Flash Photography: Art and Techniques

394 Pages·2015·42.37 MB·English

by  Terry Hewlett

Flash Photography
Terry Hewlett
CROWOOD
First published in 2014 by The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR
www.crowood.com
This e-book first published in 2014
© Terry Hewlett 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library.
ISBN 978 1 84797 767 0
Frontispiece: A location shot for Swindon Audi of the RS4 using three speedlights placed around the
vehicle. ƒ13 @ 1/125s ISO 200
Acknowledgements and Thanks
A very big thank you to the following for their continued support in producing
this book.
Brian Collier and Chris Whittle, The Flash Centre (www.theflashcentre.com);
Hardy Haase, Flaghead Photographic Limited (www.flaghead.co.uk); Lastolite
(www.lastolite.co.uk); Wescott (http://fjwestcott.com); The Mayfield House
Hotel; Stanton Manor; Audi Swindon; Richard Stork, Gunsmith; Harriet James,
Sundials; Hector Cole, Arrowsmith; Ian Murray-West, Woodturner; Ian
Sherman, Bath Aqua Glass; Linda Rees, Eco Sculptress; Tim Parry, Weaver;
Vivien Sheriff, Milliner; Gordon and Dorothy Whittle, Spinner; Hart
Silversmiths.
CONTENTS
Introduction
1 In the Beginning there was Light
2 Camera Flash, Triggers and More
3 Modifying the Light
4 Flash Functions
5 Key Shifting
6 Depth of Field
7 Portraits
8 The Hollywood Influence
9 Dealing with Black and White
10 Reflective Surfaces
11 Shooting an Interior
12 High-speed Flash
Index
Introduction
N
owadays almost everyone owns a camera. The inevitable result is that
more than 300 million photographs are uploaded to Facebook every day,
making it the most constantly updated photo album on the planet. Even though
images taken on camera phones with automatic flash functions are hideously lit,
they still generate ‘likes’ that dumb down the viewers’ expectations, a situation
that cannot be good for the art of photography.
Fig. 0.0
Fine dining. Taken during a Chef v Chef competition where it was not possible to set up an array of lights,
so on-camera flash was used, bounced from the surrounding white walls and ceiling. ƒ2.8 @ 1/400s (High
speed sync activated) ISO 400
Cameras available range from simple camera phones, through point-and-
shoots to mid-and high-end DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras. Most,
if not all, have a flash unit either built in or available as a non-dedicated or
dedicated flashgun, often called a Speedlite (Canon), Speedlight (Nikon) or just
plain strobe. Large numbers of owners, though, are dissatisfied with the results
they obtain from their flash or they are using it in a way that produces no effect
they obtain from their flash or they are using it in a way that produces no effect
whatsoever.
Fig. 0.1
Digital cameras range from small point-and-shoot camera phones through to sophisticated all-singing, all-
dancing models with varying options for flashguns.
It is common to see flashes firing in a large stadium environment where the
owners of compact cameras, with in-built flash, have not disabled the flash
function or do not understand their cameras’ functions. The camera will
automatically fire the flash in low light, but this has no impact whatsoever on the
intended subject more than 100m away, only succeeding in overexposing the
back of the head of the person seated or standing in front. This is due to a simple
law – well, maybe not so simple – called the inverse square law (see Chapter 1)
and how light falls aways exponentially.