Question - Flash photography

[zombizza]

Hi,
I just wondered if anyone has tried using an external flash?
I realise the built in flashes in dslr give a horrible result but just wondered if anyone ever uses a horseshoe mounted flash gun.
I've just been on a photography course and we were using flash (this was medical) and the results were much sharper than I am used to to.
Just wondered if anyone has any experience.
Z

 

[The Lone Ranger]

I finally went down the slippery slope of getting 2 flashes with a transmitter, so can be used off camera. So far I like the results. Takes a bit more set up time and means you have to carry additional kit so not ideal for every situation / location.

Still need to play more and generally still just light paint if I need some additional light.

 

[tigger]

Horsehoe mounted? Never heard of those being used to mount speedlights before.

I have a selection of (mostly) cheap speedlights and I use Cactus wireless remotes with them. As for images being 'sharper', if your camera and the subject are stationary then there will be no difference in sharpness. If either are moving then flash can 'freeze' movement and thus may seem sharper....but what do you really mean by sharper?
Recently I've noticed a few photos posted on here that have clearly been post-processed (badly but hey, lets call it the person's artistic style) and over-sharpened. That kind of sharpness is quite different.

Photography is ALL about light....off camera flash, studio lights, torches, magnesium powder all give you the opportunity to modify the light...alter it to change the mood of your image or make some specific feature stand out (or not).

If you have a flash mounted close to the lens it will give a light that will almost never looks natural - it's too harsh in every way.

 

[Lenston]

I know a few cavers who use them, as you say you can have amazing results used correctly. Can be much sharper images with a faster shutter speed and less chance of camera shake. Its just how much time you want to spend faffing around with flashguns i guess.

 

[Motouker]

Use one all the time, get one learn how to use it you won’t regret it. BTW what I use is speedlite on camera.

 

[zombizza]

Cheers all
meant hotshoe, not horseshoe lol. Stupid autocorrect.
OK, I have a speedlight. Will take it out next time and give it a go.
Cheers

 

[tigger]

Whilst not 'urbex' the following website will add to and build on what you learned on your course:

Strobist: Lighting 101: Introduction

strobist.blogspot.com

 

[wormster]

Flash photos you say.........

Fireflys and a strip of old exposed 35mm film over the inbuilt flash if you're usung a compact ot a sender on the hotsshoe of your dlsr will work.

As others have said slave flashes do take a *bit* of faff but the results are worth it.

 

[Smigg]

Try bouncing your flash off walls and ceilings, will take the harshness of direct flash out, or diffuse it with something like one of these, not great but adequate. You can get wireless triggers for less than £20 if you want to experiment with off camera flash. This is a photo I took using a godox setup at a place nearby to me, I had a model with me :-)

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