Obsessed with Available Light

[Topdog1]

I use flash a lot of the time, but then I pretty much suck as a photographer:

Wayne

These are nice. I wouldn't be so self-depreciating!

/Ira

 

[bsdunek]

I use flash when absolutely necessary, but as a guy that came up when Kodachrome was ASA 10, and Tri-X was still ASA 200, I liked available light. Back in the 50's I used my Retina Reflex-S with a f1.9 lens and got a lot of good photos. A lot of college events worked out well. I did get a few "your flash didn't go off" comments.
Today, with 1600 B&W film and a f1.4 lens, I'm in heaven!
Sometimes, though, you need a little fill flash to keep from getting black eye sockets and such. Nothing wrong with that - I use that for weddings and such.
Everyone should do a little practice at low shutter speeds (1/10-1/25) to see what they really can do.

 

[kshapero]

I never use a flash. Don't like startling my subject. I like to as invisible as possible.

 

[smileyguy]

Available light almost all the time. I find it a unique challenge to select film types and lenses to capture what I can where I can. Available light and certain films can create such moods that can't be captured any other way.

I own a flash but haven't figured it out yet... It's an older Metz Mecablitz thing and apparently it is supposed to work quite well with my Konica Auto S3 I just haven't experimented with it very much.

 

[PaulN]

After taking a couple of course on creative lighting at the New England School of Photography, I now view the flash as a "portable sun" that I can use as I please. I've taken some of my canon gear and am now using it on my R-D1. I find that the leica glass is absolutely stellar. If you have the glass, why not let it shine?

Here is a shot with a 580EX attached to the R-D1. The flash is in a softbox and a reflector is used.

I'm trying to figure out if I can trigger my 550ex remotely through the 580ex as I can on my old D-60. If so, I'll have a nice portrait setup that is incredibly light and has some of the best glass in the world.

 

[wlewisiii]

Flash is a tool, like any other. That said, if I think I won't need flash, I stick to my RF's though I have a nice bounce head Vivitar for when it's necessary. OTOH, if I think flash - especially fill flash in a portrait situation - is going to be needed I'll grab my T-90 and it's dedicated 300TL flash and let the computers on board the two of them figure out the gnarly details.

But I will admit that one thing I want to buy & learn how to use well is some reflectors to better use available light.

William

 

[dostacos]

I'm suprised at this. With so many good photographers here, it strikes me as weird that so few of you use flash. With a couple of notable exceptions in this thread, you all seem to be (pretty virulently!) anti-flash. I can only assume you are thinking of on-camera automatic flash and flat, over-lit, and all around bad pictures. This is a shame. Any good photographer will tell you that flash units can and should be very useful tools. Light is the essence of what we do, and understanding and controling light, rather than merely observing it, is the key to good photography- even with rangefinder cameras. Not just for light with which to make the exposure, but for a million different creative uses, I always have at least a small flash and a longish sync cord in my bag, along with some white cards and maybe a plastic diffuser. For jobs, I'll have two or three, along with a radio tansmitter and reciever, and some reflectors, and various other light shaping tools.

I assume tht with all your available light shooting, you are aware of shadows and other areas with less light. I will also assume that at least a few of you use these areas on purpose, hopefully in creative ways. Using flash should be no less intentional or creative. I answered the poll "As needed" and while I occasionally use fill flash, I will just as often put them behind subjects to create separation, hold them off camera to get angled light, aim that at specific points for accents or to bring out features, etc. etc. You guys should get creative, and start using all the tools available to you. If photography is writing with light, you should put some ink in your pens!

I will use flash with my digital camera, but my Bessa's I go with available light. I admit I am going for a "look" that the won't get with flash. at some point I will play with a flash but I have never been real happy with my results.

I suspect many here don't use the flash because the RF cameras lend themselves to low light

 

[VinceC]

Here's a picture in near blackness. 1/8 second and fill in the middle of the night. This young man from East Berlin was in a Bavarian refugee camp in September 1989, one of several thousand East German defectors ("uebersiedlers") whose relentless departure led, two months later, to the opening of the Berlin Wall.

 

[doxx]

I like to use a flash in very contrasty light (especially w/ color) to fill in the shadows, but do so mostly with the DSLR. Once I fried the flash circuit (with off cam cord) of my M6 TLL in heavy snow... ouch.

 

[PetarDima]

natural light is my main interest. there is no good photography without it.
that is reason for my daydreaming about fast lenses.

 

[ChrisN]

I tend to agree with drewbarb - flash is another tool to learn how to use when appropriate. I've learned a lot about the possibilities by reading the tutorials on Strobist (http://strobist.blogspot.com/) - now I have to practice.

 

[mike goldberg]

Flash?... not often; occasionally for fill. When I was
a working pro, 'available light' meant:
All the light that is available. Ciao, mikle

 

[pvdhaar]

I tend to agree with drewbarb - flash is another tool to learn how to use when appropriate. I've learned a lot about the possibilities by reading the tutorials on Strobist (http://strobist.blogspot.com/) - now I have to practice.

Completely agree; the Strobist blog is a very good resource for learning flash techniques and exploring ideas..

 

[Nick R.]

I don't see why artificial light placed arbitrarily by someone else in a room has some inherent magical quality over the artificial light placed by you, the photographer, in the same room. If the room light happens to line up correctly, I use it, otherwise I use a flash without thinking twice.

with bounce and reflector

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

I think that an accomplished photographer would use both kinds of light, the kind you find and the kind you make, to create a photograph:

Found light- sunlight through window that is bouncing off of a white tiled floor:

Made light: Three flashes and a reflector:

Wayne

 

[jkelly]

I have a Vivitar bounce flash unit, but it hasn't worked in 20 years. Occasionally I think about getting another one, but I have a hard enough time mastering available light.

 

[mtbbrian]

So does not owning a flash count?


I owned one when I had my SLR outfit, but I am not sure I want to have one now that I have an RF...

Brian

 

[berci]

If I had one, I would probably use it sometimes, but I don't and don't intend to buy one either.

 

[DougK]

I'm suprised at this....I assume tht with all your available light shooting, you are aware of shadows and other areas with less light. I will also assume that at least a few of you use these areas on purpose, hopefully in creative ways. Using flash should be no less intentional or creative. I answered the poll "As needed" and while I occasionally use fill flash, I will just as often put them behind subjects to create separation, hold them off camera to get angled light, aim that at specific points for accents or to bring out features, etc. etc. You guys should get creative, and start using all the tools available to you. If photography is writing with light, you should put some ink in your pens!

I wouldn't say I'm anti-flash, I'd use it if I absolutely had to in order to get the shot I see in my head. I simply prefer trying to use natural light as much as possible... that and I don't own a good flash unit .

 

[RML]

I tend to agree with drewbarb - flash is another tool to learn how to use when appropriate. I've learned a lot about the possibilities by reading the tutorials on Strobist (http://strobist.blogspot.com/) - now I have to practice.

Great link!

While I understand why many here "abhor" flash, I think that's as much due to lack of knowledge and experience as anything else. I for one want to learn, even though I won't be using it much. That Strobist site is a great resource. Thanks!