Pye Jirsa made his CreativeLive debut with the Photo Week Master Class, Working with Flash. The Working with Flash class blends lighting theory and practical shooting tips to create a condensed version of SLRLounge’s Lighting 101 and 201 classes.
Pye started the conversation by illustrating the transformative potential of both on-camera and off-camera flash. Pye doesn’t just use flash because is it awesome (though he swears it is), he uses flash to produce beautiful photographs that don’t need a ton of retouching in post.
Here’s Pye Jirsa’s 5 Reasons to Use Flash (and a couple of his awesome slides to illustrate his point):
1. Control of light. This is as straight-forward as it sounds. You aren’t going to walk into many naturally perfect lighting conditions and learning how to use flash is going to give you the ability to make great photos no matter where you shoot.
2. Control the amount of light. Flash can help you strengthen and add to existing light so your subject stands out against the background.
3. Control the direction of light. The placement of the subject relative to the light source determines the final look of an image. When you use flash you have a lot more flexibility in where you place your subject.
4. Control the quality of light. Light quality is what gives images their mood. The way you use flash will dictate how your final images feels.
5. Control the color of light. Flash can help you correct a funky color cast from a competing light source or can be used to make a white sky blue.
To learn more about applying these principles and to watch Pye at work, check out the complete Working with Flash Photo Week class or check out the video below:
