Yes, You Need Flash! - Full Version

One of the major differences between a snapshot and a beautifully crafted photo is the lighting. Using only available light limits where and when you can take photos. Adding flash gives you endless creative possibilities no matter where you go or what time of day or night. Manny Pontoriero shows you how to use as little as one off-camera Speedlite to control and create stand out photos. Next he will demonstrate using up to 3.
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[@jannieschluter9670]

These B&H lectures with these AMAZING photographers are worth gold!!!!

[@cesaraugustolopesyt]

Thank you for the lesson Manny! 👏👏👏

[@rickjohnson831]

I've watched many videos of photographers and this one is a gem. It cracks me up when people respond in a critical fashion as if to prove how much they know. Go start your own series! Manny does a great job here and makes a valid point. There are many ways to get a picture of course, but I like his way of doing it. Straight up and simple. The results speak for themselves. And his take on shadows is right. Not too deep, just right. As for the background, he showing you how to manulipate your camera and flash so that you can control, with consistency, the exposure. Brilliant Manny and thank you. You have given me pause for thought.

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

Thanks Rick

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

Thanks Scott, You are right, no one lecture can ever be complete or answer all questions. I'm glad I provided some info.

[@Nelz459]

Great presentation, Manny. Thank you so much, and B&H, too. I recently shot a wedding as the second shooter, and was very intimidated with using a flash in a dimly lit church, and an even darker reception hall with dark wood ceiling and walls. It took me a while to get the right flash settings, but it sure paid off. I use Nikon with Yongnuo flash gear, no TTL. I know I need to practice more, and invest in a battery unit that will help with faster recycle times.

[@opwave79]

I really appreciate the explanation on the shortcomings of ETTL metering in the flash. I'll keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to use that mode.

[@MartinV.]

great presentation

[@shermn8]

Good presentation Manny, I was operating my camera and off camera flash as you explained them, (thumbs up)!

[@AndreiErmakov]

I like this guy, he's got a great sense of humour in addition to being an excellent professional

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

Thanks for the sense of humor comment.

[@old4004]

Well presented...........shows difference that a flash can make.

[@Martytw1]

The concept is quite simple, expose for the brightest point in the frame and use flash to expose the subject.

[@b991228]

It’s a eureka moment when you realize that in compositions like sharp focus the eye is drawn to lighting and contrast. With flash you no longer have to wait for those incredibly rare moments when a composition is correctly lighted by natural light.

[@williamhager1872]

Excellent presentation. Thank you!

[@nathaliewoodruff1496]

Excellent presentation!!

[@SoulCaptureByChavez]

Great presentation on the benefits of using flash. I'm also based in Tampa and right away, at the beginning of the video, I could tell your wife was photographed in Ybor City. Awesome!

[@matthewkeisling2776]

Very good video about why flash is needed even in what appears to be a well-lit environment. It may be better to explain that TTL adjusts flash output according to a tiaras amount of light entering the lens. With a bright background, the camera says 'enough light,' and restricts flash output. That is why this speaker uses the +/- exposure compensation in TTL, but guessing how many stops you need can be difficult. I find it easier (for me) to set the flash on manual power, set for my camera ISO and exposure settings, and use the effective range displayed by the flash to set the flash power myself. In other words, it is easier for me to guess that the flash is 16 feet from the underexposed subject, than to estimate how many stops of light it is underexposed. Just another perspective.

[@petercutler3136]

Matthew Keisling that’s very interesting. Could you explain that a little more in depth. Cheers.

[@stacistile]

Thank you, Jeff. A lot of great marketing ideas here!

[@ohnoflicks]

Still a good presentation 7 yrs later.

[@Jerry-kg9pr]

I like his information . he is old school , best way too learn . thank u for sharing .

[@ericcouche7756]

Excellent presentation that explains, in a clear way with practical examples, off camera flash photography, using the flash in ettl mode. Playing with F stops is a good trick to control the light. We can do excellent photography with one or two flashes and it reminds that a photographer must better control light and shadows when shooting rather then playing with lightroom or photoshop to catch up the job not done before with a loss of quality at the end. Thanks again Eric from Paris

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

WOW from Paris! I'd like to see some of your photos. Thanks for your comment

[@commane21]

I do like the balance he achieves, but the quality of light isn't to my liking. Too many of the photos have sort of harsh shadows. Flash, yes, but it seems he has no modifiers on his flash.

[@RandellJohn]

Agree with you Stephen, I'm all for encouraging people to learn and use flash, but he'd get much more natural results even if he used a shoot through umbrella to soften his shadows, and also get a much larger spread of light that would negate the use of a second flash on camera in a lot of these images.

[@SsgtHolland]

Despite what Manny claims, there is a huge difference between various metering modes. Set camera to Manual. Use matrix for the whole scene. Want to expose for the shoes? Hit spot metering to meter for your flash. I have a Fn button assigned to switch momentarily to spot metering.

[@sarithanageshp8312]

very nice and informative

[@ParadiseProjectsGroup]

I appreciate B&H videos, and I buy most all my gear there. But your video show way too much of the speaker and no where near enough of the photos. In this video he often clicks the next screen and you wait and wait. Sometimes they don't even show it. Could use some better editing.

[@3elwoo]

Very informative. Applause for 38:03.

[@Kamiklaasie]

Some pictures really needed some warming gel to match the surrounding.

[@OrlandoMac]

agreed Klas, great presentation overall, and I appreciate carrying a softbox around would get in the way for some of the portraits but the warming gels are a must when dealing with incandescent lights, or else the mixed light makes the picture look unnatural. Especially in the dusk shots of the homes. overall fantastic video highlighting the benefits of off camera flash. cheers

[@stevec9959]

Great video

[@osagyefofahnbulleh1681]

If I had a tape measure,I would measure from the subject to the background/foreground,by using flash exposure compensation increments.

[@ericr2zz]

I find using ETTL on flashes to be very inconsistent. Much easier to put the flash in manual mode and adjust as necessary.

[@DeaqonJamesLV]

Love how he put those "Natural light" shooters on blast. This is one of the things we teach in our lighting for print workshops. To make sure people get their shots right every time.

[@theren8311]

Obviously an opinion. There are a lot of amazing photographers who do natural lighting. Especially in fashion. As he indicated, the real issue is just being time locked.

[@DeaqonJamesLV]

@@theren8311 EVERYONE in Fashion knows, natural light is not good. It does not make colors pop, nor does it show texture of the fabrics. These only natural light photographers are not amazing. Pretty much everything good that comes from their images comes from computer software, not their skills. Natural light is beginner level and everyone should know that. So, no. NOT an opinion.

[@old4004]

Please check volume levels, B&H, on your videos...............some are perfect...some (like this one) very hard to hear.

[@carriestewart7502]

Yup...the audio levels were very low. Talk about dynamic range...or lack thereof ;-)

[@manilamartin1001]

B&H is not professional guys. It is equipment guys trying hard. It's ok. It's free content. I appreciate the effort.

[@IFrancyISantosI]

to be honest i like many pictures more with the background blown out.. it gives a nice seperation

[@geru2000]

Separation from what? Might as well carry a white background with you, pretty boring photography if you ask me. Getting separation from the background is very easy.

[@IFrancyISantosI]

Jack i am very sorry for my opinion. I hope i dont need to justify it, but it isnt the same effect with a white background. you see the background, just very bright.

[@geru2000]

No Need to be sorry for your opinion. I have mine you have yours.

[@cakrapandawa5939]

You mean high key photo?

[@IFrancyISantosI]

Cakra Pandawa yes. i would still use a fill flash to handle the shadows. but i would try to get it as low as possible. not in every picture.. but in some

[@kennethmills5470]

Why not shoot flash in manual mood?

[@geru2000]

I shoot mostly in manual mode but when doing events like weddings, receptions, birthdays and etc TTL is much easier and quicker.

[@mrcapello]

I wonder how many of those pictures you could have edited in photoshop or lightroom to get the details out of the shadows because I think a lot of his flash pictures just don't look natural to me

[@carriestewart7502]

The one shot in particular that I have to agree with you on about flash photos not looking very natural is the one he shot of the musicians around the 40:35 minute mark of the video. That's pretty bad. Looks like a snapshot, not a professionally crafted image. Because his subjects were wearing white, he should have backed his flash off by close to a full stop of output (half the output) due to the relative luminosity of their shirts compared to the scene. There was another shot quite a bit earlier with the groom in his black tux inside the beautiful church all by himself that really didn't work for me, either. The difference between the background and the subject was such that he almost looked cut/pasted into the frame in PS. His exposure was far too bright compared to the background. The exposure ratios needed to be closer IMO.

[@mrcapello]

I would agree with you on not having the time for post when we are talking about pictures taken during the party of a wedding, but do you really shoot a couple of hundred pictures during the "staged" shoot with the bride and groom ? and you have to post process those picture anyway

[@shaolin95]

mrcapello it's ridiculous to not use strobes for pro work. People that call themselves natural light shooters are either lazy or afraid to learn

[@MikeTaylorPhotoArts]

Doesn't your 2nd flash introduce weird shadows and extra catchlights in the eyes? Why not bring in a large shoot-through umbrella? That should reduce harsh shadows to a great extent.

[@BandH]

That's a great observation! Thanks for tuning in!

[@raviputcha]

Most of the photos he shot weren't good except the shot in a church and the bride in front of a large building. Brass band group shot (informal) was bad...it needed some more work, so was the shot of that house for sale and so does that bridal shot (he could have used a diffuser to light her whole gown).

[@LatkaKaufman]

I always learn from everybody, even if their photos are awful. I took the tecnical factors from this guy, but to be honest, his photos are lack of creativity, bad framing, bud lighting, the girl with the building in the back ground seems like she is in night. Just to give an example.

[@LatkaKaufman]

*at night

[@synbios2009]

Bad compositions in general. Has he ever heard of Lightroom? It's not always the best to lift the shadows but...

[@FemOdelPhotography]

Can anyone figure out the camera settings at 10:10 please: Aperture = f/4 ISO = 320 Shutter speed (speaker corrected himself when accidentally said f/60) = did he say 1/60 (one sixtieth of a second) or 1/6 (one sixth of a second)? Can't be be latter because there will be so much blur if he hand held. +B and H please kindly advise. Thanks.

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

1/60 at f/4 sorry for the confusion

[@FemOdelPhotography]

Thank you, maestro. You're the Don (with a capital D). Your jokes are not bad, a la Jack Nicholson. How many iterations do you go through before you get the well balanced lighting condition? If i get it right, best to set the desired or dream setting via aperture (wide open to get a soft background, or stop down to get a sharp background). Would you at this stage compose using Auto ISO, or would you take a stab in the dark and go for, say ISO 320? Depending on that test shot, then switch to manual to lock down the composition values (i.e. shutter speed, aperture, ISO) and then switch on flash. Add FEB as required (+/-). Would you say that is a good approach?

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

Camera is always on manual. No Auto anything. I like to shoot at 5.6. It is a personal preference. Indoor I start at ISO 320. If window light is dim I go to 640 ISO. But here is the real answer. Take a lot of photos(300 to 500 a week) and pay attention to the settings. After a while you'll see a pattern of what works for you. You'll note that it's the same situation in a new location and then just do what you did last time under those conditions.

[@FemOdelPhotography]

Thanks.

[@skmgr]

Did you forget to turn on the Mic?

[@prateekrawre2139]

Is he using direct flash on the subjects???

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

Most of the time yes. When indoor I sometimes use the Rogue Flashbender with the diffuser. However this cuts the power of the flash so much that outdoor it is useless. With a guide number of 56 outdoor it is always straight flash. Maybe Canon can make a more powerful flash.

[@shaolin95]

Wow like others have said...the part about metering is so wrong it's laughable.

[@AnnaVahtera]

Okay that metering bit was horsecrap. Spot metering does not care about the background unless you're an idiot an point the spot at it. Spot cares ONLY for the tiny spot and ignores everything else. If it doesn't, your camera is broken because that is the exact point of that mode.

[@chrissnyder4439]

The point is that if you meter on something that is plain white (like a dress), the camera will determine an exposure that is 18% gray. It will do the same for black.

[@HectorRiveraPhotography]

Name of the bracket

[@emanuelpontoriero9030]

Custom Brackets.

[@marcpaix]

Instructions unclear. Got computer virus and drained my laptop battery.

[@kwizmon]

Marco not seen that comment made by a billion other people before. Well done 👍

[@FFHavoK]

He lost me at using ETTL for off camera flash

[@peterburks3490]

easy

[@NorthWolfe]

I have no clue on which Planet most wedding photographers shoot their events... It sure isn't on Planet Earth. The Planet I know and on which I live has skies and clouds... Dramatic Skies and Dramatic Clouds. I conclude most "professional wedding photographers" know very little about photography. I could have taken the first photos shown on my V10 phone.

[@shaolin95]

Norman Rand Wolfe so you can control weather at will?

[@mikedoiron3372]

very poor volume. can't make out half of what he's saying.

[@mrcapello]

watching this on my tablet and have absolutely no problems with the volume, not even cranked up to the max only about 3/4

[@cent199]

I find the video sounds better by using headphone, but but not good on computer speakers.

[@teknoah03]

Watched it on my iPhone 7+ with no issues whatsoever.

[@JacquelineRena1]

can you actually get the camera and do what you are saying......I hate when photographers who teach don't show how to do things.....Im going to sleep

[@tmiposing7781]

Not very inspirational. He is too negative to tolerate the entire video.