Fill flash and the kindness of strangers

A couple visiting from Germany took our photo.  Left:  no fill flash.  Right:  Fill flash was used.

I love using flash.  Not the built-in variety you find on consumer DSLR and mirrorless cameras, nor the anemic "flash" found on smartphones.  No, I am talking about the hot-shoe mounted or wireless bringers of light that make all the difference in the world to outdoor portraits.  The difference between the former and latter is power.

We had just arrived on Vancouver Island via the Tsawwassen ferry and were travelling to our first waypoint.  We were a bit early and decided to explore a field bursting with ox-eye daisies and buttercups.  As we were concluding our temporary hiatus, we met a couple visiting Canada from Germany.  They actually didn't have any relatives or friends here but made it a point to spend several weeks every year exploring our great land.  They just happened to be visiting Vancouver Island on this particular trip.

We chatted for a bit and I asked if one of them would take a photo of us with my camera.  I had my large external flash attached and had them take two photos; one with and one without the flash.  Afterwards, I showed them the results and explained the value of an independent light source. 

They also had a camera, albeit a compact, and we returned the favour.  I took two photos as well, one with flash and one without, using the built-in pop-up flash.  It wasn't as powerful as mine, but it did a fine job given the camera-subject distance.  We said our goodbyes and went on our way.

It was a nice interaction.  I got a shot of us, got a useful comparison of portraits taken with and without fill flash, and had a pleasant interaction with visitors to our country.  Plus, we got to wander through a land of wildflowers on a bright, sunny day.  What a boon!

Thanks for reading.  

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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