Taking Better DSLR Flash Pictures

The most common question I get from new DSLR owners is “which lens should I buy?”. That is a fun subject and one that will make your tax return disappear quicker than you can blink. In my opinion though, there is a more important and possibly cheaper purchase for first time DSLR owners that will drastically improve their photography. I recommend buying an external flash first, let’s look at why…

More Power!
One differences between an external flash and the built in flash on your DSLR is power. To really take good photos in a dark area past, say 10 feet, you need more power than your built in flash will generate. Otherwise you will get dark and blurry photos, which I am sure you have seen by now. A flash’s power is designated by a guide number. Guide numbers are usually expressed in effective range (feet or meters) at a certain ISO, but who cares. All you really need to know is that a higher guide number is better. A typical pop-up flash for a DSLR has a guide number equivalent to around 60 feet at ISO 200. Even the cheapest (and weakest) flash I am about to recommend has a rating of 98 feet at ISO 200. Most are at least double the power of your current pop-up flash.

Control The Light
To really get good at taking flash photography pictures, you need to be able to control the light. No one likes deer-in-the-headlights, harsh flashlight-looking pictures. Softer and more natural light can easily be achieved by just tilting the flash up and bouncing the light off of the ceiling. Here are two examples. The first was shot with the flash pointed directly at my patient helper and the second was shot with the same DSLR settings, but with the external flash pointed straight up at the ceiling:

As you can see, the second photo has much softer, natural looking light, just by pointing the flash at the ceiling!

The Choices
Let’s look at the flashes out there on the market. As with lenses, you MUST use flashes from the same manufacturer as your camera. Remember, your built-in flash has a guide number (power rating) of about 60 feet at ISO 200:

Nikon
For Nikon shooters, there are 2 different models to consider:
1. The first option is the Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. The SB-400 has a guide number of 98 feet at ISO 200. The advantage to this unit is that it is nice and compact, but can still swivel up to bounce off of the cieling. Oh yeah, this thing is CHEAP too!
2. Next is the Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. At a rating of 138 feet at ISO 200, this flash is twice the power of the built in flash. It also rotates horizontally and vertically, so you can do some cool stuff like bounce off of walls!

Sony
Sony now has a flash built for their digital SLRs, Sony HVL-F36AM High-Power Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera. The Sony flash is pretty powerful, with a guide number of 166 feet at ISO 200! Without any other choices from Sony, this one is an easy choice.

Canon
From Canon, we have the Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash for Canon Pro1, Pro 90, G Series and all EOS SLR Cameras. This is the most powerful of the bunch, with a rating of 197 feet at ISO 200, but also the most expensive.

So if you really want to start getting great photos from that new digital SLR, try purchasing an external flash. The digital SLRs make it really easy to take great flash pictures even with automatic settings. The two shots above were set at aperture priority and the only change was pointing the flash up in the second, my camera did the rest!