Lighting How To

One question I’m frequently asked is, “Are you a natural-light photographer or do you use flash?” All too often that query stems from a popular misconception that using supplemental light is too difficult or confusing for mere mortals. As you’ll see in the basic tutorial below, nothing could be further from the truth.

So my answer to the above question is something along the lines of, “Good photographers, whether shooting indoors or outside, should know how to capture pleasing images with and without flash. In other words, flash photography may require a bit of practice, but it’s time to take a deep breath and at least learn the basics.

In the following tutorial from our friends at the Beyond Photography YouTube channel you’ll learn several straightforward tips for improving your imagery by adding a bit of supplemental light. Sometimes all that’s involved is using a simple on-camera flash to improve macro photos, or filling in shadows and adding catchlights in a subject’s eyes for more pleasing outdoor portraits.

Instructor Andrew Boey is known for keeping things simple, and that’s why it only takes him eight minutes to demonstrate what you need to know. Whether you’re shooting indoors with a couple lights on stands, or outside with a basic on-camera flash, by the end of this lesson you’ll no longer feel intimidated by supplemental light.

Boey begins with the simple statement, “don’t be afraid of flash,” and he demonstrates how easy it is to get started. He also provides examples of images captured of a pretty model, with and without flash, and the differences are striking. He discusses the necessary settings, provides helpful posing advice, and demonstrates a few potential pitfalls that are really easy to avoid.

Our guess is that there’s a lonely flash unit hiding somewhere in your camera cabinet, so dig it out, make friends, and give Boey’s methods a try.

You can find a variety of tips and tricks on the Beyond Photography YouTube channel, so pay a visit and subscribe.

On a related topic from another expert, check out the tutorial we posted earlier explaining an easy way to retouch and smooth skin in Lightroom for better portraits.