On-Camera Flash by Niekerk, Neil van -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Title Page Copyright Contents About the Author Foreword Preface: About the Material in This Book

An Accessible, Easy Approach The Images in This Book Equipment Abbreviations Postproduction in Photoshop

1. Getting Started

Our Objective: Natural-Looking Flash New to Flash Photography? Start Here! Practical Example 1. I Underexposed the Available Light to a Certain Extent 2. I Needed the Correct Exposure From My Flash 3. I Needed Soft, Flattering Lighting From My Flash Don’t Fear Your Flash Essential Concepts The Larger the Light Source, the Softer the Light Directional Light Avoid Direct Flash and a Hard Flash Shadow (When Possible) Basic Bounce Flash Tutorial

2. Choosing Equipment

Flashguns/Speedlights Don’t Rely on the Pop-Up Flash Battery Packs Flash Brackets Focusing in Dim Light Speedlight Modifiers White Flip-Card Grids Diffusers and Softboxes Practical Examples Summary

3. Bounce Flash Basics

Adding a Flag Advantages of Flagged Bounce Flash Better Dimension Kind to Onlookers’ Eyes Block the Direct Light Clean Up the Light Basic Techniques Choose the Bounce Surface Add a Flag Which Direction? The BFT as a Snoot Why a Black Modifer Instead of a White One?

4. Exposure Metering Techniques

Overview of Methods The Camera’s Built-In Meter Tonal Values and the Zone System Overexposure? Underexposure? Placing the White Tone Why Use the Manual Exposure Mode? Using the Histogram to Determine Exposure The Highlight Zone Canon and Nikon Histograms Step-by-Step Using the Histogram The Blinking Highlights Display The Sunny 16 Rule Anticipating the Camera Settings

5. Flash Exposure

PAID: The Four Factors of Correct Flash Exposure Manual vs. TTL Flash Manual Flash TTL Flash Summary Choosing Between the Different Flash Modes Exposure Comepnsation: The Basics Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) FEC Settings Factors Affecting FEC Nikon: Cumulative Exposure Compensation Nikon: TTL vs. TTL-BL Canon: E-TTL Evaluative vs. Average Metering Summary Maximum Flash-Sync Speed The Pre-Flash Sequence High-Speed Flash Sync (HSS) Flash Efficiency and Range The Effect of HSS on Flash Range The Effect of FEC on Flash Range Dragging the Shutter First-Curtain vs. Second-Curtain Sync The TTL Pre-Flash Sequence Guide Numbers (GN) Overpowering (or Matching) the Sun with Flash

6. Tying It All Together

Example 1: Adding Bounce TTL Flash for Fill The Scenario Metering and Exposure Adding Fill Flash About the Camera and Flash Settings Example 2: Manual Flash The Scenario The Approach

7. Balancing Flash with Ambient Light

Five Basic Scenarios 1. A Touch of Fill Is Needed 2. A Delicate Flash/Ambient Balance Is Needed 3. The Ambient Light Is Too Low 4. The Subject Is in Shade 5. The Ambient Light Is Uneven Objectives Practical Example: Partial Shade Practical Example: Uneven, Unflattering Light Skip the Modifier for Fill Flash Practical Example: Balancing Against a Bright Background Practical Example: Dealing with Hard Sunlight The Scenario The Solution Another Approach? Flash/Ambient Exposure for Indoor Candids Practical Example: Flash with Incandescent/Tungsten Ambient Light Gelling the Flash Gelling Flash for a Natural Look Gelling Flash for Creative Effect

8. Bounce Flash Refinements

Bounce Flash and Catchlights in the Eyes Bounce Flash Portraits of a Bride Controlling Light Falloff with Equidistant Bounce Flash Bounce Flash Outdoors New York City Wedding Shoot Early Evening Street Portrait Evening City Lights How Far Can You Bounce Your Flash? Detail Shots of the Wedding Rings Bounce Flash During the Church Ceremony Bouncing Flash Forward—Without That Direct Flash Look Wedding Portraits on the Run: Finding a Bounce Surface Manual On-Camera Bounce Flash Color Balance and Postproduction White-Balance (WB) Settings Bouncing Flash Off Non-White Surfaces Bounce Flash and the Inverse Square Law The Inverse Square Law Explained What This Means for Bounce Flash High-ISO Bounce Flash Photography Unpredictable Reflections Photographing the Wedding Processional Extreme Bounce Flash with the Wedding Processional

9. The Next Step: Off-Camera Manual Flash Afterword Index