Hot-Shoe Mounted Flash Photography
Adding a flash to your bag of camera supplies and camera equipment is a good idea, since it can help you enhance your photographs a lot. A hot-shoe flash unit comes with a lot of built-in functions. Here is a guide to help you understand the various features and functions of a flash unit, and how to use them.
TTL Flash Control
TTL stands for Through The Lens. You will find this feature with every camera out there. The camera can judge the color and luminosity of a scene through the lens, and tell you if it is alright for a certain shutter-aperture-ISO setting or not. The Manual Mode allows you adjust settings, whereas in the automatic mode, the camera does the job for you. When the TTL flash unit receives the lighting information of the scene, it fires a particular amount of light. Such a balanced flash setting is known as Flash Exposure Compensation.
Flash Exposure Compensation
Just like you can control a flash’s output with TTL, you can also control exposure compensation or Exposure Value. You can adjust the flash output to be below, above, or equivalent to your camera’s EV.
Flash Exposure Bracketing
In the FEB mode, you can choose from a variety of flash outputs in 1/3, 1/2, or full stops. You can use several combinations to check how your scene looks with the varying flash.
Flash Exposure Lock
FEL allows you to fire your flash quickly and is handy when your TTL-controlled flash is giving inconsistent results, or in any other situation, which is confusing your camera’s metering system. By using the FEL, you can lock in the EV of flash, despite the TTL readings.
Manual Flash
Just like your camera’s Manual mode, the Manual flash can be tedious and tricky to master, but allows you to take charge of your settings for more precision. The Manual flash gives you consistent flash output. Once you’re done with adjusting the settings, the flash will give the same beam and power. So, even when the lighting changes, the flash output will be consistent during a shoot. You can alter your shutter speed by 2 or 3 stops, and the flash will still fire the same light, exposure after exposure.
High-Speed Sync Flash
Also known as Focal Plane Flash, this mode comes in handy when you want the shutter speed to be beyond the camera’s maximum flash-sync speed. By using this mode, you can use any shutter speed of your choice, which is helpful when you want to use the fill-flash in Aperture Priority mode.
Instead of a single pop during the exposure, the flash in this mode pulses at a high frequency, resulting in even coverage. However, you need to place the flash close to your subject, as this mode causes the flash to lose power.
Second-Curtain Sync
Generally, the flash is fired when the shutter’s first curtain opens. However, the Second Curtain Sync mode fires the flash only when the second curtain begins to move. If you want to create light trails with flash at a slow shutter speed, the Second Curtain Sync is the right choice for you, due to its delayed triggering of flash.
Wireless Remote Flash
The real challenge begins when you use the flash off-camera. A lot of hot-shoe units are capable of doing it wirelessly. You don’t need to attach any cables or connectors to a flash; just keep it anywhere you want. A wireless unit gives you flexibility while working. Another obvious advantage is eliminating the risk of tripping hazards.
There are various ways for a remote flash to trigger, and this can vary from one brand to another. Some are optically triggered, while some others use radio signals or other types of radio-transmitting devices to work.
Try experimenting with a mounted flash today and see the results. Hope this article demystifies you about the kinds of flash and their benefits. If you like this article, do share it with your friends.
Also Read: 10 tips for photography lighting