The Basics of Flash Photography Taught Using a Garden Hose

Photography instructor Mike Browne of PhotographyCourses.Biz has a clever way of teaching the basic principles of flash photography. He uses water from an ordinary garden hose as an analogy for light, showing different ways you can go about soaking your portrait subject.

Direct flash is like spraying a blast of water directly into someone’s face, adding a diffuser is like using a softer pattern on your garden hose nozzle, and bouncing your flash is like spraying the stream off a wall in order to turn it into a gentler mist that drenches your model from the side.

The next time you’re engaged in a water fight with friends or family, be sure to use your blasts of water as teaching moments for imparting basic flash concepts. Try screaming, “THIS IS DIRECT FLASH!”

(via Reddit)