Flash! King of the impossible!

Getting started

In the dark days of film, the main purpose of flash was simply to throw enough light so you could see what was going on. With today’s high dynamic range sensors, that’s not really a problem.

Before diving into flash, remind yourself to:

• Check how fast your shutter can be before it interferes with your flash (flash sync), and how you can easily reduce or boost your flash power to suit your scene (flash compensation).
• Get to know how to use your flash wirelessly. Essentially, you will have a trigger on your camera (often attached to your camera’s hot shoe), which in turn talks to a receiver, either attached to your flash/flashes, or is built into them. Every time you click your shutter, your trigger unit tells all your flash units not only to flash, but also, with more modern sophisticated systems, at what power level they should kick this light out.

Keep it simple

You can achieve a considerable number of creative techniques even with a simple single light. So, keep it simple at the start. Use a single speedlight and get a stand you can mount it on. As a way to modify its light, a simple shoot-through brolly is useful in 90% of situations. These are inexpensive and I often just bring one of them to a shoot instead of much heavier soft boxes.

Try these challenges

Getting handy with flash means, as with many aspects of photography, a lot of trial and error, and at first it can be a real trial, so here are some challenges to set yourself and set the lightbulb in your head off, too.

• Balancing ambient light
  Achieving a seamless blend of ambient light and flash illumination is key to creating natural-looking images. Experiment with flash power settings and shutter speed to balance ambient light exposure with the flash output. Grab a friend and light their face and see if you can hit the sweet spot, giving a subtle lift (a softener for your light is a must here) that’s between ‘can’t notice’ and looking as if they are having a spotlight shone in their face.
• In the photograph above left (Student – Benin), there’s a very even light on the subject, but I did use a flash to fill him out and ‘pop’ him from the background (the giveaway is the very slight shadow to his right). 

• Directional lighting
  This is the opposite effect. Cranking up that flash can add a lot of dramatic power to your image, so for this go all in with a hard, very focused light. On people, it can be very easy to look unflattering and odd, but get it righ and you can really add drama and mood.
• In the photograph above right ( Matt – London), I’ve used the slight reflective background to ‘cheat’ a rim light, and then used the subject to screen off a large section of my flash to create a very dark area. The flash itself is just a speedlight on a stand perpendicular to my subject.

• Modifiers for soft light
  A step-up from the ambient exercise, attaching light modifiers such as soft boxes or umbrellas will soften the harshness of direct flash, with soft, flattering light enhancing the overall aesthetics of portraits and still life photography. Don’t forget you can also point your flash away from your subject and bounce it back from walls and reflectors for a super-soft feel.
• In the photo below right (Jewel – Kent), I actually dialled the flash up but bounced it backwards off a simple shoot-through brolly. That way, none of the light rays are in a straight line to the subject and so are super soft. 

• Creative light modulation
  Once you have a feel for what off-camera flash can do, you can get really creative. Using further modifiers such as coloured gels, grids and snoots will add colour, shape and drama to your images, infusing your photographs with a distinct mood and atmosphere. You’ll find yourself even cutting card and gels to make your own custom light patterns.
• In the photo below left, (Michael – London) I covered the soft box with a grid to keep the light soft but make it much more directional. Here, I also propped up a large reflector on a chair (no assistant that day!) next to it. This screened off nearly half its output, meaning it falls to black with a much more distinct edge.  

Five ways to improve your flash skills

The main point to take away is that while you can get great images from the amazingly clever sensor in your camera, being able to create and sculpt light is a gamechanger for every photographer. And flash is the key to being able to do this. Keep these pointers in mind when tackling these challenges and soon juggling multiple light sources will become second nature.

KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid)

• Begin your off-camera flash journey by mastering the basics before delving into more advanced techniques. Experiment with one flash unit and gradually expand your set-up as you gain confidence and experience.

Practise, practise, practise

• Consistent practice is essential for honing your off-camera flash skills and creating a unique and personal photographic style. When working with light becomes a ‘muscle memory’ it will really help you out when you encounter the unexpected or things just go plain wrong. Sometimes, a passer-by on a chair holding up a tablecloth is better than any soft box you can buy!

Play detective

• Observe how light behaves in different environments and learn to anticipate its effects on your subjects. Understanding the fundamentals of light (check out the Light 101 article for what is meant by a light’s ‘quality’ here) enables you to manipulate it creatively to achieve that killer aesthetic. Using modifiers smartly you can recreate a lot of ‘natural’ light effects with your flash.

Seek inspiration

• Search for great portrait images, take a look around Nikon magazine and find and start following some great content creators on social media and YouTube. You’ll soon find yourself being able to identify how they think about light and work this inspiration into your own shots. With every single portrait I see, I instinctively look at the eyes to check for light reflections and how the shadows are falling on the face to help me work out how the photographer has lit this subject.

Mark your own homework

• Keep notes of your early set-ups (it’s handy to take a step back and take a quick picture of your subject and flash set-up with your phone). Also, take a note of the flash’s power so you can see how it was working with your own camera exposure settings. Be critical. Did you really get the look you wanted? Was there a nasty shadow under the nose? Do they look like a panda? Make a note of set-ups that deliver good results so you can repeat them in a similar situation. 
• Most importantly, don’t get disheartened. Early on, a lot of your shots will probably be, at best, ‘not quite’, but plug away and you’ll soon realise you’re keeping a lot more shots than you bin.

So don’t be afraid to dive into flash. It’s one of the most creative techniques in photography and one that is unique to every individual.

Flash makes you part artist, part director and part cinematographer, in addition to being a photographer – and most important of all, storyteller – because when you can truly paint with light, every picture you take will be worth a thousand words.