Flashguns -
Manual Flash
Manual Flashguns have one big advantage, they are cheap to buy. What they don’t have is any Auto exposure flash. But anything you can do with TTL flash you can do with manual flash, sometimes it’s easier, finding the correct exposure just takes a little longer initially, but once found Manual Flash is much more versatile than TTL.
As I said in the first part of these articles;-
When using a flash you are taking two separate exposures simultaneously, the flash component and the ambient component.
Manual Flash enables us to control both exposures independently of each other.
With your camera in Manual mode set shutter speed at or slower than the X speed of your camera, ISO to a low level for low noise and a mid Aperture, around f8 is a good starting point.
Set your flash, preferably on a light stand off camera and synced to your camera.
Manual flash works like this;-
- ISO and Aperture effects both the Ambient and Flash components.
- Flash power and the flashguns distance from the subject effects just the Flash component.
- Shutter Speed effects just the Ambient component, this is because the flash duration is so short, you get all it’s power in such a very short time that Shutter Speed doesn’t effect it, but it will allow more of the Ambient component into the shot when slower and less when the Shutter Speed is faster so you are in total control of the lighting of any area where the light from the flash doesn’t fall.