Use of Flash

Regarding the use of flash lighting, there are two main camps of thought. One says that you should never/rarely use flash and instead use only the natural lighting of the area. That is a fantastic idea, especially when the natural lighting is very elegant or conducive to your photograph. However, this is clearly not always the case. This leads to the second ideology which is that the flash is simply another part of your toolkit to be utilised in creating your photographs. I stand much closer to the second camp of thought. 

For obvious reasons, much of landscape photography is limited to using natural lighting. However, there are many instances where a flash really comes in handy. Even in a landscape shot, it can help to bring out certain elements of the scene. Here are three keys that I find useful when dealing with flash:

1. KNOW some of the important principles about the nature and intensity of light. For example, the most basic is that light travels in a  straight line. There is not actually any such thing as light that nicely "wraps" around your subject. What you are dealing with here is the RELATIVE size of your light source. I could go on much longer about this, but the point here is that you learn more about the light that drives EVERY one of your images. 

2. The best practical tip I have is to get your light off the camera's optical AXIS. The simple reason for this is that MOST things will look more pleasing to the eye if lit in this way. There are more visible shadows and the object is given much better definition than direct light. 

3. Thirdly, try not to rely solely on your flashgun. Having a BALANCE of the lighting is often the key to a nice looking photo. Reflectors can be a good way of utilising the power of the sun to light aspects of your scene without the use of flash. 

David Hobby at http://www.strobist.blogspot.com.au/ has some much more in-depth explorations about lighting. I have benefited greatly from reading and practising some of his tips. 

Have a fantastic day!