It’s in the flash
Have you ever heard photographers say things like, “I never use flash if I can help it” or “I hate using flash”? I have never been in the camp who disregards flash as a viable tool to get the photo. If used properly there can be a lot of fun to be had with flash.
But most modern digital cameras can attain such high ISO that it allows people to get the shot without flash, making it unnecessary in most instances. Film cameras are more limiting, and flash is a necessary alternative during low light situations.
If you shoot film or a digital camera, right now is a good time to dust off that old flash unit and give it a try. The key to flash is practice and if you play around with it long enough, you will master it in most situations. Flash can give you a look that makes you happy and brings moments into a different light. Ok corny play on words yes but you know what I mean.
Mastering Flash
Mastering flash on a film camera can be more daunting as the results are not immediate. Also, it depends if your film camera is through the lens metering (TTL) or older than that with manual flash setting capability. A technique I have used in the past to great effect while learning flash on a specific film camera is by taking notes on flash settings and frame count. That way when you recieve your film from the lab you can determine the flash settings to the image and quantify if specific settings worked in specific situations. It should only take a roll of film to understand how the flash works with your particular camera.
Digital of course is much easier as you can get immediate results. In a lot of ways though the settings you use on a digital camera will not work as well on film because of the different technologies. Digital cameras have an issue with highlights and the flash power needed is not that high. Film has more latitude which makes it more forgiving, but in most cases does require more light to make the image a success. The two images I am posting below were taken with the Contax G1 which is a late model TTL camera. The flash unit on a Contax G1 is excellent and requires less skill to get great flash photos. The take-away message here is that it takes some practice to get it right. Learning how to use flash on your camera is a good skill to have, even if you do not use it very often.
