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Would it make sense to buy a flash? (1 Viewer)

crs

Well-known member
I never used a flash while photographing birds. I use a Canon 7D camera and an EF 400/5.6 lens. Most of the time I am photographing from a car or from a hide. As the lens is not fast many times I felt more light should have been useful.

I am thinking about buying a Canon 580 EX II flash and a better beemer. Would it be useful for bird photography?

I would appreciate having your opinion.
Cristian
 
Apparently yes is the answer, I've just started reading through a pretty exhaustive document on bird photography HERE and he is sure that they are of use, he also gives instructions on how to build something better than the Better Beamer as well
 
US photographers seem to be very keen on the use of flash, but it's something you very rarely see on this side of the Atlantic - I don't think I've ever seen a photographer in the field in the UK running a flash/Better Beamer set-up.
 
I've dabbled with a 580ex2 and a better-beamer-a-like. It's ultimately a lot of extra equipment to drag around (which doesn't suit a hand-holding technique very well) and more fiddly than I could be bothered with. I also don't want to be the one that scares away something interesting, massive lenses/noisy cameras are bad enough already. I've never seen anyone using them (at least in public places).
 
It can be usefull to give some fill flash and get a catchlight in the eye if the bird is in shade.
That said, I rarely use mine outdoors, it's extra weight to carry around.
I do use the flash and a better beamer when I go to Bird Kingdom, the aviary at Niagara Falls.
 
It seems you loose more due to the extra weight and volume than you get with the extra light.

Thank you all for the answers.
Cristian
 
Oh I don't know - there are cases where flash has real value, and personally the extra weight wouldn't worry me too much, but I can't make the case for habitually sticking a flash and BB on the camera the way that some US photographers seem to do.
 
IMHO I think it will possibly be a negative situation, due to the flash and shutter combo.It would seem that for what ever reason the birds in Britain seem to be more wary. For example, whilst in the florida keys this time last year, I was sitting on the beach and ringed plovers, turnstones etc were within 10-15 feet! Of me and didn't seem to mind the sound of the shutter working, also a red shouldered hawk was in the mangrove again max 20ft of me and didn't bat an eye. would interesting to hear more comments of those who do practice this! mike
 
Hmmm...

That's a good point, actually: I've realise that many of the pictures I'm bringing to mind of photographers with all the flash paraphernalia attached are in places like Florida.

Mind you, I've had UK Turnstones, Sanderling, Purple sandpipers and Knot come too close to focus on with a 100-400mm (less than 6 feet) and I know Nigel Blake was once shooting stretched-out on Titchwell beach, and a Turnstone perched on his back!

I'm not too sure that flash generally disturbs birds though: it'd be a problem in excess I imagine (Chris's comment above for example) but in moderation it seems quite benign and unobtrusive. It probably irritates other photographers more than it does birds...
 
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Hmmm...

......It probably irritates other photographers more than it does birds...

The very reason I've still not used mine in 12 months. Haven't had the bottle so far, woh betide the one who scares something off.

Comes in handy for weight practice though, for when I win the lotto;).
 
I'd agree with most posters that I rarely use a flash in the UK, but it's worth having one if you take photos in woodland. If you're ever visiting a rainforest, it's an essential.
 
Like all the paraphenalia we carry, it can be a useful tool to get exceptional shots. Catchlights in bird eyes, extra light to stop movement by use of flash/higher shutter speed, obvious in low light situations, can use to enhance bird colors with gels, fill flash (just like human portraits!) and I'm sure I've not detailed all the possible uses.

The longer I'm in this game of photography I find the proper use of lighting the greatest challenge I have (that and keeping the camera still!)

Of course, due to various limitations in what we can carry sometimes we must do without certain tools. And then again, some are willing to just have "snapshots" of the various birds that they photograph without real regard for the quality of the photo. After all, most of us are amateurs, and aren't looking to sell our photos.

I'll ruminate a bit: When I look back at pics I took 20 years ago, I realize what rubbish most of those pics were. As I've come to understand lighting, sharpness and composition, most of the pics I take are still rubbish, but at least I'm not keeping them! I don't go into the field for several years now, without a flash. YMMV.
 
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Hmmm...

I'm not too sure that flash generally disturbs birds though: it'd be a problem in excess I imagine (Chris's comment above for example) but in moderation it seems quite benign and unobtrusive. It probably irritates other photographers more than it does birds...

Before I tried it I thought that the flash would scare off the birds, but surprisingly most don't react to it.
 
Yep.

I'm very serious (amateur or not) about light and composition - and catchlights - and I've still never felt the need to make flash part of my armoury: and yet, I do just fine.

But I work very hard to be aware of, and in the right position for, the available light, and will move and move again and wait for just the right moment to activate the shutter in order to get the catchlight (I'm obsessive about catchlights, to be honest) and you don't need flash for any of that - you simply don't.

If the light is so bad that flash is the only option available, the likelihood is that the day is stuffed anyway, and I lose no sleep over that.

There's another thing too: I hate the look of a lot (and I mean a lot) of flash work: aside from red/steel eye, there's a real artificiality to a high proportion of the flash wildlife photographs out there which I find deeply unappealing.

So yes, flash is clearly a valuable tool in appropriate circumstances place, but it's not a necessity - and I don't see the sense (as some people actually do) in deliberately putting myself into situations where flash is purportedly a necessity (whether or not it really is), just to justify using it.
 
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I think geting a flash is the easyest thing to do.

As Keith Reeder is saying most of the photos taken with flash have an unnatural look.
Using the flash and taking naturaly looking photos seems to be a more complicated problem.

Cristian
 
It all depends on the type of photography you do. If you are stalking small birds, then a Better Beamer can be quite cumbersome. I have given up with mine at the moment. If, however, you are operating from a hide and photographing birds within range of the flash, with or without a BB, then flash is definitely an option. If you can get the flash off-camera, it is even better.
Yes, it is more complicated, but I sometimes feel that today we expect everything to be worked out for us. I have set myself the challenge of mastering flash for bird photograpy and relish the challenge. I am starting with a setup in the garden, with two flash guns pointing at a convenient perch. It means I can photograph birds whatever the weather. Of course, it can give false-looking results if you do not get the balance right. Portrait photographers do not shy away from using artificial light just because it takes a bit more thinking about. The idea is to use whatever is available to create the image you have in mind. For those who say it is cheating to use artificial light, I feel it no more cheating than changing ISO, depth of field etc.. All the options open to us as photographers "distort" reality in some way.
So, yes, buy a flash by all means. Just be aware though, that it is not a quick fix to get good shots in dim light. It is, however, a great tool and an adventure in the making.
 
With some birds you need a flash to get anything - Tawny Owl comes to mind. I use the flash to fill in and for shutter speed with macro photography, but it certainly is tricky. I'm no expert though, and I've never used it for birds.
 
As many have eluded to it depends entirely on the circumstance but occasions do crop up when a flashgun would be useful, as others have said when the natural light has basically gone. However getting a flash would be more of a 'necessity' if you like to or would start to pursue photography outside of the natural world as well.

Here's a couple of times when I've used the on board flash but a proper flashgun would have surely been a nice thing to have at the time and I had to work on the images to correct the reflected light in the eye. I believe using flashguns don't have this problem but someone might want to correct me if I'm wrong.
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/231361/ppuser/42340
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/290773/ppuser/42340
 
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