5 Quick Tips: Starting with Flash Photography

In this video, Pye Jirsa addresses 5 key aspects of flash photography, covering techniques and tips essential when starting with flash, and even seasoned photographers looking to refine their flash skills.

This video serves as a guide, focusing on the practical application of flash in photography. Pye provides a walkthrough of flash photography fundamentals, including flash exposure, composition, modifiers, and the critical choice of your first flash unit. He emphasizes the importance of understanding manual versus automatic flash settings, effectively using a flash to enhance photo quality and ways to manipulate light for desired outcomes.

The tutorial also covers autofocus assist in low light conditions, the differences of flash zoom versus using a grid for light control, and the application of color temperature gels to achieve color harmony in your photos.

This video contains concepts crucial for photographers aiming to leverage flash photography, including flash bounce and shooting with TTL or ETTL (Through The Lens) metering.

By integrating the techniques discussed in this tutorial into your photography practice, you'll enhance your images' technical quality and open up new creative possibilities.

00:00 Intro
00:48 CAMP Framework
01:18 Choosing Your First Flash
02:08 Why Adjustable Flash Head
03:50 What Windows Do to Natural Light
04:22 TTL or ETTL vs Manual
05:28 Pye's Favorite Way to Do It
06:25 Auto-Focus Assist
07:59 Flash Zoom vs Grid
09:30 Zoomed In vs Zoomed Out
09:49 Pye's Grid Recommendation
11:07 Color Temperature Gels
12:01 Color Matching
13:21 Wrap Up
13:40 MagMod Community

Your feedback is invaluable to us. Dive into the comments to share your thoughts and experiences or ask any questions about flash photography. Pye and the MagMod team are here to support your growth as a photographer.

[dinkobilic]

Pye slowly becoming my favorite instructor. MagMod did a smart decision recruiting the man, he is an excellent brand ambassador.

[NoDoSwLa]

That ETTL for test-shot and switching to manual is so logical, when you say and show it. Thanks for that!

[paulwatson]

Easy to understand, straightforward and I absolutely love your delivery - very easy listening/watching.

[wendystumbaugh]

Pye, I’ve personally heard some very popular YouTubers say they don’t feel it’s necessary to gel in incandescent event spaces. It makes my heart happy to know you take the time to teach how to do that. At least your viewers know it’s an option and how to do it.

[alifonso]

Great stuff! I have always struggled with CTO and come to find out all I had to do was drop the white balance that far down! Wow!

[JerodBeeson]

True lies, one of the best action movies of all time 👊

[harshadmokashi]

Super Teaching... Easy language... Clear Thoughts... Great....
Love... From...

[babybanger]

You’re a great teacher! Learned so much from this video. Thank you!!

[michaeljacobs]

I feel like I was forced to like and subscribe to your channel! 😆. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, thank you.

[difficsambalao]

Pye, you & Gavin are my fave online instructors! Lot of thanks from indonesia

[gionedasilva]

Love this! So much content in a short video! Thank you Pye!!!

[marcomark]

I’m really good instructions and graphics making it easy to understand. Great job.

[ravierode]

sir i am from india your camp idea is very usefullsirEasy to understand You are the best teacher i love you sir

[cloutix.is]

damn! i watched one video (this one) and learned so much. thanks. Subbed.

[iggytse]

Excellent. I watched a few of Pye’s flash tutorials before a went out and bought a Godox v1 with a modifier kit. The modifiers really make a difference. If I had a traditional rectangle flash I would be using Magmod modifiers.

[prosperity]

Awesome video! This is still all so confusing, but it’s getting better. Can MagMod gels attach to any flash?

[GoodyMorillas]

Love these tutorials! Any chance of teaching us the various distances of off camera flash? Some people place it really near the subject while others kind of far

[bruce-le-smith]

I've watched a bunch of your flash videos Pye, and in each one I learn something new, thank you! I liked the comment about filter films on building glass for energy efficiency and how a bounce flash can help clean up that tint. And also that tid bit about pointing the flash at the big incoming light source, so that it blends into that natural source on the bounce - A bit counter intuitive to 'dump the flash out the big day lit window' but it actually makes sense when you slow down to think about it.

[marclabro]

great tuto. For my a7rv, i purchased an expensive sflash sony HVL-F60rm2 whic, compared to my godox V1s and your prophoto, doesn't display the flash power and cannot use in manual mode (called tcm on godox). A pity. I must say that i know this bounce technique for years but any time i am in a event, i don't rely to a boucing wall, ... and use magsphere 2, vertical or towars subject, to be sure not missing a shoot. I need to practice more the bouncing.

[marclabro]

I agree that there was a very warm spot around the light. But, isn't the photo taken with cto too "magenta" ? how do you fix that in post ?