Shed a little light
It is time to stop thinking that flash is only to be used in dark conditions
When Canon introduced the radio Speedlite flash system I found that the reliability of flash has made me change my approach to flash photography. A good number of photographers are conditioned to thinking that flash is only to be used when the light levels drop. But the combination of radio flash that triggers reliably in any lighting condition, and significantly better high ISO performance, results in a need to reassess the old ways of thinking.
When cameras produced noisy photos at ISO800, then it was often necessary to use flash to add light to freeze the subject and avoid camera shake. Now with cameras that deliver great results at ISO6400 or more, flash is not the only answer when it gets dark. Turning up the ISO not only freezes action and reduces camera shake, but gives much more natural results compared with flash.
On the other hand, bright daylight can create a greater dynamic range than the camera can cope with. So in bright conditions I tend to use flash as a contrast reducer, lighting the deepest shadows to narrow the contrast range. The fact that the radio flash works regardless of the brightness makes this relatively easy. Some may say I could just use a reflector, but the trouble is that there’s not a lot of intensity control with a reflector. Sometimes you want to lower the brightness, and moving the reflector back just makes the light harder on the subject since the relative size of the light source has reduced.
Certainly my own photography has changed, last year more than half of my photos were taken with a Speedlite. Photography is all about the light, how we capture it, how it falls on our subjects and, for me, the study of light is endless. Personally I’m more aware of light, and love to explore the new avenues it offers my creativity.
It’s certainly changed my own thinking: if it’s dark turn up the ISO, if it’s bright then add flash.