To Flash or Not to Flash...

Whenever possible at a wedding, I will leave my flash turned off - or better yet... in my bag (which is at least 80% of the time these days). Some photographers like to say, "You can have my flash when you pry it from my cold dead fingers." I know where they're coming from. I learned the ropes from a guy who flashed everything at f8. He even hot-glued his cameras' aperture rings so they wouldn't slip out of f8 because he didn't want mistakes. It took me almost 3 years to unlearn how to use a flash and learn how to use my head in it's place.

I think the problem most photographers have with shooting only available light is that it can be extremely difficult to get consistent exposures and accurate color especially in low light situations. It's far from safe. Wedding photographers have an even bigger issue with leaving their flash in their bag because they know that there is no such thing as a re-shoot. So how does one free himself from the flat, shiny, amateur look of on-camera flash? How does a photographer bring herself to lay down that little black shadow-killer during an assignment where her reputation is at stake and there is no redemption if she blows it?

The answer is sacrifice. You have to give something up in order to get results that excite you and inspire the artist within. You must give up perfection! Perfectionism only provokes fear and fear is what holds us back in pretty much every area of our lives. I love the way Joe Buissink puts it when he says "There is no such thing as a perfect image, only a perfect moment". He is so right. If we allow our creativity to be tied up by the "rules" of photography, we'll find ourselves bored; creating those mediocre images that look just like everyone else's.

I'm not saying to do things just to be unique. There's an old saying that goes something like "always remember you're unique... just like everyone else." It's true, so many people are out there trying so hard to be different that they end up looking the same. What I'm saying is, be yourself, and don't let fear hold you back. Forget all the rules you learned in school or from your mentors for a while and get out and shoot the way you've always wanted to shoot. Do something YOU like, not what you think your clients expect. Choose images from your shoots that speak to you on a different level even if they are out of focus, motion blurred, or break all the rules of composition. Remember, photography is subjective and you are the boss so take advantage of your position and have fun with it.

Using a flash can be fun too. Try turning it to the side and bouncing it off a wall for some side lighting. Or set up some off-camera wireless strobes to preserve those cool shadows and get consistent exposures too! Image directly above was taken using off-camera strobes for a natural look.

To flash or not to flash... it's your choice. Just make sure you avoid boredom at all costs.

descriptions for images above:
1. blurry hand in the frame shows motion and reveals the ring, hair in the face is fun, cute, and makes me feel relaxed (55mm f2.8 1/160sec 320iso, no flash)
2. stylish, fun couple on the dance floor, lots of motion, slight turn of camera while shooting in very low light with no flash (10.5mm f2.8 1/125sec, 800iso)
3. bride wearing Elizabeth Fillmore gown - love the shadows showing off the detail in this very cool gown, flash would have killed it (98mm f2.8 1/160sec, 500iso, no flash)
4. bride walking in NYC in a gown by Reva Mivasagar - love the movement in her hair and arm, shot after dusk in very low light while she walks, no flash, VR turned on, hand-held; street lamps created the natural shine on her eye make-up and lips (80mm, f2.8, 1/40sec, 400iso)
5. girl holding drink throwing some kind of sexy attitude - perhaps a bit intoxicated (55mm, f2.8, 1/80sec, 400iso, two off-camera strobes)