ELECTRONIC FLASH Today’s battery-powered electronic flash units offer an impressive combination of high

power, portability, flexibility, and convenience. Moreover, these units are easy to use, with many automatic
features. In addition, lighting effects are repeatable and color temperature is constant (see p. 138). In fact,
portable electronic flash units are the single most powerful accessory you can attach to your camera. They
widen the range of situations you can photograph in while expanding the lighting effects available for many
situations. It is also easy to match flash units to budget, as low-power units are very affordable. For greater
expense, you are rewarded with higher power, more rapid recharging, and more automatic features such as
wireless (infrared or radio) synchronization. Digital advantages Digital photographers are at a great advantage
compared with their film-based counterparts in being able to assess the result of a flash exposure immediately
after it is made—either by observing the image on the camera’s review screen or on a computer monitor.
Assessing images on the relatively small screen of a typical digital camera is more reliable than before, thanks
to improved and larger screens. Nonetheless, if possible, it is always preferable to download the image onto a
computer for assessment via a full-size and calibrated monitor (see pp. 214–5). Types of equipment For a
range of photographic tasks, from still life to portraiture, a single flash unit will suffice. The single most useful
light-shaper—which changes the quality of the emitted light—is a large diffusing panel, also called a soft-box.
A substitute for a soft-box is a reflector, but that incurs a big loss of light through the inefficiency of reflection.
A second synchronized lighting unit is useful for adding highlights—a halo of light from behind, for example, or
controlling background lighting, or increasing overall light levels. The two units need to be synchronized with
the camera. This can be done wirelessly with infrared or radio, which is available on the better-specified
models. You can also attach a sensor to one of the units: when it picks up a sudden rise in light levels, it
triggers the unit it is attached to. Using these methods you can synchronize several units. For the greatest
flexibility, you also need a camera with a lens offering a wide range of adjustable