Canon-Europe commissioned me to write a four-part series on Speedliting for their Canon Pro Network site. If you’ve not checked out the CPN site, you should spend some time there. The first two parts of my series are online now. Parts 3 and 4 will be published online during the next two months.
When Speedliting, it always gets down to flash power – how much power and how it is set. You can dial the power level in manually. Or you can have your camera and Speedlite work together to calculate the power level automatically via E-TTL. Both modes have their strengths. Both modes have their shortcomings. One is not always better than the other. I routinely switch between E-TTL and Manual — depending upon the situation of the shoot.
A lot of photographers don’t understand the difference between E-TTL and Manual mode. Further, a lot of photographers always use one mode and never explore the other — often because someone else told them to do it that way. A photographer who always uses one mode and never the other is like the carpenter who says, “I don’t need a hammer, I have a big wrench.”
[P.S. If you shoot Nikon rather than Canon, all of the following applies to you as well. Just think "i-TTL" every time you read "E-TTL."]
Continue reading »
Syl’s Portfolio
Long Off-Camera Flash Cords
Syl On The Road
Syl Teaches Speedliting Online At Kelby Training
Light and Lighting (coming in June)
Speedliter’s Handbook
Syl Writes About Speedlites on Europe’s Canon Pro Network
Speedliting Tip Jar
When you use the following links to click through to your favorite vendors, a small percentage of your purchase will drop into the Speedliting Tip Jar. It doesn't cost you a penny more. So thanks!
Recommended Books On Photography
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Light: Science & Magic
Lighting Essentials
Lighting Notebook
Sketching Light
Speedliter's Handbook
Visual Stories