash exposure at the same time as the external exposure. The only way out is to reduce the shutter speed, but in doing so, we will come across a significant limitation due to the synchronization shutter speed.

Sync Speed

The flash sync speed is the fastest shutter speed that can be used in flash photography.

Shutter speeds are faster than the sync speed determined by technical specification your camera cannot be used with flash. Why? The reason is in the design features of the mechanical curtain-slotted shutter SLR cameras.

The shutter consists of two shutters that can slide parallel to the plane of the sensor or film. Initially, the sensor is completely covered by the first curtain. When the shutter is released, the first (front) curtain moves to the side under the action of a spring, opening the matrix. At the end of the exposure, the matrix is ​​closed by the second (rear) curtain. Then the closed curtains synchronously return to their original position.

Curtains slide very quickly, but still not instantly. If a fast shutter speed is required, the rear curtain starts moving before the front curtain has finished. As a result, at high speeds shutter, the matrix is ​​illuminated through the gap between the curtains, which runs along the frame. Those. different areas of the frame are exposed sequentially, not simultaneously.

If the flash fires during such a short shutter speed, then only part of the frame will be exposed, namely the area over which the slit formed by the shutter curtains was located at the time of the pulse.

Thus, the sync shutter speed is the fastest shutter speed at which the entire sensor area is open at the same time. The limiting factor here is the shutter speed.

Obviously, the shorter the sync speed, the better. Professional SLR cameras have a flash sync speed of 1/250s. The younger ones reflex cameras- 1/180-1/200 s. Digital compact cameras with an electronic shutter can have a synchronization speed of the order of 1/500 s.

The importance of a fast sync speed becomes apparent when using fill flash on a sunny day. No matter how strange it may sound, but it is a short shutter speed that allows us to get a pulse of sufficient brightness from the flash.

To balance the sunlight, the flash output must be very high. How to increase the contribution of the flash to the overall exposure, if it is already working at full power? Raising the ISO is pointless, because. in this way, you will increase the sensitivity of the sensor not only to flash light, but also to external light, which will lead to overexposure. This will require a decrease in aperture, which will throw us back to our original position, because a small aperture will reduce again general brightness.

You can open the aperture wider - this will increase the brightness of the flash, however, the external exposure will also be increased. Now to subtract only outside exposure, you need to reduce the shutter speed, but you cannot reduce it further than the sync speed, and your camera will not let you do this.

A camera with a faster sync speed allows the use of large apertures, which increase the brightness of the flash while maintaining the correct external exposure. Those. a fast sync speed gives you the ability to shift the ratio of flash exposure to external exposure in favor of the flash.

A fast sync speed increases the usable flash distance, and at a constant distance, it allows the flash to operate at a lower power, which speeds up recharging and prolongs battery life.

Sometimes the limitations imposed by sync speed can be bypassed. For this, there is a so-called. high speed sync(FP or HSS).

In high-speed sync mode, the flash emits a series of low-power pulses, thus turning into a source of constant, rather than pulsed light. With constant light, you are free to use whatever shutter speed you like. Such an opportunity may seem very tempting, but in fact, the disadvantages of high-speed synchronization outweigh, in my opinion, its advantages. First, flash output in high-speed sync mode drops noticeably, thereby reducing the working distance. Secondly, power consumption increases greatly, requiring frequent battery replacement. Thirdly, the reload time is increased. The reason for all this is that since only a narrow strip of the sensor is illuminated by the flash at any given time during the exposure, most of the flash light is wasted. In a word, high-speed synchronization is not a bad thing, but it is just a surrogate for a full-fledged synchronization exposure.

Flash modes

Most cameras allow you to use the flash in the following standard modes:

Fill flash

Flash with no fuss. In exposure modes P and A (Av) there is a restriction minimum speed shutter, i.e. The maximum shutter speed that the camera can select when shooting with flash. This is usually 1/60s, but some cameras allow you to adjust this setting yourself.

Red eye reduction

The most useless mode. After pressing the shutter, the flash makes several preliminary pulses designed to narrow the pupils of the person being portrayed, and only then does the actual shooting take place. Not only is this method of little help in combating red eyes (and more often it just makes a person blink and squint), but it also gives you a second delay before releasing the shutter, allowing you to miss a frame in a wonderful way.

Slow sync

Unlike normal fill-flash mode, which is limited to a maximum shutter speed of 1/60s, slow sync leaves the shutter open for as long as a correct external exposure requires. As a result, not only the object is exposed, but also the background. Thus, slow sync allows you more control over the balance between flash exposure and external exposure.

Often it can take a lot of work to work out the background. long exposure– up to a few seconds – in this case, use a tripod.

In modes S (TV) and M slow flash sync is the same as normal because you can choose the shutter speed you need. During the day, when there is enough light, slow synchronization also does not provide any advantages.

Rear curtain sync

In fact, this is the same slow synchronization, providing a shutter speed sufficient to work out the background, but if slow synchronization the flash fires at the beginning of the exposure, i.e. immediately after the shutter opens, with rear-curtain sync, the flash waits for the exposure to end and fires just before the rear-curtain closes the sensor. This is necessary for the beautiful display of moving objects. If the flash fires at the beginning of the exposure, then you will get an image of the object frozen by the flash pulse and a blurry trail from its movement located in front of it, which looks stupid. When synchronizing on the rear curtain, the trail from the movement is located behind the object, which looks more natural.

I almost always use this mode - slow rear-curtain sync. If the shutter speed in exposure modes P or A turns out to be too long, I raise the ISO, or switch to mode S or M and set the shutter speed manually.

Flash camera modes

Various exposure modes ( P, S, A and M) suggest a slightly different approach to working with flash.

When I use fill flash on a sunny day, my camera is usually set to P(Program auto). This allows me not to think about the shutter speed of the synchronization. If the camera exposure meter rests on the sync speed, i.e. 1/250 s or 1/200 s, it automatically closes the aperture to a suitable value, protecting the frame from overexposure. In mode A or Av(aperture priority) I would have to constantly monitor the shutter speed, and, upon reaching the sync speed, reduce the aperture myself.

At dusk or indoors, when sync speed is not an issue and I'm primarily concerned about the lack of light, I switch to A (Av) and open the aperture to the limit. When using slow sync, the shutter speed is determined by the ISO settings. Ordinary synchronization does not allow shutter speeds to be longer than 1/60 s, which leads to underexposure of the background.

If the camera does not allow sufficient flexibility in auto ISO selection, you can switch to shutter priority mode ( S or TV) to manually select the minimum shutter speed that allows you to hold the camera steady, depending on the shooting conditions. The diaphragm will be fully open.

Mode P not very good for indoor flash photography, because its algorithm does not allow you to open the aperture to the limit, keeping it in the region of 4-5.6, which deprives you of the advantage of having fast lenses. It's better to use the mode A and the maximum aperture, and if you need a greater depth of field, reduce the aperture manually.

Full manual mode M requires, in my opinion, excessive attention to the camera - you have to personally control the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Also, many cameras don't have direct ISO controls on the body, and navigating through menus every time the lighting changes a little is tiring.

Using the mode M justified only when the lighting conditions remain unchanged, for example, in a studio. In ordinary life automatic modes provide greater flexibility and responsiveness.

How to avoid blinking?

An annoying feature of flash exposure metering with TTL metering is the evaluative pre-flash that fires before the shutter is released. The time interval between the preliminary and main flash pulses is small, but it is enough for a person with a good reaction to blink right at the time of the actual shooting. pets still in more subject to this effect.

There are two ways to deal with closed eyes in pictures.

The first method is obvious, but somewhat time consuming - switch the flash to manual mode, which excludes preliminary pulses, and select the flash power empirically.

The second method is not available on all cameras. Some models allow you to assign the Fn or AE-L/AF-L button the function flash lock(Flash Lock). Flash lock works as follows: after pressing the button, the flash fires an evaluative flash, and the camera calculates the flash exposure and remembers its value; now, when the shutter is released, the flash fires instantly, with a pre-calculated working output and without any pre-flashes. As long as the shooting angle and distance to the subject do not change, the flash exposure may remain locked.

Color balance

Flash light has a color temperature of 5000-6000 K, i.e. close to daylight. As a result, during the day, the color balance of objects illuminated by the flash is in harmony with the color balance of the background illuminated by external light.

When shooting at sunset or indoors under incandescent lighting, ambient lighting has a warm, yellow-orange tint. Under such conditions, flash light is much colder than ambient light. Depending on your white balance settings, you run the risk of either bluish-pale faces, bright orange backgrounds, or both.

To match the color of the flash with ambient light, use color filters worn over the flash diffuser. For some flash models, branded filters are available, but if they are not available, it is not difficult to make the necessary color filter with your own hands from transparent plastic in a shade that matches your needs.

Thank you for your attention!

Vasily A.

post scriptum

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Greetings, dear reader. I'm in touch with you, Timur Mustaev. The last article, as you remember, told about. But what to do if there is very little light, or rather, practically none? That's right, use additional light sources. But you need to do it wisely. Flash photography indoors, I will try to tell you today.

Work tool

First you need to figure out what can be useful to get a good result.

• First of all, external flash, and it is better if there are several of them.
• Secondly, a white card and scatterers (why they can be useful will be discussed a little later).
• Thirdly, the ability to navigate the camera settings, no matter how strange it may sound.

Here you should make a remark about the built-in flash. It's no secret that any camera can boast one, but good frame get with it is hardly possible (later you will understand why). In general, nothing more is needed if you want to get a decent shot. For the sake of a “masterpiece”, you need to assemble a studio with a softbox, flash lamps, background and more. It's expensive and impractical. At least not in our case.

I want to warn you right away that the article is focused on using an external flash!

Process

So with necessary tools, like, sort of figured it out. Now it's time to tell you how to use it all. First of all, you should make a few "sighting" shots with and without a flash on the machine. If none of these options suits you, welcome to the "creative" modes.

Mode selection

What mode to choose? Let's think logically. In low light conditions, we operate with three parameters: , and . All of them, of course, are important, and therefore these parameters should be used together. When using shutter priority mode (S - Nikon or Tv - Canon), you need to remember that taking pictures longer than 1/60 and shorter than 1/250 second with flash is not desirable. With the first, blurs will be obtained, and with the second, many flashes are limited in synchronization and do not exceed 1/250 of a second.

The ISO parameter is not as global as the others, therefore there is no separate mode for it: you can change ISO in almost any mode if necessary. It is important to remember that it is not necessary to increase the ISO excessively when using a flash!

Therefore, a commonly used solution would be aperture priority (A - Nikon or Av - Canon). In this mode, we control the incoming light flow to the matrix using a diaphragm.

There are times when there is no time to bother with the settings, just put it on the program mode (P), set the ISO from 100 to 800, depending on the lighting and camera model, and take pictures! And it is desirable to use a diffuser, more on that later.

Where to point the flash?

This question arises immediately after its installation, provided that the flash is external. The built-in one will not work for one simple reason: it can only “shoot” directly, which is not good. Colors with it often go into cold tones, the foreground is too bright when compared to the back, hard shadows appear, probably the appearance of a “flat face” effect.

This is also true for an external flash, if you take pictures in the forehead. But there are turning mechanisms on it, which allow us to achieve the results we need.

You can direct the beam of light at the ceiling or wall. Many photographers do this, but they all, as one, can tell you about the following nuances: the surface on which the flash is directed should not be too dark. If the colors on the ceiling are different from white, gray and similar light colors, then there is a high probability that the subject of photography will receive the color of the ceiling. For example, if the color of the ceiling is blue, the light reflected from the flash will also take on a bluish tint, and the subject will appear in blue tones.

The height is also important for the ceiling: the lower it is, the brighter the light will be. If these rules are not followed, then the object being photographed will not be illuminated as it should, or the light will turn out to be unnatural. To work with high ceilings, you can use a diffuser, which I will talk about a little later.

Important! If the ceiling is more than 3.5 m, then pointing the flash up at the ceiling does not make sense.

It should also be remembered about the famous optical law: the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. When shooting indoors with a flash, you will always need to remember about it. It is he who makes it clear why it is not necessary to direct the flash strictly vertically upwards in some cases. It should be tilted slightly forward, but not so much as to look directly at the object. In most cases, the best option there will be an inclination of the flash, approximately 45 degrees.

white card

When shooting portraits in this way, you may notice that some facial features are too dark. This can be corrected by the so-called "white card". It will allow a small beam of light to be reflected towards the person being photographed and highlight the dark areas of his face. Some manufacturers, by the way, complete their flashes with an additional LED that can replace the white card.

A small piece of white paper, a business card, a work pass, a travel card can serve as such a device ... Anything, as long as it is plain white. There are flashes that are equipped with such a useful little thing by default. There, a piece of white plastic plays the role of a white card. In normal mode, it is hidden from view, but it can be easily reached using a special button on the flash.

If you don't have a white card, don't worry. On my first flash, it was not there either, and I purchased a special device, the so-called white card reflector(I also took it on Aliexpress). The picture below shows how it looks and is attached to the flash. One side is silver and the other is white, very comfortable. Worth every penny.

Why is this card sometimes so useful? Everything is very simple. When we shoot the flash up, without using a map, the entire beam of light is evenly reflected onto the subject. But when we want to shoot, for example, a person's face, then the reflected light around the eyes, under the nose, and so on, will not be sufficient, a shadow will appear. We need to reflect a small beam of light, once from the flash, to get rid of the small shadows on the face and make the pupils shine. For this purpose, the white card on the flash is used.

It reflects about 3-5% of the light from the flash, which gives the effect we want.

Using diffusers

It is possible to point the flash at the forehead of the subject only if a special diffuser is installed on it. There are different types of diffusers. They can be made of translucent plastic, which is more compact and often used, or more bulky, made from a special cloth material, but more effective.

How do you understand we are talking about diffusers for an external flash!

How is it attached? Everything is again elementary simple. Plastic, looks like a cap that is attached to the edge of the flash. As for the rag, it is also put on the front of the flash and is attached to the back of it with special clips. After installation, the diffusers are kept quite stable, which does not cause discomfort when photographing.

Plastic and rag I purchased diffusers on Aliexpress, for a small price and was satisfied. Just before buying, be sure to pay attention to whether they fit your flash model!

How to set the exposure?

For sure, if you are shooting under incandescent light, the color of your image may turn out to be with a yellow tint, or vice versa, with a bluish tint. Fixing this is quite simple: in the white balance settings, you need to select the appropriate lighting mode. If your camera is guided exclusively by Kelvins (light temperature, hence it is customary to talk about cold and warm tones), then you should remember the school physics course.

Our eye is accustomed to the fact that during the day we perceive light at 5000-6000 Kelvin, this corresponds to normal sunlight. The flash, whether built-in or external, operates at the same temperature. In a room, illuminated by incandescent lamps, giving out 3000 Kelvin of light, everything will seem more “warm”, and in an office with fluorescent lighting, on the contrary, it will be “cold”.

So, in order to adjust the white balance to work in the first case, you need to lower the color temperature, and in the second - raise it. Then the picture will be normal under any circumstances. Of course, there is an easier option: turn on the machine gun and take a few "zero" shots, preferably on a white background. I advise you the last option, since the device will automatically set everything up much faster and fewer moments will be lost.

Well, still try to set the white balance in accordance with the lighting. If the light of a fluorescent lamp is used in the room, then also set the camera settings - fluorescent lamp, if the room uses an incandescent lamp, similar settings must be made in the white balance settings in the camera, that is, set - incandescent lamp.

White balance is easy to edit, provided you're shooting in RAW and not JPEG. For example, all this can be easily corrected in the LIghtroom editor. A very good editor, which is used by many photographers, including myself. If you know little about it or understand it poorly, then to your aid, one of the best and proven video courses " Lightroom is an indispensable tool for the modern photographer.».

If you are interested in a more in-depth study of your camera in a visual form, want to figure out what it can and is like, then study the course "" or " My first MIRROR". You will open your eyes to many features of your camera that you never even imagined. You will learn not just to take pictures, but to create masterpieces.

Digital SLR for beginners 2.0- for NIKON SLR camera fans.

My first MIRROR- for fans of the CANON SLR camera.

Finally, I just want to remind you that all the techniques described here have been personally tested by me.

Thank you for staying with me, I really appreciate it, and I understand that my work is not without trace. Tell your friends about my blog and encourage them to subscribe to it, there are a lot of interesting articles ahead of you. See you later!

All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.

Dmitry 03.03.2013 15:29
Dima did not know where to write this question, I will write here. And there is a very big difference between flash and raw photo processing. I mean that, for example, by pointing the flash at the wall, as I understand it, there is more fill light, but in the camera raw program, you can also increase the fill light and exposure greatly. I’m asking because I don’t have a flash, but I tried to take pictures: a very dark frame indoors and in the camera I corrected it to a photo taken in the same place with the correct exposure and it seems that there is a strong difference and there isn’t any?

Photographer Dmitry Kochetkov 03.03.2013 15:59
Thanks for the question.
To begin with, when processing a file in any program, you still have to work with the source and the better it is, the better the image will be in the end.
If you pull out an image from a dark raw image with the correct exposure, in fact it is the same as increasing the ISO sensitivity directly when shooting. As a result of such an increase in iso, image quality suffers greatly: first of all, a decrease in sharpness, contrast, an increase in the number digital noise. Therefore, compensating for the lack of flash by processing from raw is not an option. The difference was imperceptible, apparently because when shooting with a flash, the iso value was set higher and the light from the flash just “finished off” the light a little, but was not decisive!

In addition, do not forget that an external flash can simulate chiaroscuro (not only fill), which in most cases is more interesting than the natural shadows from lamps / chandeliers in the room.

Now there are many alternatives to expensive native flashes from Nikon and Canon. For example, Nissin is a decent Chinese version for a sane 5000r. And if you learn how to use it correctly - there will be no limit to joy!
Successful photo experiments and good photos. Contact us!

Dmitry 03.03.2013 18:16
It turns out that it is possible then if there is no experience, then set the iso smaller, and are not afraid a little dark photography after all, processed raw, you can gradually increase the sensitivity, as it were, so as not to overdo it?

Photographer Dmitry Kochetkov 03.03.2013 18:32
Usually photos are darkened a little on purpose when shooting in the sun, in order to avoid overexposure for sure!
And indoors, I recommend setting manual parameters and using an external flash, while minimizing iso. In most cases, the automation does not work perfectly, and the conditions are also different (shades of the ceilings, the presence of mixed lighting), and therefore often photos have to be brought up anyway. But I would not specifically create conditions for increasing iso in the future!
Shoot with an external flash - this is a flexible and convenient tool and, I'm sure, many questions will disappear by themselves!

Why do photographers use an external flash? Any photographer sooner or later faces such a problem as lack of lighting. And often the conditions are such that you can’t do without a good flash. Of course, almost all cameras have a built-in flash. Moreover, in many DSLRs, the flash has a convenient and flexible system of settings that allows you to significantly expand its capabilities. And yet, at

The built-in flash has a number of important advantages over the built-in:

• the location of the external flash can be changed;
• external flash does not make the image flat;
• often the power of the built-in flash is not enough (because of this, the foreground may be overexposed, and the background, on the contrary, too dark);
• an external flash puts the work of a photographer in poor lighting to a whole new level;
• an external flash allows you to control the light flux (for example, you can point the flash at the ceiling, so that the object will be illuminated by reflected light);
• you can adjust the brightness, range and other parameters yourself;
• the external flash has its own power, so its operation will not affect the battery charge in any way;

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There are a few stereotypes that put you off buying an external flash. The first is the misconception that only professionals can use an external flash. However, anyone can set up a flash, even those who are not friends with technology.

Another stereotype concerns the price of flashes - many people think they are very expensive. Now there are both expensive and cheap external flashes on the market. At the same time, they are focused mainly on beginner photographers. Therefore, before choosing an external flash, it would be nice to find out what they are.

What are external flashes

In this article, we will not talk about all the classifications of flash units and will not go into detail about studio and special flash units. We will only talk about those built-in flashes that are attached directly to the camera. And at the same time we classify them according to one parameter - by price.

Inexpensive External Flashes

The price of such external flashes starts at an average of 2000 rubles. Often they are called "amateur". Their main advantage is high power and the ability to work at a very decent distance. They can even be used with telephoto lenses. Otherwise, cheap external flashes are not far from built-in flashes. And besides, they are almost always powered by a camera. In cheap flashes, there is no way to redirect the flow of light (for example, to the ceiling or to the side to illuminate the object with reflected light). For this reason, you should only buy cheap external flashes if you know for sure that you need a bright flash for a long distance. For this reason, such flash units cannot be called "amateur" ones. Rather, they are intended for a narrow circle of people or simply for certain situations.

External flashes semi-professional and professional

Let's say right away that the definitions "semi-professional" and "professional" were invented by marketers so that the buyer would dream of buying an expensive professional flash, regardless of whether he needs it or not. In fact, the difference between professional and semi-professional flashes is due to the price, which is driven by performance. It is on them that you need to pay attention before choosing an external flash.

Characteristics of flashes of external type for cameras:

1. The guide number is the most important indicator. It is responsible for power and is measured in meters. The guide number is equal to that distance from the subject to the flash. In this case, the object at the aperture value
2. F=1 and ISO 100 has the correct exposure. In other words, this is the maximum possible distance at which the object will not be overexposed and will be evenly lit. In almost all flashes, this value can be adjusted.
3. The minimum time for the flash to charge. This parameter is responsible for the recharge time between shots. If you want to shoot static objects, then it is not important. And if you plan to make dynamic reports, then this parameter is perhaps the most important. The seconds you lose between shots can sometimes be fatal. It is worth mentioning one caveat: the higher the power of the flash, the longer it takes to recharge. As a rule, the documentation indicates the maximum possible time at maximum power.
4. TTL (Through-The-Lens) is a special system that allows an external flash to measure the desired exposure (auto power setting). For a beginner, this is a very useful feature. Therefore, before choosing an external flash, you should pay attention to this parameter. There are other systems in which exposure metering is calculated not only taking into account the number of light rays, but also taking into account the distance to the subject. And of course, such flashes are more expensive.
5. Auto zoom is a useful feature that comes in handy if the focal length(delete or approach). If there is an auto zoom, then the external flash itself adjusts to the changed angle. The advantage of such a flash is also in obtaining quality images and in energy savings.

If you want to photograph static scenes with an external flash, then the most important thing you really need is the presence of a rotary head. Therefore, cheap external flashes are suitable for such a task. If the subject of photography will be small children or animals, then you will have to spend money. First, you need an external flash with high power and the shortest possible recycle time. But the price of such flashes starts from 10,000 rubles.

I think everyone imagines what it looks like built-in flash for the camera and even most use it for shooting (mostly indoors with poor lighting). I very rarely use the built-in flash for shooting, and these extreme cases fall on the shooting of some kind of home gatherings that do not pretend to be highly artistic. Despite my dislike for the built-in flash, let's try to highlight some of its advantages:

— built-in flash - some kind, but light source. If you desperately need to take a picture in a dark room in the absence of fast lens or additional light sources, the built-in flash is at your fingertips!

— When shooting with the built-in flash, exposure is automatically metered. True, this is a dubious plus, because the flash on the machine is most often white faces on a black background.

- compactness - probably the most advantageous "plus" of the built-in flash. However, the small size, which allows you to fit both a camera and a flash in a bag, turns out to be a serious drawback in terms of the nature of the lighting.

So let's move on to the disadvantages. built-in flash:

Hard shadows, flat picture (no volumes on the face) - due to the small area of ​​​​the light source, the light turns out to be hard. And hard light is characterized by strong highlights and deep shadows. Therefore, most of the photos taken with the built-in flash are faces with a greasy sheen on the forehead, nose, cheeks, with sharp shadows near the nose and under the chin. Often, the built-in flash knocks out the face or some areas of the skin in overexposure.

- the inability to change the direction of the flow of light leads to the classic "puff in the forehead." In combination with hard light at close range, a flat picture is obtained. Positioning the flash directly above the lens creates illumination similar to that of a flashlight built into a helmet. Remember what people's faces look like.

- the inability to adjust the power of the light pulse during built-in flash makes it unusable. The only thing you can change in the settings is the metering method and flash exposure compensation (this can only slightly vary the flash output).

- the low power of the built-in flash leads to the fact that the light does not reach distant objects and allows you to shoot only at close range. And this, in turn, leads to "puff in the forehead" at close range. Vicious circle. How to get out of it? Learn to shoot using external flash.

External flash - what you win by purchasing it to replace the built-in one.

An external flash is usually attached to the camera using a special type of mount called a "hot shoe". It is in all SLR cameras.

In order to objectively compare the built-in and external flash, let's highlight a few basic parameters that affect the quality of any flash. So:

And now let's compare the work with built-in and external flash.

Comparison criterion	Built-in flash (SLR cameraCanonEOS)	external flash (variation depending on the model)
Guide number
Pulse power regulation	None (except flash exposure compensation mode)	1/8 to 1/128 (plus a few intermediate values, depending on the model)
Pulse Direction Control		Up to 97° vertical Up to 360° horizontal
Illumination Angle	About 27 mm	Up to 14 mm (with built-in diffuser)

If we make a comparison based on subjective factors, then external flash needed in order to:

- highlight, but not "kill with light" the subject. To do this, you can use a small impulse and direct the flash a little from above and to the side (simulating natural sunlight).

- use reflected light, which draws soft shadows and midtones. The easiest way to use bounced light is to point an external flash at the ceiling or wall of the room. Just make sure that the walls do not turn out to be a bright color, otherwise colored highlights will appear on people's faces. Such a number will not work in rooms with dark walls that will only absorb light. external flash. Ideally, the walls or ceiling should be white.

- shoot with an external flash using a sync cable or radio synchronizer. It sounds complicated, but in fact, everything is nowhere simpler. An external flash can be removed from the camera and put on a tripod, stand, or simply held with your left hand, directing the light slightly to the side. For the flash to fire when the shutter is released, sync must be used. The latest camera models have built-in remote synchronization with "native" flashes. When using a non-native flash or not so advanced camera, you will need an additional device - for wired synchronization (cable) or wireless synchronization (infrared or radio synchronizer). Learn more about flash photography with remote control I will write separately.

- build any lighting schemes from external flashes which can be used both indoors and outdoors. Such a mobile and compact studio, which is indispensable for professional filming in any conditions.

In this article, I only briefly touched on the topic of using flashes in photography. We have yet to figure out when and how to shoot with flash indoors and outdoors, how to "pump" your flash, and much, much more. But that, as they say, is a completely different story ...

Good pictures for you!