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On-Camera Flash: Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography
Photographers are always looking for perfect light. Unfortunately, the quality of available light, and the situations in which photos are created, are rarely perfect. This is especially true when photographing weddings or portraits on location. So while finding beautiful existing light is every photographer’s ideal, it isn’t always possible.
This is the point at which photographers tend to reach for a portable, on-camera flash. Indeed, these intense light sources can prove invaluable, but only if you know how to use them effectively. In the hands of an inexperienced photographer, on-camera flash will produce images that look flat and lifeless—images with harsh shadows, washed-out skin tones, cavernous black backgrounds, and other unappealing visual characteristics.
In this book, acclaimed wedding and portrait photographer Neil van Niekerk shows you how to avoid the pitfalls photographers new to speedlights often encounter so that you can produce professional images using on-camera flash. You’l learn to use simple accessories to manipulate the quality of light from your flash and how to improve a lighting scenario by enhancing rather than overwhelming the existing light. When the available light is too low and too uneven to be combined with flash, he shows you how to override it completely with flash and, with some thought and careful application of specialized techniques, still get results that look great.
On-camera flash is one of the most challenging light sources to master, but with the techniques in this book you’ll learn to use it with confidence. For wedding and environmental portrait photographers who must work in ever-changing lighting scenarios, this can mean better images and better sales.
This is the point at which photographers tend to reach for a portable, on-camera flash. Indeed, these intense light sources can prove invaluable, but only if you know how to use them effectively. In the hands of an inexperienced photographer, on-camera flash will produce images that look flat and lifeless—images with harsh shadows, washed-out skin tones, cavernous black backgrounds, and other unappealing visual characteristics.
In this book, acclaimed wedding and portrait photographer Neil van Niekerk shows you how to avoid the pitfalls photographers new to speedlights often encounter so that you can produce professional images using on-camera flash. You’l learn to use simple accessories to manipulate the quality of light from your flash and how to improve a lighting scenario by enhancing rather than overwhelming the existing light. When the available light is too low and too uneven to be combined with flash, he shows you how to override it completely with flash and, with some thought and careful application of specialized techniques, still get results that look great.
On-camera flash is one of the most challenging light sources to master, but with the techniques in this book you’ll learn to use it with confidence. For wedding and environmental portrait photographers who must work in ever-changing lighting scenarios, this can mean better images and better sales.
- GenresPhotography
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2015
46 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 6, 2018
This book is more nuts and bolts (more technical) than Scott Kelby's "The Flash Book" and it, as you might expect, has some different ideas than Scott's book. The title of the book is "On Camera Flash" so the author endeavors to help us understand how to use a flash mounted on a camera to get good results. It succeeds. There are many circumstances in which using off-camera flash is simply not practical. Off-camera flash produces great results, but its takes a lot of fiddling to get everything just right.
If you're shooting a portrait and have time to spare, off-camera flash with reflectors, light stands, soft boxes, umbrellas, flash modifiers, etc., is a good way to go. (I note that the same author has a book on off-camera flash. I haven't read that one.) If you're trying to get shots at an event and you need to travel light and move fast on-camera flash may be the only good option. If you have an assistant you can do off-camera quickly, but assistants are not always available.
The other thing that stand out as a difference between "The Flash Book" and this book is the use of TTL (through the lens) flash control. This book is more kind to TTL flash control and describes how to use the feature to good effect. It seems to me that TTL is useful if you need to shoot quickly and move on. Experience will tell.
I recommend this book to photographers who find themselves in situations where on-camera flash is the best they can do and want to learn techniques for optimizing the results from on-camera flash.
If you're shooting a portrait and have time to spare, off-camera flash with reflectors, light stands, soft boxes, umbrellas, flash modifiers, etc., is a good way to go. (I note that the same author has a book on off-camera flash. I haven't read that one.) If you're trying to get shots at an event and you need to travel light and move fast on-camera flash may be the only good option. If you have an assistant you can do off-camera quickly, but assistants are not always available.
The other thing that stand out as a difference between "The Flash Book" and this book is the use of TTL (through the lens) flash control. This book is more kind to TTL flash control and describes how to use the feature to good effect. It seems to me that TTL is useful if you need to shoot quickly and move on. Experience will tell.
I recommend this book to photographers who find themselves in situations where on-camera flash is the best they can do and want to learn techniques for optimizing the results from on-camera flash.
November 12, 2018
Amazing book!
This book is incredible! Have camera and flash in hand and practice the concepts presented as you read through them. Put down the book, and practice them again. You'll be amazed at the results you get. My flash photography has improved significantly.
This book is incredible! Have camera and flash in hand and practice the concepts presented as you read through them. Put down the book, and practice them again. You'll be amazed at the results you get. My flash photography has improved significantly.
February 14, 2021
Intrigue
This book has inspired me a great deal. I am coming from a background of weddings with film long ago. Trying to get back with digital. Great book I’m really intrigued
This book has inspired me a great deal. I am coming from a background of weddings with film long ago. Trying to get back with digital. Great book I’m really intrigued
December 3, 2022
awesome
A classic book with the famous BFT , the Black Foamie Thing .
It is well explained with many scenarios
A classic book with the famous BFT , the Black Foamie Thing .
It is well explained with many scenarios
January 1, 2016
This book is about learning how to use your speedlite to its fullest to create great looking portraits. He covers what options there are for speedlite modifiers, what camera settings and what flash settings to use and different lighting techniques. He then gives a variety of example situations and how to achieve the lighting you want. A good book to get you comfortable with your speedlite.
January 22, 2023
A very helpful book that provides good examples for using flash on my DSLR.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews