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Importance of a flash?


12 years 7 months ago #137548 by Absolute 99
i've been doing headshots and candids for friends for some time. And I never used flash. But I always was lucky with lighting or had to almost always do outdoors and check forcasts constantly and schedule shoots on good weather days.
In the last few days I got contacted by about 4 potential clients and I'm thinking. Is the the time to get a flash? I always charged either nothing or very little.. So I'm charging more now and perhaps my pictures should have a heightened level of professionalism? What do you think ?
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12 years 7 months ago #137550 by effron
If you are to be serious, you need a flash, and need to know how to use it.......;)
Why so serious?
Photo Comments
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12 years 7 months ago #137551 by Dimi 1
I guess some people don't like to use flash for whatever reason but it is a great investment if you are shooting people or indoors. Currently all I have is the pop up flash and it's OK for what I use it for.

Bounce is great for indoors sometimes and is not good at times (colored ceilings or ceiilings that are too high) but if you can put the flash head straight up and bounce the light off a white card then you aren't losing too much light by the time it gets to the subject. Diffusers should give you more light than bounce which is softer than the direct fired flash.
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12 years 7 months ago #137554 by Absolute 99
I don't want it to look like it really does in the room... using normal everyday lights. I want full soft light hitting the face instead of indoors lights causing shadows etc. Or daylight hitting one side of the client's face.
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12 years 7 months ago #137555 by Becky pics
The importance of flash is somewhat subjective.

Some people never shoot without a flash and some will never use a flash.

In a way it depends what you shoot. In your case, considering the nature of headshots (flat lighting for the most part) it is hard to imagine you doing it well without any kind of light or light modifier. Light modifiers, in my book, include flash units, and the accessories that go on to shape the light. It also includes reflectors and diffusers.

Outdoors, there are three ways to modify light. Add a fill flash (usually off camera), use a reflector, or use a diffuser. All 3 can achieve fairly similar results if used properly. Often used to control the harshness of daylight, they can also be used to totally change the light if your flash or strobe can overpower the daylight.

Indoors is a different story. Yes, you can use a window as a light source but most often, you will need a flash eventually.
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12 years 7 months ago #137683 by rmeyer7

Absolute 99 wrote: I don't want it to look like it really does in the room... using normal everyday lights. I want full soft light hitting the face instead of indoors lights causing shadows etc. Or daylight hitting one side of the client's face.

It sounds like the look you're going for could be accomplished with butterfly lighting and possibly a reflector. That might sound complicated...but you can accomplish it with a flash unit, a cheap extension cable (if you can't afford a wireless trigger - I have one with a tripod mount so you don't even need a special stand for it), a softbox that fits over your flash unit and an inexpensive reflector. This type of lighting works well for headshots.

Set up the flash with the softbox above your model/subject, pointing down at an angle directly in front of him/her. Do some test shots with a friend to get a feel for how much power your flash needs, your aperture and shutter speed, how high to set your light, etc. (Don't put the light too high, or you'll have a long shadow under the nose and not very pleasing shadows around the eyes.) Once you get it tweaked just right, you'll have the nice, soft, even light that you want.

However...you're going to have some shadow under the chin. If you don't like that, you can counter it with a reflector below the model/subject. Of course this all will take some practice in terms of getting your key light (the flash) and modifier (the reflector) positioned just right, getting the right camera settings, etc. But it's well worth the investment in the equipment, and the time you'll spend learning and perfecting the technique.
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12 years 7 months ago - 12 years 7 months ago #137692 by MLKstudios
A really CHEAP (and good) portrait light is a large Chinese Lantern (24" or larger) with a 500 watt GE ECT photoflood bulb. Hang it from a bamboo fishing pole to move it around. Add a piece of foam core for a reflector.

Total cost, less than $50. And being a continuous light, will let you see EXACTLY where the light and shadows form. It's a great learning tool. Before you spend $1000 on strobes.

Matthew :)

Note: you can use it for ANY lighting style.
Matthew L Kees
MLK Studios Photography School
www.MLKstudios.com
[email protected]
"Every artist, was once an amateur"
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12 years 7 months ago #137712 by rmeyer7
Never would have thought of that. Just the simple paper type of Chinese lantern? They sell some with silk, too but I would guess the paper type softens the light and evens it out pretty nicely?
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12 years 7 months ago - 12 years 7 months ago #137715 by MLKstudios
We use them on movie sets to light hallways and other areas. They make a nice soft light.

A lantern is a great teaching tool for portrait lighting. Use the light as close as possible to the face, and be extra careful the light doesn't touch the sides of the lantern when it's on. The bulb should hang centered.

:)
Matthew L Kees
MLK Studios Photography School
www.MLKstudios.com
[email protected]
"Every artist, was once an amateur"
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12 years 7 months ago #137783 by effron
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/portrait-lighting.htm
Why so serious?
Photo Comments
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12 years 7 months ago #137928 by cod
I'd suggest Neil van Niekerk's books On-Camera Flash Techniques and Off-Camera Flash Techniques as an excellent resource for your needs. Much of the information is also available in articles on his website .
Chris O'Donoghue
Winnipeg, Canada
codonoghue.prosite.com
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