Flash Photography Using External Flash
The first question that comes into the mind about flash photography is whether to use built in flash or external flash. The built in flash may come in handy at different times, but it has some drawbacks. Firstly it is located too close to the lens and gives red eye effect. Due to closeness it also gives very harsh shadows. Lastly the output is not sufficient in most cases.
The external flash comes in to the rescue. It is big and powerful. It has greater output which means more light. The increased light means that a subject greater distance from the camera can be photographed. The exact distance will depend upon the flash being used and the ISO of the camera. More people can also be covered in the photograph using a wide angle adaptor (available with most external flashes).
The flash can also be used for bounce photography i.e the flash is pointed towards the ceiling or any other surface and the light is reflected from that surface onto the subject being photographed. This is only possible via external as the flash head can be rotated can be used for bounce photography, which is not possible with the built in flash. The light thus reaching the subject tends to be very diffused and soft which makes the photographs much nicer.
The external flash can also be used as fill in flash. If your subject is in sunlight of other strong source of light where the shadows on the face are very harsh, the flash can be used to balance the light and bring out the colors in the dark areas.
The external flash is useable with umbrellas. You do not have to be be a professional to use umbrellas. You can put your external flash inside the umbrella and connect it via a wire to the camera. When you take pictures the effect will be of a studio light. Another thing which is very in these days is that you can use a wilress connector with your flash and you do not have to worry about the mess of wires around you.
The external flash can let do many of the creative effects you see in different magazines. The slow shutter effect and 2nd shutter are a few.
The external flash has a powerful pre flash which helps in focusing in very dark or contrast situations. The flash fires a small continuous flash so that the camera can focus.
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