How often do you use a ad on flash

[gavpedz]

I am wondering how often you guys use a add on flash you know on the hot shoe i am wondering if my trouble with some of my pictures is due to not using or using the built in flash?

 

[dod]

To answer the question literally, a lot.

However, what sort of problems are you having, flash may not be the answer.

 

[gavpedz]

To be honest i am still very new and am still feeling lost. At times i take pics that look great untill i look at them at 100% on pc then see that they are blurred and are not crisp like some on here.

I am not sure if it is because i only have a 17.5-45mm lens and maybe at full zoom the pics are struggling, or it is because for some of the pics i need a better flash than the built in one.

Here is an example i was at a carnival the other day taking a few pics another tog was there using an add on flash now it was sunny and bright i thought to my self do i need a flash? but it is sunny and bright?

I have so many questions, i don't know where to start lol. i keep taking pics adjusting as i go but still feel at times i am doing it all wrong.

 

[gavpedz]

To be honest i am still very new and am still feeling lost. At times i take pics that look great untill i look at them at 100% on pc then see that they are blurred and are not crisp like some on here.

I am not sure if it is because i only have a 17.5-45mm lens and maybe at full zoom the pics are struggling, or it is because for some of the pics i need a better flash than the built in one.

Here is an example i was at a carnival the other day taking a few pics another tog was there using an add on flash now it was sunny and bright i thought to my self do i need a flash? but it is sunny and bright?

I have so many questions, i don't know where to start lol. i keep taking pics adjusting as i go but still feel at times i am doing it all wrong.

Here are my latest pics http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=75483

but same goes sunset ones look ok but at 100% they are not sharp and blurred.

 

[dod]

a couple of the shots in there are at 1/6 and 1/8th. Do you use a tripod because those are extremely low speeds if they're handheld. To be fair though they look sharp enough at those sizes.

 

[gavpedz]

Yes they are not bad at those sizes but bigger they don't look great. I don't have a tripod at the mo but i was using a fence to rest on.

the only equipment i have at present is E410 and 17.5-45mm lens.

 

[PaulChilly]

If you want to get to grips with lighting there's always strobist.com. Well worth the effort IMHO.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

re the tog using a flash at the carnival in sunlight, that would be for fill light rather than lighting up the whole scene in the way you would traditionally think of a flash being used.

For example, this shot from your website

would have benefited greatly from some fill flash to illuminate the wee boy's face.

Here are a couple of shots to illustrate what I mean

In the first one I have taken a straight shot, with the sun behind the subject as in your shot

and here is the same shot, but with the addition of fill light from an off-camera SB-600 connected to the camera by a cord

Using the onboard flash on your camera is a no-no, you really need a flashgun and ideally some way of triggering off camera, either a set of remote triggers like the Cactus ones from Ebay, or a cable, which would allow you to use the ttl metering on your camera.

 

[gavpedz]

Oh i see now i am making some sense of this thank you very much. ;-) all criticism and advice is making all the difference at the mo. I am on a big learning curve