Most of the time it depends on where I am at shooting. If I can work it out I use the 50mm F1.8 or if forced I will use the 28-75 F2.8. Most of the ones I have shot have had some decent lighting but there have been a couple that were low light. The lowest I have shot was with a 50mm F1.2 but if the lighting is real real bad then yes I will pull out the 580ex but I hate doing it.
I love how folks say flash sucks, and they'd rather not use it. Flash can be your best friend in ANY situation from concert to vehicle shoots.
Shooting at an F stop of 1.2 and 2.8 is cool, but your photos will turn out a lot softer than if you were shooting at f5 or slightly higher. Something that if you enjoy processing, youll be using a lot of unsharp masks in your future. Flash technology has come a long way. With careful use of flash, you are more in control of light, and hence the way your photos will look - than if you had just accepted the existing ambient light. With the use of diffusers you can easily alter how the flash appears. I personally use a soft box with a lot of great success on events like that.Originally Posted by A.P. Photography
Many cameras have a built in flash which can be used in more creative ways than you may think. Much like your 8700, most general DSLRs and point and shoots have a pop up flash that comes up when the lighting level is determined to be too low by the cameras exposure meter and most cameras will automatically activate the flash when they think it is necessary. This is usually when the shutter speed falls below a safe speed to handhold the camera, which could result in camera shake. A shutter speed of 1/30sec or slower is usually the cut off point. Some of the more sophisticated models will also detect when a subject is surrounded by light - a person backlit, for example, and will fire flash when it would normally not be necessary. The flash light would then illuminate the darker areas by providing whats commonly known as fill-in flash. You can, however, be more creative and select from a range of flash modes to override the automated settings. These override modes include flash on, flash off, red-eye reduction and slow sync or night scene modes.
For some reason, flash photography is a topic that many people are deathly afraid of and many others do not fully understand. Flash units are tools that have been made to assist us in our picture taking and improve our photography, not handicap us from taking great photos. Practice using flash in your photos even when it is not necessarily needed and pay attention to your results. The best way to become better at flash photography is to analyze your photos and try to figure out what you could have done differently in order to create a better flash-filled exposure. So all im saying is to practice and see what works best for you.
Alot of places, from wedding ceremony's to events, don't allow flashes so you have to learn to be able to live without it at times....but that's the worst feeling when you know you can't get the shots you want without it! I'm learning to like it but only in moderation, i can't stand the blown out look that blackens the background completely. My goal 99% of the time is to reproduce the conditions exactly how i see it, to properly expose both the background and foreground a flash or alternate lightsource is needed at times.
Zach's Incubus photos are a prime examples of not using a flash at a concert
you could always meter for the background and use the flash for filling in your subjectAlot of places, from wedding ceremony's to events, don't allow flashes so you have to learn to be able to live without it at times....but that's the worst feeling when you know you can't get the shots you want without it! I'm learning to like it but only in moderation, i can't stand the blown out look that blackens the background completely. My goal 99% of the time is to reproduce the conditions exactly how i see it, to properly expose both the background and foreground a flash or alternate lightsource is needed at times.
Zach's Incubus photos are a prime examples of not using a flash at a concert
Alot of places, from wedding ceremony's to events, don't allow flashes so you have to learn to be able to live without it at times....but that's the worst feeling when you know you can't get the shots you want without it! I'm learning to like it but only in moderation, i can't stand the blown out look that blackens the background completely. My goal 99% of the time is to reproduce the conditions exactly how i see it, to properly expose both the background and foreground a flash or alternate lightsource is needed at times.
Zach's Incubus photos are a prime examples of not using a flash at a concert
Im strictly talking about times when flash is allowed. Of course when flash isnt allowed, you have to make best of your situation. All the great photographers in the world do. However, when you can use it and it can improve your photos then why not?
If your goal of reproducing 99 percent of the time the actual conditions of how you see it, you better learn how to use a flash lol.
exactly, that's why it's growing on me...there's no way around it! Got the battery pack in for the lights too, maybe one day soon we'll get around to using them with a remote setup
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