Quick Tour

For many photographers, the small pop-up flashes on many prosumer cameras are the first electronic flashes they use. These built-in flashes do a fair job of introducing you to the concept of fill flash. They can also be somewhat effective for creating catch-lights in a subject’s eyes or for brightening small, shadowy areas. That’s where the benefits start to trail off.

Due to their small size and close proximity to the lens axis, pop-up flashes are prone to overexpose subjects that are too close to the camera. When pop-up flashes are used as the main light source, they create harsh shadows. After dealing with these limitations, most photographers are ready to make the leap into the world of external flash units like those in the Canon Speedlite System.

In this Quick Tour, I get you up to speed quickly, introduce you to some key Speedlite features, and encourage you to start exploring what’s possible with your new flash!

Getting Up and Running Quickly

As with any new piece of photography gear, you’ll want to start using your new Canon Speedlites right away. All you really need to do is pop in some batteries, attach the Speedlite to your camera’s hot shoe, and then turn both the Speedlite and the camera on. Almost as soon as soon as you start using it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the high-quality flash pictures you can make with your new Speedlite.

NOTE The Speedlites accept alkaline, lithium, or NiMH rechargeable AA-sized batteries.

To attach the Speedlite to your camera, follow these steps:

1. Turn the camera and Speedlite off before connecting. This is a good habit to get into before connecting any type of electronic equipment.

CAUTION Sliding the flash into the camera’s hot shoe while it’s powered on can cause it to fire unexpectedly, sometimes right into your eyes, and that’s no fun!

2. On the Speedlite, press the Bounce Lock Release button, and turn the mounting foot’s lock lever to the left to the unlock position.

3. Slide the Speedlite’s hot shoe into the camera’s hot shoe, and turn the Speedlite mounting foot’s lock lever to the right until it clicks to lock the Speedlite into place.

4. Place the flash head in the normal horizontal position. You’ll be repositioning the flash head differently later, but for now, leave it in the normal position.

NOTE Reposition the flash head by pressing the flash head tilting/rotating lock release, and then moving the flash head up or down to the desired angle.

5. Turn on your camera.

6. Turn on your Speedlite. The On/Off switch for the Speedlite is located on the back panel.

7. Check that the flash is ready. The pilot lamp first glows green and then red when the flash is fully charged and ready.

NOTE When you’re using the 580EX II, if the flash head is not in the normal horizontal position, the flash’s LCD panel shows a blinking flash head icon to warn you that it’s not in the normal position.

After you power up your Speedlite and camera with the flash head in the horizontal position, the flash and camera communicate with each other and automatic flash exposure is possible.

That’s all there is to it, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come! You’re now ready to begin your Speedlite journey and learn to light with amazing power and flexibility.

Taking Your First Photos with the Speedlite

After you get your flash attached and powered on, the flash sets itself to either E-TTL or E-TTL II mode by default. The camera body in use determines which mode is chosen. This is a firmware/hardware compatibility decision and is not user-selectable.

E-TTL stands for Evaluative Through-the-Lens, which means that the light meter in the camera takes a reading through the lens and decides how much flash exposure you need, depending on your camera settings.

The primary difference between E-TTL and E-TTL II is that E-TTL is strongly biased toward the focus point and evaluates the flash exposure primarily at that focus point. E-TTL II does not have this high focus-point biasing, and the flash exposure is calculated using more of an evaluative metering pattern.

Depending on which of the following metering patterns your camera is set to, the flash will either add fill flash or expose only for the subject:

▶ When your camera meter is set to Evaluative metering mode (), the light meter takes a reading of the whole scene. The camera adjusts the flash exposure to match the ambient light, adding fill flash to create a more natural look.

▶ When your camera is set to Spot metering mode () the camera’s meter takes a reading of the subject and exposes just for that; it doesn’t take into account any of the background light.

I recommend setting your camera to Evaluative metering mode () and using the E-TTL II mode when you’re getting started. When set to Evaluative metering, the camera measures the light intensity at several points in the scene and then combines the results to find the settings for the best average exposure.

TIP When you’re starting out, I recommend also trying your flash outside with sunlight. This is where E-TTL fill flash excels. The Speedlite fills in the harsh shadows created by the bright sun.

Understanding and controlling artificial light can be little intimidating at first, but try to simplify things and remind yourself that light is light, whatever the source. You may need a little more, a little less, some from the right, or some from the left. After you take all the technical jargon out of the equation, it really is that simple. With E-TTL, the camera/flash combination makes all the exposure adjustments for you and automatically adjusts the flash head zoom to match your lens. The flash head zoom is a feature of the Speedlite that adjusts the flash tube location to match the focal length of the lens you’re using. You also have manual controls available that enable you to override what the camera has decided is best, but I get to that in Chapter 4.

Don’t be concerned if you don’t completely understand how E-TTL or E-TTL II flash works or why the flash head zoom is important — I get to all that with examples as you read through this book. In the meantime, this Quick Tour is meant to introduce you to basic flash photography concepts and terminology and get you comfortable with using your new flash equipment.

The best way to get comfortable is just go out and start taking pictures. Set your camera to Program (), Aperture Priority (), or Shutter Priority () mode, and let the Speedlite and camera combination make the settings for you. This is the easiest way to begin, and it frees you up to learn about your flash.

People learn differently. Some want to jump right into Manual mode () and start experimenting with f-stops, ISO ratings, and shutter speeds as they relate to flash. Others prefer to let the camera help by reducing the number of settings they have to worry about when starting out. In any event, the more you can focus on lighting patterns and the ins and outs of your Speedlite, the quicker you’ll be making the flash pictures you’ve always wanted. So try not to take on too much all at once.

Look for simple subjects that you would normally photograph, but this time use your Speedlite. They can be anything close by, such as your loved ones or pets. Get a feel for how the camera and flash system work together, and pay attention to how the flash illuminates subjects and fills and creates shadows. Think about the qualities of the light that you like and those you’d like to improve. Is the light to harsh; is it too weak or to bright? These are some of the judgments you’ll be making as you proceed and learn to light.

Courtesy of Dennis Urbiztondo

QT.5 Kayla and Travis’s engagement session in Napa during the fall. Exposure: ISO 400, f/10, 1/200 second with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.

Get yourself a muse! This can be a spouse, a child, a parent, or even a mannequin. Preferably, you’ll find someone interesting who is readily available for impromptu lighting experiments. Other photographers are a great source of models eager to learn more about lighting themselves. Photographers in most communities have monthly meetings where you can find willing victims! Connect with the local Strobist group in your area to find other photographers interested in handheld flash photography. Learn by doing — it’s the quickest path to improvement and understanding.

Your first attempts at using flash may fall short and be disappointing, but don’t worry. Just keep shooting and watching what the light does and how it reacts in different situations. Don’t get too hung up on all the details at this point. Digital photography makes experimenting easy and affordable; the learning curve is considerably shortened by the ability to immediately review images on the camera’s LCD. Keep in mind that you’ll learn the most from your mistakes, so make as many as you can!

In the coming chapters, you learn about the quality of light and the different ways to shape and control it. As you become more comfortable with your Speedlite, note the impact that flash-to-subject, flash-to-background, and subject-to-background distances each play in the quality of light created. Keeping a notebook of lighting diagrams or using a diagram creation website like www.sylights.com is a great way to keep track of your ideas and take notes about lighting setups that worked and those that didn’t. Remember, it’s all about learning, so get out there and have fun with it.