Being proficient in flash is going to open up all sorts of photography doors for you. I'd definitely recommend learning it if you want to advance to the next level.
this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023
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Even outdoor portraiture can be improved with flash, almost all outdoor portraits I do include some level of flash. It can be a huge pain, but the payoff is worth it if you don't want to deal with shadows on the face, neck, and clothes and if you like that golden affect you can get.
I think the most obvious advantage you can get is indoors where you have cruddy light but ceilings low enough you can effectively bounce your flashgun. When you truly need indoors high shutter speed (running toddler or something) and your camera supports a high speed sync. This is where mommy and daddy hobbyists fall down and where people who have learned their equipment can shine.
Damn that closer was inspiring!!!
That’s exactly the intention that I’m going for , until now I was under the impression that introducing flashes into stuff like portraits, gives the image sort of an unnatural look. Kinda like making natural pics feel like overly done and weird.
But I am starting to understand that it might be just poor use of light. I’m definitely into adding that extra punch and depth into my images and I might have to just work on making it look natural and blend into the image.
Off camera flash opens a whole new world and learning how to use and control light will help improve your photography when you're just using available light too. You can find all the info you need here: https://strobist.blogspot.com/
Flash is awesome, Joe McNally swears by them and David Hobby has a website - Strobist - devoted to teaching you how to use it.
In addition to the photogs mentioned here, look at Daniel Norton's youtubes. He has a nice balance between gear and technique. But heavier on the studio technique. Adorama also has a great series where artist use gear they happen to sell to produce work. Same story, the photogs focus on techniques. No hard selling of gear.
I want to echo what others have said about flash outdoors. It opens possibilities beyond what available light can do.