Flash (photography) question

[HeadlessBill]

I have a Canon Rebel XT and I need to upgrade from the built-in flash to an external. I'm curious to know what people think of a ring flash versus an external (possibly with a bounce or diffusing lens). And any recommendations on a flash would be nice. I'm not really certain what to look for in a flash unit beyond an external needing a pivoting head.

Thanks.

[Velvet-Tongue]

Whatcha taking pictures of?

[badkittyamy]

i almost said go ask on a photography forum but then remembered how many people here do professional photography but yes what flash depends on what subject just like when deciding on what lens to use.

[HeadlessBill]

Whatcha taking pictures of?

Naked goth chicks. I'm not always going to have access to a studio or the use of my flash kit, so I need my third alternative.

[HeadlessBill]

i almost said go ask on a photography forum but then remembered how many people here do professional photography but yes what flash depends on what subject just like when deciding on what lens to use.

True. I realized I should have mentioned what I was going to be taking pictures of in the inital post as I was going to bed last night. Anyhow, the answer is posted above.

Also, the reason I decided to ask here is the number of photographers on the site, as you surmised.

[scottlanes]

if you are only going to get 1 flash for now i would get the canon 550ex (you can get them used for pretty cheap) or the new 580. The problem with the small, on camera ring lights is that they dont pack a whole lot of punch. They are really designed for macro work so the range isnt that great. The cool ring lights are all powered from a pack (profoto, speedotron, norman, etc) or a big external battery and i'm pretty sure thats not what you are looking for.

The 550 or 580 with the canon off camera cord will give you WAY more lighting options than a macro ring light will

[Mindgames]

It's all about the angle, as with so many things in life.

Ring flash obviously illuminates diffusely from the lens viewpoint, so it's great for macro where you're trying to avoid deep shadows inside al the nooks and crannies, and in facial portrait shots it will flatten wrinkles, but also flatten the apparent depth of the head. Rings are therefore often used for direct headshots, as removing the shadow under yuour cheekbones can be handy at 5am. It of course drops in a nice ring reflection on the cornea, but these days Photoshop adds and removes that anyways depending on your brief.

For body shots the depth perception is far more important, and so ring flash is next to useless - it'll iron your model into a cardboard cutout. An external flash allows you to pick whatever shadow angle and diffusivity you want, provided you either cord it or fit an IR slave head. Whupping a gun onto the hot shoe and pointing it at your model is done by only two types of photographer - the paparazzi and the foolish.

Most of the time I'll tell newbies to start playing with flash from about 30 to 60 degrees off side, and 20 to 30 degrees up, either direct with a diffuser screen or bounced off a card. you don't need brollies unless you're firing studio guns - a letter-sized sheet of white paper is a good enough brolly for everyone else.

Probably the biggest thing for newbies to get their head round is the backdrop shadow management - getting the level of diffusion right so there's a nice tight shadow definition on the skin but the model doesn't look like they're standing in front of a cartoon outline of their ass. If you're using one flash then it's down to reflective surfaces (a 45-up bounce off the white ceiling or a well-draped white sheet opposite the flash position) - but my best advice is to play a lot before asking some poor girl to stand there for 5 hours. Ansel once said "If you can photograph a chair and get your shadows right, then you're allowed to sit someone in it."

mG

[HeadlessBill]

Thanks Mindgames for some helpful hints. I've been doing photography for (gasp) decades, but usually have always just used natural light or set up lights in a studio, so using a flash on the camera is relatively new to me. I usually do test out the equipment before I ask someone to pose. My wife hates being my test subject.