Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thank you, Bill. I believe I went out of my way to deflect attention away from the identity of the photographer, and focus it on the technique used.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Correct. Not a biggie for me...
It is enough to know that the other 1000 folks who have read this thread have not indicated the technique to be a good practice ( in general) and most have used top of camera flash in situations where other options were not possible due to location or setup time.

I'll talk my chances on missing out on the potential of her being a genius....and I dont need to know who she is or her particular results to have an open discussion on the general practice...which I understood to be the OPs intent.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Okay, I'll bite. I don't think on-camera flash is the way to go if you are being paid to shoot an event. However, shooting on-camera flash can be done and has for a very long time by just about everyone.

Haven't most photographers used on camera flash when there is no other option? This is a photo I took after a day of pick up volleyball games with about 20 friends. We were just enjoying the evening sitting around on the grass and I took out an old Canon 40D and shot this family using the pop up flash. The sunlight behind them was perfect from my position. Dialed in some flash compensation and took 2 or 3 shots.

I was at an event of interior designers and the photographer there was shooting groups of people with his on camera flash. I was a bit surprised, but he is a well known architectural shooter published many times over. So should I go up and ask him if he's crazy? No, and the results of the event in a trade magazine later were complimentary of the subjects.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Yep agreed.
Did it myself apple picking with the family.
Wife, 4 kids + dog...sun backlit. Top of camera HSS fill flash, settings to properly expose the sky and fill flash for the fam.

No one will disagree with the effectiveness of a top of camera flash. I think the subtlety of the discussion is the debate around the efficacy of close-up, indoor, front flash, bare bulb pointed directly at the subject in an environment that does allow for some staging. (Its not a run and gun situation).

Btw: good lookin' subjects in the photo if you dont mind me sayin' :-)

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Having read this thread, I must admit that I admire the truly professional photographer who can photograph a wedding and still provide outstanding lighting. When my daughter was married in 2009, our finances were tight. $3000 for a professional photographer was not in the wedding budget. Our goal was to get photographs that would provide memories for the future. We did hire a professional to do the bridal photo and makeup. That turned out very nice. It was an outdoor shoot and he even provided some kind of electrical system for his lighting system. For the wedding, however, my daughter had a friend from college who had been a photography major. She did the wedding photography, including the post-wedding photography and reception. She used an on-camera flash at all times, but did use an over the shoulder battery pack. She did this for a ticket to Dallas (from Rochester, NY) and $800. All in all, I will have to say that we got what we paid for. However, we do have photos. One thing I noticed about the post-wedding photos. Everything was very hurried. We had a timetable to make to get to the reception. Long story made short.....how do really good professional photographers get great lighting and great photos in such a short period of time?

speedorms

built in flash can work for some settings.. also, there are soft sleeves, etc, available to make a pretty even fill... esp ok for backlighted.. and if youre on a budget [i know that one well]... can get creative and find what works for you.... i have a nice 70d kit.. and am playing with a lumix fz 2500.. using manual shoe mount until i can get the right 'real' flash as its a bit pricey.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

You’re exactly right. Thank you.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

...and just so folks dont think I never use on-camera speedlights ....here is the pic...
(I think I may have used the bounce card vs direct but not sure....HSS flash in high sun needs a lot of power and not sure the bounce would have filled it.)

(Download)

SteveR Loc: Michigan

That's what I call a full house, Dad. And I thought three kids was more than enough!! Nice family!!

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

@ Steve and whoever else in interested. I have been photographing weddings for a very long time so I guess you can call me a member of the "old school". Back in the day, when I started out in the industry in New York City, wedding photography, for the most part, was usually in the domain of well established portrait studios. I was fortunate enough in that my first job and apprenticeship was with a studio that practiced fine portraiture so it was a natural transition into candid wedding photography to apply portrait-like lighting effects to every wedding coverage. Although many studios and inexpedient wedding photographers routinely used single flash on the camera lighting, I have never shot a wedding, since 1958, without employing multiple lighting, that is when flash is the dominant light source. I always work with at least one assistant who's job it is to to man a second off camera light. When possible I also light the venue with a number of remote radio-triggered flash units. Once the technique practiced and mastered, extremely effective and aesthetically pleasing lighting can be achieved even under rushed or very limited time frames. Another aspect of the professionalism involved is to carefully plan, along with the bride and groom, a logical wedding day schedule to accommodate a reasonable time period for formal and group photographs so as to avoid chaotic rushed conditions.

Aside form precise multiple flash technique, there are also many methodologies for the finite use of available light, window light, even certain forms of direct sunlight. Finding and seeing light is an important skill set in formal and candid wedding photography. Other techniques entail the use of reflectors, gobos for subtractive lighting, the use of candlelight and a wide variety of special effect lighting.

All of this would be difficult for any photographer to handle single-handedly- it's has to be a team effort. Most of my assistants are wedding photographers-in training so they are well versed in all of my lighting techniques and can apply them quickly, on the spot, in many formal and impromptu scenarios. They are trained to anticipate my moves and work quickly and efficiently without becoming obtrusive.

I am certainly not the only photographer to use this kind of lighting- there are many top professionals who are masters of fine lighting techniques.

The important question should be; what is the purposes of all of this lighting and how does it differ form ordinary on-the-camera flash:? There are many advantages. From a portraitist's point of view, the addition of at least one off camera light makes for better modeling and dimensionality by enabling the Chiaroscuro effect- the play of light and shadow. Simply stated, dimensional lighting makes images "jump off the page" and imbues them with a three-dimensional quality. Enumerable moods and emotions can be expressed through creative lightning. Good lighting can be applied for many corrective and cosmetic effects that are flattering to the photographer's subjects. The savvy use of multiple light goes to defeat many the ill effects the inverse square law with its rapid fall of off illumination beyond the flash to camera distance covered by a single flash and the resulting "black-hole" backgrounds and overexposed foreground. Distracting shadows on background walls, "red-eye" flat lighting, burned out highlights on wedding gowns and wedding cakes, poor shadow detail on black formal attire are all gremlins that can be remedied by expertly applied multiple off-camera lighting methods.

Doing all of this is definitely going to increase the costs of producing each assignment. There is additional investments in equipment and the accompanying maintenance and a significant increase in labor costs what with the additional staff required at each assignment. Time has to be invested in training of photographers and assistants- it all adds up to higher fees. From a consumer point of view, a better product should be considered better value for their investment.

It's not just matter of having lots of lights or using complex equipment. It has to do with developing a working system that is adaptable to operating quickly and efficiently in a variety of conditions and locations and being able to effectively cope with unpredictable or changing environments and situations.

@jdubu. Interesting observation. Architectural photography is very much like portraiture- the photographer is creating "portraits" of architectural exteriors and interiors where lighting plays a very important role. The existing lighting in an interior space usually is an important design element. Being able to augment the existing light with various types of photographic lighting is an important skill set. Finding the best time of day and natural lighting scenario for exterior shots of various elevations of a structure requires a great deal of know-how as well. Shooting a "grip and grin" or casual group shot at a convention with a single flash unit certainty does not reflect poorly on a photographer's status.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Ed,
I really enjoy your posts about lighting and love your sharing your knowledge. I agree that architectural photography is really working ambient and supplemental lighting to create a portrait of the scene. I am lucky enough to get paid for doing that and enjoy it immensely. Because I don't do real estate, I can spend some time working the shot to advantage for my clients.

All the things we learn about composition, posing, etc. goes across all the disciplines of photography. When doing other types of shooting, these things are always bouncing around in my head. Sometimes I even remember to pay attention to them!

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Another insightful post from E.L.

For me, key is planning, anticipation, redundancy of equipment, schedule mgmt....and helpers at key moments. Its a military precision operation with every moment planned...and its written down in detail...and then when the chaos hits, you can adjust with grace versus being flustered. Chaos usually comes in the form of those things out of your control but within your ability for contingency planning.