Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light

Using Flash

Flash can be a great tool for controlling contrast and revealing detail in the shadows. However, the light produced by direct flash is something that I dislike very much and work to avoid. When I do use flash, I often have a light modifier on the flash head. The one I prefer is the Gary Fong LightSphere (www.garyfongestore.com), which provides a beautiful quality of light whether I’m using it as a primary light source or as a fill.

For much of my work, I use flash to serve as a fill light rather than the primary light source. To achieve this effect, I often use the camera’s or flash’s own flash compensation control. This control allows me to increase or decrease the output of the flash in increments of one-third stop.

Today’s digital ...