The Flash Photography Field Guide

The Flash Photography Field Guide

by Adam Duckworth
Released March 2014
Publisher(s): Focal Press
ISBN: 9781136108372

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Shooting with any kind of flash - whether it's a simple light on your camera, a remotely-triggered unit, or a complete studio setup - completely changes the photographic experience. No longer do you simply need to be aware of light; now you need to know how to shape it to your own ends. The Flash Photography Field Guide, small enough to be taken on the most arduous shoot, will show you exactly how to do this, whether you're shooting models in a studio, live sports events, or something as personal and special as your friend's wedding. This book covers the details of setting up and using modern TTL flash systems, and the creative and technical choices you'll come across, from syncing the flash with the camera to modifying the quality of the light.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Introduction
  7. Basics
    1. Quality of Light
    2. Direction of Light
    3. Contrast
    4. Intensity
    5. Evenness and Color
  8. Equipment
    1. Flash Equipment
    2. DSLR or Compact?
    3. Give Me Power!
    4. TTL Infrared Controllers
    5. Radio-controlled Flash
    6. Moving to Manual
    7. Lightstands and Tiltheads
    8. Lighting Grip
  9. Camera Setup
    1. Automatic Exposure Modes
    2. Taking Manual Control
    3. Judging Exposure
    4. Sync Speed
    5. Slow-speed Sync
    6. High-speed Sync
  10. Techniques
    1. Bouncing Light
    2. Umbrellas
    3. Softboxes
    4. Beauty Dishes
    5. Honeycomb Grids and Snoots
    6. Softbox Grids
    7. Masks and Gobos
    8. Gels
    9. Ringflash
  11. Ambient Light
    1. Fill-in Flash
    2. Flash as the Main Light Source
    3. Using a Second Flash
    4. Hiding a Flash for Rim-light
    5. Mimicking Existing Ambient Light
    6. Using a Parabolic Umbrella
    7. Flash With Slow Shutter Speeds
    8. Overcast Day Flash Balancing
    9. Low-light Flash Balancing
    10. Bright-light Flash Balancing
    11. Cross Lighting
    12. Multi-flash Setups
  12. Lighting
    1. Traditional Lighting Patterns
    2. Broad and Short Lighting
    3. A Soft Light Portrait
    4. Beauty Lighting
    5. Hard Light Portraits
    6. Dealing With Glasses
    7. Environmental Portraits
    8. Action Shots
    9. Vehicles
    10. Interiors
    11. Products
  13. Case Studies
    1. Using Depth of Field for Creative Effect
    2. The Effect of Rim-light
    3. Working With Harsh Sun
    4. Camper Van Shot Multi-light Setup
    5. Creating Drama in a Stormy Field
    6. Making Three Flashes Look Like Thirty
    7. Creating Contemporary Portraits
    8. Using Blur for Creative Effect
    9. Freezing Motion
    10. Making Black Stand Out Against Black
    11. Lighting a Room to Look Natural
    12. Using Ringflash for Fill
    13. Lighting up a Forest
    14. One Location, One Light, Three Photos
  14. Advanced
    1. Advanced High-speed Sync
    2. Hacking Sync With Power Pack Heads
    3. Tips and Tricks
    4. Reverse Engineering
  15. Glossary
  16. Index
  17. Acknowledgments

Product information

  • Title: The Flash Photography Field Guide
  • Author(s): Adam Duckworth
  • Release date: March 2014
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9781136108372