need advice on the group photos taking

[Dream Merchant]

I always thought taking without flash is better at low light if camera handle high ISO well. Flash makes subject bright and background dark. So there's a period of time I refuse to use flash, was using a pns btw.

But I was proven wrong by my own photos, now I know that it's because I didn't know how to use flash the right way. I'm learning by the day, use flash when there is poor natural lighting.

There's still people who dislike using flash, I can understand since I've been there, done that.

Sadly, many people go through that difficult and scary phase when they really don't have to.

See my post #14 above.

 

[pchmj]

Sadly, many people go through that difficult and scary phase when they really don't have to.

See my post #14 above.

I'm ok with it, as long as lesson learned. Last time using pns, at least now I realized my mistake and does not carry over this thinking to my upgraded camera.

 

[osocan]

Several things I can think of ...

- Marketing Mania: Ultra high ISO shots/videos taken at night - looks very saat, so people scrimp and save or get a second mortgage to get that D700, D3s, 1DM4, 5DM2, 24mm f1.4, 50mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.2, 200mm f/2 lenses and go right out expecting to get similar results under ANY lousy existing light situations with probably vastly differing lighting conditions than those in the promotional materials AND also forgetting that some production crews use things like enough light modifiers large enough to build another circque de soleil, hot lights, post work and other techniques in the mix and that the super crazy fantastic camera, while central to it all, probably accounts for less than 5% of the essential equipment required to get such results

- People have gotten tired and sick of seeing 'deer-in-the-headlights' type flash shots, and with the advent of global diffusers like the lightsphere, all of a sudden everyone thinks that ultra-flat muddy-looking low-contrast flash shots are superb

- As Master Catchlights mentioned, some of the top, high-end wedding photographers (I would add: probably in countries like the US and certain parts of Europe where they get some of MOST FANTASTIC NATURAL LIGHT!) like to shoot without flash and get great looking shots and again - the point about understanding light and using modifiers

- Marketing hyperbole that using all natural light is like some kind of master magician's ability when mastering flash and making it look like natural light is probably anytime waaaay more difficult than understanding natural light itself

- What most don't realize is that upping the ISO does absolutely nothing to alter light values and ratios. That low contrast, murky lighting and shadow under the eye socket is still going to be the same at ISO 50 or ISO 6871947673600

These are generalizations and there are exceptions.

Well said!

 

[UncleBen]

Talking about flash photography, Joe McNally's The Hotshoe Diaries is the best book I ever read about flash photography. Neil van Niekerk's On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding & Portrait Photography is also a good read. Both are available at NLB.

It totally changed the way I used to think about flash. May be I was too sua ku.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[allenleonhart]

Well said!

well i had no idea wad merchant was saying sadly.:embrass: might need to rephrase and make it easier to digest.

either way: photography is art with light. how u manipulate will determine how ur shots turns out.

i have known people who can play with natural light for all they want, while some rely on strobist kits to live their life. so long as they can play with the things they are good. flash provides an external source of light, very suitable for low light situations. or it could be used as fill light if u know how. its all abt practise.