Embrace your flash!...

For most photographers it only takes one word to have them on the floor in the fetal position and blubbering like a baby- FLASH!

Okay, I have no idea about other photographers, but that's what it did to me.

;)

But seriously, if you think working with your flash is more painful than a stick in the eye, you can use your flash well enough so that your pictures don't suck, or you think you know your flash well, you need to to visit the website STROBIST.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200, RUN (don't walk) to this website.

There is almost too much information, so much good stuff that it's overwhelming, but it's like the old saying "how can an ant eat an elephant? One bite at a time", attack this site one article at a time.

Here are some of the areas I found most useful:

1. Lighting 101 - This is a great introduction to your flash and getting it off your camera. we are not talking about lessons that have you spending a ton of money, nope, you will learn about making snoots from cereal boxes, making your own pc-sync cord, using bungee cords, and improving your light by bouncing it off existing items like shirts, walls, and ceilings. GO TAKE THIS COURSE!

2. This was followed with Lighting Boot Camp which is a series of assignments that build upon the Lighting 101 course and will further expand your knowledge.

3. Just when you thought it could not get any better, they roll out Lighting 102! From the site: " L102 is designed to be a comprehensive course that starts from square one and is designed to build a broader and organic understanding of how to control light.There will be full assignments and small exercises. But where Boot Camp skipped straight to dessert, this time we'll eat our veggies first.We will start by exploring the different ways in which light can be controlled. Along the way we will be doing exercises to build a strong understanding of each of those variables. As we start to get some of the control factors under out belt, there will be assignments that make use of what we have learned so far."

And if you're wondering if it's worth the effort, take a look at the images by some who have taken the time to master their flash, Flash Flavor is dedicated to showing the images some "pretty amazing lighting masters". And they don't just show you the images, they show you (in words and graphics) how they accomplished these world class images.

Flash Flavor is the brain child of Matt Adcock and Sol Tamargo, if you want to see one of the coolest things ever, what their "trash the dress" video.

If you are going to take the time to take picture, why not take the best picture you can?