To Flash or Not To Flash. That Is The Question.

Amy left a comment under “Don’t Jump on the Couch” Post:

A friend of mine told me about you…I’m a “momtog” too! I just bought the Canon 5D Mark II…were these pics shot in natural light? How do you get his face so well lit?! Did you use an external flash? Just curious. I love all your work!

Thanks, Amy!  All the pictures you see on Mom*tog are all taken with natural light (with the exception of a few that may have been taken with my point and shoot, but that should be pretty obvious).  With a camera like the 5D and 5D Mark II you can shoot at high ISO’s without getting too much noise.  Also, I’m constantly looking for good light.  With experience you really can start to see the light and know how to utilize it.  The only time I use flash is at wedding receptions or maybe occasionally for a little fill flash at the beach if I’m trying to get a good sunset shot.

I get quite a few emails about flash so here are my thoughts:

As a professional photography – While I LOVE natural light, I’m not a flash snob.  Some photographers won’t use flash at all.  They refuse to.  And some can make it look incredibly beautiful and artistic.  And some can’t.  I guess being a bride I know that I would rather have had pictures from my own wedding that were in focus, not overly noisy, and  properly lit whether flash was used or not.  So, I keep that in mind when shooting other peoples weddings.  I don’t not shoot with flash for the sake of not shooting with a flash, just because it’s the cool thing to do.  If I need to use flash during the ceremony or for the getting ready pictures, I will.  But, only if I have to.  I think knowing how to get around it and really utilize the light that you are given comes with experience.  I’ve also learned how to bounce my flash (aim it at the ceiling or another wall) and how to use off camera lighting to make flash not look so harsh.  I’m still not a flash expert, but I’ve gotten to the point where I can make any type of lighting situation work.  But, for the most part I only use flash at the reception.

As a Mom*tog – My theory as a mom who loves to take pictures is similar.  When I’m messing around taking portrait type pictures of B I will use natural light.  Because I love it and because if I mess up who cares.  The pictures are just for fun.  But, if I’m taking pictures on Christmas morning or at Disneyland I’m not afraid to use flash.  Why miss those special moments?  When you look back at your childhood pictures do you look at the quality of the pictures?  Probably not.  I know that I love them because of the memories they bring back.  I don’t care about the red eye or that it may be slightly underexposed.  While I have a whole slew of pictures of Brayden that I take with my big, fancy camera that I post here, I also have a whole bunch of pictures that I love equally as much that I don’t post on here.  Yeah, they may not be the best quality and they may not be as pretty, but I love them just as much.  And if it took using flash to get that then who cares?  Flash away!

But, for those of you who are using flash all of the time, try to turn it off and really look for the light.  Experiment and see what you like better.

When looking for “the light” closely examine your subjects face.  Does it have shadows?  Is it evenly lit?  Experiement in different lighting situations and see what works best!  Happy shooting!