Key Points
- Your on-camera flash and your camera must use the same type of TTL to function correctly.
- A flash with a rotating/swiveling flash head is recommended.
- Flash modifiers designed to disperse and bounce light are designed for indoor use. They don’t really do much for you outdoors.
- Get to know your camera’s controls. Specifically, learn how to set and use Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes. In Manual mode, you have full control over ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. These three settings are interdependent when it comes to overall exposure. If you’re just starting out, it will take time to understand the exposure triangle, but it will be worth the effort.
Flash Modifiers
When your flash fires, it emits a brief yet potent burst of light. This light comes from a small flash tube and is channeled through a lens on the flash head. The result? A light source roughly the size of a business card. The downside to this is that small light sources can produce harsh, unflattering light, which is generally not what we’re aiming for in portrait photography.
My go-to method for achieving softer light with on-camera flash is simple: aim the flash at a large, light-colored surface like a wall and use it as the primary light source for your portrait. However, there are alternative solutions for softening your flash’s output.
A popular choice is a flash modifier, such as the well-known STO-FEN Omni-Bounce. This piece of plastic fits over the flash head and disperses light in multiple directions, broadening the beam’s spread. While this doesn’t technically produce softer light, it does scatter the flash’s output onto surrounding walls and ceilings. This allows the light to bounce back toward your subject from various angles, thereby reducing contrast. And it’s this reduction in contrast that gives us the appearance of softer light.
If you’re in a setting without a wall or another large surface to bounce light off, consider using a bounce card like the one demonstrated in the video. This can enhance your portrait by creating a larger initial light source aimed at your subject. An added bonus is that the flash head also directs a significant amount of light toward the ceiling, which then bounces back down, further reducing contrast.
3rd-Party Flash Units
There are several good alternatives to Canon, Nikon, Sony and other manufacturer’s flash offerings. Godox/Flashpoint, Yongnuo, and others make affordable 3rd-party options. Make sure you get flash units designed to work with your specific camera TTL system.
Other Flash Features
Here is a short list of some other flash features you might find useful in other scenarios:
- High-Speed Sync (HSS). With compatible external flash units, your system can utilize High-Speed Sync, also known as FP Sync. This feature enables your camera to use shutter speeds faster than those typically recommended for flash photography—sometimes up to the highest speed your camera can handle. While this is useful for daylight fill-flash photography, be aware that HSS will result in a weaker flash output compared to using standard, slower shutter speeds. Use it when needed, but steer clear if you’re aiming to maximize your flash output.
- Front and Rear Curtain Sync. The flash’s burst of light is much shorter in duration than the shutter speeds you’d normally use with flash. This gives you the option to decide when that burst should occur—either near the beginning or the end of the exposure. This choice becomes significant when you’re capturing both ambient and flash light. Front curtain sync fires the flash at the start of the exposure and then stops, allowing the camera to continue capturing ambient light. Rear curtain sync, on the other hand, fires the flash near the end of the exposure, after gathering ambient light. One effect of using front curtain sync is that any motion streaks from a moving subject will appear ahead of them, while rear curtain sync results in a more natural “trailing” pattern behind the subject.
- Multi/Stroboscopic Flash. This mode on your flash produces a series of flashes within a single exposure, ideal for special effects that capture a subject’s movements as distinct flash exposures. While the applications for this feature may be limited in most photography styles, it’s crucial to know that firing your flash too frequently in quick succession could damage it.