Different Ways to Use Your Flash Gun
Flash will be required if we want to freeze a subject under low light conditions.
Believe you have heard of different ways to use a flash like, direct, bounce, diffused, reflected, etc.
I will now share with you the effects on the different techniques and you can judge for yourself which techniques you prefer under different conditions.
Do take note that you will need an external flash gun in order to employ the different techniques to be described below.
One of the common ways of using an external flash gun is by pointing the gun directly at the subject.
External flash gun produces higher power ratings and as such, the shadow created behind the subject will be very harsh.
You will also see that the color is very "wash out" and thus render the photograph unattractive.
But pointing the flash gun directly at your subject may be necessary if the subject is very far from your camera.
Using of a reflector is a common technique used by many event photographers.
You can easily self made the reflector using a white cardboard, and attach it to the back of your external flash gun.
If you are shooting portraits, you can try using a golden reflector to achieve a golden and more attractive skin tone of your model.
You can use a diffuser to diffuse or scatter your light source.
A diffuser can be easily found in many camera shops and their price ranges pretty widely though.
For this technique, a diffuser is capped over the flash head.
This will help diffuse the flash light to produce a "softer" effect on your subjects producing natural and evenly lighted results.
This is one of the techniques commonly used by many photographers.
Another common technique is known as Bounce-Flash.
For this technique, the flash head is tilted at an angle for the flash light to hit and bounce off the ceiling, before reaching your subject.
If done properly, the shadow will be hidden behind the subject and the color reproduction will definitely be better than direct flash.
Now that you understand the different techniques of flash photography, all you have to do now is to turn your theory into practical use! Start shooting now and enjoy the art of photography.
Believe you have heard of different ways to use a flash like, direct, bounce, diffused, reflected, etc.
I will now share with you the effects on the different techniques and you can judge for yourself which techniques you prefer under different conditions.
Do take note that you will need an external flash gun in order to employ the different techniques to be described below.
One of the common ways of using an external flash gun is by pointing the gun directly at the subject.
External flash gun produces higher power ratings and as such, the shadow created behind the subject will be very harsh.
You will also see that the color is very "wash out" and thus render the photograph unattractive.
But pointing the flash gun directly at your subject may be necessary if the subject is very far from your camera.
Using of a reflector is a common technique used by many event photographers.
You can easily self made the reflector using a white cardboard, and attach it to the back of your external flash gun.
If you are shooting portraits, you can try using a golden reflector to achieve a golden and more attractive skin tone of your model.
You can use a diffuser to diffuse or scatter your light source.
A diffuser can be easily found in many camera shops and their price ranges pretty widely though.
For this technique, a diffuser is capped over the flash head.
This will help diffuse the flash light to produce a "softer" effect on your subjects producing natural and evenly lighted results.
This is one of the techniques commonly used by many photographers.
Another common technique is known as Bounce-Flash.
For this technique, the flash head is tilted at an angle for the flash light to hit and bounce off the ceiling, before reaching your subject.
If done properly, the shadow will be hidden behind the subject and the color reproduction will definitely be better than direct flash.
Now that you understand the different techniques of flash photography, all you have to do now is to turn your theory into practical use! Start shooting now and enjoy the art of photography.
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