Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 28800, ƒ/4, 1/250

To flash or not to flash that is the question? In the photo above this was done without a flash.

Now I have an Alienbees B1600 behind them and one in front. While technically, the one with flashes is better, I still am not satisfied with the flash. Due to restrictions on where I could put the flash, I could never get what I would call a natural look.

The most significant difference between these two photos is where the minister stands. The lighting is designed to hit him on the face, not the front row people. So here, the available light is quite acceptable.

No question that here I was able to achieve the “natural light look” with the strobes. The significant difference between the two photos is the dynamic range appears more critical with the strobes.

While the photos where the lighting can be made to look natural look best with the flash, I find the flash is announcing that I am there shooting. This makes people look at me much more and limit the number of natural expressions.

I love the moment here with the little girl during a chapel service. The reason for those wondering about the blue light is the stained glass window on the right of the frame.

As you can see from these photos, it isn’t always easy to choose to use flash or not. With today’s cameras having such high ISO capabilities, you can get more acceptable images without a flash than we could just a few years ago.

To flash or not is often up to the photographer and how it fits into their style of photography.