Flash Article Series — An Introduction

Being a rainforest photographer, I have learned the use of flash out of necessity. With typical forest conditions of low and flat light here in Costa Rica and the fact that many of the more interesting creatures are more active at night, being able to manufacture pleasing yet dramatic light is a highly useful skill. In this series of articles, I will be discussing the use of flash in rainforest photography from artistic, schematic, and technical perspectives. And yes, there will be info on both Canon and Nikon flash systems. The articles are coming soon!

By the way, the image above is of the paca (Agouti paca), a highly secretive nocturnal forest rodent about the size of a small dog. Here I wanted to produce a kind of moonlit silhoutte look. So, I set up two 430 EX Canon Speedlite flashes, set in manual power mode, on lightstands in the area where a group of these animals was coming to feed on fallen seeds. I lay on my belly while handholding my Canon 5D and 300 mm f2.8 lens and triggered the flashes with a Canon ST-2 transmitter in the camera’s hotshoe. I focused manually with the help of my friend Jose and a small flashlight as we alternated between shooting and assisting. I worked in manual mode at 1/160 of a second at f9 and ISO 100. Since all of the light was from the flashes, the camera shutter speed actually was irrelevant. Without a good understanding of how to achieve creative lighting with flash, a good image of the paca is impossible!