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Left to Right: Canon 320EX, 430EX II and 600EX-RT |
Modern DSLR cameras can lull you into a false sense of security. Because low-light performance is so good on modern digital cameras, many forego the addition of a dedicated flash unit. Flash units seem to fall down the priority list for many people... out-ranked by other more lust-worthy items like fast primes and long telephoto lenses. This is a shame; many people make the mistake of going for a fast prime to keep up with equally fast-moving children for low-light situations, but soon find out that moving subjects and ultra-narrow planes of focus don't go well together. What would work well is a dedicated flash unit in these situations, as a bounced flash would provide a gentle splash of light while allowing for the user to stop the lens down for more depth of field, all the while "freezing" movement for the exposure.
It's natural for the uninitiated to be adverse to flash photography because of the horrid results that the pop-up fill flash gives. That all changes when you go to a proper flash unit; with just a bit of instruction you can get amazing-looking results in situations where you would normally have been resigned to high-ISO muddiness, all without getting the deer in the headlights look that the dead-on beam of a pop-up flash gives.
Therein lies the reason why flash photography is a worthwhile pursuit for the aspiring photographer; it's not just about
adding more light, but about
shaping how it falls on your scene and subject. Flash photography isn't just about modulating brightness, it's about shaping the contrast and directionality of the light as it falls on the subject. Adding a flash doesn't just mean adding more capability to your camera, it will also open a whole new creative path to explore. Naturally, the first question is: which flash to go with first?