Introduction to Flash

Aimed at improving and intermediate photographers, this course will give you an introduction to using flash in your photography. We’ll be doing studio work as well as outside practical work with battery powered flash.

Structure of the day:

10-10.30am
Introduction to the day, starting in the studio. We’ll establish everyone’s different level of experience, and discuss what we’re going to learn from the day.

10.30-11.30pm
We’ll spend an hour learning about the principles of flash photography – the different types of flash lighting and how to control and modify it, and how to correctly expose for flash. We’ll discuss how using aperture and shutter speed settings can be used independently to balance flash and ambient light. We’ll break half way through the session for coffee and biscuits.

11.45-12.45am Practical work in the studio using different flash units and modifiers to take portraits. We’ll start with a single light setup and gradually add to this to see the effect that different lights bring to the shot.

12.45-1.15pm
Lunch break. A light lunch will be provided.

1.15pm-3pm
Practical session outside. We’ll work as a group using portable flash to put into practice some of the ideas we’ve learnt in the morning session about balancing flash and daylight. We’ll use flash to fill shadows, and as a way to separate subjects from their backgrounds.

3-4pm
We’ll head back to the studio to download some of the photos we’ve taken. We’ll do some basic editing in lightroom and discuss the final images on the big screen.

4-4.30pm
Finish up with tea/coffee & discuss what we’ve learnt during the day.

As with the other two courses, this will be an informal, friendly day with the emphasis being on going at a comfortable pace to make sure that no-one gets left behind. By understanding how to work with flash, you’ll be adding a great new resource to your repertoire, and will be able to take your new skills away to start experimenting on your own.