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Kit Hamilton has had the rare privilege of shooting behind the scenes in Balinese temples

I love taking photos of real people in real situations. Upon retiring in Australia and moving to Bali five years ago I developed a close relationship with a local couple who run a studio teaching traditional Balinese music and dance. I often accompany the young artists to performances at ceremonies. This allows me unprecedented access both behind and in front of the scenes, and I’m now accepted as part of the troupe. I try my best to produce artistic and authentic shots of the participants.

Remaining inconspicuous during the religious ceremonies is a challenge, and a lot of what I shoot is in low light. Therefore, I need assistance in setting up the Speedlight correctly and quickly – ■ A trip to China 12 years ago inspired Kit to pick up a camera. He’s since moved on to D-SLRs and is considering upgrading to a D750. He now lives in Bali. currently there’s a lot of trial and error, wasting time and missing opportunities. Working in low light for most of these shots, with constant movement, I had to choose between noise or flash! Mostly I went with flash, despite my lack of confidence with setting up the Speedlight.

N-PHOTO

SAY S…

Kit, your ability to go behind the scenes at these temples clearly offers you a great opportunity to capture some unique portraits, but, as you say, perhaps you’re not making the most of your flash.

There are a few methods open to you. The first is to use your Speedlight in TTL mode. In this mode, the camera communicates the settings of aperture, shutter and ISO to the flashgun. The Speedlight then outputs the appropriate amount of power to expose the