Mastering Digital Flash Photography

Electronic flash not only brings light to a photograph, it can be an important artistic tool--if you’ve acquired the knowledge to use it creatively. To master those skills, digital photographers need only turn to this complete reference. Packed with inspirational photos, it takes the mystery out of flash, covering every type of equipment and explaining such essentials as guide numbers, sync speeds, white balance, and more. Photographers will see how fill flash can decrease contrast and shadows in outdoor portrait photography, understand how to control the light using bounce and multiple flash techniques, and expertly employ high-speed and rear curtain synchronization to create impressive motion-blur images. Everything you need to know is here--including a section on studio flash and computer processing.

This guide opens with in-camera flash basics, then moves to topics such asxposure flash readings, detachable units, flash guide numbers, bounce flash,nd fill flash, then covers advanced methods for using off-camera flash,lash brackets, power packs, remote triggering, and other techniques.

* The complete guide to mastering the technical challenges of lighting and flash * Explores locations, subjects and styles, and all the technical skills, tools and tips needed to master them * Written by multi award-winning photographer Richard Bradbury Aimed at the serious amateur, this is a practical guide to achieving professional results in digital photography. Light is at the very heart of photography and plays a fundamental role in creating successful images. Not only does light affect brightness, it also determines tone, mood, atmosphere, texture, colour and luminosity. Mastering Lighting & Flash Photography contains everything you need to know about controlling and manipulating light to capture the beauty of the world around you in your own signature style. Written and photographed by a multi award-winning photographer, the book describes and demonstrates all the key topics: from understanding light and how to use it; through choosing the best kit and mastering the essential techniques; to different forms of flash photography and studio lighting, tips from leading professionals, and elevating your prints in post-production. .

Make a big impression with small flashes! In this book, Tilo Gockel shows you how to make magic by mastering the use of light. You will learn how to use speedlights to create amazing photographs in any lighting situation. Tilo uses 40 lighting workshops to teach his methods for producing impressive flash shots in portrait, fashion, macro, food, still life, and high-speed photography. The richly illustrated, easy-to-understand workshops are filled with recommendations and instructions for flash setups, detailed lighting diagrams, and tips and tricks for how to achieve the look of high-end studio shots using simple, accessible equipment, even in your own home. Also included is information on the settings that will help you master complex multi-flash situations, as well as tips on how to create cost-effective, self-built accessories. Foreword by Strobist.com's David Hobby.

"A must-read for those who want to enhance their digital photography experience." —George Schaub, Editorial Director, Shutterbug and eDigitalPhoto magazines With a three or more megapixel digital camera or a good scanner, affordable image-editing software, and a photo-realistic printer, you have all the tools you need to create absolutely stunning images. But understanding all your options and getting the best possible results can be daunting. What features should you look for in a digital camera? What accessories do you need? How do you capture the best possible images with your digital equipment--and make corrections when you don't? What are the advantages of RAW capture? How can you get consistently great prints? Peter K. Burian, coauthor of the best-selling National Geographic Photography Field Guide, has taken the digital plunge and lived to write about it. The result is a practical, accessible guide that demystifies the world of digital photography and imaging--a must-read whether you're a photography enthusiast making the leap to digital, a gadget lover looking for the latest technology, a novice photographer, or anybody who regularly works with images. Inside you'll find: A buyer's guide to the essential equipment and software: learn the pros and cons of compact digicams versus digital SLR cameras; choose a suitable scanner; find the right imaging program for your needs; select the perfect photo printer Focusing, composition, and lighting tips for making snapshots that you'll be proud of Pro tips and techniques for using all your camera's advanced features Techniques for getting scans of exceptional quality, whether you're scanning prints, slides, or negatives Recommendations on upgrading your computer and peripherals for digital imaging Professional methods for fine-tuning your images in the digital darkroom Techniques for creating color or black-and-white prints of exhibition quality Tips on optimizing your images for use in e-mail, online albums, and web pages

In this updated, second edition of the authoritative, bestselling Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography, photographer NK Guy brings the book fully up to date, with coverage of all the newest Canon gear that has hit the market since the first edition published in 2010. This includes coverage of the radio-enabled Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT, as well as the other Speedlites that have released since the first edition’s publication: Canon Speedlite 90EX, 270EX II, 320EX, and 600EX. And this is the first book to cover Canon's new, affordable master unit—the Speedlite 430EX III-RT flash! Digital cameras and flash technology have truly revolutionized photography in the 21st century. Originally seen simply as a practical way to illuminate dark scenes with portable light, flash today is used for a host of creative and nuanced applications, including supplementing daylight, designing complex scenes lit by multiple light sources, and simply creating beautiful, controllable light for portraiture. With LCD screens on DSLRs, the ability to get instant feedback on lighting setups is a great help in advancing one’s lighting capabilities and encouraging experimentation. However, flash photography can still be a difficult artistic and technical challenge. It’s simple to get that harsh deer-in-the-headlights look from built-in automatic flash, but it is a far cry from beautiful light. Creating natural-looking images is not nearly as straightforward. Mastering the properties of light and the ability to manipulate, craft, and direct it is a lifelong endeavor. Those diving into Speedlights need some help. Manuals are terse and the terminology is confusing—this is where Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography comes in. This is the complete book on the subject, guiding you through Canon’s Speedlite system, from off-camera portable flash to professional studio lighting. It covers the fundamentals of flash metering technology, discusses key lighting concepts, and documents a wide range of Canon and third-party equipment. Universal flash accessories, studio gear, and radio triggers are all thoroughly covered. The book is lavishly illustrated with diagrams that demonstrate important functions and lighting arrangements, and inspiring photos that show sophisticated flash techniques. Though tailored for users of Canon EOS cameras, owners of other camera systems will find much valuable information as well. So, whether you’re just getting started with flash, or you’ve picked up the bug for off-camera lighting from such popular websites as Strobist.com, or you’re making the leap into advanced studio work, Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography is your in-depth resource. Includes a foreword by David Hobby, noted photojournalist and founder of Strobist.com.

Flash is a necessary and immensely creative tool that dramatically increases the opportunities of any amateur photographer. However, many amateurs find flash intimidating, unsure of where to begin. Instead, they continue limiting themselves to shooting only available light. Understanding Flash Photography is a guide to off-camera flash, helping free photographers from “auto” to get the images they want when natural light isn’t enough. If you’ve been afraid to venture past natural light, here is the book that will finally help you explore the exciting possibilities of artificial light. Author Bryan Peterson starts by breaking down how flash works, then dispels the widely held myth that automatic “TTL” flash exposure is easier, explaining how to quickly master manual flash exposure to control the quality, shape, and direction of light. For the hundreds of thousands who found Understanding Exposure an exciting tool in moving past “auto” exposure in available light, Understanding Flash Photography is the essential companion to mastering the often challenging exposure puzzle.

Photographers are always looking for perfect light. Unfortunately, the quality of available light, and the situations in which photos are created, are rarely perfect. This is especially true when photographing weddings or portraits on location. So while finding beautiful existing light is every photographer’s ideal, it isn’t always possible. This is the point at which photographers tend to reach for a portable, on-camera flash. Indeed, these intense light sources can prove invaluable, but only if you know how to use them effectively. In the hands of an inexperienced photographer, on-camera flash will produce images that look flat and lifeless—images with harsh shadows, washed-out skin tones, cavernous black backgrounds, and other unappealing visual characteristics. In this book, acclaimed wedding and portrait photographer Neil van Niekerk shows you how to avoid the pitfalls photographers new to speedlights often encounter so that you can produce professional images using on-camera flash. You’l learn to use simple accessories to manipulate the quality of light from your flash and how to improve a lighting scenario by enhancing rather than overwhelming the existing light. When the available light is too low and too uneven to be combined with flash, he shows you how to override it completely with flash and, with some thought and careful application of specialized techniques, still get results that look great. On-camera flash is one of the most challenging light sources to master, but with the techniques in this book you’ll learn to use it with confidence. For wedding and environmental portrait photographers who must work in ever-changing lighting scenarios, this can mean better images and better sales.