Flash is a device which provides additional light to a scene. It can be used to help fill in a dark area of a photo, to provide light if there isn't sufficient light to begin with, or it can help to improve the composition of a particular photo, by creating your own source of light.
3
votes
3answers
379 views
How can I get nice, vivid colors in food photography without blown-out brightness from the flash?
Whenever I click pictures of people and food using flash, the whole picture becomes bright. When I click without flash, the camera takes in the light from the surroundings and gives me a monotonous ...
1
vote
3answers
188 views
Where should one go in terms of equipment for event shooting after a D7000 kit?
I'm still new at photography -- really, it is going to be a long while before I can get close to the potential out of the D7000 kit. However, Microsoft recently has been giving me the opportunity to ...
12
votes
2answers
5k views
How can I get a black background in daylight using flash sync speed with no extra gear?
I have seen sports photography where the background is completely wiped out (black) during daylight. I'm trying to achieve a similar (pure black background) effect with no extra gear, just a DSLR ...
10
votes
2answers
438 views
Which flashes are weather-proofed?
With some effort, it's possible to find out which camera models and lens have weather sealing. However, there seems to be little information available on weather-sealed flashes.
From another answer ...
9
votes
7answers
3k views
Why does using flash sometimes create these white spots in the photo?
I have an Olympus FE-190. When I take a picture, with flash on Digital Image Stabilizer (DIS) mode, I get white spots in pictures. This doesn't happen always.
There is only an option called Pixel ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
What is a good softbox for small hotshoe flash?
What are the good softboxes for a small flash like a Canon Speedlite 430EX, for example?
6
votes
4answers
437 views
In low light, does it make sense to use a normal house light bulb instead of a flash?
Actually, yesterday I shot a photograph indoors with a tubelight (on the wall) and a flash on. The results were "too" boring. The flash had robbed away all the natural looks of the scene.
Does ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
What post-processing methods work best to “fix” photos that are blown out from flash?
Even when bouncing flash off the ceiling or nearby walls, you can occasionally blow out or overexpose a picture.
What methods work best in Lightroom 3 or other software to reduce or eliminate the ...
6
votes
2answers
739 views
Why does my old Quantaray flash not work on my newer Canon DSLR?
I have an older Quantaray QTB-7500A flash with the Canon TTL module. I used this with my old Canon EOS Elan 35mm which died a few years back. I recently bought a Canon Rebel XSi, because I could use ...
5
votes
2answers
224 views
Can using an old flash damage a new DSLR if it never fired?
my daughter found my old flash (20+ years old) and tried it on her canon T3i. It didn't recognize it and it never fired, but she tried the shutter button. Could this have damaged her camera even if it ...
5
votes
5answers
367 views
What is needed for a photoshoot in a concert?
I have been invited to take some photos from an ensemble in a conservatory. I do photography a lot, but mostly outdoors and this is going to be my first experience.
I have a Canon 50D with 2 lenses: ...
4
votes
3answers
73 views
What are the most important features to look for in a low budget hotshoe flash and why?
When trying to get started with flash photography, there are a lot of new options, features and techniques that a photographer gets thrown in to. When starting on a budget, what features will give a ...
4
votes
1answer
166 views
How does dragging the shutter work?
I am reading a photography book which talk about dragging the shutter when a flash is used. It just tell me how to do this trick but doesn't explain why.
Can someone here tell me more about how it ...
4
votes
3answers
806 views
How does commander mode on a Nikon camera body differ from commander mode a on SB-700 Speedlight?
My Nikon D80 and new Nikon SB-700 both offer Commander mode. I have two questions:
When NOT in wireless mode (that is, when the flash is plugged into the hot shoe either directly or with a cable), ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
What third-party speedlite/flashes are available for Nikon?
I'm looking for a flash with a budget of < $200. I have a Nikon D3100, and I'm a beginner with photography, who is taking some classes and wants some flexibility with a decent bounce flash.
I was ...
3
votes
2answers
400 views
What features should one look for when selecting a flash?
I have been thinking of getting a flash to improve my low light photography (particularly indoors). However, there seem to be a number of different models available at similar price points (budget of ...
3
votes
1answer
539 views
How can I tell if the built-in flash on my dSLR is broken beyond self-repair?
My built-in flash D50 is broken. It is popping up, but it isn't flashing. It fell down, so is it broken, or can I still fix it?
2
votes
1answer
323 views
What is the relationship between Guide Number and flash power level?
From this post, I understand that the flash guide number (GN) is given by the following formula:
Guide Number = Shooting Distance × f-number ÷ ISO factor
I'm assuming that the GN calculated via the ...
1
vote
3answers
242 views
How do TTL flash metering systems calculate how much power is needed?
Does anyone know how TTL calculates the amount of power to put in after the preflash is done? I understand that the value is somewhat brand specific, but what is the general logic? Because if you ...
1
vote
4answers
158 views
Which flash modes use the least power?
Cameras have a variety of flash modes (e.g. Fill-in Flash, Slow Shutter Flash, High-Speed Sync, Rear Curtain Sync, Slow Sync Flash, etc..)
So, which are the flash modes that use the least power ...
1
vote
3answers
455 views
Would this IR-transparent plastic be useful for blocking unwanted control flash?
Pentax's wireless P-TTL system is optical, and requires a control flash. I'm using the built-in flash on my camera, but one can also use a hotshoe-mounted flash with the right feature set. If you have ...
1
vote
3answers
162 views
What flash unit should I choose for taking photos on a night boat cruise?
I'm going to a boat cruise tonight in London. With the following kit to choose from:
Nikon D7000
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6
Nikon SB-400
Yongnuo YN-465
I need to make a choice ...
