What does flying light mean in photography?

What is a flying lamp? In the past, when shooting with an external flash, the flash was also installed in the hot shoes of the camera, and then the light of the flash would directly hit the model's face. If you shoot with the "flying light" method, it means that the flash is not installed in the hot shoes of the camera, but used elsewhere. Because the flash "flies" off the fuselage, it is called "flying light". Why is it a "flying lamp"? If the flash is always installed on the hot boots of the camera, the practicality of the flash will be limited. However, if you shoot with the "flying lamp" method, you can use the effect of side light or backlight to make the photo change more. In many cases, when a flash is installed on hot boots, it will be shot in a direct way, and only the outline of the model can be clearly seen, but the three-dimensional sense is insufficient, and there is no light and dark side. Using "flying lights" to shoot, just like the lights in the studio, the effects of lighting changes can be many. For example, the use of side light leaves a certain degree of shadow on the model's face, which makes the three-dimensional sense more prominent. The equipment used for "flying light" shooting is "flying light", which requires more equipment, not as simple as hot boots shooting. Let's talk about the requirements of flashing lights first. It needs to support the wireless flash system, which can sense the signal when the camera is shooting, so that the flash can be synchronized with the shutter. If the flash does not support the wireless flash system, you can use the flash sensor. As long as it detects that the light is flashing, it will send a signal to inform the flash and then flash. However, this system will be affected by the external environment. If it is used in a well-lit environment, the flashing signal from the fuselage may not be strong enough, resulting in the failure of the wireless system. In addition, if the flash signal from the fuselage cannot be aimed at the "flying light", it may not be received. In this case, you can use the "Flying Light" help. The "flying light line" can be said to be an extension line of a hot shoe. One side of the line is inserted in the hot shoe position of the camera, and the other side of the hot shoe position can be equipped with a flash. Because the line is about one meter long and flexible, the flash can be taken to other places. Whether you use a wireless flash system or a "flying light line", shooting with a camera in one hand and a flash in the other, it doesn't taste like that. One-handed photography will be unstable, and the angle of each flash may be different, so other equipment is needed, the most direct one is the lamp holder. The lamp holder consists of a lamp base and a connector, which can hold a flash lamp, and there is also a valve that can adjust the tilt angle of the flash lamp. Besides, it can also be used as a soft umbrella, just like a flash in a photo studio. Some places are narrow, and the lamp holder needs to occupy a certain space, so it is not suitable to use the lamp holder in this environment. Instead, you can use Supercamp or spring clips and connectors. As long as there are protruding parts on the wall, even railings and iron branches. , you can use a super clip or a spring clip, you can stick it on the protruding part, and you can use it after fixing it with connectors and flashing lights. This time, Nikon SB-R200 flash, SB-800 flash, SU-800 commander, soft umbrella, lamp holder, spring clip and pan tile head were used, as much as those used in the studio shooting. Although the TTL technology is mature now, it is common that there will still be faults and the output is too strong or too weak. If you shoot continuously, you may see that the output of each photo is different. Therefore, when shooting "flying light", the author still suggests setting the flash to manual mode, and users can control the output of the flash by themselves. When shooting, the subject will only move in a fixed place, not all the time, so fixing the output of the flash can make the shooting more stable. Manual mode In order to make the exposure of photos more consistent, you can adjust the camera to manual mode and fix the aperture shutter value to avoid the influence of camera metering. The composition of each photo will be different, and the proportion of photos taken by the subject will be different; Factors such as high and low angles and different backgrounds can also affect metering, so manual mode can solve the problem of metering. Before the official shooting, you can take a few photos first, and then adjust the output power, aperture and shutter value of the flash. After the adjustment, you can feel at ease and officially shoot. In the case of using a flash, adjusting the shutter can control the amount of spotlight light absorbed, and the aperture can control the intensity of the flash. As long as you understand this truth, you can better control the exposure when shooting with a flash. Pay attention to the shooting position. When shooting, there may be more than one set of flash lights around the model to create different lighting effects. But it is worth noting that when shooting, remember not to walk between the flash and the model, so as to avoid the shadow falling on the model and affecting the impression. When composing a picture, don't include flash, because strong light will affect the imaging of the picture, and only a few flash will give people the same sense of collapse. Unless the photographer deliberately uses the flash as the background or prop of the photo, this is another matter. Pay attention to the sound of calling back. In order to enhance the lighting effect of photos, the method of "flying lights" will be used, so it is extremely necessary to pay attention to the flash output of each group. Theoretically, every time the flash flashes, you will hear a beep when you dial back, indicating that you can shoot again. If you shoot with multiple sets of flash, you will hear more than one beep. Remember to listen to all the beeps before taking the second photo, so as to ensure the ideal effect when shooting. If you shoot one of the flashlights at this time and don't call it back completely, there will be underexposure or the flash effect will not be obvious. When taking portraits, the rhythm is generally tight. If you feel that the call back time is too long and the shooting atmosphere is destroyed, you can use an external battery box to solve it. After using the battery box, the call back time is obviously shortened. Ordinary flashing lights may take 4-5 seconds to output full charge without installing a battery box, but it can be accelerated to 1-2 seconds after using the battery box, and the effect is very obvious. The return time of rechargeable batteries will also be faster than that of disposable alkaline batteries. Lights can also be played outdoors. Many people think that lighting can only be enjoyed in the studio, ignoring the existing equipment in their hands. In fact, as long as you have an external flash in your hand, you can achieve different lighting effects, just like the single-lamp lighting method I taught before. The more flashing lights, the more lighting effects can be achieved. Remember the combination of light and shadow in the photo, and the flash can meet these requirements. As long as it is used properly, you can take an ideal photo.