Reader James asks:
I’ve read you advocating for unmodified on camera flash outdoors (as fill), and for on camera flash diffusers (Bounce card, Gary Fong,etc), but is there a reason you don’t use the techniques together? Why not use a diffuser while using fill flash outdoors? Wouldn’t that produce better images?
Good question, and one I am grateful you asked. To avoid confusion: yes I certainly do advocate modifiers outdoors.
Like an umbrella, as in this image:
(That image, by the way, was my tribute picture to Rineke Dijkstra, famous Dutch photographer whose work is in MOMA and many other museums. I was amazed that in The Netherlands, several people, when seeing this image, immediately said “That’s a Rineke Dijkstra”! Europeans really do have a great sense, and knowledge, of art.)
So why do I often advocate direct flash outdoors?
I have several reasons.
- Main reason: modifiers take power, and with a speedlight, you are fighting the sun at top power already; taking away a few stops of light (and you take away at least that!) is fatal: in bright sunlight you would now need to move the flash very close to the subject.
- Ancillary reason: It is quicker and simpler. Often, you have to move quickly; an on camera flash is convenient in those circumstances. Imagine carrying an umbrella with you when sightseeing in a foreign city!
- Ancillary reason: outdoors you are mixing with lots of available light, so you can get away with the shadows direct flash gives you: these are filled in by the ambient light.
- Ancillary reason: sometimes you want harsh shadows. Rarely, but it does happen!
And that is why I often use direct flash. But generally, modifier, softened flash is better, absolutely.
I’m with you on the convenience issue, Michael- a couple of stands plus umbrellas, diffusers, etc. adds up to a lot of stuff to carry.
What I’m less clear on is why speedlight power seems to have pretty much stopped at around GN 35-40 m. Power electronics (and batteries) have improved by leaps and bounds in the last 15 years; it ought to be possible now to make a hefty but manageable self-contained speedlight with a GN of 60 to 80 m. For some reason, the engineering effort has gone into more “features” rather than more power. I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys lugging 400 Ws studio strobes out to the field, currently the only way to get this kind of power
Hear hear!!
Since speedlight power is so close to sun power, a little more would go a long way. But I suppose it would add both cost and weight, and most photographers are not pros who now how to use their flash outdoors, so I guess the market is small.