Weekly Poll: Natural Light or Flash

[Nicole]

This week is another of those what do you do more of questions (and yes, if you do it 50.1% of the time rather than 49.9% of the time, it's more . So, the question is, do you use natural light or flash more often? Has it changed, and if it has, why?

For instance, I was using natural light much more until I got an external flash. I still use natural light more, but the percentage is definitely catching up.

So, which do you find yourself using more often and why? And do you think anything will change that? And heck, if you have good resources on lighting, why not share those as well

[Liz Caldwell]

Woo Hoo! So far 100% of the vote agrees with me! So what if I'm the first....

I've recently switched over to natural light whenever possible... I'll occasionally use a flash to stop action.

[Major_Small]

This one's kinda tough... I used to stick almost solely to natural light, but external flashes really do open up many more possibilities.

[ShepArt]

I do 98% of my work with natural light. It works out great when living in a sunny place like Florida. It was a bit of a challenge when traveling above the Arctic Circle in January.

[wulf]

Natural light, by far. I haven't got an external flash and, even indoors, generally prefer higher ISO and / or a faster lens to using the built in flash.

If I had a decent external flash I am sure I would spend a period of using it a lot and it would definitely open up options that are almost impossible with my present gear but I suspect I would still come back to the beauty of natural light a lot of the time.

Wulf

[Saralonde]

Until 2 months ago it would have been natural light, but I've been using off camera flash recently, so I have to go with the third option. I have a feeling it has something to do with winter and being stuck indoors more often, but it has added a new challenge for me.

[dmvp]

I almost always use natural light, but when I'm taking snapshots of family then I'll use my built-in flash.

[borne]

I tend to use natural light much more often than the flash. To me, natural light brings out the beauty in most things. It gives a soft glow that can't be found using a flash.

[laepelba]

I mostly prefer outdoor shooting, and feel strongly about using available light to my advantage....

[crazzy88ss]

You can't beat natural light; it's simply the best. I try and make use of it as much as possible before pulling out my speed light.