Photoshop How To

OK, it's time for some honest self-reflection if you're not a fan of supplemental illumination: Do your avoid flash photography because you prefer the look of available-light imagery? Or are you under the misconception that it's too difficult to do right?

If you're like many photographers and fall into the latter category, this helpful beginners guide will allay your fears in barely 10 minutes so you can start using flash to improve the look of your photos today. The basic tips you'll learn will prove very valuable for a variety of common tasks. A simple flash goes a long way to boosting the impact of macro images, filling in shadows in with environmental portraits, freezing action when shooting moving subjects, and much more.

Instructor Adrian Lard is an accomplished Texas-based pro who specializes in portraiture and wedding photography—two genres in which an affordable flash unit is an indispensable accessory. In this episode he demystifies flash settings and modes and explains how they interact with the way in which you configure the camera.

Lard describes today's speedlight primer like this: "I'm going to dumb stuff down to make things easy to understand, because when I first started using flash I was freaking confused by the settings." With that in mind he avoids unnecessary technical details and concentrates on practical applications. This way you can move on to more complex flash techniques once you've mastered the basics.

Using a speedlight's Manual mode is the first topic of conversation. You'll see how easy it is to take control and make flash settings yourself once you understand the various options. This is the approach Lard has always employed from his first days as a flash photographer. As he says, "You can't always depend on your camera's Auto settings and I feel the same way when it comes to flash."

For photographers who are willing to give up some control to the flash, Lard explains the benefits of TTL mode and how to put them to work. He also describes Multimode flash for those who want to give this technique  try.

The lesson includes a variety of other simple but important tips, like modifying flash power and using what are known as flash Channels and Groups. He also demonstrates how a simple bounce card will often have a dramatic impact on your results.

So dig out that speedlight from the back of your cabinet, take a deep breath, and spend 10 minutes watching this lesson. We bet that by the time you're done, your flash will no longer be hidden behind your daily gear.

There much more to learn on Lard's instructional YouTube channel with its 26K enthusiastic subscribers, so be sure to pay a visit where you'll find an abundance of helpful videos deigned for beginners.

And don't miss the related tutorial we featured recently from a photographer with a unique niche who explains how she shoots sensuous boudoir photos without flash—using available light streaming through a window to achieve soft, even illumination.