No flash - is it possible?

[johnb4u]

Originally Posted by mokey

I was just wondering if it's possible to take photographs and never use a flash?

If you set the ISO high enough and adjusted all the settings perfectly could you gt away with never using a flash again or is this impossible?

I have an excellent flash but rarely use it, most of the time prefering natural light. However, if I find that I need to take pics for the sake of recording an event without taking consideration to the artistic aspects, then out it comes. A lot of the time I do ballet photography where flash is not permitted, so up goes the ISO and aperture, and down goes the speed with deliberate underexposure. Some of the shots I get are great, but it's not easy to freeze the action, so there's a lot of deletion.
Personally I find that flash takes a lot of the warmth away from a shot unless other equipment is used too, like umbrellas and slaves.

[wckeep]

i tried to use the on camera flash as little as possible because i always felt it was too harsh. however, recently i have discovered bouncing the flash and it opens up a whole new kind of shot for me.

[Panico]

Hi,
the quality of low-light images mainly depends on the sensor, cq the size and type of the sensor, and the 'intelligence' of the camera processor(s).

If you own a compact, chances are you cannot mount a pro flash unit, but if you could, this would allow you to 'bounce' and tweak the light from the flash tube, eg by use of the ceiling or a wall or any reflective surface.

If you are not satisfied with your 'no-flash' images, try using a second flash unit with a 'slave' function that will fire together with the camera flash.
This means you'll have to carry that around as well, but it will allow you to bounce and improvise.

The old rules still apply: in low light, use a tripod (or a steady hand, surface or image stabilizer) rather than extremely high iso settings, for that will cause grainy images, esp in cameras with small sensors and simple processors.

Usually a DSLR with a 6 Megapixel sensor in low light will give superior images to a compact with 12 Mp (due to more sensitive pixels and smarter processors, as well as better and bigger, brighter lenses).

Don't be discouraged to use your compact, just find its limits and stick to them. A DSLR is bigger and more expensive, and for some people this may take some of the fun out of photograpy.

Don't be shy, sometimes turning up the light, or aiming a light bulb can give a very natural effect, and may add just the extra amount of light you need.