There is a time and place for speed lights. Birthday parties, weddings, dimly lit events where the use of flash is acceptable. Concerts and runway fashion events are NOT the place.

There is a reason that flash photography is unacceptable or forbidden, but don’t know when it is and isn’t ok to use it, ASK. Look around and see what the other photographers are doing and put yourself out there and ASK:
• “If you don’t mind, I notice no one is using their speed lights, are they permitted?”

If the answer is:
º “No, flash photography is not allowed, but you can push your ISO and make your adjustments according to your camera and lens combination.”
If the answer is YES, there may be conditions/stipulations that may be:
∞ “You can, but only when shooting the audience/attendants, not the stage area.”

Artist and models don’t like to be blinded Please, don’t use your flash. Performers or models can be distracted by flashes constantly popping into their eyes, rendering temporary blindness and may cause them to fall off the stage or runway – that would be most embarrassing, if not painful to say the least.

So, if you are not well versed in the art of FLASHLESS photography, practice. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.

Turn down the lights in an environment that you control and start by putting a single light on your subject and practice shooting with your gear. Then add more lights in various positions related to the position of your subject and then make random adjustments in their position and distance from the subject and make note of your settings and keep in mind the laws of reciprocity: Aperture (f/stop), Shutter Speed (ex:1/60 sec) and ISO (film speed equivalency)

º This isn’t the gospel, so take it at face value and use whatever helpful information that you can derive from the intended message. See the sample image (screenshot) associated that motivated THIS post.

Thank you

kdmorris – photographer

¶ Screenshot image edited in Lightroom 5.7
Philly Fashion Week 02.20.2015

I recall during a few concerts I was covering, either for the artist, venue, media or just because I was there, when a few photographers would look over at me and ask: “Hey, what are you shooting with?”

Depending on the era, my answer grew from the following: ‘Canon T50…Canon AE1 Program…Canon A2e…Canon 30D…Canon 70D…Canon 5D MK II…’ over the years, my bodies changed as well as my lenses.

My early answers and their facial expressions made me feel as if I didn’t belong there, to the point where they felt the need to pull out pocket albums or (later) display their digital images and ask to compare mines to theirs. Well, some of those cats got their feelings hurt because I was blessed with “an eye” as it’s called in the photography world.

Because I had proof of life that ranked among theirs, I pretty much took their condescending attitudes and flipped it into respect, be it genuine or feigned – they stopped asking me “…What are you shooting with?” and started asking me: “Let me see some of your work…” and “are you shooting this or that event?”

Understand that there are gear hounds and photographers whose lack of confidence and talent is masked by big “gear” when humility is just one click away.

Don’t be intimidated by what another photographer has in his/her hands, just think of it as someone with a drivers license, but can’t drive on the freeway, sticking to the side streets and calling them “short cuts.” They have the knowledge but lack the ability.

– kdmorris
photographer