DID YOU KNOW THESE CREATIVE WAYS TO USE THE FLASH?

As much as we like the natural lighting for our photographs, we know that the flash is necessary when we do not have natural light or when it is insufficient. What you may not know is that it can also be a creative element. In today's post I will tell you some ways to use the flash to get different effects and more creative photos. Do you want to know how? Well read on!

DIRECT SHOOTING

It is the simplest, known and uncreative mode, the flash is directed directly at the object and fires. The result is usually very artificial, with a very hard light and that generates very little aesthetic shadows. This shooting mode is well known, so we will not spend more time.

FILL FLASH

Outdoors and with sufficient light, we usually think that the flash is not necessary, however it can be very useful. How? Reducing the shadows Sunlight often creates unwanted and unesthetic shadows on the subject or object. To avoid them we use what is known as fill flash. Look at the following image.

Fill flash to avoid shadows.

In this case, the flash must be adjusted to produce less light than the ambient one, otherwise the result would be very artificial. This technique can also be used in cases where we are backlit and even indoors, when we cannot modify the lighting.

BOUNCED FLASH

This technique consists simply of bouncing the flash light on the ceiling, a wall or any other white surface so that the result is a more diffuse and therefore more natural light. That is, turn the light bulb towards the surface we choose instead of focusing directly on the subject. You should keep in mind that power is lost You can aim directly at the ceiling or at an angle of 75º. Also, if your team allows it, you can turn it backwards at an angle of 45º. You can use these same angles to bounce off the wall, as in the case of the following photograph.

Flash bounced on white wall two meters from the model.

Tricks:

If you have no wall and you have a friend or family member dressed in white, you can use it too. Of course, trust it to lend itself to where you ask and close your eyes to avoid "flashing."
If what you have is an integrated flash, you can use a piece of silver cardboard and adjust it with a bit of skill at the angle you want. There is another possibility, not at zero cost like cardboard, but that is not bad, it is an accessory called Easy Bounce . I leave you a video so you can watch it.

SLOW SYNC

Surely, more than once it has happened to you that when taking a picture without enough light or at night, the subject or object comes out very bright with the flash but the background, however, is completely dark. Well, using slow synchronization, we can avoid this effect, since what we do is leave the shutter a little longer open and so more light is absorbed. Using slow synchronization you will get more natural images, as the light of the scene is captured.

With slow synchronization we also capture the background.

You can also use it in action photography. You can capture the movement of an object but freeze the subject of the movement. In the following image you will see it better.

Motion captured with slow synchronization.

In both cases it is convenient to use a tripod to avoid shaking. It can be synchronized to front or rear curtain . I know, this is going to sound very strange to you, but to understand us, the flash usually fires as soon as the shutter is opened, so if there is a halo of light from the movement, it will appear in front of the object. On the other hand, if we synchronize to the rear curtain , the flash fires at the end of the exposure and the halo of light appears behind the object providing a much more natural result. Here are two sample images.

Synchronization to the front curtain.

Synchronization to the rear curtain.

HIGH SYNCHRONIZATION

Get all the objects in the image to be illuminated correctly as the part of the sensor that captures the light reflected by them is discovered. In short, the whole scene lights up evenly. Keep in mind that when losing some power, larger openings have to be used.

Image taken with high synchronization speed.

PV BLOCK

The flash value lock allows you to achieve correct exposure when the object is not centered and is accompanied by a dark background. It is similar to the AE lock of the camera.

STROBE EFFECT

Some flashes have an option that allows you to fire several flashes at a certain time and with a specific frequency. What is this for? Well, to capture sequences of an object or subject that is in motion and display it in one shot. To understand it better, here is an example.

Strobe effect

FLASH MODIFIERS

Not everything is technical, another way to achieve different effects is through the flash modifiers.

Strobella: it is a small umbrella-shaped diffuser. When the flash bounces on its surface, a broad spot of light is generated that illuminates the subject from different points, thus making the shadows softer.
Gels: they are color filters with which you can modify the lighting obtaining a warmer, cooler or even more fun result by providing a touch of color, as in the following image in which a red gel filter has been used.

Image taken with gel filter.

Softbox: it is a box that allows light to pass through it, acting as a diffuser, converting direct light into a much softer light.
Flags: similar to a reflector that instead of bouncing the light, prevents it from reaching an area of our scene. You can use anything as a flag, the most normal and accessible is cardboard or cardboard. They can be white or black. The white serves as a flag and reflector and if what you want is to prevent the light from bouncing in other directions, you must use the black one.

In this post by Iaio, you have more diffuser options and accessories for your flash, and best of all, how to get them for free or for very little money. Are you going to miss it?