Photographers eager for flash of knowledge
LOS ANGELES -- A new generation of digital photographers has fallen in love with one of the oldest technologies of the 20th century: flash.
Strobe lights once were used primarily to illuminate night and party shots. Today's flash, however, is a powerful mini-computer that, when combined with other flashes, can help create glossy, magazine-style photographs in any setting — daylight or evening.
The thirst for knowledge about using flash is so pronounced that photographer Joe McNally's new book on working with flashes, The Hot Shoe Diaries, made its debut at No. 8 on Amazon's overall bestseller list. Amazon sold out its first shipment of 5,500 copies in one week, from a total first print run of 25,000, according to publisher Peachpit Press.
McNally, a longtime photographer for National Geographic and other magazines, says many camera enthusiasts from the analog era rediscover their love of photography through digital SLR cameras (for "single lens reflex").
"They start to realize that if they're really going to get serious about their photography, they have to learn how to use the flash," he says. "Once they do, they really get it. I've never seen so many people jazzed."
That's good news for camera manufacturers such as Canon, which sells the best-selling digital SLR, the EOS Rebel — along with a host of accessories, including flashes.
"The market for digital SLRs has just exploded over the last few years, and as a result, so have sales of flashes," says Chuck Westfall, technical advisor for Canon.
Out of the darkness
According to market tracker IDC, sales of digital SLRs rose 22% in 2008, and will increase 5% in 2009. At the same time, overall camera sales will fall 10%, IDC says.
Flashes from market leaders Canon and Nikon start at slightly more than $200. Because flashes can be synched together via various wireless technologies, many photographers buy several units and multiple accessories for different lighting effects.
The point of McNally's book is to get the flash off the "hot shoe" fitting that sits atop the camera and onto an accessory such as a light stand, with an optional umbrella to reflect light for a softer look. McNally shows how to light subjects at sunset with beautiful colors in the background, put filters on the flash for vibrant added color, and place flash units in unusual places for dramatic results, such as near a basketball hoop at a sporting event, or outside a window through a sheet.
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