The Flash

Right guys

I never ever use the flash on my camera? Why?

I never see the need for it and find it just makes my pictures blue and the back ground dark?

Where am I going wrong and when should I use it? If I ever want more light in some thing I just increase the fill light when shooting in raw.

Are there any guides on how to use a simple flash? The pros/cons of it?

Scott

What you can do with the pop-up is limited, but it's quite good for fill-in flash outdoors and if you don't want dark backgrounds, you have to drop the shutter speed to balance the ambient light with the flash.

Then get a separate flash gun and try bouncing it it - basically point it anywhere except directly at the subject. The ceiling is a good place to start. Take it from there, learn a bit about light, how it works and how to use it, practise, learn from that, practise some more.

Scott,

Only you will know whether you need to use flash or not. Essentially, the built-in flash is there for a quick snap when necessary and you have no other.

If you do need to use a flash, you need an external unit such as the SB-600. It is a more than capable unit and fairly inexpensive. It can bounced in most directions and, as Richard points out, throw the light at anything but the subject and you will have all kinds of different and interesting effects.

It is a matter of time practising and learning, depending on what you wish to use it for. There is multitude of articles and also many tutorial videos online to help you.

Simon

I have a love/hate relationship with flash, much preferring to work with natural ambient light where possible, but there's no denying they're a pretty much essential tool sometimes for fill flash on dull days and any indoor shots - they're the essential tool of any wedding photographer. You're missing a lot by discounting the value of flash.

Don't under-estimate the usefulness of your built-in flash. Although the range is limited they can produce very good results.

I can't see why flash produces blue pictures for you unless you're setting a wrong white balance - tungsten probably? Flash has the same colour temperature as daylight, so the wb should be set to either 'Flash' or 'Sunshine' - I find it doesn't really matter which.

Using the 5D compared to the 7D I never miss the onboard flash. It absolutely kills the battery and gives such harsh shadows that it is in my mind worthless, and even a temptation to not learn how to take proper photos for those who aren't so technically minded. Even for parties in dark environments, a high ISO with a wide aperture at a decent shutter speed I only like flash for fill, otherwise it removes all context from the photo as it renders the background invisible.

Don't get me wrong, flash is such a great tool when used correctly, but it just ends up being a crutch for so many people.

Scott - flash is one of those things that people either get totally, or they just use as a fix of some sorts without really delving deeper into it because it doesn't interest them.

I use flash for a massive amount of my work, tailoring the amount of flash use and the type of flash use to the magazine I'm shooting for.

Where I see it's biggest value is to improve the light you already have. I shoot throughout the year and there are two main times that flash, both on-camera and off-camera, is invaluable. The first is on those dull, dark days when I need some extra light, plain and simple. The second is in high summer when the sun is high and the light is terrible through the middle of the day, all shadows and highlights. Flash helps me controls the shadow.

If you're using just a pop-up flash then I can't really give you any pointers others than watch the flash power and what surfaces it hits and what surfaces it hits first (to avoid blown highlights). Diffusion is possible but it's not going to be as effective as diffusing a larger, more adaptable light source.

If you're thinking about buying a flashgun then you need to A) read up on using flash and how it affects both the exposure and how you think about the mechanics of a shot (ISO, shutter, aperture), and B) experiment to gain a good idea of what the flash can do and how you can then apply it to your photography.

Aside from the initial concept of aperture and shutter speed, using flash is probably the next most talked about subject for aspiring photographers because it's easy to see how a flash affects a photograph, but not so easy to understand how.

I suggest that you look at the strobist website and/or buy a book called 'Light: science & magic' - both are invaluable resources, especially strobist, which has a 101 section for people starting out.

Scott,

Perhaps you should think about what situations you have absolutely had to use the flash in, and learn that part. Then think about other situations you are currently shooting with no flash, where it might help.

Thank you all for the time to comment. I will take all the advice offered on board.