Using Your Canon 580ex Creatively

Using Flash Creatively

Creatively the 580ex works pretty much like any other photographic light source:

Where the light is placed relative to the subject controls where the highlights and shadows fall on the subject. When a flash is near the camera axis there are few shadows. When a flash is moved off the camera axis shadows are created which will be dark an devoid of detail unless there is a secondary source of light to lighten them (i.e., "fill" ).

The dynamic range of the recording medium and the amount of "fill" shadows controls how much detail is revealed in the shadows created by the primary or "key" light source.

How close a light is placed to the subject controls the rate of fall off of the light and the "hard" or "soft" character of the shadows, which is shorthand for describing how rapidly they transition from light to dark at the highlight/shadow boundaries.

The surface area of the light source controls the rate of fall off of the light and the "hard" or "soft" character of the shadows.

You'll notice the common thread which ties those four things together is CONTROL. Control is somewhat limited with a single flash. In the hot shoe in landscape mode there is lots of highlight and very little shadow to model the shape of a face. Flipped to portrait mode the flash creates shadows, but in a distracting unflattering manner. Photographers learned by trial and error that the best results where obtained by putting the flash 12-18 inches above the lens which makes the body shadows fall downward out of sight and those on the face fall downward in a way that is non-distracting.

Shadows created by a flash on a bracket, while well placed, are unfilled and will lack detail. Their stark contrast with the highlights surrounding them on a face will draw attention and distract from the eyes. The best solution to that problem is to skip to #4 and add a secondary source of fill with a second flash. The 580ex is mission control for a very sophisticated portable lighting system.

Adding a second flash on a stand will change the role of the one on the bracket from "Key" light to "Fill". The freedom of movement of the key light gives the photographer unlimited creative control of both light placement and the facial modeling it creates and the overall contrast of the photo through the independent control of fill intensity. A single flash can also be used as fill outdoors to achieve the same creative results by utilizing the sun as the primary light source in flattering ways such as backlight.

An interesting thing happens when flat front-to-back fill from a second flash is added to the sideways shadows from an off-axis key light; the shadows from the key light are softened. The more fill used, the softer the shadow transitions will appear to be. That's the second part of #4 that many who have never used two direct flashes never realize.

Some equate "hard" light with "bad" light, but that is a naive point of view. In some photographic situations hard light is most effective for creating the desired mood or emotional message, or in the case critters revealing the shape of their fur and feathers which will look flat and matted in diffused light. But in other situations lighting which is "softer" than a bare flash is needed.

I use quotes because its actually the shadows the light creates, not the light itself which is hard. #3 and #4 address the how shadow edges get diffused; surface area and distance. Bouncing light from ceilings and walls will increase both and thus soften shadows but is difficult to control and nearly impossible to predict the outcome in advance. A chalice shaped plastic bowl is not the Holy Grail of lighting, but rather an uncontrollable source of very soft but flat light. The common thread of both methods is the lack of control they offer.

Increasing the effective illuminating surface of the flash by bouncing it against or through something which makes the light rays less parallel than the fresnel lens of the flash will soften the shadows. The advantage of using an umbrella, softbox, or reflection-diffuser vs devices which rely on external surfaces is that the effect on the character of the light is the same regardless of where they are used and give the photographer consistent predictable results, which spell C O N T R O L.

So if you want to get the most out of your 580ex, do what I do:

Use a flash bracket, hotshoe extension cord 2, and a reflector-diffuser like the one shown in my DIY Diffuser tutorial.

Get a second Canon flash with E-TTL and manual capablility (580ex or 430ex) so you can begin to control your lighting creatively. Learn how to use a pair of hot shoe flashes in E-TTL and full manual modes as taught in my dual flash tutorial, but first experiment with a window and reflector so you understand how light models a face and facial angle controls the appearance of its shape. Yes I've got a tutorial for window lighting too.

Here is the Table of Contents for my other tutorials specific to Canon Flash