Photo How To

Last month we brought you an inspirational video demonstrating why a simple flash can greatly improve all sorts of photographs made indoors or out. It was an illustrative piece without much technical information. Today's tutorial covers the how in simple terms that beginners can understand.

Instructor Emma Birman is a professional wedding photographer who knows how important an affordable flash can be. She presents this 14-minute guide in the context of her specialty but everything you'll learn is applicable to other genres as well. And like in last month's video, her primary goal is to help you overcome a needless fear of flash.

As she says, "I'll guide your through everything you need to know for mastering on-camera flash to create stunning photos." She does this by discussing why different types of light impact how you proceed, lighting terms you should know, comparing results between on-camera and off-camera flash, and the pros and cons of each.

The comprehensive video also delves into an exploration of "diffusion," and Birman's gear recommendations. But the definitions come first so you won't be confused. She explains the the meaning of "ambient light," that the term "strobe" is just another word for flash, and the concept of "TTL" flash. Anther term you need to understand is "synch speed."

With all that out of the way Birman moves on to practical advice for making a flash your friend. Sitit down with pen and paper in hand so you can jot down a few notes for future reference, then click the "play" button to begin your journey into simple flash photography with confidence.

Once the video concludes head over to the Aftershoot YouTube channel where there's much more to learn about shooting techniques, photo equipment options, and straightforward post-processing methods.

And don't forget to watch the video mentioned above with an Australian pro who provides several compelling examples of how the use of flash can create eye-catching images that would be difficult or impossible to mimic with nothing but ambient light.