I think flash, when used well, leads to pictures which are certainly
different from purely natural light but are nevertheless pleasing in
their own right such as these two that I posted before
Studio
<http://www.chucknorcutt.com/personals01.php>
Daylight fill
<http://www.chucknorcutt.com/personals02.php>
Something akin to the studio shot could be accomplished with natural
light and a large reflector but professional photographers depend on
studios precisely because the pleasing natural light can't be depended
upon for a 10:00 am appointment next Thursday. It can also be done with
continuous lighting instead of flash but, until the very recent advent
of low power LEDs, the clients have not enjoyed sitting under 500-1,000
watts of incandescent light. Fluorescent studio lights have been
available for a long time but have problems with intensity control and
color temperature.
The daylight shadow fill shot can also be easily accomplished with a
large reflector. The problem is that that's most easily done with an
assistant, especially it there's even a small breeze. If you don't have
an assistant flash fill is much easier.
Then there are what probably counts for most flash shots such as the
nighttime wedding reception shot below. Without lots of flash there
would be no picture at all. You take what you can get... at the time
the photo is required... and not when the sun is shining.
Nighttime wedding reception
<http://www.chucknorcutt.com/party.php>
Joel is correct in that using flash effectively requires a little bit of
physics, but not very much. The key thing to remember when using flash
is that flash light (like every other light) is unforgiving about
obeying the inverse-square law
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law> If you're taking a
flash picture with subject at 5 feet the intensity of the flash at 10
feet is only 1/4 as much as at 5 feet. The illumination at 10 feet is
already 2 stops down from the subject at 5 feet. And the illumination
at 5*1.4 feet (the square root of 2) = 7 feet (just 2 feet behind the
subject) is already down by a full stop. So, if you're going to have
even exposure of subjects, they should all be (as nearly as possible) at
the same distance. Finding ways to mitigate this very fundamental
problem is part of the artistry of using flash.
Sunlight obeys the inverse-square law too. But, barring clouds, in
order for the intensity of sunlight to be down by two stops you have to
go 93 million miles farther away than the earth. :-)
Dr. Flash
On 2/20/2014 7:13 AM, DZDub wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 4:59 PM, Bill Pearce <billcpearce@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Good point. Flash is a tool, just like lenses or a specific camera. I'm
>> convinced that those who refuse to use flash are those who aren't skilled
>> at
>> it.
>>
>
> I agree a little bit, and disagree a little bit. I have lots of flashes
> and experiment with them and, fortunately because of digital's
> instant feedback, I can usually achieve what I want. But without setting
> up something like a studio, I cannot count on repeatable results. I have
> to start experimenting all over again the next time. Granted, it is easier
> to get there the next time, but it is still trial and error to a
> considerable degree.
>
> Also, I tend to judge whether the result is acceptable based on its
> approximates to what I might get of the same subject in natural light. And
> I don't just want to approximate light as in 'lit up;" I want light that
> is beautiful. This is perhaps a strangling sort of stricture to put on
> flash photography, but I suspect that it is more likely to be the reason
> people who are skilled in other elements of photography shy away from flash.
>
> But yes, to the extent that using flash well is akin to a physics lab,
> there are some who simply walk away from it for that reason, I am sure.
>
> Joel W.
>
--
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