The Canon Speedlite 430EX flash lets me take advantage of a 1/200 X-sync speed, which means that high-speed shots such as these are now possible in low lighting conditions. I picked one up this week, so most of my free time has been spent learning the capabilities of an external flash unit. The tilt-and-swivel head means that I can bounce the flash off a ceiling to soften the light, or take advantage of the surroundings, such as bouncing it off my stove (the picture on the left) or off my fridge (the picture on the right). There’s also a low-profile AF assist beam that’s a huge improvement over the seizure inducing on-board flash unit.
I decided to go with a Canon brand flash so I could have full E-TTL metering support (which fires an undetectable low-powered pre-flash for evaluative metering done through the lens) to match the Rebel XT shell. One of the coolest things about the 430EX is that a set of motors automatically adjust the zoom range to match the lens, and it can be used as a slave unit that can be optically (which also means remotely) triggered from a master unit for up to four light sources.
Even though there are tons of other accessories I’d like to have, such as a Sunpak hand strap (which would be a good compromise between the safety of a neck strap and the convenience of no strap), some Kenko extension tubes (for macro photography), or a portable microdrive, I thought that a flash would currently best serve my needs. This isn’t even to mention the options for some sweet glass, like a lens with image stabilization, a telescoping range, or even something from the L series which I’d have to put a second mortgage on my house to afford. I think that I’m only beginning to understand how expensive a hobby photography is.
you’re right about expensive.
I have never used a flash to take “artsy” photos. My formal training forbade me to do so; I learned to make do with available light. But I think, should I want to start using flash, I’d have to undergo another training altogether just for that. It seems a bit too tricky.
Nice cat photos. I especially like the second one.
That’s a furry tongue…haha ;)
I’ve never had formal training in photography, so I’m never exactly sure what I’m doing, but I’m sure there are some scenarios that require a flash (extreme low-light, more than 15 seconds for a proper exposure with a moving subject). Some even consider cropping or digital manipulation to be cheating, but I’ve decided that I’ll use the tools available to me.
And the milk does make the little bristles on Dolly’s tongue stand out, heh.
I just refrain from shooting under low-light conditions. ; )
Digital manipulation. There are editing techniques to be found in imaging softwares that one can do “traditionally” in a darkroom. I would gladly make use of those tools (brightness/contrast, grain, resize, crop –though I try not to crop– etc.) in Photoshop, but, as purist –or neo-purist– as it may sound, none that would make my photos look too weird or too fancy, or alter them beyond recognition.