I decided to call this episode “Confessions of a First Time Flasher” because something finally happened. Lee came to me and asked to use flash for some of her product and food photography.

To be honest, I wasn't sure this would ever happen, but here's how it unfolded.

Confessions of a First Time Flash User

My name is William and I am a flash-a-holic. I've purchased many lights and related accessories. In fact, I have so many that I occasionally trip over them.

In past years, the darkness in my world of flash is that small flash and studio strobe were incompatible. They didn't speak the same language. Now I have a series of flashes and strobes that work together and I love it.

However, Lee never seemed interested and preferred to go outside to use sunlight for her photos. That meant conditions had to be just right for her lighting. No storms or work at night. We also had to round up our dogs and put them in the crates so she could work in peace.

Sometimes nature interrupts that peace with a blast of wind, which brings leaves and sand to her carefully designed set.

Why Did Lee Avoid Flash in the Past?

Despite having a lot of gear and my offer to teach her how to use it, Lee preferred going outside. I accepted that because I know she loves her sunshine, so I figured that was part of the reason.

However, it was a bit more than a love of sunshine.

The heart of the matter was time pressure. Lee works with some vendors to create social media photos, and she also uses them for her own blog and social media. When she receives a new product to review, she needs to get photos out rather quickly. Given that she also has other work to do, Lee often has to work to a quick deadline with little time.

Basically, going outside to shoot was what she knew and she could make her deadline commitment, where learning flash would introduce delays as she learned how to work the equipment.

She's not the only one who feels this way. I get email from other readers, and input from a recent survey (link below) about the things people would like to know more about off-camera flash. These are valid concerns, and so is the worry about having to buy a lot of stuff.

Lee doesn't want a lot of gear, and neither do many photographers.

What Made Lee Change Her Mind About Using Flash?

When I asked her why should decided to try it, or what changed her mind, the answer was simple. It was me.

I hate to think that I pester her about it, but I know I've offered to help her learn more than once. I also promised that it would be simple at first, and could lead to more creative lighting.

Keep in mind that Lee is an artist first and a photographer second. She feels her way, and that's always worked for her. Once we start introducing technology and I “explain” things, her creative mind wants to reject it.

Fortunately, she trusts me. If we do no more than we did in this first session, she will always have the option to continue her product photography with the same quality as her sunlight shots, only now she can do it indoors if it's raining or dark outside. Basically, now she doesn't have to work at a specific time to get a specific quality or direction of light.

Using Flash Can Make You Apprehensive

On the outside, Lee said she was worried about the time it would take to setup and strike the lighting gear. That's my fault.

More than once, she's heard my profane utterances as I setup our home studio. Logically, it must be that lighting is difficult.

That's not true, nor was it why I was cussing. More to the point, I couldn't find some of my stuff. That's a major source of frustration for me and I deal with it using some colorful phrases.

It only took us ten minutes to setup the lighting for Lee's shots, and then five minutes to tear it down. That's mostly because I now know where to find my stuff.