flash

7 Tips To Improve Your Macro Photography

French photographer Emilie Talpin did not pick up her first camera until 2018 but within just a few years, she became both an OM SYSTEM Ambassador and a highly respected photo educator best known for her favorite photography genres: macro and nature.

Beloved gear

The Beloved Photography Gear That Nobody Uses Anymore

As we wrap up 2023, a year that featured a ton of incredible photography gear that will undoubtedly feature in many a photographer's kits for years to come, we began to wonder, "What popular photography gear from years past is much less common now?"

Canon Has a Hot Shoe Problem

Canon Has a Hot Shoe Problem

Canon's EOS R-series cameras, such as the R5, R6, and R6 Mark II, are excellent mirrorless cameras and rival the best available in their respective price ranges. However, since Canon launched its first full-frame mirrorless camera, the original EOS R, in 2018, users have complained about chronically loose hot shoes.

Using Flash in Wedding Photography: What You Need to Know

Let’s talk about wedding photography flash and what you need to know. Shooting with flash can be intimidating if you’re just starting out but it can be freeing the more you know how to use it. There might be times when you need to use flash and there might be times when you choose to use flash.

What Is Flash Duration in Photography?

What are the most important features you look for when buying a flash? Many photographers consider the amount of power a unit has to be the most important, but there are a few other specifications that are just as important, including flash duration. In this article, I will break down exactly what flash duration is and how it works.

Profoto B1X Review: Tough, Powerful, and Worth Every Penny

When Profoto released the cordless, battery-powered B1X monolight in 2017, I was rather skeptical. Why should a company release a new light if it offers mild improvements over the old model? Faster recycling, better battery life, and more modeling lamp output aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Yet the build quality, the ability to freeze motion, and the number of flashes per charge make this light worth every penny.

An Intro to Shadows in Photography

What is a photograph? There are many different ways to answer this simple question, but in basic abstract terms through the lens of lighting, every photograph is a combination of highlights and shadows. The only reason we see depth and dimension is in fact shadow. Understanding shadows is crucial in growing as a photographer.

Profoto B2 Long-Term Review: A Small Flash That Punches Above Its Weight

The Profoto B2 is a small, seemingly-"underpowered" light that was released back in 2015 and that has been with me for the past two years. Having bought it used and taken it on trips, shot in-studio, and photographed on-location, there are a lot of good things to say about it.

How to Mix Flash with Ambient Light: A Step-by-Step Method

Can you think back to a time you were taking photos in a dinner scene and they just look "flash-y"? Why does flash never look natural? Well, in order to make flash look natural, you have to make flash part of the natural lighting scenario. Here’s how.

Using a Flash for Insect Photography

I've shot thousands of pics of insects without flash and tens of thousands with flash. When the lighting is bright and sunny, the results can be good without flash. But when I venture out in pursuit of photo ops, I often encounter poorly lighted situations which are better with flash. If you study the work of experienced insect photographers, you'll find that most of them use flash.

Lighting White-on-White or Black-on-Black Photos with Just One Flash

The most complex scenarios one can get in lighting are black on black and white on white. These scare most photographers, regardless of the genre. If black absorbs light and white bounces, how can you achieve natural-looking results with just one light?

Is Diffused Light the Same as Soft Light?

Diffused and soft light are often used interchangeably among photographers. Indeed, to an untrained eye, the two can sometimes appear to be the same. Furthermore, modifiers such as softboxes that give both soft and diffused light make it hard to spot the difference. Nonetheless, diffused light is not necessarily soft, and soft light is not necessarily diffused.

HSS Does Not Freeze Motion: Light is the Key, Not Shutter Speed

How do photographers freeze motion? With shutter speed, of course! This is something fundamental that everyone starting out in photography learns to do. If you’re shooting sports, for example, just crank the ISO up, set a high shutter speed, and expect a good frozen-in-time image. However, when using a flash, things are a little different. In fact, shutter speed is by far the worst way to freeze motion. Here’s why.

Can We Please Stop Talking About Watt Seconds?

Photography is evolving -- Dramatically! I am talking about advances with smartphones, mirrorless cameras, and AI technology -- this is an exciting time to be a photographer. But there must be a better way than watt-seconds to compare lights.

The Godox AD100 Flash is Unusable for Pro Photography

People always have a love/hate relationship with Godox. For many, they are a cheap entry point to off-camera flash, offering massive bang for the buck. Others see them as cheap imitations of more expensive brands.

Why I Never Recommend Entry-Level Canon DSLRs to New Portrait Shooters

As a fashion photographer with a degree of online presence, it is only natural to get questions about gear every now and then in Instagram DMs and email. There is a universe of gear to choose from across many different brands. As a Canon shooter, you might think that I would recommend their entry-level cameras to beginners. However, I think the opposite.