Mastering Flash Photography: 5 Lighting Principles for Beginners

Master flash photography with this comprehensive guide! Join photo educators and Westcott Top Pros Steve and Mark of @PanopticChopsticks as they take you from fearful to flawless in using flash for stunning portraits. Learn to control light with key components like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and flash power. Discover advanced techniques like high-speed sync and explore the best light modifiers to elevate your photography game. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to improve your on-location portraits, this video provides the tips and tricks to master flash and take your photography to the next level.

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00:00 - Intro
00:23 - Why Learn Lighting?
01:26 - Flash vs Natural Light
02:30 - Component 1: Aperture
05:47 - Component 2: Shutter Speed
08:08 - What is the Focal-Plane Shutter?
09:21 - What are Stops of Light?
10:25 - Component 3: ISO
12:06 - Component 4: Flash Power
15:16 - Component 5: Flash to Subject Distance
15:46 - The Inverse Square Law
18:09 - Using the 5 Components Together
22:33 - What about HSS?
24:16 - How to Choose a Modifier
31:07 - That’s a Wrap!

[PanopticChopsticks]

Thank you for allowing us to be part of this project. We LOVE helping others along their photo journey, always be learning!

[ooRECONoo]

The best video on YouTube about flash photography! Don’t skip this one folks. Years of watching YouTube and this information was never seen.

[LuckySlevin]

I’ve been a photographer for four years and I have never heard these points be explained so well. Phenomenal job.

[kavindutheekshana-ujhx]

This is the best video I have watched about flash photography.

[chiggedycheckyoself]

I've been a photographer for years but this is a great refresher.
- Shutter speed controls the ambient light
- Aperture controls the flash exposure on your subject
- ISO increases/decreases both, subject and background exposure

I knew these fundamentals but explained in the context of outdoor flash photography, everything makes so much more sense now.

[CharlieBulla]

This could be the best teaching tutorial video I've ever watched on understanding flash photography. If you're interested in learning flash, watch this!!! WELL DONE!!! 👍👍

[arnolddizzo]

Your video is the most complete video on YouTube on flash photography, I literally got things I took a year to get in one whole video. am so grateful

[voxan]

Best flash photography tutorial I've seen in YouTube

[tiffanyorlane]

I never understood the P A S M of my camera. I tried a lot but now, with this video, i understand all. I understand why when i wanted to have a creamy f1.8, my speed change and was not à 1/250 to catch movement and why my iso was not at 100. Now, i understood that when i want a creamy f1.8, i must change the others parameters including the distance, the power of the light or the modifier and his distance too. thank you very much to have explain this too :
- Shutter speed controls the ambient light
- Aperture controls the flash exposure on your subject
- ISO increases/decreases both, subject and background exposure

It is not a triangle as all people say !!!!
IT is a 5 or 6 pentagon faces !!! HIHI :))

Do again a video with the photos like that and these all différence. You will help everybody :))
Have a nice day :)

[Zmuzikpradoocer]

This video was very detailed and perfect! I own a fj80 SE with a Lumix S5 II

[isac.]

I’ve been an amateur photographer for several years. This is, hands down, the best video for anyone trying to understand photography basics. 5 stars
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[thefishingmonkey]

Fantastic video, gentlemen. It actually made me take some notes.

[iLLSinceProductions]

I've been following Westcott for over 10 yrs. This video literally taught me more in 30 mins than I learned in 10yrs

[gentlegnt]

Great video from verbal instructions to actual real-word modifier comparisons. Share this with a number of my photography colleagues. Thanks so much for creating it.

[j.pocket]

22:05 the moment I was sure, and (apologies to Joe McNally, David Hobby and Zack Arias), but this is the best OCF demo I've watched because of the 5 step demonstration they just performed. I don't think I've seen anyone demonstrate the way _the principles are few, while the methods are many_ this well. Bravo.

[clairesophia]

The BEST video of knowledge in YouTube. Learning so much more after this video. Thank you 🙏🏼

[japatxx]

This was a really good watch, especially that I bought my first speedlite. I wish all photography videos were like this: not all talk and explanations, but actually holding the camera and showing us how to do it in real time, trial and error and everything. Thank you!!

[definesolo]

W Video! I’ve been doing photography for 10+ years & this is great advice

[robigerovasilisphotography]

I have shared this link to myself via all my messaging apps so I can have it everywhere to access it easily. 👏Awesome video!!

[srb]

Guys and Lilly, this was an amazing learning and refresher on flash. You covered everything in a way that is very easy to digest and understand. Wow!!! Thank you