Flash, the fastest way to better photos.
Hello, and welcome back. Everyone always has a lot of questions for a professional photographer and one of those questions is, “How can I improve my photos quickly?” My first thought is always, what do you consider quick, a day, a week, a month, or even a year! Yes, it can take some time to really grasp some of the concepts in photography and still even longer to really understand how to apply them in many different situations. So to answer the question, you first have to understand the most basic photography concepts. Good light equals good photos MOST of the time. It is important to stress MOST of the time because it is not always the case, for a lot of other reasons.
Flash, is one of the most important aspects of great photography. It can change the look of your photos and also allow you to take photos where you might not have been able to take photos without one. Adding a second flash opens even more opportunities for great photos and allows for you to really get your creative juices flowing to create a style that is all yours. I personally use Adorama for all my lighting gear, you can use my links to order your gear from them or any other links in this post, it won’t cost you any more and I earn a small commission from your purchase. Thanks in advance. You will have lots of options for flash and I do invite you to take a long hard look at all your options to make sure you are getting the best flash for you.
The dedicated flash is a great option for your camera and probably the most accurate when it comes to exposure in-camera AKA Automatic mode or TTL. This option is great but comes at a high cost in the grand scheme of things. A top of the line Canon flash can set you back over one grand Canon EL-1 Speedlight and even the entry-level Canon 430EX lll RT will set you back $249.99. For some of you out there, it may not seem like a lot but to others, myself included it is expensive, to say the least. Used name brand flashes are a fantastic second option. There are tons of used flashes to be had on eBay and that is where I started in the beginning. Appearance is important in my opinion when it comes to buying used gear. Keep an eye out for any missing parts or pieces of the gear you are looking at. It gives you great insight into how the gear was handled and cared for.
My third option is using a third party flash which has been built and designed to work with my specific brand of camera. For me that is Canon, so when searching for a third-party flash I need to make sure it is Canon compatible. It will work with every available feature my camera has to offer to make it a great option at a great price. Here is a few examples Flashpoint Zoom Li-on X R2 TTL On-Camera Round Flash Speedlight For Canon or the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on R2 TTL On-Camera Flash Speedlight For Canon . It is not all roses with these flashes, build quality will not be exceptional like a Canon flash and exposure can sometimes be a little erratic, but giving the savings of these flash’s I would rather have two or three of these than just one Canon flash any day of the week. The three flashes simply give me more options and creative freedom than just one brand name does.