On Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography.pdf

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On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography
FLASH
Techniques for Digital
Wedding and Portrait Photography
Neil van Niekerk
Amherst Media ®
PUBLISHER OF PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
ON-CAMERA
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View the companion blog to this book at: http://on-cameraflash-vanniekerk.blogspot.com/
Check out Amherst Media’s other blogs at: http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/
http://weddingphotographer-amherstmedia.blogspot.com/
Copyright © 2009 by Neil van Niekerk.
All rights reserved.
All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.
Published by:
Amherst Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 586
Buffalo, N.Y. 14226
Fax: 716-874-4508
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher: Craig Alesse
Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins
Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt
Editorial Assistance from: John S. Loder, Carey Ann Maines, Charles Schweizer
ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-258-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942244
Printed in Korea.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.
NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.Theauthor
and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.
 
Table of Contents
Metering Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Metering Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Using and Interpreting the Camera’s
Built-In Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Confirmation of Exposure Accuracy
via the LCD Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Combinations of Shutter Speed,
Aperture, and ISO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
SECTION 1
The Larger the Light Source,
The Softer the Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Postproduction of the Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
SECTION 3
About the Author
NeilvanNiekerk,originallyfromJohannesburg,SouthAfrica,isaweddingandpor-
trait photographer based in northern New Jersey. He graduated with a college de-
greeinelectronicengineeringandworkedasatelevisionbroadcastengineerinSouth
Africa (while pursuing photography as a parallel career) before deciding to settle in
theUnitedStatesin2000.SaysVanNiekerk,“Ilovephotographyforavarietyofrea-
sons. The stimulation and excitement of responding to new situations satisfies both
myanalyticalandcreativesides,andIalsotrulyloveworkingwithpeople.Igetreal
pleasure from sharing the happiness with the people that I photograph and know-
ingthatI’mcreatingimagesthatwillevokewonderfulmemoriesforalifetime.”Van
Niekerk’s “Planet Neil” website (www.planetneil.com) has become a popular desti-
nation for photographers seeking information on the latest equipment and tech-
niques. Visit www.neilvn.com to see more of Van Niekerk’s photography.
4 ON-CAMERA FLASH TECHNIQUES FOR DIGITAL WEDDING AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
 
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Foreword
plex, artificial, and downright un-arty, right? Avail-
able light rules! (Or does it? What do you do when the
existinglightisgarbage?)Inprofessionalphotography,the
facts are often quite a bit different than what people say.
Therecanbeasignificantdividebetweenwhatwesayand
what we really mean. Here are a few translations:
“dumbing down” of things we need to really know about
beingprofessionalsismakingusdullandoftenoh-so-very
similar.
Alltoooften,wethinktheanswerisjusttobuythatnew
lens, new background, or the generic “action set” that
promises to turn our images into hero shots without any
effort on our parts. But have you ever noticed that under
thesurfaceof any topphotographer’sphotograph,thereis
an original capture with great light? So, if you want my
simple advice is, here it is: The answer is never the gear, it’s
always the light.
Now more than ever, how well we find light and how
well we make light helps to differentiate practicing, pas-
sionate, professionals from the Uncle Bobs with sophisti-
cated camera gear. (It also helps to reveal that a wad of
amateur4x6printsis not agreatweddinggift!)Customers
don’t care about how much your gear cost, but they care
very much that your work looks vastly superior to Uncle
Bob’s.
AsafinalcommentIwillsaythis.Inthisbook,Neilvan
Niekerk has presented you with a collection of examples
that show you how to sculpt light, add light, and modify
it—all with readily available strobes. It’s a fantastic book.
But don’t think this knowledge comes just with a quick
read, and a glance at his lovely pictures. He has not mas-
tered these techniques as the result of a “quick fix” from
someoneelsebeforehim;helearnedthemasaresultofef-
fort and a desire to make substantially better professional
images. I encourage you to make the same effort in read-
ing,studying,andpracticing—foryou,foryourcustomers,
and for the industry you love.
1.Idon’tuseflashbecauseit’ssounnatural.
Translation: I don’t know how to use flash.
2.Off-camerastrobeistoomuchhardwork.
Translation: I don’t care enough to bother.
3.Mycustomersdon’tknowthedifference.
Translation: I don’t care enough to bother.
Well,haveIgotnewsforyou!Afterreadingthisbook,you
willknowhowtouseflashtogreateffect.Afterall,you do
careaboutyourcustomers,andyou do careaboutimprov-
ing, refining, and defining your own work—regardless of
yourpositioninthegreaterphotographicfoodchain(and,
let’sremindourselves,thatdoesincludebrides’unclesand
friends in their first year of art school).
Of course, I really should have written: “After reading,
studying,digesting,andthoroughlypracticingthecontents
of this book . . .” Ladies and gentlemen, we live in times
of great and wonderful technology that has changed our
industry more in the last ten years than in the century be-
fore. We also live in the age of the quick fix—the “give it
to me now” and “I don’t do instructional books” mental-
ity.Amongmanyphotographers,thishasresultedinalack
of knowledge about the craft of lighting—and more im-
portantly, how to sculpt lighting. The quick-fix attitude is
making many of us into photographic jellyfish—and the
— DavidA.Williams
M.Photog., FRPS, ALPE
www.davidwilliams-heartworks.com
FOREWORD 5
A ll photographers know that flash is so, well . . . com-

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