Thinking of buying a flash ..... :|

bbg404

bbg404

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Evening all, I havbt really been interested in owning a proper flash as I mainly do Landscapes and Astro photography but I've just bought a 50mm and I've started reading little bits about flashes but really don't understand or know if I need one!

I've got 2 new baby's in close family 1 of them being my first God child so I want to have nice photos! Would I need a flash or will the on board flash do the job?

I'm using a Nikon D750 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 also got a Nikon 24-120 f4

Any information or advice on flashes and using flashes would be greatly appreciated
 
bbg404 said:
Evening all, I havbt really been interested in owning a proper flash as I mainly do Landscapes and Astro photography but I've just bought a 50mm and I've started reading little bits about flashes but really don't understand or know if I need one!

I've got 2 new baby's in close family 1 of them being my first God child so I want to have nice photos! Would I need a flash or will the on board flash do the job?

I'm using a Nikon D750 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 also got a Nikon 24-120 f4

Any information or advice on flashes and using flashes would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
The onboard flash is ok as fill in bright sunlight and nothing else.

How would your landscapes look if you always shot with the sun hanging just above your head?

Light is a very important ingredient to your photography and if you're adding your own light, you need to be in absolute control of it's direction and quality.

Buy 'the speedlighters handbook' by Syl Arena. Then buy a flash, but budget for whatever other accessories you might need to make it work for you.
 
Even the ability to simply bounce a flash is a bit of a game changer and it is very very simple to do, Nikon is the best in the business at it too for fit and forget.

Personally if you are planning on shooting indoors at all I would buy a flash.
 
Get a speed light/flash, don't keep it on the hotshoe (ever!) and you will find your photography turns a corner.

Say goodbye to red eye and begin to appreciate how softer light(s) will make your portraits so much better, especially babies.

If you have such a capable camera such as the D750, you really should not be compromising in such areas as your flash.

Off camera flash or flash set on a bracket is amazing. Look at the wedding togs with their Metz 45/76's. Such a beautiful light on a bracket, it's not by chance that they have made the decision to use such 'hammerheads'.

Ever wondered why the top Pro models (D4s etc) don't even have a pop up flash? It's because the pop up is not powerful or flexible enough and will create horrible harsh light on the subjects or fall short of it's target in situations where the subject is more than arms length away from the camera.

If you have spent so much on a camera then you owe it to yourself to ensure you pair it with a decent flashgun.

Nikon are great and I love the Metz but there are also other third party flash guns such as the Nissin which are equally capable and are wirelessly compatible which saves the added expense of Pocket Wizards.

Check out a master such as Joe McNally

http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/#!/index

either live or on webinars or follow Bulgarian fashion tog living in Japan

http://www.ilkoallexandroff.com

to learn loads more about using simple off camera lighting.

(Don't be deterred by the Japanese writing in the latter, his English is pretty good and his pics are even better).

Good thing is he always explains himself well and shows lighting set ups as well as inviting questions and crit.
 
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shreds said:
Get a speed light/flash, don't keep it on the hotshot (ever!) and you will find your photography turns a corner.

Say goodbye to red eye and begin to appreciate how softer light(s) will make your portraits so much better, especially babies.

If you have such a capable camera such as the D750, you really should not be compromising in such areas as your flash.

Off camera flash or flash set on a bracket is amazing. Look at the wedding togs with their Metz 45/76's. Such a beautiful light on a bracket, it's not by chance that they have made the decision to use such 'hammerheads'.

Ever wondered why the top Pro models (D4s etc) don't even have a pop up flash? It's because the pop up is not powerful or flexible enough and will create horrible harsh light on the subjects or fall short of it's target in situations where the subject is more than arms length away from the camera.

If you have spent so much on a camera then you owe it to yourself to ensure you pair it with a decent flashgun.

Nikon are great and I love the Metz but there are also other third party flash guns such as the Nissin which are equally capable and are wirelessly compatible which saves the added expense of Pocket Wizards.

Check out a master such as Joe McNally

http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/#!/index

either live or on webinars or follow Bulgarian fashion tog living in Japan

http://www.ilkoallexandroff.com

to learn loads more about using simple off camera lighting.

(Don't be deterred by the Japanese writing in the latter, his English is pretty good and his pics are even better).

Good thing is he always explains himself well and shows lighting set ups as well as inviting questions and crit.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice.
 
Flash can also be applicable to landscape photography to some extent, especially when you get it away from the camera. Using it maybe paint a particular area of interest with a spot of light whilst slightly under exposing the rest.

Over the past 12 months I have really become a convert to flash/strobist photography. If you think about it photography in the main is largely about the study of light and how it falls, flash gives us the ability to control the light. More often than not now, when I'm out I find myself often thinking about how I would photograph it, where would I place the lights etc. It's addictive!

Yongnuo produce some great flashguns that start out at about £40, about the same again can get you a pair of yn622 triggers to allow you to trigger the flash off camera with ittl, about £20 for ones without ittl control.
 
Phil V said:
Buy 'the speedlighters handbook' by Syl Arena. Then buy a flash, but budget for whatever other accessories you might need to make it work for you.
Click to expand...

Do you know if there is a version of this book for Nikon users Phil? Amazon only offer a Canon version, or is it universal enough to benefit users of either system? Thanks. Need some extra guidance here on getting the best out of my own speedlights.
 
Techy Guy said:
Do you know if there is a version of this book for Nikon users Phil? Amazon only offer a Canon version, or is it universal enough to benefit users of either system? Thanks. Need some extra guidance here on getting the best out of my own speedlights.
Click to expand...
There's some canon specific info in the book, but loads of generic speedlight info too.
A 'same but different' book is the Hotshoe diaries by Joe McNally, which is Nikon centric but contains lots of useful info.
I'd recommend them both, but the Syl Arena one first.
 
Techy Guy said:
Do you know if there is a version of this book for Nikon users Phil? Amazon only offer a Canon version, or is it universal enough to benefit users of either system? Thanks. Need some extra guidance here on getting the best out of my own speedlights.
Click to expand...

It's a great book for Nikon shooters too, not a lot in it that's Canon specific, and even if there is, it's just a case of finding the same way to change the settings on your Nikon kit.

Some great advice in it and example setups.

Although some of the more complicated examples assume you have access to more speedlights than most people would be likely to own...
 
Phil V said:
Buy 'the speedlighters handbook' by Syl Arena. Then buy a flash, but budget for whatever other accessories you might need to make it work for you.
Click to expand...
Also, you can check out Syl Arena's presentation on speedlights and off camera flash from the B&H Event Space on the B and H channel on Youtube. He has a few B&H Speedlight presentations. I think this is the most recent:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gmgN8l7UFg


I will definitely check out that book though.
 
Make sure your flash can do HSS. Or if it can't, make sure you remember.
My two Y 565ex's, which is why I usually just take my sb-910 most places. Any wedding work with lenses wide open would suggest that HSS is a must.
 
i would not go past my sb900 really easy to use and brill results
 
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