introduction to flash lighting principles

presentation: 60-90 minutes

At first glance, flash lighting appears to break some of the rules of exposing a photo. This session talks about what flash is, why it’s different and introduces a few of the basic tricks that make flash a fascinating creative tool for a photographer.

Topics covered:

why use flash?
what is a flash light?
basic principles of flash: aperture and shutter speed
flash and camera sync speed
mixing flash and ambient light
demonstration of modifying camera aperture
demonstration of modifying camera shutter speed
demonstration of effect of correct/incorrect sync speed
demonstration of blending flash and ambient light

This presentation is structured around a conventional Powerpoint-style series of slides explaining concepts and showing examples.

Interspersed through the presentation are a series of live demonstrations, turning the theory into rock-solid reality.

I’ve done this presentation at:

Pakenham Camera Club (2009)
Waverley Camera Club (January 2010)
Victorian Association of Photographic Societies annual muster (May 2010)
Knox Photographic Society (May 2011)
Eastern Suburbs Photographic Society (August 2011)
Caulfield Photographic Society (September 2011)
Frankston Photographic Club (June 2013)