Should Your Photographer use a Flash?

This is a very common discussion lately given the popularity of soft, light, airy wedding photographs now a days. These are indeed amazing photographs and they most often do not use a flash. Does that mean you should NOT USE a flash? Especially with the quality of many modern cameras, you do not always NEED a flash, no.

Personally, I almost always have a flash on my camera. Wedding or not. Often it does not LOOK like I used a flash however. Doesn’t look like it, to the untrained eye at least. A photo should not always look “flashy”, like a flash was used. It should make you look your best.

On my very first National TV interview I did, the host made an off the cuff comment like, “You don’t need a flash outdoors, though of course”.  Yes, I do. Was my answer. She seemed shocked at my answer. I thought then that this may also be my LAST interview on live TV! She easily understood after I explained why.

Sometimes I may want that nice soft, airy look, but I also want to add a glimmer of light to brighten up and put a sparkle in my bride’s eye. That will also fill in a few unflattering shadows on her face. That is just not possible without a flash. What everyone wants in a wedding portrait is to look their very best! Afterall, it’s the little details that make a good photo great!

Direction of light is also very important. If a flash is needed a second (or more) light, off the camera, is often a good option. More light provides your photograph the added depth, texture and dimension to improve the image. This achieves a complimentary, directional shadow. It also helps emphasize the colors and sharpen the clarity in an image!

Flat, harsh light from an on-camera flash is not always that flattering. That is what, No Flash Photographers often use as their example to help build their case. That bad example is also why we do not always want it to LOOK like we used a flash. We want our flash’s benefits. Not it’s draw backs.

Flash photographers often joke that Natural Light Photographers photograph that way because they do not know HOW to use a flash. Many Natural Light Photographers think that is okay. They may think that their camera, “is so good” they do not need to bother learning how to use a flash. Their pictures may look great and they get a ton of “Likes” on Facebook when they post them. So, why should they bother?! They are “the professional”! They show you good photo samples and tell you it’s not needed. Good enough, right?

Remember if they have a flash (and know how to use it) they do not HAVE to use it. (That’s right, or look like they used it) but if they need a flash and do not have one or know how to use it, YOU miss out on a photographic opportunity. That is not a good scenario on your wedding day!

After dinner, when the lights dim for dancing, there really is no excuse at all to not have a flash! Regardless of your view on natural light portraits. In a dark reception hall, there is NO good reason to not use a flash!