Yongnuo YN560 Slave Mode - No Flash Triggers, No Problem!

If you have a Yongnuo YN560 Speedlight, but do not own any wireless transmitters, you can still fire your flash off-camera if you have a built-in flash on your DSLR camera. The Yongnuo YN560 (and version 2 and 3) have 2 optical slave modes that allow you fire the flash using another flash. When the optical slave on the Yongnuo YN560 sees another flash fire, it triggers itself simultaneously.

Using Your Window as a White Backdrop

When I first posted my high key off-camera flash tutorial, the question that was asked the most was whether or not you could achieve the same look using a singe flash. One way you can achieve the same effect is by using your window as a white backdrop and using your flash to light your subject.

Aperture, ISO, Sutter Speed: Which Settings Do You Change in Manual Mode?

One of the biggest questions that I get is how do you know what settings to change when you're using manual mode on your DSLR. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO all change the amount of light that your sensor will capture, but they all have secondary effects as well. It's these secondary effects that will determine which setting you will need to change to get the photograph that you want.

Aperture is the setting that controls depth of field. If you know you want a certain amount of depth of field for a certain image, set your aperture first.

Shutter speed is the setting that controls motion and subject freezing. If you need a certain shutter speed to either freeze or blur your subject, change your shutter speed first.

ISO is the setting that determines how much noise or digital grain there will be in an image. ISO is that last think that you'll want to change. It will be the setting that will allow you to use the aperture and shutter speed that you want. You'll want to keep your ISO as low as possible to get a clean image.

Start with 1 Flash! - Off-Camera Flash Photography Tip

I see a lot of people who into off-camera flash photography, and the first thing they do is buy multiple flashes. While this may not necessarily be a problem for you, especially since off-camera flash photography equipment is very cheap nowadays, I still recommend only buying 1 flash when you're starting off. There are two reasons why I recommend starting off with 1 flash.

Not Everyone Likes Off-Camera Flash

The idea of off-camera flash can be appealing to many, but not everyone enjoys it once they have tried it. Buying only 1 flash means that there is less gear to sell if you decide that off-camera flash photography is just not for you.

You Are Forced to Learn the Basics

I see a lot of people that get into off-camera flash assuming that you can copy what someone else does and get the exact same results. Buying one flash forces you to learn how off-camera flash photography works. The number of different shots that you can pull off with one flash is countless. By using only one flash, your creativity gets pushed to its boundaries, and you well know exactly when something can't be done with one flash. At that point, you can add your second, third and fourth flashes.

Some people might get there second flash sooner than others, but I highly recommend committing to 1 single flash when you're first starting off.

All About Built-in Camera Light Meters

Ever since I posted my video on Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO, people have been asking me to expand on the way in which you know what setting you should use to get proper exposure when using the manual mode in your camera. What I forgot to explain in that introductory video is that there are several different features that your camera has built into it to make it easier for you to find the proper exposure for certain situations. One of these features is your camera's built-in light meter.

Before I continue, I want to make it clear that although there are certain things that can tell you what the "proper" exposure of a scene should be, you shouldn't rely on these things to tell you what is right and what is wrong. In the end, you need to choose what your exposure needs to be to get the image that you want.

There are are many people that don't know that there is a light meter that is built straight into your camera. The light meter is what your camera uses to measure light, which is how it knows what settings to use when you're using one of the cameras automatic modes. The light meter can also be used in manual mode to help guide you to the correct exposure.

Light meters work by measuring the amount of light there is and averaging the light information to middle gray. The light meter in most modern day cameras is shown as a number line. When the marker is on 0, you have what then camera believes to be is the correct exposure. If you're above 0, the camera thinks that the image is over exposed and if you're bellow 0, the camera thinks your image is under exposed. The goal is to get your exposure to that 0 mark and adjust it from there.

The light meter in your camera has different metering modes, which changes the way in which the camera reads light. Most modern day cameras have 3 different metering modes, which are explained in the video bellow.