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.
Accessory manufacturer LumiQuest began selling mini-softboxes for flashes — little attachments that soften the light — in the 1980s. But sales are stronger in the digital era, to the tune of about 250,000 products yearly, up 25% from two years ago, says company founder Quest Couch.
"Turns out, we're more lucky than smart," Couch says. He didn't anticipate the renewed interest in flash from so many photographers.
He's got lots of company. Photographer Dave Honl began making his own attachments for flashes — filter holders, light direction funnels and such — while covering the Iraq war for The Zuma Press. Friends told other friends about his tools. To deal with all the requests, he began selling them online. By last year, his side business had taken off to the point where he had to return to the U.S. to deal with the demand.
"It's gone way beyond my expectations," Honl says. "And I attribute it to the Internet. Once word got out, it just spread like crazy. I couldn't have done this 10 years ago."
Flash and lighting techniques are huge topics online. Websites such as Strobist, PixSylated, FlashFlavor and Digital Pro Talk all have loyal and growing followings.
"People saw these images with beautiful light, and wanted to find out how to do it themselves," says PixSylated.com publisher Syl Arena. The Paso Robles, Calif., photographer recently did a spread on his blog showing a photo technique with 12 flashes synched together.
Flashy results
Arena started PixSylated in May 2008, and now has about 22,000 monthly visitors. The leader in the category is David Hobby's Strobist, which attracted 320,000 readers in February.
"There is absolutely no question that small flash has gotten huge over the last year or so," says Hobby.
Hobby, Arena, McNally and other photographers share their lighting tips with shutterbugs all over the globe, and promote their upcoming seminar appearances (McNally and Hobby are teaching at Arena's sold-out Paso Robles workshops at $1,600 a pop later this month.)
Finally, despite the huge popularity of flash, many shutterbugs prefer "natural" light. McNally wants to set them straight:
"Natural light is beautiful, but what will you do when there is no light? How can you go into a coal mine and get a shot, or do a garage band at night? If you say, 'I'll never use a flash,' then you've lopped off many opportunities."