Most new photographers begin their journey as “natural light” photographers. While naturally lit images can be beautiful, they can also prove limiting as photographers must rely on the available light in any given scene. Some photographers choose to stay this course throughout their careers and they create an amazing portfolio of images. For others, however, everything changes when they discover flash photography.

Whether you’ve never tried flash photography or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll find interesting and useful information in the collection of free flash photography tips we’ve rounded up below.

Flash Photography Tips For Weddings & Receptions

Photographers have several opportunities to take advantage of flash photography during weddings, particularly during couples sessions and the reception. The flash photography tips highlighted in the articles below will charge your creative side help you take your wedding and reception photos to the next level.

• 7 Creative Off-Camera Flash Techniques For Wedding Photographers
• How To Create Better Reception Photos With Your Flash
• Dramatic Off-Camera Flash | Nighttime Couple’s Session

Flash Photography Tips For Commercial & Location Shoots

Whether for lighting products, food, or people, a working knowledge of flash photography can open numerous possibilities for photographers of all genres. When you take the light on the road with you, no location is off-limits (due to lighting, that is).

• How to Use One Light Flash Photography for a Professional Look
• Food Photography Tips For When The Lighting Is Undesirable
• Beach Photography Tips From Professionals
• 8 Steps To Perfecting Each Scene & Image When Using Off-Camera Flash

Flash Photography Tips For Lighting Headshots

From using simple one-strobe backlights to setting up four-sided square lighting stations, it’s easier than you might think to light and capture incredible headshots. The best part is, you don’t need a lot of lighting gear to take advantage of these flash photography tips.

• Lighting Tips | How To Backlight With One Strobe
• Headshot Photography Tips | Square Lighting With One On-Camera Flash
• 3-In-1 Headshot Method | Great Headshots Anywhere With Minimal Gear

Flash Photography Tips For Portraits

Experimenting with different flash photography techniques during portrait sessions can be described in a single, underrated word: Fun. Portrait photography covers a wide spectrum of styles and intents, which leaves plenty of room to get creative and use flash photography to capture a variety of looks.

• We Shot These Portraits In A Hotel Conference Room – Here’s How!
• How To Look Thin In Photos By Short Lighting | Minute Photography
• 5 Essential Portrait Lighting Tips You Need To Know
• Photography Lighting Tips | Faking OCF With An On-Camera Speedlight And A Silver Reflector
• How To Create Dramatically Lit Images With Your Flash | Minute Photography

Flash Photography Tips For Studio Lighting

Photograph by Manny Ortiz

Studio lighting setups vary in complexity, but these flash photography tips prove that sometimes a little (affordable) light is all you need to achieve big results.

• Studio Lighting Tips | Learn How To Get Easily Consistent Results
• $2000 Vs. $100 Single Light Studio Setup
• How To Take Studio Portraits With One Light & Basic Gear | No Fuss Tutorial by Manny Ortiz

Flash Photography Tips From SLR Lounge Featured Artists

Photograph by Jason Vinson

Don’t miss these flash photography tips from our very own community of award-winning featured artists. These photographers bring a unique perspective to their work and they’ve raised the bar in terms of using flash photography for creative effect.

• 5 Tips For Mastering Light, With Jason Vinson | SLR Lounge Awards Artist Feature
• 5 Tips For Modifying Light For Creative Wedding Photographs, With Mark Willis | SLR Lounge Awards Artist Feature

Flash Photography Tips For Modifying Light

Type “Flash Photography Gear” into a search window, and the results can quickly overwhelm you, especially if you’re new to the game. In the list below, you’ll find articles that explore recommended modifiers and discuss how to use them.

• Parabolic Reflectors & Umbrellas | What, Which, And Why To Use Them
• Lighting Tips | Controlling Your Light With Grids
• Our Favorite On-Camera Flash Modifiers

Conclusion

From lighting indoor to outdoor scenes, in a rush or with time to spare, flash photography allows photographers in all genres to maximize every location and capture images, regardless of the available light.

In this article, we looked at free flash photography tips for the following applications:

• Flash photography tips for weddings and receptions
• Flash photography tips for commercial and location shoots
• Flash photography tips for lighting headshots
• Flash photography tips for portraits
• Flash photography tips for studio lighting
• Flash photography tips from SLR Lounge Featured Artists
• Flash photography tips for modifying light

If you’re interested in diving deeper into mastering flash photography, we’ve created foundational lighting workshops that will help you master a variety of lighting techniques and shape & modify light for any scene.

What would you like us to talk about?  What questions do you have?  Please comment so that we can create content to help you!