ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

Just for ordinary photographers (not professionals), what, or how do you use speedlights -- mounted on camera? What modes do you shoot in and do you use extra speedlights? Just wondering and reading about speedlights.... I have an old Canon T1i/500D camera and three speedlights (a Canon 430EX II, an Opteka IF-980 and an Altura AP-FLS-UNV1). Any ideas on how to use one or two together? I think the Opteka qualifies as a MASTER and the others as SLAVES. Should I mount the Opteka on my camera's hot shoe and disable the built in flash (I think the built-in flash can be used as a MASTER). I like the idea of using the flash in bright daylight to get rid of the shdows under their hats, etc. How do you use your speedlights?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I use up to 4 speedlights. I can probably use a few more. On camera is probably the worst of the location choices one can make. I use stands, umbrellas (reflection or shoot through) and snoots. All of mine are controlled by a Godox transmitter and Godox receivers. This allows me to "tune" the amount of light produced by each light, or bank of lights. I tend to use ISO 100 most of the time I'm using speedlights.
--Bob

canon Lee

When outdoors use the flash in TTL and set your camera for Aperture Priority. Especially in the Fall when the sun is low in the sky and creates high contrast. I never use the built in flash. Using 2 speed lights works better. If you do weddings you can set one speed light in the back of the room and bounce or use an umbrella for the subject shot. A speed light ,at full power, is only a 1/4 power of a mono light so using 2 gives you more light. when taking portraits you can put a speed light behind the subject and face it towards the wall behind creating a nice halo effect.
Remember that a flash exposes the subject only and is activated after the shutter has taken the ambient light. You are working with 2 light sources, ambient and supplementary flash. The 2 together work for better exposure.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

As far as I can ascertain, your flash units are all wireless infrared slave units only. You still need a master transmitting unit.

As Bob says, On camera flash gives you flat frontal lighting while off camera will give you light sculpting possibilities. Multiple flashes need support and are usually better with lighting accessories to shape the light to your vision. I like the Godox system, but I am invested in the PocketWizard Flex system with 6 Canon speedlights and Alien Bees controlled on the camera. I have off brand flashes to supplement and are used manually on a Pixel system connected via a pc cord to the camera. I rarely use them all at once, but have been close a few times. I carry only one or two flashes with me on personal trips and vacations.

Check out Strobist for some fundamentals about flash.

https://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I prefer off camera and remotely fired, but a hot shoe mounted flash is ok if you have nothing else, AND you know enough not to point it directly at a subject. Direct, unmodified flash is ugly. Bounced flash is almost always better, and it doesn't matter if it is on the camera, unless you are using the camera in portrait orientation.

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Bounced over my left shoulder, speedlight on hotshoe

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CO

I use flash a lot for fill flash. I dial in negative flash compensation to avoid the obvious flash look. I will often put the flash, mounted on a PocketWizard Flex-TT5, on a light stand. I trigger it with a PocketWizard Mini-TT1 on my camera. Those units support TTL metering so I can adjust flash compensation at the camera and that will be transmitted to the flash. I use a 33" silver reflective umbrella with the Kupo umbrella bracket. An umbrella with a pebbled, silver interior will reflect more light than one with a white interior. The pebbled surface helps to disperse the light better.

I used bounce flash for this shot. The room has a bright, white ceiling ideal for bounce flash.

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An umbrella with a silver interior will reflect more light than a white umbrella. The light will be a little more crisp though.

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Large clamping area of the Kupo umbrella brackets prevents rotation from the leverage exerted by the umbrella

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Testing a honeycomb grid on the flash. It's good to use as a hair light. Speedlight is on a PocketWizard Flex-TT5. Flash is in a bracket I made out of Delrin

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Vietnam Vet

The best use for a speed light is to imitate sunlight

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Download a copy of the manuals pertaining to the Speedlight and your camera - together they will answer many of your questions.

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

I thought that my Opteka IF-980 was a Master that could be used as a Slave too. If you are right then I would have to find another speedlight that is a Master. Any suggestions? I have sent a message to Circuit City, where I ordered the light from, to find out for certain if the light is a Master--I don't know when I'll get an answer.

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

I thought that my Opteka IF-980 was a Master that could be used as a Slave too. If you are right then I would have to find another speedlight that is a Master. Any suggestions? I have sent a message to Circuit City, where I ordered the light from, to find out for certain if the light is a Master--I don't know when I'll get an answer.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I looked that flash up and found nothing about being a master. Only wireless, slave mode 1 and slave mode 2.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The easiest way is to mount your flash on the camera, turn the head of the flash up and behind you. Use manual on your camera and TTL on the flash. For indoors.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"The best use for a speed light is to imitate sunlight"

I tend to agree but then I ask, the sunlight in early morning, midday or evening light? Sunlight in each case but three different qualities of light.
When flash is used for fill-in we imitate sunlight BUT we cut the amount of light to make it softer compared to sunlight. We want to reduce the intensity of the shadows NOT eliminate them.
Using in camera flash is a valid option but unless outdoor NEVER point the flash straight to the subject. Indoor shadows are always a good possibility so softening the light is a great idea. Bouncing from a white wall creates a larger source of soft light which is very pleasant to the eye. When flash is closer to the subject the light softens.
The use of soft boxes or umbrellas is a common practice to soften the light. Now we are talking about off camera flash and a large proportion of photographers use triggering devices to fire their flashes. One flash is pretty effective if the operator knows how to use it.
Painting with light is also done with flash but requires lots of practice. I have seen more and more photographers using LED lights for that purpose instead of flash.
Neil van Niekerk is a South African photographer who uses flash very successfully in his wedding photography. His website has lots of tutorials which are very useful for those learning to use flash and he uses all kinds of techniques. Plenty of information also in the Web.

https://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/

khorinek

I use flash a lot in darker environments. I have my speedlite turned down -1/3 stop so as not to blow out skin tones. Don't worry about using too much ISO with flash, I go up to 1600 ISO at times. My Canon EOS RP will adjust ISO from 100 to 1600 with flash which I really like. Most Canons automatically set ISO at 400 with flash.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

To start you may want to look at Robert Harrington's YouTube videos on lighting techniques with a single Speedlite. These are centered around portrait shooting. Having the option of IR or radio control is definitely of value, so figure out what you need to get that capability too. Then there are stands, soft boxes, umbrellas, and reflectors that can be added into the equation. It is also good to understand the inverse square law.

Simply stated the Speedlite is a way of adding light. I also use several to shoot drag racing at night. They can be very useful tools.