#ThusdaySnapShots
Say.........FLASH!! Today on #ThursdaySnapShots we bring you more general photography tips for everyday use on Lets Go Big Tunes blog page
'*content from https://www.techradar.com
Tip 7. Colored gels for flash
When you're carrying out flash photography in areas lit predominantly by warm light - whether that's natural warmth of sunset or the artificial glow of tungsten bulbs - the cool 'blue' light from a flash will be stand out a mile.
One way to solve this problem is to use colored gels in front of the flash head. An orange gel will add warmth, helping you blend the flash light with the ambient light. The result should then be interesting rather than obvious.
Another option is to fix mixed white balance in Photoshop, using the selective adjustment tools in Adobe Camera Raw. This way you can adjust the white balance in those areas lit by flash or by the other light sources.
Tip 8. Slow-sync flash photography
Your camera's slow-sync flash setting enables you to combine slower shutter speeds with flash. Many of your camera's shooting modes are programmed to produce a well-exposed foreground subject with flash, but the background can look too dark.
Slow-sync flash gets around this by combining a slower shutter speed with flash, ensuring that the flash output is balanced well with the ambient light.
Some cameras default to slow-sync flash in certain modes - Canon EOS DSLRs use slow-sync flash in Aperture Priority mode, for instance - while others have a dedicated Night Portrait mode that does the same job.
Whichever you use, make sure the camera is supported well during the longer exposure time. Otherwise the areas of the image illuminated by ambient light may be blurred.
Tip 9. High speed flash sync
You need to know the maximum flash sync speed of your flashgun if you're going to avoid flash exposure errors.
The maximum flash sync is the fastest shutter speed at which normal flash photography is possible - typically 1/200 or 1/250sec.
The limiting factor here is how fast the shutters in front of the camera sensor can open and close, not the speed of the flash itself - its burst is blink-and-you-miss it fast, after all.
A flashgun's high speed flash sync mode - known as Auto FP on Nikon cameras - allows you to use shutter speeds beyond the maximum flash sync.
Use it when you're shooting portraits in bright conditions, as it will allow you to freely choose wide apertures (to blur backgrounds) without worrying about the shutter speed being too fast for the flash exposure.
The downside of high speed flash sync is that it reduces the range of the flash - you'll need to be close the subject to create a balanced exposure.
Tip 10. Second curtain sync
Slow-sync flash is also a creative technique to use when you're photographing moving subjects. The slow shutter speed will record moving elements as a blur, while the short burst of light from the flash will capture a freeze-frame of the subject. The combination of sharpness and blur gives a very effective sense of motion.
Normally the flash fires at the start of the exposure, and this is known as first curtain sync. Although this allows you to time the flash exposure perfectly, it means any blur from the slower exposure will be recorded in front of the subject, which looks odd.
Switch the flash to second curtain sync, and it fires at the end of the exposure. This means any motion blur appears behind the subject. Although this looks more natural, it can be harder to time shots perfectly.
Tip 11. Underexposing the background
An effective way to add drama to outdoor portraits shot in daylight is to illuminate the subject with flash but underexpose the background.
The technique for doing this depends on the DSLR you're using, so it's worth referring to the camera manual.
For instance, on Canon cameras you control the flash exposure and ambient light exposure separately - all you need to do is use exposure compensation for the ambient light, reducing the exposure by 2-3 stops.
Nikon flash exposures are handled slightly differently: using exposure compensation reduces the total exposure, including the flash's. You'll need to increase flash exposure compensation by the same amount to fix this.
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