Indoor Photography ? about external flash & wide ap lens

[vanguardgator]

Hi all. I have an indoor photography question regarding external flash units & wide aperture lens(es). For the past few weeks I have been trying to pick up bits and pieces of photo knowledge on the internet to figure out how to take better indoor shots because that seems to be where I catch my kids at play most often (birthdays, restaurants, Xmas morning, the dinner table, etc). Consequently, I am at that tricky point where I know a little bit more than I used to, but I am still over my head and not sure how to sift through conflicting info.

I have a Nikon d40. Based on my informal "research" I did two things recently: I bought a used Nikon SB-600 flash thinking the amped up flash would help my indoor shots (but I have no idea how to use it properly or when to use it). And I also bought a Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8g lens hoping a wider aperture prime lens might also help me get clearer shots of my kids.

The two places I seem to visit the most for photo info are the Pioneer Woman's blog and Ken Rockwell's site. But, they seem to conflict a bit. On the one hand Pioneer Woman basically says she never uses a flash ever, and will not use one even in indoor situations. Instead, she bumps up her ISO and either gets the shot or not, but will not use a pop up or external flash. On the other side Ken Rockwell uses a Nikon d40 (like me) with the 35mm 1.8 lens and an SB-600 flash on both his inside and outside shots that he has posted. All their posted photos look great to me.

So I am confused which way to go. Should I use the external SB 600 flash both indoors and out (or only indoors)? If I do, would I still want to bump up ISO way high or not? With an external flash like the 600 properly used, what should be my ISO and also default indoor aperture if shooting in Aperture Priority mode? Should I bag the external flash altogether and just go with the 35 mm prime lens indoors at 2.2-2.8 range (or wider) and set a high ISO of 800 or 1600?

I am sure that part of it is playing around, but right now I am not sure if the external flash is a help or hindrance. If a help, do you have any recommendations on where I can learn how to use it correctly? Any comments or guidance would be greatly appreciated. (Also, I am currently taking Katrina's class, which is awesome by the way!!!! I have learned more in a few days than I have anywhere else in months.)

I recognize that each shooting situation is different and depends a lot on light, etc. However, I would love to have a "go to" default for indoor shots of my kids when they do something quickly, so I can catch it and have a reasonable chance of getting a decent picture without a lot of tweaking. If this is not a realistic goal, please feel free to let me know that too.
Many thanks. Heather

[katrinak]

Big questions Heather

As you've already discovered, so much of the decision is based upon personal preference. I use strategies, as I simply want to be able to understand both I definitely lean towards high ISO, wide aperture as my personal preference. I sometimes find the flash from my speedlight (external flash) just annoying to me and the people I'm shooting.

That being said, I am working on a tutorial for using external flash I hope to have it available soon!

Your flash settings are so dependent upon the situation, distance from the subject, and where you are bouncing your flash (always bounce!).

As a rule of thumb I ALWAYS shoot in Manual when using the flash. It gives you more control over the light your camera records.

Laura posted an EXCELLENT explanation of using your external flash that I'm going to link you to. No reason to repeat the goodness she's already shared! You will need to join the DD POTD group to view it.

LauraBean's How I Use The Flash

[twirlerzmom]

I would love to see a tutorial on external flash! I have one for my Canon but have no idea how to use it and it kinda shows in my photos that I take with it. Colors seem to be way off whenever I use it. I don't think I'm bouncing it correctly or something. I tend not to use it anymore because I get better photos with the built-in flash but I wish I could get it to work for me.

[vanguardgator]

Once again Katrina rocks! Thanks so much for your post above (and also for the encouragement on my photos in the class)...I will definitely be joining the POTD group!

Can't wait to get your flash tutorial...that will be so helpful. In the interim I will focus on not using either flash (pop up or external), and work on becoming more comfortable with tweaking ISO based on the situation. Many thanks!!!!

[LauraBean]

Thanks for linking to my post, Katrina. I would really encourage folks to take a look at the sources I link in that post, particularly the Planet Neil blog (http://www.planetneil.com/tangents/). Neil van Niekerk also has a book out now about on-camera flash photography, fleshing out the info on his web site; though I've not seen the book, I would recommend it based on what I learned on his site.

[anke]

I just went back to that link and reread it and the funny thing is that now I understand it (well except for the exposure on the flash, I have to read that yet). Amazing what a difference a few months can make Thanks for all that info again Laura!

[cheska99]

I eagerly followed the link to Laura's post on flash but I got a message telling me I don't have access to that flickr page. I'm a member of flickr--do I need to do more? Can't wait to read this.
By the way, Oprah's official photographer uses an external flash on all his shots. I saw some that he did of vegetables in a market on a bright sunny day and he still used the flash and they looked great.
Lots of photographers are like Pioneer Woman and say no flash ever (Karen Russell works this way, too), but I think it's really a question of learning how to use the flash--and that is not a small topic.

[LauraBean]

I wonder if you need to be a member of the DD POTD group to see the discussion? PM me your email address if you want a copy of the post; I can easily copy & paste it in an email. (Too long for a PM, I think?)

[katrinak]

We did recently change the terms of the group, so in order to read any of the discussion threads or see photos you need to be a member.